Silence

We watched Louder Than A Bomb, an inspiring documentary about a high school slam poetry competition, in English II today, so I have been in a rhyming mood all day. Last night we finished studying Colossians, bringing our Tuesday night meetings to an end, for now. While the students wrote about the documentary, I took the time to reflect upon our Colossians study and to have some fun pretending to be a slam poet.  

Silence

We’re coming to an end, but this is only the beginning. I’m supposed to be running the race with you, but right now I can’t even think about winning. I feel like I should have said something, but my heart didn’t beat any faster. And I can’t help but feeling that rolling with me will only bring you disaster.

Pause. They say sometimes silence speaks louder than words. But sometimes staying silent is just, well, absurd. If I could just speak what I write I would want to be heard. I want to speak life, speak truth, and speak freely, knowing my words come from The Word.

How can my words be seasoned with salt when I’ve just been spitting salt in my wounds? If my head wasn’t filled with all these clichés, maybe I’d be singing a different tune. The melodic refrain of pain that rocks my brain and leaves me drained contrasts with the bass of grace that takes my place and keeps me sane.

Pause. When silence tells my heart to speak, speak. In this race, we have to stand up when we’re weak. And speak. And when silence remains silent, stop, listen, and seek. Sit down when you feel the need to shout, because He says, “Blessed are the meek.” I say these words to myself when I am weak and need to link arms to face the Navy Seal waves with you. May His Words be the words we seek and give us courage to stay silent and speak.

Love,

Lynn

Good Things

Two years ago I freaked out and was hospitalized for eleven days, where I freaked out some more. As I started getting better, I became obsessed with trying to figure out what my freaky thoughts meant. That persisted on and off until just now, sitting here eating my lunch, playing Scrabble on my phone, and thinking about my work day, I realized that it doesn't matter. Those thoughts led me toward chaos and hell. Why relive that again over and over in my mind?

No, what I should relive over and over and over in my mind are those thoughts that are good, pure, lovely, happy, funny, true, freeing, hopeful, pure. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  -- Philippians 4:8, ESV

In Romans 12, Paul also directs us to "be transformed by the renewal of [our] minds." Think good things and allow God to pour goodness into our lives.

At work we've been consistently sharing "Good Things" at the beginning of all of our meetings. Although not every meeting is as riveting as my trips to the dentist, I leave each meeting feeling better than I did before we implemented "Good Things." Good begets good. Complaining stifles. It spreads like wildfire, but it stifles hope.

I need to hope.

I prefer to hope in what is good.
I long to trust in God's goodness.
I hope for you to seek the same.

Love,
Lynn