As a kid, my family would often spend our vacations at a family camp in Pennsylvania; the organization owned a huge, old hotel where we would sweat in the summers and freeze in the winters. Meals were family style, children sitting with their new friends and adults volunteering to help in the kitchen to wash the dishes. The kids had free reign, and we would explore and go on adventures and come back for dinner dirty and covered in bug bites.
We are in the final days of the school year. It is our great privilege to attend performances, speeches, special moments for our children. Behind closed doors it’s a mad scramble to find the appropriate attire. Children are attending most events in capri pants that were once long pants at the beginning of the school year. We are delighting in their music, their friends, and their hearts that long to share their accomplishments. I am desperately in the audience beaming upon the faces of my children. My heart is screaming, I’m here, do you see me, I’m here, and I love you.
This week’s chapter, Befriend the One in the Mirror, spoke so loudly to my heart. I love, love, love to talk about shame! I went through my life misunderstanding what shame was. I thought shame was what you felt when you had committed a huge sin, like robbing a bank or pushing someone over the edge of a cliff. But what God has taught me in the last 10 years is that shame is what we feel when you aren’t believing who God says we are. Because of Christ’s work on the Cross, God has declared us righteous. If we have accepted his forgiveness, then he sees us like he sees his own son. He loves us and is crazy about us and delights to be in relationship with us.
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from an article originally posted May 6, 2014...
I have been struggling with this post; I feel a bit wrung out by our week and the waiting, waiting, waiting for results. After I had the results that breast cancer wasn’t found, and more tests are going to be performed, I simply sighed.
I’m tired, I’m weary, I’m getting exhausted from the ups and downs. I want to rejoice in good news, I want to celebrate, but this journey has me very wearied.
