Good Morning, Friend!

Let’s start today off with a story from the pages of Magnolia Journal…

My mentor, Father Larry Gillick, loves to tell a story about visiting an elementary school. After he gathered with a group of students, a bright girl, just 8 or 9 years old, approached him and struck up a conversation. A few moments into their discussion, she blurted out, “You’re blind!”

It’s true. Due to an illness, Father Gillick lost his sight when he was just a small child. With genuine tenderness, Father Gillick responded, “My dear, that’s not news to me.”

But before he could say anything else, she quickly moved from shock to sorrow, sadly replying, “But you don’t know what you look like.”

That profound statement from a child caught Father Gillick off guard, and before he could comment, she ever so softly said, almost whispering, “You’re beautiful.”

There’s something profoundly human hidden in that little exchange. When it comes to recognizing the truth of our own identity, most of us experience a figurative version of blindness that keeps us from seeing ourselves for who we really are. Many of us live unawakened lives marked by living out misrepresentations about who we are- or how we wish to be seen. Somehow, we don’t truly know what we look like. And so, it often takes an unlikely “other” to remind us what’s true- that each and every one of us is beautiful. Each and every one of us is beloved. When we accept our inherent beauty, we find the courage to examine what makes us unique- to honestly encounter both the good and the bad, the shadow and the light.

–Christ Heuertz

As you begin this week, may you know just how beautiful and beloved you are, not because these words that you’re reading simply tell you it’s so, but because you are so sure of who you are and whose you are. Let this little story remind you to live awakened by the beauty that’s cultivated in and through your life.

Career Beginnings & Life Adventures:

*This week…I waited. I waited to receive the results of the most important exam of my life- my nursing boards, the NCLEX! And I am happy to announce, that on Monday, January 13th I found out that I passed my boards and am now officially a registered nurse! This journey that I’ve been pursuing since I was in junior high…this journey that’s brought about years of hard work and dedication to this career of compassion…this journey that’s broken me down, yet raised me up in HOPE– this journey has led me to accomplishing this goal. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness in this journey and for His promises that remain true no matter what.

*So, you may be asking, what’s next? Yeah, I’m asking that too…This season has brought about much reflection, sanctification, wrestling, and the need to trust. And in such a wandering and wondering place, God has shown His faithfulness, His goodness and His great mercy. After so much prayer, too many tears, and a lot of surrender….I feel the Lord’s prompting to go back home for this season of my life as I wait on the Lord for details of a job. Although my leaving Oregon will be a hard goodbye, letting go of so many things, a piece of my heart will always belong there and I pray that the friendships that I’ve made there will last for ages to come.

*While I’ve been in OR seeing family and friends and wrapping up what’s been my life there for 17 months, I had the pleasure of meeting a precious new tiny human…my sweet cousin, who has captured my heart…love you B!

Goals for the Week:

*Be present. This week will hold a lot of goodbyes, a lot of tears, a lot of letting go. I don’t want to miss a second of this wrestling and waiting…I want to be fully present, fully aware, and fully expectant for the goodness of God in my life.

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Love and Blessings,

 Lindsey