I’ve had a lot of people talk to me about my last post and give me healthy encouragement because they love me and they got the centre of the subject – God’s got this.
I also shared about as we barrel towards the end of the year that I’m overall really grateful for all the good of this year. There have been so many amazing things to celebrate – Julia’s wedding, Karin letting me pretend I was one of her children, Tall Fir Coffee, speaking at Easter camp, Dan and Wendy visiting me, Dan and Wendy going to a Blazers game with me, the solo train trip from LA to PDX, publishing my memoir – and all of that was just in March and April. I also got to officiate Cassia’s wedding, see my precious HBR boys, hold the one year sober chip of one of my most precious children who has fought his way to sobriety, see so many of my BFFs in person, including a visit from the Bryan family to NZ.
So yeah, there’s been a lot of hard stuff to navigate in the past two or three weeks, but it’s simultaneous to one of the biggest years of yes in my life where God has gifted me with so much more than I can ask or imagine.
Plus I’m still asking and still imagining.
But I do want to highlight the simultaneous highs and lows of this past week. A few of those things mentioned in my last post are still ongoing, but in the midst of me laying those things at the feet of Jesus, I had a delightful movie night with my small group girls on Thursday.
We watched Moana.
No surprise with my movie choice, but unprompted by me, one of the girls dropped in the group chat the suggestion that we read the Bible together after we watch the movie. Y’all best believe I had Romans 5:7-10 ready to go! It was super precious to have four 13 year olds giggling on my couch while my co-leader and I exchanged grins at their silly jokes and we all sang along to Lin Manuel-Miranda’s epic work. This is the good stuff of real life. I’ve got five years ahead with this group, and I’m so excited for what God’s going to continue to do as we watch movies and read the Bible and laugh and sing and handle some hard stuff together.
Friday night I had the joy of going to the theatre with some friends and laughing in a crowded theatre while Kiwis sang and danced to Dolly Parton classics. While I wouldn’t consider 9 to 5 particularly American, it’s always fun to see the local interpretations of plays, and this one did not disappoint. As I was reflecting with my friends after, it was mostly just really important to me that I had a chance to laugh and enjoy a night out with people who love me in the midst of all the things that are out of my control around me right now.
I can do the best with what I have, and God has to do the rest. That’s what I shared with the team this morning before church, and what a blessing to know God did show up in my words and encourage people in our congregation. I have so little to offer, but simultaneously, when I offer what little I have, God does so much with it.
