Monthly Archives: December 2016

Dec22

Needing someone to listen?

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Needing someone to listen?

Maybe I can help…

I have become more painfully aware lately of my need for people to reach out to me, to ask to hear what’s troubling me and to sincerely listen, and to offer hugs of support, or physical touch, in addition to their words of encouragement.  There are times in life when we need others to dare to initiate with, and engage, us, instead of depending on us to ask for help from them.  Sometimes, a person is simply too weary and spent to initiate and reach out to others for help.

I say this with full knowledge that I also need to be more aware of reaching out to others who are at that point of need, however, I’ve been at the end of myself and have realized I have nothing more to give other than to my family, because that is my duty, or to my very closest friends, because they are so close to me that their needs are quite obvious and my heart is drawn to help them.  A part of me still longs to reach out and help others, as well, but I know my limitations, my strengths and weaknesses, and I know when I can’t say “yes” or extend myself further.

Jesus’ experiences have been on my mind this past week.  Thinking of the verse I posted yesterday (Is 53:4-5  It was our grief He bore, our sorrows that weighed him down….He was wounded and bruised for our sins.  He was chastised that we might have peace; He was lashed – and we were healed!   The Living Bible), I was reminded of the loneliness Jesus felt in His time of greatest need, as He labored in prayer in the Garden and the disciples slept.  He understands our need for people in our lives to be there for us and how our hearts can hurt with longing for the physical presence of others in our most trying times, for “Jesus with flesh on”.  How he must have ached for the disciples, His closest companions, to initiate with Him that night, to help Him carry His emotional burdens without having to ask them to do so….

….yet, they were caught up in their own humanity, as are we.  He understands all of that, our deepest longings for human contact and support, as well as our failings to be there for one another as we struggle with our own human “stuff”.  He gives us grace and mercy in the midst of it all, and He is continually Emmanuel, God with us.  He will provide for our every need and longing, if we will let Him and cease trying to fill all those longings for ourselves, quit trying to find a way to satisfy our own aching hearts, and rest in trust of Him and His provisions for us.

Yes, sometimes that resting and trusting comes in the form of us feeling our grief and letting Him hold us, still other times, it requires us to reach out for the help we need, even if it be with our last ounce of strength.

I’m a person who wants to be here for you if you find yourself needing someone to listen, someone to help you sort through your chaos and make a plan to move forward out of a position where you find yourself stuck.  That’s what Life Coaching is all about, and I would be honored to be here for you in that way.

If you would like to know more about this, open the About section of this blog and explore my page on Pieces Coaching.  Contact me and let me know how we might be able to work together to enable you to move forward towards the purposes God desires for you in your life.  I understand where you are, and I would be glad to represent Christ to you, to be “Jesus with flesh on” …. because that’s what we are called to do as His disciples, to embody Emmanuel, God with us.

Blessings of joy and peace for your Christmastime!

 

 

Dec13

I will not curse the darkness….

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Winter blues have already hit me in a big way.  I actually love winter, the snow, Christmas, and all that comes with it, except for the early evening darkness.  It can easily overcome the light in my spirit, and I’m not an overly bubbly personality anyway, so it can take some effort to get on top of the pull to simply hibernate all winter.

There’s a similar pull in my spirit when I face tough times.  When we have car troubles and finances are low, when there are personal disappointments, failures, or feeling rejected, when I sense a lack in some areas of my life, and/or when I experience losses or attacks to my relationships, hopes or dreams, finding the lightness, the joy, can be a challenge.  Yet, I’ve decided to never give up trying and to never give in to despising the dark times…moonlight_shadows_4_by_wolfheart83-d3a02vv

Just as flowers and plants need the dark and dormant times in order to grow more and to flourish, I’ve learned that I do also.  It can be cold and lonely at times, like walking across this college campus where I work on a dark, snowy, windy night.  Warmth and rest, light and laughter can seem very far away in those moments, and longing for the safety and shelter of the more light times in life can become consuming at times.  However, if I pause, I can see the sparkle still there, in the reflection of the moon on the snow or the life in the birds flitting from one barren tree to the other on a grey day, and in my heart, I can sense a transformation happening that wouldn’t take place in the lighter times.

These dark times push me closer to God.  I’ve learned that my dependency on Him and trust in Him grow in the barren times.  The tears I cry, the ache in my heart, and the anxiety in my spirit are seen and felt and heard by Him, and He draws me close, if I let Him.  His Presence becomes more tangible, real, and calming to mine, assuring me that He is with me through every step in the darkness and that He will always be a light for me in those dark places when all other lights have gone out (Lord of the Rings).Finally, His Spirit reminds me of the hope that lies ahead, no matter how dark the days or how long the nights may seem.

 

ROSES UNDERNEATH THE SNOW

Summer groves may lose their gladness, wint'ry winds may wander by,
Cures may come and weary sadness, must we then forever sigh?
Brave the storm with firm endeavor, let your vain repinings go;
Hopeful hearts will find forever roses underneath the snow.

CHOR.
Brave the storm with firm endeavor, let your vain repinings go;
Hopeful hearts will find forever roses underneath the snow.

One by one the links that bind us may be severed here on earth.
But the sun will surely find us thro' the Winter's gloomy dearth;
Cheerful hearts around us beating, wearing ever Summer's glow;
Ah! we know you're always meeting roses underneath the snow.-Chorus.

Never joy that earth can send us can forever leave us here;
Ev'ry flower that Spring can lend us blooms again another year;
Care's may come, but never mind them, joy may come and joys may go-
Look around and you will find them- roses underneath the snow.-Chorus.

(American Old Time Song Lyrics: 28,
 http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/songster/28-roses-underneath-the-snow.htm)