12/29…of the day

Verse of the Day:
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”
~Lamentations 3:22-23

Excerpt of the Day:
Many I love are hurting. I am hurting. I’ve been learning very hard lessons this Christmas.

“Most of us don’t want to talk about the not-so-pretty stuff of life. We’d rather focus on loveliness. Hued sunsets. Tinted leaves. Indigo skies. Golden grass. Christmas.
Christmas is supposed to be one of those lovely seasons – right? Except when it’s not. Except when it’s broken.
…
I’ve come to discover that God offers hope in the form of “broken family values”—values like commitment, courage, humility, reality, relinquishment, diversity, partnership, faith, love, respect, forgiveness and thankfulness. He understands that no one is perfect. He knows the unique journeys of loved ones. He gets it that abnormal is actually pretty normal. That people mess up and yet are worthy of respect and love and are never—ever—without hope. God holds each family close, crying with his wounded children, tenderly assembling and reassembling fallen fragments, creating us into better versions of ourselves.
God doesn’t sweep the broken up into a dustpan and discard it. In order to reach the broken in our world, God himself broke, sending his Son into our broken Christmases and to die a broken death on a cross for us. He brings beauty in the broken. God loves the broken. God uses the broken.”
~Elisa Morgan in “Broken Christmas” at Women Pursing God

“That we might be attentive to the vulnerability and need of those around us in the coming weeks, and to be more honest and open about our own needs, that we might receive the care of others.”
~Anne Bogel in “Waiting Room” at Modern Mrs. Darcy

“I don’t think we pay enough attention to the silent cares of the soul. We ignore her for long periods of time and then when she starts to flail within us by becoming overly emotional, getting frustrated too easily, or being bothered in an otherwise neutral interaction, we try to shame her into better behavior.
…
It seems simple which may be why I so often overlook it. But taking some time to “celebrate the joys, grieve the losses, shed my tears, sit with the questions, feel my anger, [and] attend to my loneliness” creates space in my soul.
A spacious soul makes room for others. A week before Christmas, I can’t think of a better gift to give.”
~Emily Freeman in “One Thing My Soul is Begging Me to Do” at Chatting at the Sky

Video of the Day:

Thank you Invisible Children for all you have done over the past 10 years to fight on behalf of those who couldn’t fight for themselves. It has been an honor to partner with you since 2006. I camped out with you for Displace Me with my little sister. You helped me show her there are others hurting all over the world, and that we can do something about it.