14 - 20 Feb
Welcome all! This is the first edition of weekly summaries I’ll be doing where I note down the key takeaways and lessons learned from the week. Some may be more positive, others more introspective, but overall this is a space for us to connect and track the themes that emerge as time progresses.
This week was fairly volatile, with a wide range of topics coming to the fore. It began with the concept of prioritisation and the re-emphasis of our lives being shaped by our dedications. I accepted that the person I had become was in large part due to the information I consumed, which fed into my passions and beliefs. If I wanted to evolve I’d have to intentionally mold into this new character by taking on new habits and devotions. I had to live it to become it.
The second major ‘theme’ for this week revolved around the stresses of life and how to manage them. Since the beginning of the year I’ve been trying to understand what real hope looks like and how to remain patiently hopeful even in difficult scenarios. I drew strength from 1 Peter 5:7 (AMP version) which mentions how we can unload all our burdens unto God, not just because He’s the omnipotent one who can change every circumstance, but because He cares for me and is always watching attentively. So I respond by freeing myself from the baggage of life, as I have someone who’s willing to lessen the load and substitute his peace for my anxiety.
The final major theme of the week was regarding courage, more specifically the nuanced ways of demonstrating it. I’ve always grappled with the acceptance of virtues being capped or budgeted if I may say. The general consensus seems to be that we should do for others to the extent that we’re not inconvenienced, but I wondered if that was consistent with how God wanted us to live. At a breakfast meeting with friends one mentioned the idea of seeing love through to the end and it resonated with me because it showed the enduring nature of sacrifice which is not always spoken about. To me it relates to doing a job that pays a salary rather than a wage- the former focuses on the outcome of the role being performed whereas the latter focuses on the time spent. Overall, I was challenged to make peace with the inconvenience of love and no longer grapple with capping any demonstrations of it.
As my parting words, for those who may be lacking hope, or condemning themselves for entering into a seemingly inescapable rut, hope may look like persevering though you don’t believe, or obeying a command you don’t think will get you anywhere. It may look like leveraging the truth you already have, or trusting in the words you believe as an end in themselves. In whatever circumstance you’re in, believe that there is a better end for those who look hard enough to find it.
To another week; tsl.