The black dot analogy connects to many of my life experiences. Specifically, the reality that parents and kids often remember experiences differently. It seems that moms are often harder on ourselves than our kids are on us. It makes me wonder, are kids somehow able to keep their focus on the whole page while parents struggle to see beyond the dot?
I thought to myself, this game stinks. I literally looked all over the house for hidden toys, aided solely on random, vague clues from a four year old, was laughed at, forgotten about, and then after finally finding the lost toy…nothing. Later, as I reflected on the game, I was struck by some of the similarities the game had to the fears I was trying to articulate about my faith journey. Especially recently, as I’ve faced several major life transitions, I have been a little bit stuck in fear and questions over what is supposed to happen next.
For Christians to suggest that doubt prevents success or God’s will from being fulfilled would imply that doubt doesn’t coexist with faith, or that somehow our human doubt is stronger than our God. I disagree. I like to think that faith, even faith with doubt, is much more about connecting with God, being the hands and feet of Jesus, and letting our lights shine to those around us.
Here’s my end-of-January message: If your New Year’s goals have already found themselves in a slump, it is okay, you are already awesome, today, just as you are.
Guest Post: I love that one of the basic items included with a sewing machine is this seam ripper. It’s like the manufacturers know you’ll need it. It basically says, “Hey, you’re not perfect. You’ll need to redo this. Often. Often enough that this is a standard tool expected to accompany the machine. It’s included—no extra charge—because the work itself will be hard enough. Mistakes are expected.”
There have been countless times I have wished for a magical solution to take away (or at least reduce) the fears I frequently encountered. A recent experience brought to the forefront of my mind the idea of a “magical solution spray.”
I wondered if the difficulty in navigating the spectrum of emotions added to my struggle with spinning. I was surprised to realize that feeling intense happiness could have contributed to my feeling nauseous.
Whether it’s overseas travel, exploring local parks, or simply processing an emotion, reflecting on life, or learning something new, there’s a lot of opportunities for exploration.
The black dot analogy connects to many of my life experiences. Specifically, the reality that parents and kids often remember experiences differently. It seems that moms are often harder on ourselves than our kids are on us. It makes me wonder, are kids somehow able to keep their focus on the whole page while parents struggle to see beyond the dot?
As I reflected on this transition to a new season, one question in particular kept repeating in my mind: What might it feel like to grow out of the season of uncertainty and lean into a season of hope?
the unexpected ever afters 