A Garland of Grace

     For the last few months I have been on a personal journey of discovery under the guidance of my spiritual director (sd).  I am an INFJ on the Myers-Brigg Type indicator; this detail is important because in a room of a hundred people there will only be one INFJ.  My sd is also an INFJ, and she understands me intuitively.  My broken sentences and half completed thoughts resonate with her soul; she understands that I feel deeply and strongly.  She recently read me this poem; I wept while she read it because it speaks to a truth that reverberates through my life ~ I am transformed. I challenge you to prayerfully read  Psalm 19:1-2 and Proverbs 4:4-9, and then read this poem aloud.

Mother Wisdom Speaks by Christine Lore Weber

Some of you I will hollow out.

I will make you a cave.

I will carve you so deep the stars will shine in your darkness.

You will be a bowl.

You will be the cup in the rock collecting rain.

I will hollow you with knives.

I will not do this to make you clean.

I will not do this to make you pure

You are clean already.

You are pure already.

I will do this because the world needs the hollowness of you.

I will do this for the space that you will be.

I will do this because you must be large.

A passage.

People will find their way through you.

A bowl.

People will eat from you.

And their hunger will not weaken them to death.

A cup to catch the sacred rain.

My daughter, do not cry.

Do not be afraid.

Nothing you need will be lost.

I am shaping you.

I am making you ready.

Light will flow in your hollowing.

You will be filled with light.

Your bones will shine.

The round open center of you will be radiant.

I will call you brilliant one.

I will call you daughter who is wide.

I will call you transformed.

Spending the Day with the Ladies of Hope!

     Yesterday was amazing!  I was a little nervous about sharing more of my story with ladies that are consistently a part of my life.  Seriously, they would have the opportunity to see if I practice what I preach in the days and months ahead!  And then I giggled to myself as I realized that God would probably have a lot of opportunities to perfect power in my weaknesses!  
     I had a vision for this day months ago; I wanted to help create a day where the women of Hope could spend time growing closer to Him and each other.  My close friends have taught me so much about grace and acceptance; we all need friends who love us as we are.  I want these feelings of connection and acceptance to be a part of our lives as women. So many women tell me that they do not fit the Christian culture mold that I suspect that the lies of the accuser include the taunts like 'the other women at church are more spiritual, better cooks, thinner, funnier, better with people and more definitely more holy than you will ever be."  God does not want us to be isolated from one another because He knows that united we are a mighty and powerful force; I want Him to be glorified when the women of Hope join together to share their love, laughter and lives.  Plus, when we are together we can clearly see the truth that we all struggle as part of the commonality of the human experience!