{"id":53046,"date":"2020-12-08T08:26:09","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T16:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livingwaters.wpmudev.host\/?p=53046"},"modified":"2020-12-08T08:26:09","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T16:26:09","slug":"well-be-stuck-in-the-what-until-we-see-the-why-advent-devotional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/well-be-stuck-in-the-what-until-we-see-the-why-advent-devotional\/","title":{"rendered":"We\u2019ll Be Stuck In The What Until We See The Why"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Advent Reading<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday\u2019s Advent reading and activation<\/a> was an invitation to fix our thoughts on what is true (Phil. 4:8) \u2013 even if the truth is embracing and being honest about where we are feeling weary. I hope you took me up on the challenge to share with someone where you are weary. Lean into it. Don\u2019t pretend to perform. When we\u2019re weary? We should own it, embrace where we truly are, and invite God to meet us there. That\u2019s the first step on the pathway to rejuvenation.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Praying to God and admitting \u201cI am weary of 2020!\u201d is a healthy step that breaks religious platitudes and any habits of spiritualizing denial we may have formed. Learning to dive deeper and asking ourselves the follow up question, \u201cwhy am I so weary?\u201d is where change begins. The conversation that follows has more to do with the condition of our heart than the condition of our circumstances.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God isn\u2019t after a change in behavior, He\u2019s after our hearts; and access to our hearts is determined by our humility. \u201cI am weary\u201d can be a dead end statement of fact if we don\u2019t call out to God at that dead end. But when we discover the why and can say \u201cI am so weary because _________\u201d, we are now in preparation for action. We are not only owning our condition, we are owning our solution.\u00a0 We are declaring war on the why by shifting our perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Phil 4:8<\/strong>, after asking us to set our thoughts on what is true, Paul (the author of the letter) goes on to say, \u201c\u2026whatever is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Think on those things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Episode 1 of our Advent series last Sunday (you can watch it here<\/a>), Niesje said something that shook me a bit: \u201cI\u2019m thanking 2020 for so many things that have happened\u2026\u201d. Wait, what? Thanking 2020? This statement rattled me, and my incredulous response revealed my cynicism.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m weary. That\u2019s true. What\u2019s the why? I\u2019m weary because I\u2019ve allowed negativity to narrate my story. While I\u2019m not causing the difficult things to happen in 2020, I am responsible for allowing myself to become worn out by not fixing my thoughts in the right way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I say to 2020, \u201cthank you\u201d? Thank you for relationship growth and connection with my kids that I wouldn\u2019t have had any other year. Thank you for forcing me to new depths of dependence on God. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to tangibly reach and impact our community. The list goes on, and once I start writing down thankfulness to 2020, my perspective changes and weariness begins to lift. Nothing external changed! Everything difficult is still there, but the thrill of hope is returning. Jesus doesn\u2019t see 2020 as a pass for me to live below His victory, and neither should I. If my victory, joy, freedom and kindness can be defeated by a challenging year, was it ever more than a mirage? Did I mistake ease and comfort for faith and depth?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRejoice in the Lord IN ALL THINGS<\/strong><\/em>. I\u2019ll say it again\u2026rejoice.\u201d Phil. 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cConsider it pure joy<\/strong><\/em>, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.\u201d James 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advent Activation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We want to hear from you and be in this journey together! In the comments, on your feed, in an email to us (feedback@lwrv.org\/resources<\/a>), or to a trusted friend, share the things you can thank 2020 for. Resist the negativity and sarcasm that make you short-sighted. Ask God\u2019s Spirit to meet you with Heaven\u2019s perspective and invite the thrill of hope to lift the weariness off of you.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Episode 1 of our Advent series last Sunday (you can watch it here), Niesje said something that shook me a bit: \u201cI\u2019m thanking 2020 for so many things that have happened\u2026\u201d. Wait, what? Thanking 2020? This statement rattled me and my, incredulous response revealed my cynicism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":551,"featured_media":53047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":113,"footnotes":""},"categories":[112],"tags":[107,108,113,114,115],"class_list":["post-53046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-devotional","tag-advent","tag-christmas","tag-rejoice","tag-thankfulness","tag-weary",""],"blockli_fields":{"post_type":"","post_action":"","post_type_icon":"","background_image":""},"bb_bookmark":{"bookmark_id":0,"is_bookmarked":false,"bookmark_date":0},"app_bookmark":{"bookmark_id":0,"is_bookmarked":false,"bookmark_date":0},"comments_count":"0","content_native":[{"type":"core\/heading","render":"

Advent Reading<\/strong><\/h2>","content":"Advent Reading","data":[],"style":{"align":"left","parent_style":{},"header":"h2","fontSize":"27px"}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":"

Yesterday\u2019s Advent reading and activation<\/a> was an invitation to fix our thoughts on what is true (Phil. 4:8) - even if the truth is embracing and being honest about where we are feeling weary. I hope you took me up on the challenge to share with someone where you are weary. Lean into it. Don\u2019t pretend to perform. When we\u2019re weary? We should own it, embrace where we truly are, and invite God to meet us there. That\u2019s the first step on the pathway to rejuvenation.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"Yesterday\u2019s Advent reading and activation<\/a> was an invitation to fix our thoughts on what is true (Phil. 4:8) - even if the truth is embracing and being honest about where we are feeling weary. I hope you took me up on the challenge to share with someone where you are weary. Lean into it. Don\u2019t pretend to perform. When we\u2019re weary? We should own it, embrace where we truly are, and invite God to meet us there. That\u2019s the first step on the pathway to rejuvenation.<\/strong><\/em>"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":"

Praying to God and admitting \u201cI am weary of 2020!\u201d is a healthy step that breaks religious platitudes and any habits of spiritualizing denial we may have formed. Learning to dive deeper and asking ourselves the follow up question, \u201cwhy am I so weary?\u201d is where change begins. The conversation that follows has more to do with the condition of our heart than the condition of our circumstances.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"Praying to God and admitting \u201cI am weary of 2020!\u201d is a healthy step that breaks religious platitudes and any habits of spiritualizing denial we may have formed. Learning to dive deeper and asking ourselves the follow up question, \u201cwhy am I so weary?\u201d is where change begins. The conversation that follows has more to do with the condition of our heart than the condition of our circumstances.<\/strong><\/em>"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":"

God isn\u2019t after a change in behavior, He\u2019s after our hearts; and access to our hearts is determined by our humility. \u201cI am weary\u201d can be a dead end statement of fact if we don\u2019t call out to God at that dead end. But when we discover the why and can say \u201cI am so weary because _________\u201d, we are now in preparation for action. We are not only owning our condition, we are owning our solution.  We are declaring war on the why by shifting our perspective.<\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"God isn\u2019t after a change in behavior, He\u2019s after our hearts; and access to our hearts is determined by our humility. \u201cI am weary\u201d can be a dead end statement of fact if we don\u2019t call out to God at that dead end. But when we discover the why and can say \u201cI am so weary because _________\u201d, we are now in preparation for action. We are not only owning our condition, we are owning our solution.  We are declaring war on the why by shifting our perspective."}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":"

In Phil 4:8<\/strong>, after asking us to set our thoughts on what is true, Paul (the author of the letter) goes on to say, \u201c...whatever is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Think on those things.\u201d<\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"In Phil 4:8<\/strong>, after asking us to set our thoughts on what is true, Paul (the author of the letter) goes on to say, \u201c...whatever is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Think on those things.\u201d"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":"

In Episode 1 of our Advent series last Sunday (you can watch it here<\/a>), Niesje said something that shook me a bit: \u201cI\u2019m thanking 2020 for so many things that have happened\u2026\u201d. Wait, what? Thanking 2020? This statement rattled me, and my incredulous response revealed my cynicism. <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"In Episode 1 of our Advent series last Sunday (you can watch it here<\/a>), Niesje said something that shook me a bit: \u201cI\u2019m thanking 2020 for so many things that have happened\u2026\u201d. Wait, what? Thanking 2020? This statement rattled me, and my incredulous response revealed my cynicism. "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":"

I\u2019m weary. That\u2019s true. What\u2019s the why? I\u2019m weary because I\u2019ve allowed negativity to narrate my story. While I\u2019m not causing the difficult things to happen in 2020, I am responsible for allowing myself to become worn out by not fixing my thoughts in the right way. <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"I\u2019m weary. That\u2019s true. What\u2019s the why? I\u2019m weary because I\u2019ve allowed negativity to narrate my story. While I\u2019m not causing the difficult things to happen in 2020, I am responsible for allowing myself to become worn out by not fixing my thoughts in the right way. "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":"

Can I say to 2020, \u201cthank you\u201d? Thank you for relationship growth and connection with my kids that I wouldn\u2019t have had any other year. Thank you for forcing me to new depths of dependence on God. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to tangibly reach and impact our community. The list goes on, and once I start writing down thankfulness to 2020, my perspective changes and weariness begins to lift. Nothing external changed! Everything difficult is still there, but the thrill of hope is returning. Jesus doesn\u2019t see 2020 as a pass for me to live below His victory, and neither should I. If my victory, joy, freedom and kindness can be defeated by a challenging year, was it ever more than a mirage? Did I mistake ease and comfort for faith and depth?  <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"Can I say to 2020, \u201cthank you\u201d? Thank you for relationship growth and connection with my kids that I wouldn\u2019t have had any other year. Thank you for forcing me to new depths of dependence on God. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to tangibly reach and impact our community. The list goes on, and once I start writing down thankfulness to 2020, my perspective changes and weariness begins to lift. Nothing external changed! Everything difficult is still there, but the thrill of hope is returning. Jesus doesn\u2019t see 2020 as a pass for me to live below His victory, and neither should I. If my victory, joy, freedom and kindness can be defeated by a challenging year, was it ever more than a mirage? Did I mistake ease and comfort for faith and depth?  "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":"

\u201cRejoice in the Lord IN ALL THINGS<\/strong><\/em>. I\u2019ll say it again...rejoice.\u201d Phil. 4<\/strong><\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"\u201cRejoice in the Lord IN ALL THINGS<\/strong><\/em>. I\u2019ll say it again...rejoice.\u201d Phil. 4<\/strong>"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":"

\u201cConsider it pure joy<\/strong><\/em>, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.\u201d James 1<\/strong><\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"\u201cConsider it pure joy<\/strong><\/em>, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.\u201d James 1<\/strong>"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/heading","render":"

Advent Activation<\/strong><\/h2>","content":"Advent Activation","data":[],"style":{"align":"left","parent_style":{},"header":"h2","fontSize":"27px"}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":"

We want to hear from you and be in this journey together! In the comments, on your feed, in an email to us (feedback@lwrv.org\/resources<\/a>), or to a trusted friend, share the things you can thank 2020 for. Resist the negativity and sarcasm that make you short-sighted. Ask God\u2019s Spirit to meet you with Heaven\u2019s perspective and invite the thrill of hope to lift the weariness off of you. <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"We want to hear from you and be in this journey together! In the comments, on your feed, in an email to us (feedback@lwrv.org\/resources<\/a>), or to a trusted friend, share the things you can thank 2020 for. Resist the negativity and sarcasm that make you short-sighted. Ask God\u2019s Spirit to meet you with Heaven\u2019s perspective and invite the thrill of hope to lift the weariness off of you. "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}}],"app_access":{"can_access":true,"restrict_message":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/551"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}