The remainder of 2013 proved to be filled with transition and challenge. However, in celebration of God's purpose, promises and planning, I so look forward to seeking, learning & sharing from the last few months! Our monthly posts will resume.... and oh how I've missed connecting with all of you! I hope and pray this new year is filled with His presence, purpose and meaning for all of us!
Here in New York this winter has been brutal! We've braved below freezing temperatures and already been hit by quite a few snow storms. Today was one of three significant snow fallings so far, with two more on the way for the remainder of the week!
It can be hard not to feel vulnerable in the midst of a winter storm. Vulnerability is the whisper of the winter months. Animals look for shelter, people seek companionship and community. We are faced with our limitations, be it through traveling, shoveling or simply being outside! We face barriers and restrictions. We can't simply go for a walk or bike ride like we may be able to in the warmer months.
Yet still, there are so many things calling to us that we may need to get done. Whether it be work, food-shopping, shoveling, caring for children or pets, we all have different tasks and responsibilities that demand our attention. What a powerful reminder it can be that mother nature pays no mind at all to our to do list. In modern society where we can control so much, we are forced to come face to face with our vulnerability.
When faced with this vulnerability, how do you usually respond? Do we see it as opportunity or obstacle?
The answer may lie in our relationship to vulnerability and our ability to be vulnerable. Brené Brown gives a wonderful synopsis all about vulnerability and its effects (listen here: http://brenebrown.com/about/). As it turns out, vulnerability has roots in shame, fear and worthiness. Research purports that the only difference between individuals who believed that they were worthy of love and belonging and those that didn't, is that those who did, believed that they were worth love and belonging. That was the only difference: believing. Brown described the folks that believed in their worthiness as "whole hearted". In Brown's research she also discovered another common denominator, the whole hearted group fully EMBRACED vulnerability. Pretty powerful research.
So in a season where we have no choice but to come to terms with our relationship to vulnerability we are faced with two options: embracing it or fighting it. And if we choose to embrace, winter can all of a sudden become a homecoming - to ourselves and to others. Winter becomes a gift and a promise. A promise that a new season is on its way.
Spend some time today in quietness and stillness before God and ask what lesson winter can teach you. What gifts would help you along?
Today we'll end with an excerpt from, In Seasons of Thanks, by Taz Tagore. Which is a nondenominational collection of graces, blessings, and stories for each month. Below is one for February:
"Earth teach me suffering.
As old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me courage,
As the tree which stands alone.
Earth teach me freedom,
As the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth teach me to forget myself,
As melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me regeneration,
As the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me humility,
As blossoms are humble with beginning."
— Chief Yellow Lark, Lakota
Blessings to all of you.