"Once we clearly acknowledge the soul, we can learn to hear it's cries. - Dallas Willard, Renovation Of The Heart."

It takes courage to pursue our dreams. It takes time and patience to unearth buried treasure. But I believe with all my heart that we must do both.

1.04.2012

Beginnings


a fresh new year

open, ready to receive

i wait, anticipating how 2012 will unfold

i have struggled with choosing my word for the year, one little word pregnant with possibilities

this year is no different, and may in fact be fuller than most

LISTENING  

to the voice of 

LOVE 

i have much to share with this word, but for now i want to leave you with this excerpt from a book i am beginning. "Listening to Love, responding to the startling voice of God", by Jan Meyers.

"What is it about us that we would either dismiss him or cower before him? Why are our hearts persuaded that he is either powerless or malevolent when in fact he would choose the humiliation of spittle on his face, splinters in his skin, and steel through his bone to answer the question, :Is it really you? Why do we listen to the mocking voice of evil or the faulty reasoning we extrapolate from our own stories and life messages rather than the truth that someone would want to die for us, defeat death for us, go back to the Father with our ransom in his hands and talk to the Father about us, pleading our case? And perhaps a more courageous question: what causes us to quake, not with the fear of the Lord - Jesus Christ of Nazareth - but before the God of our Worst Fear?"

"Our Worst Fears take many forms: God will not remember me. God will shame me for what I've been involved in. God will get my hopes up and then dash them. God will ask too much of me. God will leave me alone."

"...our gods - the need to secure our reputation in the marketplace, the voice telling us that the most important this is to be liked, the pattern of isolation we fall into when we guard ourselves with a routine of work and television, the belief that we must keep up the facade of a perfect Christian family, you can't be wrong, you have to come through, you must alter yourself, you must get it right or make sure you fake your way; convince everyone. The gods of our fear drive us from behind with threats of abandonment, requirement, and rejection if we fail to appease them. Then they offer the way to appease them - hide. Hide in obvious way, through pornography or materialism, and in less obvious ways, through self-condemnation or pride."

"There is safety - these gods do keep us from facing what we fear about God - for a while. Appeasing this fear - playing with our self-crafted appeasement trinkets - keeps us very busy as we hide our heart from God?  As long as we have our Worst Fear to cower behind, we never have to face our unbelief in Love."

"Discovering the Love that doesn't want or need to be appeased but desires all of us - longing for us to be alive, confident, free - is a great thing.  So why is the process so frightening? Let me say it this way: when we open the door to God, he comes to remove the obstacles in the way of our knowing the fullness of Love. He takes away our pride, our autonomy, our religion, sometimes our vocation, possibly our life. And as we'll see, he does this for our freedom."

in the next several days i will share more on this word and it's meaning to me.

grace and peace

14 comments:

Cristi Baxter Clothier said...

Here's wishing you a blessed, creative and prosperous New Year!

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Love your words for the year and I anticipate that I will hear the Lord through your journey.

Jan Meyer..enjoying her book you had quoted from before.

Jennifer Richardson said...

potent and powerful, Mary!
I love your words.
Listning to love with you,
Jen

Nancy said...

I am so glad you are back; I have missed you so much...You already spread so much LOVE I am looking forward to see how this word unfolds for you in the new year....

Love this book....of course I love everything she writes and I have you to thank for suggesting her to me......

Love you girlfriend,
Nanie

Valerie said...

Mary, this is beautiful. You echo the deep fears and longings of the heart in your words, and give us hope and joy in your brushstrokes of color. Thank you!

Heartwideopen said...

Beautiful! I look forward to exploring your vision for the new year. I am always blessed by the Lord when I come to visit your blog. Happy New year Mary!
HuGGs!

Anita said...

OOOH I like that...I may have to find a copy of that book. I was sharing some amazing stuff the lord has done in the past couple of weeks with a friend and she called it glimpses. I am going to journal these glimpses this year and try to see how HE shows himself in all of these little glimpses of his love....I may even do a blog just for this purpose...not that I care for people to read because I don't want any performance anxiety involved but I like the simple format of journaling inline. I spend time here everyday...no excuse of finding a notebook or all of the reasons I don't write things down. Maybe my word this year should be LOOKING. I want to be aware of Gods hand in every detail of my life...Like the blessing of you, my blog friend, and the words and art He gives you to share...THANKS

jgr said...

Beautiful pages as always! Wishing you all the best in 2012.

Kim Mailhot said...

When I was in a moment of dispair a few years back, I asked for God for help. The reply I received was "Love is the answer to every question." I have been looking for ways to apply this answer to the best of my ability ever since.

I love your 2012 Words of the Year, Beautiful Mary !
Happy New YEar !

Unknown said...

I've also missed you sis...I've been thinking about what my word will be. will post on my blog. I always love it when you share your thoughts and feelings for they touch my heart as they do others. You are a blessing in my life! love you.

S. Etole said...

May your year be filled with deeper revelation of His love.

caryjo said...

Heavy duty thinking. But necessary as we grow in Him and walk through our world.

Anonymous said...

Mary,
YOur words are comforting and also very intriguing.
Your word for the year is the same as MINE!!
It was certainly comfirmed an hour ago and now AGAIN. ON MY BLOG I wrote about it.. then I came here and found YOURS.. God is LOVE!!!
IM EXCITED>. ♥ love you, Darlene

LeeAnn@Encouragement Is Contagious said...

A beautiful choice for your word Mary! I will look forward to hearing (listening) more about the way this word impacts you this year.

I am still struggling at the moment to choose my 2012 word. Last year I chose prioritize and after choosing it, I don't think I've ever had a year that seemed more out of order! ha ha Still not sure what that was all about! But I'm excited for 2012 and what God has in store.

I have missed you and stopping by. Life has finally slowed back down and can get back into an normal routine. (although I am now sporting an air cast on my foot) One must just laugh at what life brings!

Love and Hugs to you friend!
Lee Ann