.
I won't write a lot about this video and simply hope the video speaks for itself. (And that this quirky blogger bug that's been messing with the playing of my videos gets rectified soon.)
I'll simply set it up with this: Two nights ago I awoke with one of my nightly hot flashes at 4:30 a.m. (They are no big deal - nothing that kicking off covers and taking a well-timed walk to the bathroom doesn't cool/cure.) Typically I fall right back to sleep. And I sorta did that on this occasion as well, but not before having the flash of a memory about three mega-monster-mondo hot flashes (or something like them) that I had just prior to learning I was pregnant with Stross. They were so intense and bizarre that I've always remembered the dates they occurred - Aug. 18, Aug. 25, Sept. 14 - sort of keeping those memories like Mary and "pondering them" in my heart.
I wrote about them in Involuntary Joy but felt compelled to tell of them via video as well. I could share even more detail about those dates in 1990, but what I've captured here probably already borders on TMI.
This also is worth saying – not just on the video - but typed here: I've never felt that anything I did caused Stross to be born with birth defects. Sometimes life simply happens. No regrets for me. Only for him - and he continues to live in a state of bliss. He continues to point me to my life's involuntary joys.
.
Showing posts with label providence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label providence. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Know the plans
In the face of disappointment, some either offer comfort or find comfort in the statement: “God has a plan for you.”
I wonder: Why?
Please note this is a big ‘why.’ A ‘why’ so big that it’s chock-full of other ‘whys’:
• Why would God divinely alter what I assume has been a previously endorsed plan? (Or, if a plan is being altered, does that mean a person has actually been on the wrong plan?)
• Why would God alter a plan without prior notice? (Is God really that spontaneous?)
• Why, if there is some form of prior notice, is it so easily missed? (Certainly God can grab a person’s attention in good and clear ways.)
• Why would God use disappointment as a way to move a child created in God's image toward a new plan? (Doesn’t that make God bad even if the plan is supposedly better?)
• Why can’t God just go with the plan currently in place and simply improve it if necessary? (After all, God IS God.)
• Why does someone else seem to know God’s plan for another person’s life while the one God’s working on seems rather oblivious? (Again, can’t God get someone’s attention whenever and wherever God wants?)
If I had to focus on only one of the whys, it would be this one: Why do we need assurance that God has a specific plan for our lives anyway?
When Mark and I married in May 1986, we chose Jeremiah 29:11 as the central verse for our marriage ceremony. It’s probably the most popular “plan” verse of the Bible: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (NIV)
Idealistic, young lovers with a lifetime of only good things in store, we vowed to share who we were with each other, facing any circumstance life threw our way. We clung to this promise, confident nothing could sidetrack the wonderful plan God had for us individually or as a couple. Believing in a providential plan provided reassurance that we could prevail regardless of what might come.
Then, five years into our marriage “what might” did come. And you know what? We were right about not being sidetracked or overtaken; we continued to prosper, although probably not in the way we understood the hope of prosperity then.
Truthfully, I can’t attest to what we understood then. Who were we in our 20s anyway? We certainly lacked the capacity to look into our future as we know it today. And if we could have seen or even gotten a glimpse of our future, it may have altered how we followed “the plan.” For whoever we were then, we had a much smaller concept of God. We believed there was only one correct plan, and if we missed our opportunity to stay on course, well, we didn’t want to find out what could go wrong.
God was in charge. We just needed to follow.
But you know what? In the process of trying not to misstep, we discovered a prosperity promise even more provocative regarding God’s capacity for hope and a future: The God of the universe is so expansive, it’s impossible to get lost. No matter which direction we step, God is already there. What a relief! That kind of providence is providential, indeed.
Moreover, God’s love is expansive, too, encompassing every child created in God’s image. This all-encompassing love renders God incapable of inflicting pain on those created to reflect the very image of God. This expansive, providential love is personified grace, or God in action.
After 25 years together (one courting, one engaged and 23 married), Mark and I now allow God to surprise us with displays of expansive grace – grace so huge we are able to see God in the midst of some pretty dire circumstances. It’s a grace that begs this question: “Why shy away from prosperity that can intangibly sustain even during times of want?”
Not capable of comprehending the anxiety and hopelessness of exile, we might find it easy to ignore the powerful context of Jeremiah’s words. He was writing to people banished to Babylon, encouraging them to settle down. “Go ahead and do things that might give you roots,” he told them, “Even if you are in a land that’s foreign to you, I’m right here.”
It’s truly a grow-where-you’re-planted message. So why not get comfortable with a more contemporary interpretation of this popular text: “Wherever you go, there you are. And, guess what? God is there too.”
Really. Go ahead. Enjoy life as it happens and wherever it might lead you, for God “knows the plans” not just “the plan.” God is one step ahead of you no matter the direction you’re headed.
Do you have a better plan?
I wonder: Why?
Please note this is a big ‘why.’ A ‘why’ so big that it’s chock-full of other ‘whys’:
• Why would God divinely alter what I assume has been a previously endorsed plan? (Or, if a plan is being altered, does that mean a person has actually been on the wrong plan?)
• Why would God alter a plan without prior notice? (Is God really that spontaneous?)
• Why, if there is some form of prior notice, is it so easily missed? (Certainly God can grab a person’s attention in good and clear ways.)
• Why would God use disappointment as a way to move a child created in God's image toward a new plan? (Doesn’t that make God bad even if the plan is supposedly better?)
• Why can’t God just go with the plan currently in place and simply improve it if necessary? (After all, God IS God.)
• Why does someone else seem to know God’s plan for another person’s life while the one God’s working on seems rather oblivious? (Again, can’t God get someone’s attention whenever and wherever God wants?)
If I had to focus on only one of the whys, it would be this one: Why do we need assurance that God has a specific plan for our lives anyway?
When Mark and I married in May 1986, we chose Jeremiah 29:11 as the central verse for our marriage ceremony. It’s probably the most popular “plan” verse of the Bible: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (NIV)
Idealistic, young lovers with a lifetime of only good things in store, we vowed to share who we were with each other, facing any circumstance life threw our way. We clung to this promise, confident nothing could sidetrack the wonderful plan God had for us individually or as a couple. Believing in a providential plan provided reassurance that we could prevail regardless of what might come.
Then, five years into our marriage “what might” did come. And you know what? We were right about not being sidetracked or overtaken; we continued to prosper, although probably not in the way we understood the hope of prosperity then.
Truthfully, I can’t attest to what we understood then. Who were we in our 20s anyway? We certainly lacked the capacity to look into our future as we know it today. And if we could have seen or even gotten a glimpse of our future, it may have altered how we followed “the plan.” For whoever we were then, we had a much smaller concept of God. We believed there was only one correct plan, and if we missed our opportunity to stay on course, well, we didn’t want to find out what could go wrong.
God was in charge. We just needed to follow.
But you know what? In the process of trying not to misstep, we discovered a prosperity promise even more provocative regarding God’s capacity for hope and a future: The God of the universe is so expansive, it’s impossible to get lost. No matter which direction we step, God is already there. What a relief! That kind of providence is providential, indeed.
Moreover, God’s love is expansive, too, encompassing every child created in God’s image. This all-encompassing love renders God incapable of inflicting pain on those created to reflect the very image of God. This expansive, providential love is personified grace, or God in action.
After 25 years together (one courting, one engaged and 23 married), Mark and I now allow God to surprise us with displays of expansive grace – grace so huge we are able to see God in the midst of some pretty dire circumstances. It’s a grace that begs this question: “Why shy away from prosperity that can intangibly sustain even during times of want?”
Not capable of comprehending the anxiety and hopelessness of exile, we might find it easy to ignore the powerful context of Jeremiah’s words. He was writing to people banished to Babylon, encouraging them to settle down. “Go ahead and do things that might give you roots,” he told them, “Even if you are in a land that’s foreign to you, I’m right here.”
It’s truly a grow-where-you’re-planted message. So why not get comfortable with a more contemporary interpretation of this popular text: “Wherever you go, there you are. And, guess what? God is there too.”
Really. Go ahead. Enjoy life as it happens and wherever it might lead you, for God “knows the plans” not just “the plan.” God is one step ahead of you no matter the direction you’re headed.
Do you have a better plan?
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Dear Karissa - Happy Graduation
Dear Karissa:
Congratulations on your graduation from Murray State. I’m sorry we were not able to be with you on your big day. Tomorrow happens to be Confirmation Day for my sister’s son and daughter; and Mark and I, as their godparents, are to be part of their celebration day. However, please know that we are holding you in our thoughts and asking God to guide your future. On to a master’s program—and/or who knows what else, yes? Very exciting.
I had hoped to send this gift in time for you to receive it on your Graduation Day. Instead, I’m typing a note to you while sitting in the purple chair by our fireplace (which happens to be turned on as a way to warm our family on this cold and rainy Iowa day in May). The motivation for writing is a desire to connect more intentionally to the moment. After all, as recently as this morning, you became a college graduate. That’s pretty big stuff. And even though Mark and I witness the phenomenon of college graduation at least once a year, it seems nearly unbelievable that you—a young woman we first met as an infant being held in her mother’s arms—is old enough to be graduating from college. What’s even more fascinating to consider is that one day you, too, will be attending (or unfortunately missing) a niece’s or nephew’s college graduation while thinking: Where has the time gone?
I regret that we’ve not been able to witness your maturing more closely as you’ve moved through childhood and adolescence into young adulthood. Please know that we inquire about each of you Ramey children whenever your Grandma and Grandpa Newcom checks in on us. We’ve enjoyed hearing about your travels out of the U.S., your desire to pursue post-graduate studies and your growing independence and sense of self. Only a woman with moxie chooses to travel alone, and most likely, she’s motivated by passion for the reason she’s traveling in the first place. Those qualities will serve you well no matter where life takes you.
Each year as graduation nears, Mark and I witness students with varying degrees of apprehension for what may come next. It seems the most debilitated are those who believe that if they don’t correctly discern God’s will for their lives, they will be a disappointment—destined to live a life outside of God’s providence. We’ve come to realize this: Nothing can take you outside the bounds of God’s providence. Indeed, “…neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38)
So our desire for you, Karissa, is this: Don’t be afraid to follow where your heart leads. Don’t be afraid to encounter life in all its fullness—to befriend people some may find objectionable, to travel to places some might find undesirable, to ask questions some might find unnecessary. Because, our dear Karissa, God will always be with you, inviting you to discover all the people, places and puzzlements that make this such a wonderful manifestation of God’s divinity.
May this gift remind you of the unique role you hold among all those who comprise God’s humanity; and as you venture into the next phase of your life’s journey, may you be a shining example of the qualities that are yours as God’s child.
Our love to you,
Aunt Joy and Uncle Mark
Congratulations on your graduation from Murray State. I’m sorry we were not able to be with you on your big day. Tomorrow happens to be Confirmation Day for my sister’s son and daughter; and Mark and I, as their godparents, are to be part of their celebration day. However, please know that we are holding you in our thoughts and asking God to guide your future. On to a master’s program—and/or who knows what else, yes? Very exciting.
I had hoped to send this gift in time for you to receive it on your Graduation Day. Instead, I’m typing a note to you while sitting in the purple chair by our fireplace (which happens to be turned on as a way to warm our family on this cold and rainy Iowa day in May). The motivation for writing is a desire to connect more intentionally to the moment. After all, as recently as this morning, you became a college graduate. That’s pretty big stuff. And even though Mark and I witness the phenomenon of college graduation at least once a year, it seems nearly unbelievable that you—a young woman we first met as an infant being held in her mother’s arms—is old enough to be graduating from college. What’s even more fascinating to consider is that one day you, too, will be attending (or unfortunately missing) a niece’s or nephew’s college graduation while thinking: Where has the time gone?
I regret that we’ve not been able to witness your maturing more closely as you’ve moved through childhood and adolescence into young adulthood. Please know that we inquire about each of you Ramey children whenever your Grandma and Grandpa Newcom checks in on us. We’ve enjoyed hearing about your travels out of the U.S., your desire to pursue post-graduate studies and your growing independence and sense of self. Only a woman with moxie chooses to travel alone, and most likely, she’s motivated by passion for the reason she’s traveling in the first place. Those qualities will serve you well no matter where life takes you.
Each year as graduation nears, Mark and I witness students with varying degrees of apprehension for what may come next. It seems the most debilitated are those who believe that if they don’t correctly discern God’s will for their lives, they will be a disappointment—destined to live a life outside of God’s providence. We’ve come to realize this: Nothing can take you outside the bounds of God’s providence. Indeed, “…neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38)
So our desire for you, Karissa, is this: Don’t be afraid to follow where your heart leads. Don’t be afraid to encounter life in all its fullness—to befriend people some may find objectionable, to travel to places some might find undesirable, to ask questions some might find unnecessary. Because, our dear Karissa, God will always be with you, inviting you to discover all the people, places and puzzlements that make this such a wonderful manifestation of God’s divinity.
May this gift remind you of the unique role you hold among all those who comprise God’s humanity; and as you venture into the next phase of your life’s journey, may you be a shining example of the qualities that are yours as God’s child.
Our love to you,
Aunt Joy and Uncle Mark
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