Burdened, with Limitations
But still held by the other end of that yoke
Weary and Burdened
Do you feel overwhelmed by the daily news feed - the constant onslaught of encroaching authoritarianism, power and resource grabs by a small group of “elites,” and the dehumanization and cruelty being inflicted on our neighbors here in the U.S. and around the world? I know I do, and earlier this week I recorded a personal reflection, or perhaps more of a venting session, on that burden and exhaustion.
I don’t have any quick solutions to offer, unfortunately. Personally, I don’t want to walk away from an awareness of what’s going, or to drop the responsibility I feel for doing something about it, however insignificant that ends up being. But I also sense God nudging me that He doesn’t want me to carry this burden alone, or to be flooded by information and worry and responsibility. It’s hard to turn ultimate responsibility for all things to be well over to Him.
You can watch the video at this Substack post, as well as find links to a few resources referenced in it, including two Articles featured just below.
On Limitations, and Grace
I happened to come across two very honest and meaningful Substack articles within the past couple of weeks on how limitations can impact our lives, and how God’s love and grace persist even so, despite and through them:
“Remember That You Are Dust: A Short Lenten Reflection” by Sterling Ray is a poignant reflection on living with chronic illness, and carrying the burden of friends’ suffering as well: “I am reminded that I do not remember my human weakness alone, but that (God) also remembers it. He knows the short reach of my arm and the small power of my will. He knows the frailty with which we stumble through this bitter and beautiful world. He remembers that we are dust.”
“The Gift You Didn’t Ask For: On the Subtle Blessings of Aging” by Leslie Corley (Strovas), a friend for many years now, is a thoughtful and gently challenging reflection on the limitations of growing older and facing reduced emotional capacity: “And then, gradually, I started hitting walls. / Not failure, exactly. Something far more subtle than that. It showed up in a body that needed more time to recover from intense exercise or illness, more downtime, and more sleep. It was there in an emotional bandwidth whose previous spaciousness and flexibility diminished into a desperate need for regular silence and solitude.”
Please consider subscribing to both of these worthy authors. I know it would be an encouragement to both of them, as it is to all of us.
The Call to Notice
I’m excited to share the artwork of my friend Erika Loftis, which always brightens my day when it crosses my social feed! Erika and I met during college at Moody Bible Inst., and despite living in very different spots of the globe since then, she’s been one of the most encouraging friends I’ve had. Erika currently makes her home in Australia with her husband Chad and four kids, where she teaches and helps coordinate the creation of art with both students and adults, including at her church.
As mentioned, Erika’s encouragememt is reflected in her artwork as well: it’s colorful and playful, and carries a lot of attention for the people and things directly in front of her, and a great deal of heart in general. Here are a couple of examples from Erika’s artwork profile on Instagram (used with permission), along with her own captions:
“‘Look Mom!’ One of my favourite parts of parenting is the call to notice. Notice little flowers, snails, cool rocks. I love the things they see and want to share with me.”
“This painting has been years in the making. There are layers barely visible. Layers that start maybe even two years ago, when we first returned to living (in) Melbourne. Layers that were hard and sad and lonely, and then there were layers of adjusting and playing and fun, and then the final layers. The final layers of finishing a year, and starting a new one. While finishing this rose, I learned about the death of a little boy we knew in Thailand … and so I built in some tears as well as I prayed and grieved for his family.”
I hope you’ll give Erika a follow on Instagram. She has artwork and prints available for sale, which she highlights in various posts. You can also message Erika through her profile for more information, or to propose a custom piece!
A Little Playlist - Resistance & Hope
This week’s playlist, which I shared heading into the third No Kings Day, is themed around resistace and hope. Speaking of, I had a wonderful experience at our local No Kings event yesterday, my first, and would love to share more about that soon.
I hope this playlist is a decent mix of motivation to resist mounting authoritarianism and dehumanization, and also hope to persevere and depend on the only One who can sustain our hope. I know I need both. You can find a couple of notes on the list at this Substack post, including a nod to Phil Larson who gave me the idea.
Thank you for reading! As always, please feel free to share any input or recommendations of your own. And if you appreciated this newsletter at all, would you please consider sharing it with others? Grace and peace, to all of us …