It is a 33 kind of thing...
A kind of thing, or maybe I will use another word... a moment that made me reflect and ponder where I am at in life. A pause. This moment hit me back in September as holidays and inevitably, another birthday, was fast approaching. It has been quite some time since I have written a blog to be published. Just like seasons ebb and flow, creating and producing has the same pattern as well. Words had to be planted and cultivated in me for a season in order for me to be able to produce something authentic and genuine to give to this blog. There is nothing wrong in having seasons of backing away, settling in, and receiving from Someone who can give us what we need to fill us back up.
This blog will be a bit of an update on my life as I am settling into a new rhythm. The purpose is so that I can begin setting up this next year of the trajectory of The Becoming. I will continue to write from the voice of the both/and and sharing vulnerable moments so that readers know they are not alone in this journey of becoming. The journey that I am referring to is the journey with Jesus. No two people are on the exact same step with Jesus but that is what makes it so beautiful! Our journey is unique, our devotion can be messy, and our obedience may waver. However, the path to wholeness is far more radical than putting it into a box to be programmed (that will be a blog). The path to wholeness is the call that exceeds every other call on this earth: to be loved by Jesus and to love Him back. If love is not cultivated, it is useless and empty.
I am settling into new rhythms of receiving. I am learning to receive God's view of Sabbath, riches, and mercy. I will be writing about each of these things in the next year, but overall, observing and taking hold of these gifts requires one to move very slow and wise. All of it is countercultural and if I want to continue to learn how to follow Jesus, I will have to sacrifice good things in order take hold of His best for my life. It will be a year of sacrificing the good. This means I am having to trim my life back and not take opportunities that, to the human eye, would set me up for the "next". That does not mean I do not receive anything that is good... As I have said, it means I move slow and wise... with ears open, heart soft, and trusting Jesus for the next step.
I am also settling into new rhythms of giving. I am learning to be more confident what my lane is and where I operate. This frees me up to step into deeper giving of my gifts, abilities, and resources. This means I give from my overflow, not my reserve tank that leads to burnout and exhaustion. When I learn how to use the word "no", it frees me up to give my life in more meaningful and life-giving ways to God's people--no matter who those people are. I will also be writing this year on how to find your lane, stay in your lane, and the pace of your lane. I will talk more about my lane and the framework that God has formed/is forming for me. There are so many exciting things happening and I cannot wait to share with you!!
So! Maybe you are 18, 27, 54, or 72. But for me, this is a 33 kind of thing... the moment where you reflect and ponder where you are. The moment where you realize you must sacrifice the good in order to receive the better. This obviously does not have to happen at a given age, but the way that it happened at the given age for Jesus makes me say, "it is a 33 kind of thing." It could have been a lot easier for Jesus to take hold of the good at 33 years old... the fleeting moment of saying "no" to The Father's will in exchange for his own comfort, safety, and status. Instead, He received The Father's best through denying himself even to the point of death on a cross. He had learned how to say "no" so that He could carry more-- and He carried the weight of sin on His shoulders so that I did not have to. I am no savior and never will be, but the principle of what Jesus taught is what I want to walk in this year.
I just want to learn that 33 kind of thing...
By Grace,
Cortney Rae