Imagine Tour Wrap-Up

Many of you know that I'm a member of the Women of Faith worship team on the Imagine tour.  We had fourteen dates this year, generally on the West coast.  In 2011, we'll be on the East coast.

Let me tell you that I had a BLAST!!!  The women that are a part of the Women of Faith team are phenomenal! And not only that, but everyone that is a part of the crew makes it into a family that anyone would be grateful to be a part of.

To be able to stand on a stage in an arena and minister to thousands of women at a time with women who have become dear to my heart is a privilege for which I am grateful.  I am missing that portion of the experience while we prepare in this season for our tour next year.  But every part of my experience with Women of Faith has been ordered by God; it still gives me chills to know He loves me this much!  :-)

Tightrope Walking

I don't think I remember having ever gone to a circus.  My close friends laugh at me for my lack of memory of certain past events, so I may have actually gone to one at some point.  I don't remember it, though.  Somehow, I still have images of tightrope walkers that I can easily pull on.  I've probably seen it on television at some point (I am an avid tv watcher).  My guess is that you have similar images of tightrope walkers that you can pull on as well.  

In life, people often talk about trying to find balance.  Maybe you're a science nerd and you call it "equilibrium.'' (I'm not judging.  :-))  Either way, as humans, much of life is about learning how to balance this and that of different categories.  *whispering suddenly* I'm learning a secret to balance that I'm willing to share.  I'm convinced that the Lord either plans for or redeems every image we see to teach us more about Him, His love for us, and how our relationship with Him is intended to be.  Some keys to balance can be found in the image of the tightrope walker.

If you notice, one who walks a tightrope does not look down constantly.  They HAVE to largely look ahead.  Looking ahead is what gives them perspective in their movement.  That perspective tells them how to distribute their weight against the rope.  We are to look to our Lord for His perspective.  It's the only perspective that will teach you properly to distribute the "weight" of life.  

Tightrope walkers also usually have their arms outstretched.  Now, you can interpret this as being outstretched to God or people, but I don't think one can be outstretched to God without also being willing to reach out to His people.  When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he answered that it was to love God with all your heart, mind, and strength AND to love your neighbor as you love yourself.  Because of that, I believe they go hand-in-hand. 

Finally, tightrope walkers also only have the option of putting one foot in front of the other--one at a time.  If they try to cover too much ground at once, they will surely lose their balance.  If there is one thing most humans have difficulty with, it's taking one step at a time.  I'm not saying that we shouldn't plan ahead.  As a matter of fact, we should!  But we can only take one step at a time in reality.  See, we tend to be so addicted to stability and predictability because we would like to not have to trust God for those things.  But at the end of the day, we can't provide it for ourselves, no matter how hard we try.

Noticing the tools God gives us is one thing, but I'm working on walking this one out in every facet of life.  Anyone else?

Healing aches

Oh my goodness! I injured my knee in a spinning class (stationary biking) in June, and it still has not yet fully recovered.  It is so annoying!  I was basically going too far in the gym in the summer, and my biking form was wrong.  I've been back-and-forth to the doctor numerous times in the last several months.  I'm grateful that I didn't tear anything in my knee, but I have had to severely diminish the intensity of my workouts in order to allow it to heal. Boo-hoo.

Now, the doctor has given me certain activities that I am allowed to do in working out, as long as I take it slowly.  I've been trying to do them, and I realized something about injuries.  They hurt to heal!  I guess I should have assumed this from previous injuries that weren't so severe, but it occurred to me recently while doing with my knee what the doctor told me is actually healthy to do.

I've always operated under the assumption that pain is an indicator of something wrong (science nerd), which it often is.  But pain is also included in any healing process I can think of--even in very healthy healing processes.  A scab forming one a child's knee is sore/painful.  Perhaps that's why we call them "sores."  An injured and minimally-used knee will certainly ache when it is starting to be used again.   And a broken bone set in a cast will surely ache as the body literally stitches itself back together.

I don't know what kind of pain you may be going through.  Maybe your pain is an indication of something wrong that the Lord wants to bring to your attention.  Then again, your pain may be a part of the aches that come with the Lord stitching something broken in you back together.  Whatever your pain is indicating, trust that your life and your heart are in the hands of the Great Physician who built you from scratch.  Who else knows you down to the true marrow of who you are and are intended to be?