Living Well

Slowly read these Ruth Haley Barton quotes.

Focus on:

What catches your attention?  Do you feel yourself being drawn to anything?  Do you feel yourself resisting anything?

“Many of us try to shove spiritual transformation into the nooks and crannies of a life that is already unmanageable, rather than being willing to arrange our life for what our heart most wants.”

“The depth of desire has a great deal to do with the outcome of our life.  Often, those who accomplish what they set out to do in life are not those who are the most talented or gifted or who have had the best opportunities.  Often they are the ones who are most deeply in touch with how badly they want whatever they want; they are the ones who consistently refuse to be deterred by the things that many of us allow to become excuses.”

“One of the great temptations of the spiritual life is to believe that if I were in another season of life, I could be more spiritual.  The truth is that spiritual transformation takes place as we embrace the challenges and opportunities associated with each season of our life.”

“One of the most important lessons I have learned over the past few years is how important it is to have time and space for being with what’s real in my life—to celebrate the joys, grieve the losses, shed my tears, sit with the questions, feel my anger, attend to my loneliness…allowing God to be with me in that place and waiting for him to do what is needed.”

Consider:

How are you celebrating joy, grieving losses, or experiencing emotions of fear, anger, or loneliness in your life right now?  Spend some time sitting with these feelings in the presence of Jesus.  Listen for what He wants to say to you today.