It's hard not to think about resolutions around the new year. I usually don't make them, because I don't enjoy setting myself up for almost certain failure. Since I haven't blogged in a while, it was probably some strange form of guilt that caused me to think about a resolution for my blog. There has been a lot going on in my life over the past two months, and I haven't blogged at all. GUILT. Several times before the first of January, I thought maybe I should step up my blog in the new year. Maybe I should blog every weekday? Each time the thought rolled around in my heart, I dismissed it. To me, it felt...
IMPOSSIBLE.
OVERWHELMING.
ABSURD.
SURE FAILURE.
Where would I find the time to blog every single day? When I do blog regularly, I can scarcely churn out a post every other week because I am a...
V-E-R-Y... S-L-O-W... W-R-I-T-E-R.
The thought was surely guilt stirred. Blog every day? Laughable.
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Ironman gifted me a devotional book for Christmas. After I read the first few entries my heart was stirred. I knew I should try to gather one or two people to go along on this journey with me. I envisioned encouraging one another through the devotional, and keeping one another in thought, prayer, and heart as we counted our graces and blessings together for the year. I wanted to have conversation. I wanted encouragement. I wanted someone to pray for me and me for them. I wanted a deeper sense of intimacy and community. I invited one friend to accompany me on this journey, and soon it became two. Two people have turned into... seventeen people...SEVENTEEN PEOPLE... so far. :) This has all happened in such a whirlwind... really in just a matter of two days. Yesterday I wondered how I was going to manage so many people through email correspondence. Creating a facebook group wasn't an option since several participants are not on facebook.
WHAT TO DO?
YOU GUESSED IT.
BLOG.
Use a blog space to lead this precious group of women into deeper grace...
EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE WEEK...
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God has been whispering this phrase deep into my soul for some time now regarding my blog...
THE STORY WILL KEEP.
He has spoken this as a wash of peace when I have been concerned about the lack of story in this space over the past few months. Ideas have stirred, my heart is full of my own journey to share, and I know there are things He wants me to eventually tell.
Into the pain. I've learned many lessons this winter from facing the physical pain of surgery on my knee as well as soul surgery. Into the pain, and...
THE STORY WILL KEEP.
I want to share what God taught me about misunderstood Manasseh, and the truth of grace. It's a nugget of truth that I haven't heard anywhere else.
THE STORY WILL KEEP.
A tale of two friendships... a tale of truth and forgiveness, rejected grace, and letting go.
THE STORY WILL KEEP.
Once again, I am going against every blog rule in the book. I am going to leave this particular space here quiet, for now, so that I can go where God is asking me to go. I realize this isn't the wisest move with two published works due out anytime. But...
I HAVE TO TRUST.
GOD SPOKE TO ME THAT THE STORY WILL KEEP.
I BELIEVE HIM.
I WILL BE BACK HERE WHEN HE CALLS ME.
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For now... resolutions...
I smile in my heart at how God placed something seemingly impossible in my path, so much so that I immediately dismissed it. I think He might be smiling on me right now saying, "Shanda dear, I told you so."
ONWARD I GO...
All is grace...all is grace,
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p.s. If you would like to join along in the journey, we are going through Ann Voskamp's new devotional, One Thousand Gifts Devotional: Reflections on Finding Everyday Graces. We will also be counting one thousand gifts (just 3 gifts a day) for the year as directed from Ann's blog, A Holy Experience. Please let me know if you'd like to come along. :) You can leave me your email address here, or contact me via facebook.
