Give Me Grace : a slow walk into a new year

 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. – Isaiah 43:19

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”  – Lamentations 3:22-24 

I can’t explain the feeling of hope that overshadows everything at the beginning of a new year. Wiping the slate clean at the end of a season of doubt feels right. Surely there’s hope, life even. It pushed through the cracks in a stable to stream the most powerful light over 2000 years ago. That same light filters through my bedroom window every morning. Soft shafts of light tickle my face, waking me up to hope. At least for that moment, every thing feels new.

Each year is marked by the completion of the earths rotation around the sun and hope…morphs into a new configuration of numbers. But it’s not an ending. It’s the glory of again. Again God positions our hearts with purpose and intention. He aligns our hearts for redemption. With hearts set to believe, we try again. We hope.

My one word for the year is slow. Think fluid, easy…thoughtful. I’m aligning myself with the unforced rhythms of grace that herald the promise of a melodious new song. I’m asking god to grant the favor of an unhurried grace. A steady stream of growth marked by a seasoned wisdom. I want a grace that’s gradual, unrushed…a lilting adagio to listen to all night.

We live in a world of lightning speed connections further ignited by subliminal voices telling us to do and be more. All the time. We receive it in hurried sound bytes that suggest we operate in performance mode all day.  I want something different. I want an easy immersion in everything lovely. And I want time when life feels hard. I want to slow down enough to cry when I feel broken – and not feel bad about it. I want to stop long enough to recharge…restart.

To be clear this isn’t about a slothful season of unproductivity. It’s a time of being selective and choosing a pace that right for you. It’s a time of saying yes when His voice calls – a time for enjoying the clarity and freedom of saying no.

So right now in your part of the world. With your family and work, your relationships and plans, your frustrations and delights. Might I invite you to join me in a quiet slowing. To consider living dreamy.  Measured. Deliberate. To breathe soul deep. To linger when necessary, to flip the script on last.

Let your handmaiden find grace in your sight…#GiveMeGrace

♥

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Lisha Epperson