Good morning friends,

What are the rhythms of your life like these days? 

A few nights ago, our family had dinner and a show!  You know what the show was?  It was the thunderstorms that rolled through our region the other night.  As a family, we turned out the lights and went on our front porch - watching the lightning and dark clouds make their way towards us. We stayed there in awe until the sky burst open and unleashed the winds and rain. This morning, I’m sitting enjoying the crystal clear morning air, the bright sunrise and the beautiful songs of the rising birds. Later today, I’ll turn my attention to tackling a small project - straightening the back hall that has piles of stuff needing to be sorted. In between, I’ll take a walk with Julie, eat, spend time with my kids, and wonder for a bit about the meaning of the season we’re in.

Two things I’m coming to clarity about during these days.  

The first is that there is as much beauty and richness and goodness of life available to us now as there was before this all began. It requires us, however, to cultivate the discipline of simplicity. Simplicity is appreciating God’s goodness and grandeur in life’s most essential experiences. Often we overlook nature’s beauty, the natural rhythms of our bodies, the meaningfulness conversation, or the joys of a simple gesture of love. This season of forced simplicity can lead us to unearth some of life’s deepest treasures. I need to lean into this more this season.

Second, I’m finding myself thinking a lot about the word “stronger”. At the beginning of this time, I wanted to hunker down and simply make my way through. I wanted to endure and persevere until life was normal again - resigned to our need to stay at home and willing to go along with whatever was asked of me. Now, as it seems that we may be in some form of distancing for a while longer, I’m not satisfied with simply being resigned to something - I want to lean in and live deeply. I want to grow. I want to thrive. I want to be stronger on the other side than I was when it all began.  

Interestingly, I think these two ideas of simplicity and strength are connected.  "Living simply" can lead to "living stronger'. Why? Because at its essence, simplicity is about discovering that God is enough. When we discover life with God - especially in its unadorned form - we experience God’s strength!  

2 Peter 1:3 says, “God’s power has given us everything we need to live a godly life.”  In this season, when we embrace that truth, we discover a God who is with us in the simplicity of our season and breathes meaning into our moments – making us strong because his power is available to us!

Let’s lean into this together during this season. I appreciate your prayers as I continue to be praying for you!