When Your Spiritual Equilibrium is Out of Balance... a Five Minute Friday post.

***
Hey there, sweet readers!  

I know this is December and the Christmas season
and this is the time of year where this little corner
is normally full of festive thoughts and good cheer.
However, I see the word prompt and I know
the chances of this post getting around
to Christmas Joy is slim... 
but Truth can always be found here... 
as well as honesty! So, here we go!

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer
and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: BALANCE

{GO!}

We were talking in our home group just the other night...
it was after spending an hour in prayer together,
where we simply speak out
whatever God puts on our hearts
and others come alongside in agreement
and lift our arms and hearts and heads.  

Oh, how we need each other!

We are a small band of brothers and sisters
with kindred hearts and we all have found ourselves
this year in some sort of an In-Between season...
a bit unsettled, and feeling a tad unsteady!

We shared how we seem to be
missing the Thrill of Hope... 
We are most definitely all
feeling the Weary World... 
yet we're still waiting for
the Rejoicing to begin! 

















But isn't that Advent?
  It's the waiting... the hoping... 

And even though we know He came... 
even though we know He is still here now... 
we feel a bit out of balance and we are
longing for a bit of Wonder & Joy!

I wrote about that earlier this week...
about how Wonder and Joy are here...
and He always comes... He is near,
whether we see or feel or hear Him or not.

We know He is here because He tells us it is so.
He's not a man that He should lie...
We say it over and over again...
He can be trusted!

We know this...
  it's just sometimes we forget!

We forget that when we feel a bit unsteady...
His steadying Hand reaches out to hold us.

We forget that when we feel unsure...
He reassures us that He's got us in the palm
of His Nail-scarred Hands,
and, over and over again,
He reminds us that He will never let go.

Sometimes when my equilibrium
feels off balance and the world around me,
with all of its' worries and woundings,
begins to spin seemingly out of control,
what I need most is to be reminded
of Truth, whom I know!

I need to be reminded that He is near...
that He never let's go and He never gives up
and He is working all things out for our good! 

This (-whatever 'this' may be!) is happening FOR me, right?
We talked about that a couple of weeks ago, too!

Here is the Webster Definition of Equilibrium:

"a state of intellectual or emotional balance : POISE - trying to recover his equilibrium;

a state of adjustment between opposing or divergent influences or elements"

When I begin to feel alarmed, anxious,
apprehensive, agitated,
or overly concerned or worried
--this is my signal that my spiritual
equilibrium is out of balance! 

The synonyms that go with Balance include:

assurance, calmness, confidence, easygoingness, laid-backness,

poise, self-assurance, self-confidence, serenity, tranquillity

These are words I want to be
used when describing me!
These are characteristics that,
when my mind and spirit are healthy,
are part of who I am!

So when I feel out of balance,
chances are really good that I am...
I have been listening to lies
or at least not leaning into Truth
as much as is required in this season
and what I really want...
what my soul and spirit
are longing for is a little 
"All is Calm, All is Bright!"

Isn't that what we all want...
during the holidays,
and all year long?

Silent Night, Holy Night...
    All is Calm, All is Bright...

{STOP!}

I find myself singing it softly... 

"Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright! Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy Infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace! Sleep in heavenly peace!

Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight! Glories stream from heaven afar. Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night! Son of God, love's pure light! Radiant beams from Thy holy face. With the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus Lord, at Thy birth! Jesus Lord, at Thy birth!"

Radiant beams from Thy holy face
with the dawn of Redeeming Grace,
Jesus Lord at Thy birth...

I mean... what else do we
need to remember?

From the moment
He burst on the scene,
He's been Lord!

So I invite you to join me:

Breathe in deep... 
Exhale slow...
Close your eyes...
and Open your heart...
Prepare Him room...
and find Him already there,
at Home in your Heart...
Restoring Balance and maybe even
Bringing a Fresh Outpouring of
Wonder and Joy!

***

Well, would you look at that? 
We made it back 'round to Christmas after all!

I know for me... when I begin to feel
dizzy and untethered,
I quiet my spirit and lean in...
I dig into the Word and offer up
a sacrifice of worship,
and I gather with my people
and get real and honest and ask for them
to hold up my arms in the midst of battle.

Jesus came and He could have come
in any way, in any form... 
but He came as an infant child
and planted Himself in the midst of a family...

Oh, how we need each other!

Praying for you, friends! 
Whether your family is flesh and blood,
or chosen and claimed in another way...
I am praying during the holidays
you will not isolate or pull away,
but you will draw near...
to God, yes --of course and always!--
But also to God in the flesh
in the form of friends and family!

This is our first Christmas without Mom...
and our second without our brother...
and there have been all kinds
of loss and loneliness, but
Family is His idea! 

Know two things if you look around
and feel like you don't have anyone
to hold up your arms:

1. Chances are HIGH that this is a lie.

2. I am praying for you... holding you up
    and asking Him to draw you near!

May Wonder & Joy surprise you this week,
and May Balance come and offer you
a little Silent Night, Holy Night...
a little All is Calm, All is Bright...

The Gorgeous Photographs courtesy of Joanna Kosinska via Unsplash.

Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today.  Five Minute Fridays give us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about "BALANCE"

The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk about food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second-guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!

I'm also linking up with the lovely writer community linked below:

Crystal Twaddell for #FreshMarketFriday

Mary Geisen for #TellHisStory

Kelly Balarie for #RaRaLinkUp

Lori Schumaker for #MomentsofHope

Holley Gerth for #LetsHaveCoffee

We plan on recording another Christmas themed episode of THE CHANGING OUR MINDS PODCAST. We will be reading through the actual Gospel account in Luke, and talking about Jesus... His long-awaited arrival, and how He is still with us, Present, today! Until then, check out our All Things Christmas Episode! We'd love for you to join us around the table as we share some of our favorite things about the holidays!