Voices
Why does this all feel so familiar?
As I forced myself away from technology today it all felt so familiar. Not the fact that I had escaped my phone or computer, not the days realization that my phone and computer are the only things connecting me to the ones I love, it wasn't even the dragging of my feet, or the ache in my right knee. After a day has come and gone with a morning voice that never warmed up, it's no place I've ever been, nor would I like to take off my coat and stay for long. But it is familiar. It's cold out there. Winter is here again. And that voice sure knows how to sink itself deep like the sharp stabbing needles of a frostbite. When does the winter melt away? When will we see a harvest? It's hard to believe anything grows in a season of ice. As I begin my season of shoveling through the familiarity, I'm blessed with this memory from some time ago:
"There is One who calls you the beloved. You must constantly go back to the truth of who you are and claim it for yourself. I'm not what I do. I'm not what people say about me. I'm not what I have. Although there is nothing wrong with success, there is nothing wrong with popularity, there is nothing wrong with being powerful, finally my spiritual identity is not rooted in the world, the things the world gives me. My life is rooted in my spiritual identity. Whatever you do, you have to go back regularly to that place of core identity. You will even hear voices saying, 'You are worthless, you have nothing to offer, you are unattractive, undesirable, unlovable.' But the more you sense God's call, the more you will discover in your own soul the cosmic battle between God and Satan. Don't be afraid. Keep deepening your conviction that God's love for you is enough, that you are in safe hands, and that you are being guided every step of the way, then you can face the enemy without fear when you know that you are held safe in the love of Jesus." - Nouwen
As I forced myself away from technology today it all felt so familiar. Not the fact that I had escaped my phone or computer, not the days realization that my phone and computer are the only things connecting me to the ones I love, it wasn't even the dragging of my feet, or the ache in my right knee. After a day has come and gone with a morning voice that never warmed up, it's no place I've ever been, nor would I like to take off my coat and stay for long. But it is familiar. It's cold out there. Winter is here again. And that voice sure knows how to sink itself deep like the sharp stabbing needles of a frostbite. When does the winter melt away? When will we see a harvest? It's hard to believe anything grows in a season of ice. As I begin my season of shoveling through the familiarity, I'm blessed with this memory from some time ago:
"There is One who calls you the beloved. You must constantly go back to the truth of who you are and claim it for yourself. I'm not what I do. I'm not what people say about me. I'm not what I have. Although there is nothing wrong with success, there is nothing wrong with popularity, there is nothing wrong with being powerful, finally my spiritual identity is not rooted in the world, the things the world gives me. My life is rooted in my spiritual identity. Whatever you do, you have to go back regularly to that place of core identity. You will even hear voices saying, 'You are worthless, you have nothing to offer, you are unattractive, undesirable, unlovable.' But the more you sense God's call, the more you will discover in your own soul the cosmic battle between God and Satan. Don't be afraid. Keep deepening your conviction that God's love for you is enough, that you are in safe hands, and that you are being guided every step of the way, then you can face the enemy without fear when you know that you are held safe in the love of Jesus." - Nouwen
Identity is one of the hardest things we live with. What is hard are the parts of your identity that define large swaths of your life.
ReplyDeleteAhhh Tina! I love this.. and you. I want to put my phone aside as well but its hard to do when you feel like that can sometimes be your only connection. But we use to do it all the time when we were little why not now! You sparked an idea in me :) Love ya
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