"Practically Divine - Week 2

If you didn't finish chapter 1, please do that today! :)

Ladies, I do not mind telling you that I am nearly in full tears as I read the last words of chapter 1. It was a lot, right? I wish I could tell you exactly why I’m so emotional, but I think it’s related to a number of different things. Let me try to explain.

1. I’m kind of ashamed of this one, but it’s the honest truth. I’m just going to be completely honest. In the middle of the chapter, Becca Stevens said, “I love the idea that fate and chance have their place in the world,” and immediately I panicked. I had so many thoughts in one, single instant about who would be upset that she said it, or whether it was wrong that I chose a book that talked about fate and chance, and is someone going to choose me of pedaling new age concepts. PANIC!

In the very next sentence, she announced (again) that the practically divine is overwhelmingly in everything all around us. God has woven beautiful into the most broken circumstances, because He is an amazing God! So, I’m emotional, because of the realization that my religious background still causes me (at times) to miss the actual point. I’m emotional, because I want to stop being on a search for what people are saying and doing that’s “wrong” so that I can fully enjoy the goodness God has placed all around me.

2. I think I’m most teary because I have experienced the broken but beautiful in my own life. I have found myself in the middle of a giant mess “in broad daylight.” I know what it means for life to be moving along exactly as I’d always planned when (in an instant) it all turned upside down for the whole world to see.

I also know what it feels like for the mess to turn miraculous. If you’ve experienced this in your own life, then you’re likely emotional after that chapter too. Only our God can make something sacred out of something that brings deep sorrow.

3. Finally, I am emotional, because I’ve experienced that most people won’t do the work of bringing the trauma, the sadness, or the sin into broad daylight. Most people would rather hide in shame or cover in secrecy. Real honesty about where we are takes boldness and courage, and our Enemy is very good at making us believe we can’t do it, it wouldn’t help, or it’s certainly not worth it.

But, it IS worth it! Nothing is worth more. When we pause to acknowledge the brokenness of the world we live in…. our personal world…. We offer to God our truest selves. THEN, He can take what has been broken, heal it, and restore us to the fullness of life. I’m emotional, because I know this kind of celebration. Often, joy comes because of mourning.

Tomorrow, we will jump back into Mark. Today, though, will you read Luke 1:46-56? Becca mentioned this passage in the chapter. It’s “Mary’s Song.” Read it a couple of times and focus on the phrase that means the most to you. Likely, it means the most to you, because of your story with Jesus. Will you share the phrase in the comments as a way to glorify your faithful God?

Today was long, and I shared a lot. I just thought it was important for us to pause and think about where we are in the journey. Please, please, please consider living the good, the bad, and the ugly "in broad daylight.

Sweet Savior, this week’s content is tough. We don’t live in a world that encourages us to focus on brokenness. We push and pressure and force as a way to stuff anything that’s negative to move on. You know that backfires. Give us the courage today to sit with Mary’s words in honesty and grace for ourselves. Please show us how to give you our mess and wait for the miracle. The words of C.S. Lewis are ringing in my ear, “we are nothing more than poor beggars telling other poor beggars where to find bread.” Very often, the broken places in our lives remind us that we are all beggars, but our Father knows how to provide for us. Give us the courage to beg. Give us the strength to find the bread and the humility to share with others. Amen.