I have become more and more convinced that the journey of the Christian life is learning the same lessons over and over again. But hopefully, we learn them faster, and we learn them better! It’s like that beautiful quote from C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, we go “further up and further in.” As we learn (or re-learn) lessons, the Lord continues to invite us deeper into knowledge of Him and of ourselves.
If you have read this newsletter for any amount of time, you probably know what my “lessons” are. “JANE,” you may want to scream at your inbox, after the 100th newsletter arrives with the message that we can trust God because He loves us, “We have been through this so many times. The last one hundred times you were worried or disappointed about something, it all turned out okay. READ YOUR OWN WRITING!”
But because this is my newsletter and I have committed to writing every single week, we all get to go “further up and further in” together.
On that note — I would like to take this a step further. I think many of us may be learning the same lesson, borne from the same question: Do I believe that God is good?
Maybe for you, it’s: Do I believe that He has a good plan for me? Do I believe that He is in charge?
When I can answer those questions with yes, yes, and yes, I can handle most of what life wants to throw at me. Things happen, I get frustrated, but I always know that at the end, God is good. He loves me, and He’s taking care of me. God’s character never changes because God doesn’t change. I change. So in the journey of my spiritual life, I learn over and over again to remember that He is taking care of me, that whatever His plan is for me is better than the plan I have.
And I know this not just because of scripture, which reminds us that “God works all things for our good,” but also because I have lived it (see: the weekly stories in hundreds of editions of this newsletter). My lived experience is that God is always working, even when I can’t see Him, even when I can’t feel Him — I know He’s moving.
I loved the second reading at Mass this weekend, from Romans: “Am I the Lord’s counselor?” I’ve heard it translated alternatively as, “Am I the Lord’s consultant?” Trust me, I have many opinions, and I will happily give them to Him. But that is not my job! My job is not to tell God what to do. My job is to delight in my life, to do my best, to love others, to trust Him. That is the invitation He has for me. And the invitation I can and should receive.
So what about you? What is the question of your spiritual life, the lesson that you have to learn over and over again (or maybe you’ve taken many less turns to learn God’s big lesson for you!) Maybe this week you can take some time to write down and remember the many ways that God has worked things for your good, and meditate on that evidence. The Lord pours out gifts every single day! Let’s pray for the eyes to see them.
In Christ,
Jane
What I’m loving lately
Tech free day
One of my Summer bingo items was to take a “screen free / tech free day” and so I embarked upon it on Saturday. It was wonderful! I took a little half-day retreat up to the Basilica, attended Mass, read my Thomas Merton book (side note: I feel like people told me The Seven Storey Mountain was long and boring and I am actually laughing out loud and totally captivated; I’m bummed it’s taken me so long to pick this book up!) My overall takeaway is that it is very good to put the screens down, and that I often reach for my phone when I’m bored and waiting, but that there are so many gifts to be found in staying present and just accepting the day as it happens. Also, a tech-free day is impossible without live, real people and socializing time, which I’m so glad I had scheduled in!
Acquired Disney podcast
I was CAPTIVATED from start to finish of this episode, tracking Disney's journey from the 80s to today. It’s interesting to look back and see how many decisions they made between the golden era of the 90s (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King) through a slight drought that ended with Frozen and Moana. Also wild to hear about how Pixar came into being! Super cool episode.
Trader Joe’s Volcano candle
My friend gifted me this candle, and it’s almost a dead ringer for Anthropologie’s cult classic Volcano candle! And at $3.99 the price point is ideal.
Flash flood
On Thursday afternoon, I was heading out of work and was greeted by an absolutely insane thunderstorm. I decided to wait it out… but after about 20 minutes it was clear that it would be raining for at least an hour so I chose to chance it. As I walked through ankle-deep water in my heels, I attempted a “shortcut” during which I saw this shower of water pouring forth from the sky and I couldn’t help but laugh. Sometimes, we just need to wait it out — and the shortcut isn’t always better. That’ll preach!
Prayer intentions
For a special intention
For Amanda who is having a baby any day now!