Stephanie, this is beautiful. The shift from interpreting to abiding is John 15 territory for me, and the Greek word menΕ (to remain, to stay) has been quietly reshaping how I move through ordinary days. Your sentence, "we trade presence for interpretation more than we realize," is going in my notes! There is something in performance-driven womanhood that wants the formula, the clean takeaway. And it is so much harder, and so much more freeing, to simply stay. Thank you for this.
Thank you, Christine. Yes, so true! Thank you for adding this insight. And why is it that being a performance-driven woman is SO hard?! π The desire for the formula and the clean takeaway really does feel safer somehow. Learning to simply stay and abide feels like such a different kind of work. π
Loved your post, and yes, I am guilty of assigning meaning to events. This is something I need to pray about. Our God is a God of order... why see His actions in disorder or chaos. Thank you. Blessings
Beautifully said. Itβs about rooting in Truth day-after-day and finding joy in Godβs presence. We must let Him grow us in the process, and leave the outcome of our circumstances up to Him. π
Just adding what I shared. We're to Separate out Our Story from The Facts. For us who believe that Jesus Christ is The Savior, The Light Of The World, The Bread of Life, The Good Shepherd, The Gate/The Door, The Resurrection and The Life, The Way The Truth and The Life, and The Vine. I Am. These are facts for us. The Bible is filled with facts and Truth.
Yes! Itβs so important not to get too caught up in what we feel, but rather in what we know to be true. After all, thereβs a reason the Bible warns us not to rely solely on our hearts and understanding. Thank you again for your thoughtful comments!
I remember May 24, 2000 when I was saved by Christ after decades of living in The World. It was not long after that, that a friend was pressuring me to take a Landmark Course in California. The course for me had two major take aways. "We are meaning making machines. And We have been living in our stories." Living and Reliving out what had happened to us and the meaning we have to those experiences. We need to separate out our story we live in and from the present new moment without our automatic reactions, meaning and narrative. I ask myself at times how long have I been living in my story again. In other words, how long have I been asleep and not present. To be Here- Now in the present moment in The Presence of God is my objective. I'm tired of subjective. I spend a lot of time in God's Living Word, Prayer, Meditation, and Journaling to not only Renew my mind, but to Rewire it. I recently had an experience that upset me. I had expectations that were let down. I defaulted to searching for meaning. I wanted to know why. I learned about many things. It was only after I prayed for God to show me how he sees this situation. It them that I was flooded with the Truth that always remains. He revealed who he is and his Truth. I was being called back to him. What had, had me upset for several days that I just had to figure out, no longer imprisoned me in His Presence. I may kick and scream at times, but I need what he allows because it draws me back and closer to him. It frees me from the bondage of self.
Oh my goodness, if I could like this 1000 times, I would. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this. It is so relatable, and βmeaning-making machinesβ is absolutely a phrase that is going to stay with me too. I also really loved what you shared about asking God to show you how He sees the situation instead of trying to figure it out yourself. That shift feels so connected to this whole conversation. π
Stephanie, this is beautiful. The shift from interpreting to abiding is John 15 territory for me, and the Greek word menΕ (to remain, to stay) has been quietly reshaping how I move through ordinary days. Your sentence, "we trade presence for interpretation more than we realize," is going in my notes! There is something in performance-driven womanhood that wants the formula, the clean takeaway. And it is so much harder, and so much more freeing, to simply stay. Thank you for this.
Thank you, Christine. Yes, so true! Thank you for adding this insight. And why is it that being a performance-driven woman is SO hard?! π The desire for the formula and the clean takeaway really does feel safer somehow. Learning to simply stay and abide feels like such a different kind of work. π
That's why we need to learn to "live gentler, not harder."
Loved your post, and yes, I am guilty of assigning meaning to events. This is something I need to pray about. Our God is a God of order... why see His actions in disorder or chaos. Thank you. Blessings
I think itβs something we all do in an effort to try to understand or control our situation or circumstances!
Beautifully said. Itβs about rooting in Truth day-after-day and finding joy in Godβs presence. We must let Him grow us in the process, and leave the outcome of our circumstances up to Him. π
Amen! It sounds simple but living it out is a different story!
Just adding what I shared. We're to Separate out Our Story from The Facts. For us who believe that Jesus Christ is The Savior, The Light Of The World, The Bread of Life, The Good Shepherd, The Gate/The Door, The Resurrection and The Life, The Way The Truth and The Life, and The Vine. I Am. These are facts for us. The Bible is filled with facts and Truth.
Yes! Itβs so important not to get too caught up in what we feel, but rather in what we know to be true. After all, thereβs a reason the Bible warns us not to rely solely on our hearts and understanding. Thank you again for your thoughtful comments!
I remember May 24, 2000 when I was saved by Christ after decades of living in The World. It was not long after that, that a friend was pressuring me to take a Landmark Course in California. The course for me had two major take aways. "We are meaning making machines. And We have been living in our stories." Living and Reliving out what had happened to us and the meaning we have to those experiences. We need to separate out our story we live in and from the present new moment without our automatic reactions, meaning and narrative. I ask myself at times how long have I been living in my story again. In other words, how long have I been asleep and not present. To be Here- Now in the present moment in The Presence of God is my objective. I'm tired of subjective. I spend a lot of time in God's Living Word, Prayer, Meditation, and Journaling to not only Renew my mind, but to Rewire it. I recently had an experience that upset me. I had expectations that were let down. I defaulted to searching for meaning. I wanted to know why. I learned about many things. It was only after I prayed for God to show me how he sees this situation. It them that I was flooded with the Truth that always remains. He revealed who he is and his Truth. I was being called back to him. What had, had me upset for several days that I just had to figure out, no longer imprisoned me in His Presence. I may kick and scream at times, but I need what he allows because it draws me back and closer to him. It frees me from the bondage of self.
Oh my goodness, if I could like this 1000 times, I would. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this. It is so relatable, and βmeaning-making machinesβ is absolutely a phrase that is going to stay with me too. I also really loved what you shared about asking God to show you how He sees the situation instead of trying to figure it out yourself. That shift feels so connected to this whole conversation. π
Thank you Stephanie. π