Mosaic

I was 14 when my parents split up and I quickly grew sick of the phrase “broken home”. Broken. Unfixable. Shattered. Messy. Ugly. I envisioned a family tree after a horrible storm with branches and leaves thrown amuck. Later on I married a guy from a broken home and we laughed about having 8 parents and 14 siblings between the families. And, we realized something so cool.

Forget the family tree, we had a family mosaic. Nothing really seemed “broken” about it anymore. Our family dynamics had changed and grown into something even bigger and more beautiful. Sure it was still imperfect, but full of more people to know and love. More stories. More laughs. Different adventures. And with that realization, came a slight obsession with mosaics. 

I’ve learned to apply this “mosaic” philosophy to life in general and, spiritually speaking, see Jesus as both the artist and the glue that holds all of life’s pieces together. One piece at a time he is building a work of art in and through each of us that slowly fit together into a masterpiece. It doesn’t make sense yet because we can’t see the bigger picture like He can...and He’s not finished.

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. “ 1Corinthians 13:12

I came across this mess in an abandoned part of town. Many people overlooked it. I couldn’t stop staring at it. How was it that years of random broken glass had made its way into a beautiful, urban, organic mosaic? I wondered about the different bottles, the people, the stories, the laughs, the pain, all together shining in the sun.

What about your life mosaic? Do you need to adjust your focus from 1 broken piece to the bigger picture? Or maybe there’s a missing piece to your mosaic that needs attention? Learning to adjust your focus can change your experience. Zoom in, zoom out. Maybe you are staring at a pile of broken pieces and not sure where to begin to build your mosaic? Start with prayer, a positive piece, and build on.

“God, pick up the pieces of my life. Put me back together again. I give you my praise!” Jeremiah 17:14

Here’s to inner peace with your pieces, 
Shelisa Welde 

Armor Wearing and Battle Victories

Several weeks ago, I had a DAY.  You know the kind of day I’m talking about…I woke up tired, with zero motivation for my to-do list, the sink was full of last night’s dishes (not to mention the sink needed a good scrubbing), my lips were chapped, I could not find a pen that worked, we were almost out of diapers, I was not exited about my lunch, things fell out of both the closet and the cabinet when I opened them, my pants felt too tight, I seemed to hit every stop light, I had zero energy and my head was flooded with negative thoughts about myself. I struggled with comparison all day long and felt overwhelmed with despair by the state of our nation and world in general.  Yep, it was one of those days.

I know I'm not alone when days like these rear their ugly head.  We all go under water from time to time thanks to circumstances that push us to our limits.  It would be nice if we could just crawl back into bed and start days like these over, but sadly, its not that easy.  

Priscilla shared with us last week in our Women Unplugged study that when we are feeling low on that God-given inner peace we all long for - the kind that rises above our crazy circumstances and to-do lists - it is really because we are low on thanksgiving.  And we run low on thanksgiving because really, we are low on trust in the One who is Lord over everything in our life. (Even those piles of laundry and dirty dishes!) To put that equation into practice, the reality is, on days like these, when it feels the hardest, we are supposed to say 'thank you' the loudest. 

I truly desire to live a life anchored in gratitude. I do.  For me, gratitude is an easy practice when things are running smoothly and feel good.  But I am learning that the discipline of finding things to be thankful for when tears of frustration are brimming and I have reached my maximum capacity for the day at 10:30am...is when the rubber meets the road and our Almighty God meets me, and offers his Peace grace by grace. 

I’ve been especially thankful for the hope and peace that seep in from the renewing of my mind in Christ Jesus. (Romans 12:2)  I know when I’m neck deep in one of those seemingly impossible days or seasons, I always try and cling tightly to the hope that change is possible and that things can be different.  Activating my God-given Armor starts with me and the attitude of my heart.  I so easily forget that in the heat of battle.

Peace that transcends those challenging days is as far away as my heartfelt offerings of thanksgiving and trust. So much of life I have no control over, but I do have control over that.  So today, I am putting my stake in the ground here...at the beginning of this beautiful month and the start of a beautiful new season.  I'm claiming all of these days forward for:  gratitude and trust, for believing God for the renewing of my mind, for celebrating new beginnings and fresh starts, for peace, for presence in the battle, for intentionality and practiced discipline. But most of all, I'm claiming these days forward for Armor wearing and battle victories.

- Sarah L.