Linking with some friends again today to talk about what’s new currently at She Lives Free. It’s such a fun way to preserve memories while staying up on each other’s lives! Hope you’ll join us – comment below and visit amamacollective.com to share what life is like in your corner of the world lately!
Suffering. A really tough season in my life taught me so many things, not the least of which was a greatly deepened appreciation of life, even in all it’s brokenness and brevity. I left that season with a new ability to truly echo the words,”Show me how to love like You have loved me, Break my heart for what breaks Yours.” Are you with me in this? Have you noticed your heart grow to leave room for those suffering around you, after experiencing some form of suffering yourself? I believe this is absolutely no coincidence. 2 Corinthians 1:4 explains that we have afflictions and are comforted in them so that we may comfort others in their afflictions. So when I read examples of such deep suffering like this one, this one, & this one, I am momentarily overcome with grief for these families. In my own imagination, I live out their story as if it were my own for a few brief moments. And as my heart breaks for them, I remember. One way God redeems suffering is that He will indeed, “break my heart for what breaks yours”. May we turn from the human temptations to protect ourselves from the tragedies and devastation that plague this world. For when we refuse to shield our hearts from suffering, only then are we equipped to fulfill the law of Christ to share one another’s burdens.
Reading: Honestly? More than anything, just lots & lots of blog posts! 🙂 I always aspire to read any number of the amazing books out there and spend more time in the Word. Note to self: It’s a good time to find some balance! 😉
This breathtaking song Jenna recommended. Best 6 minutes I’ve spent all day, hope you take the time to fill up your cup with this truth too!
Thankful for:
A rewarding, enriching first year in the Junior League of Dayton. We had our end of year celebration dinner last night and I was reminded afresh how thankful I am for the opportunity to join wonderful women to make a difference in Dayton. If you have been looking for a way to give back and enjoy building community, then you need to check out this international organization!
Sharing at HolleyGerth.com and with these friends today
I’m stopping by from #TellHisStory :). I’m looking forward to my daughter’s return from Argentina–I haven’t seen her since September–our longest separation. I’m thankful for the end of the school year (I’m a teacher), but I worry about our students and what will happen to them over they summer (I work with Native American kids who don’t have a lot of stability in their lives). I’m reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck–I’ve forgotten what a genius he is at describing the mundane–it challenges me to work on my writing craft!
Thank you so much for sharing this! You sound like the neatest person I need to get to know, coming to visit you now! : )
Congratulations to your daughter on her essay. How wonderful that she describes her upbringing in such a loving way and considers it to be something to strive for as a society.
Thank you so much Theresa!
What a beautiful post and reminder to live as Christ lived! Thank you. I needed this today. Also, thank you for visiting my site: http://latinaonamission.com. So glad you did! Will be coming back to read some more. Till then, remain His Beloved. xo
Thank you so much Migdalia, looking forward to being in touch! And I am so glad you found some encouragement here!
Sybil, I love these currently posts that you write! They’re always encouraging but also give us a little insight into your life 🙂 Thanks for sharing friend!
Kendra, thanks so much for taking the time to tell me that! That is so encouraging to hear, especially considering as I read back over this one just now, I see it shows the effects of how very tired I was when I wrote it, ahhh ; ) But there are few things I love more than staying connected and in touch with friends, so that and hoping to preserve some memories for my girls to read over some day, makes it all worth it!
New reader heading over from Currently goodness 🙂 What a beautiful blog, Sybil! And I appreciate your honesty about the depths of difficulty breaking open that beauty in life, as well as the pain.
Love seeing that you’re involved in the Junior League! My mom was always when we were growing up and I love that institution!
Thank you so much for your bountiful encouragement! Love the name of your blog, looks like we definitely have some common interests! : )
Oh man, Sybil. You’re calling me out, girl. I have been so guarded lately. I don’t let myself be affected by the suffering around me (my heart is hardened). Why?? Who knows. I’m scared that if I think of all the suffering, all the pain, all the horrors of life, I’m scared that I’ll lose faith. I feel like doubt continues to creep in and trap me lately… and it’s all I can do to make it go away and stay the course. So, the pain? the suffering? It’s almost too much to think about. I wish that it wasn’t so. I wish that I was like you and could empathize more with people. I appreciate your encouragement to do so.
Such great news to hear of your family doing amazing things and being honored for them! What a blessing 🙂 ~Jenna
Oh Jenna, I so appreciate your honesty and reaching out to make this a conversation… because the truth is, we all go through seasons in life where we feel differently on this. We also each have our natural bents that stem from our God given personalities. I know many people who feel similarly as you described, seriously you are not alone! Girl, God really does use a mustard seed size faith to move mountains and He fills in all our gaps when we turn to Him. And how blessed are we, He gives us each other, to walk beside one another through the hard things, as we sharpen & refine each other along the way. How sweet it is, to do life together! {{BIG HUGS}}