It's now been 22 months since we've been in Maine, can you believe that? It hardly seems real, feeling simultaneously like a day and forever. And there have been a lot of feels in those 22 months. Over the course of our updates, I have tried to keep things mostly "positive" which has resulted in rather sterile reports of our world. I was recently convicted about this after reading this post by Sarah Bessey. She speaks about a traumatic experience in her life that she never dealt with, and writes:
"It makes me wonder how much pressure we feel to sanitize our stories so that they don’t make people uncomfortable, how we anecdote our experience with the lightness or the healing or birth or new life alone in order to make it acceptable. We simplify and sanitize and so we miss the healing we could have if we only spoke the whole truth."
I began to think about all the things that we haven't said in order to "focus on the positive" and "faith speak" and stuff, limiting our prayer requests mainly to our "doings" rather than our "beings". [Don't worry, I'm not about to unload on y'all!] This hasn't been fair to you, our prayer warriors and friends, and it hasn't really been fair to us as we walk this journey. We need you.
I read this quote today by Frederick Buechner (writer and theologian) which says, "Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." This resonated deeply. Here is our world, beautiful and terrible things have happened....yet we press on.
We have been both encouraged and discouraged (sometimes simultaneously), at peace and at war, frustrated and full of faith. We have felt our voices silenced yet heard, our passions squashed yet growing, loved and lonely. We have experienced the sting of being misunderstood by family, friends and acquaintances, all while being supported by the love of the same. We have felt the call to stand strong colliding with the desire to run away. We have heard the voice of the Lord while being deafened by His silence. The journey has been beautiful and terrible and we have felt the weight and glory of both.
Our story is not unique. There are many who have risked all for their Savior. They have left all that is comfortable and familiar for the fog of the unknown. It's gloriously freeing and devastating all at the same time. It's not for the faint of heart (take it from a fainting heart!), but it is beyond worth it.
All of this to say our hearts are tender right about now with lots of feels. We remain steady in hope, looking to Him who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, waiting and wondering what is on the horizon. But it's been hard, really hard. So, rather than asking to you to pray for all of our "doings", I will wrap this up by asking you to pray for our "beings". Specifically:
- That our hope would be anchored in Him and unswayed by our circumstances
- That our hearts would be guarded by His love as we learn to be un-offendable
- That courage would be our banner and faith our battle cry
- That peace would be our blanket
- That our ears would hear, our eyes would see, and our hearts would know His goodness
- That we would not grow weary in the doing
We so appreciate each and every one of you and your commitment to walk with us up the mountains and through the valleys. You are more important to us than you can ever know. And in it all, we are joining with you in your journeys, believing that you will experience all that God has planned for your lives! Love to you from the great state of Maine!
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