Happy Friday!

Gravity:

Do we ever fully experience the full gravity or weight of a situation?

Think of a monumental season in your life (it could be now!)–a time that would forever change your life. I remember the day I walked into the kitchen–at 18 years old–and told my parents that I really wanted to study music in college and wanted to move 2,000 miles by myself to make it happen. I was visibly shaking and so nervous; being an only child, you just don’t want to mess up parenting for your parents a significant portion of the time. (Of course, I was focused on myself then, too.) I knew that conversation would change my course, certainly change my relationship with my parents, and it would be the first time I made such a bold statement. No matter how they responded and what I ended up doing, my life was forever changed in that one conversation.

Perhaps you’ve had a similar conversation, as a student or as the parent. Maybe the season you are thinking of was with a career change, falling in love with your partner, or even a grueling season of pain and grief. These seasons certainly shape us but don’t have to fully define us, either. My question:

If you knew the full gravity/weight of the situation, would you have embraced it like you did?

How can we ever fully know how a season will affect the rest of our lives? Well, we aren’t God, so we can’t. However, we can try to embrace it in a way that allows us to live and love more deeply. If I had any idea how scary it would be to move across the country and not know soul while still a teenager, I might not have done it. But, because of this one big move, it gave me the confidence later to move across the country a few more times, fall in love, embrace ministry as a vocation and other big and small moments that are a part of my story. How much of your story is full of these big and small moments, too? These important seasons that built up your wisdom and confidence to embrace the next adventure or life challenge? So many, I presume.

John Mayer wrote a song called “Gravity,” as a time capsule song, one that defines his life of simply trying to avoid falling down and messing up. I look at gravity more through the lens of how much our choices and actions really matter. How do you see it?

This life is a gift, and it is one full of seasons–ones we are grateful for every second of, and others that we can’t wait to complete and move on. As we look to each season, may we put effort into being aware how this time affects our own lives, as well as the lives of others around us.

^{James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”}

1. Check-in: How would you describe your current life season? How can you embrace the gravity of it more? Where do you see hope and joy in this time? (Either write down your thoughts or share with a trusted one.)
2. Action/Inaction: What are some ways you can seek to discover the importance of this life season in the path of your legacy? What do you need to do to share this with God?
3. Time with God: God, thank you for the freedom to think about the gift of this life and the gravity of this season. Give me wisdom to discover the growth and hope of this time, even if there are particular trials and difficulties right now. Guide me in your gift of life and joy. In Your Son, Jesus’, name we pray, Amen.

I thank God for this opportunity to spend 5 minutes of your precious time with you. As we remember the victims, families and communities directly affected by 9/11, may we embrace care and love for our neighbor.

~Laurel