Thank you, Amy Julia, for this recentering reflection on the holy places where “status ceases to function as currency.” Beautiful line. And I love the quote on living values! 🙏🏻
Thank you! I've thought for a while now about the difference between the "way of payment" and the "way of blessing", which is how I realized that we often "pay" each other with status and ignore the ones who don't have that type of currency. But Jesus invites such a different type of currency, which is the currency of love that is never in short supply!
I appreciate your thoughts very much. Nearly two years ago my 65 year old intellectually disabled brother came to live with me and my husband. I am 64. We are retired and were traveling a lot. That all changed. My brother is mostly like a middle schooler mentality. He’s very high functioning but could not live on his own. He lived with my older sister for 17 years until her health declined. We had to remove him from her care and it was a really hard family issue for a while. She recently died. It has been such a huge adjustment for me and my husband. I haven’t lived with brother since the 70s when I went off to college and then got married. Thankfully, God has been so faithful to help us navigate different things and he is now enrolled in a day community that he loves. He never did this before. He just sat in his room with his iPad and his TV. WE found this group because I happened upon an article about special needs adults playing Bingo at a local community center. I have now been around these special people and there care takers (which is even another story) and am learning a whole new way of seeing this special group of people. I say all that to say- They really are a source of leaning into Gods blessings. The beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount. I have much to learn and reprocess about blessings and gifts from God. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, Janet, thank YOU for sharing. I read your message out loud to my husband and got all teary because this is such a beautiful testimony to "reimagining the good life." Thank you so much for your reflections here. I would love to hear more.
Amy, I appreciate your response. I would love to tell you more and maybe one day that will happen. Honestly, at times it really is difficult. Its hard on our marriage, its just hard a lot of times. My brother’s moods can swing in that everything is taken literally and when his favorite sports team loses or something happens that he does not agree with he can become very angry, yelling and just difficult. And then ashamedly I yell back, like that will help. UGH!! It’s hard to reason with someone who doesn’t understand how to reason. However, there are those times when we watch a movie together or we go to dances with his community group that he thrives. He loves to be around people and he loves to be social which was what was lacking for most of his adult life. I cannot tell you how faithful God has been to lead us, through other people, to where we are and his involvement with his community group. My favorite thing are the dances, as I dance with my brother, as I watch his new friends dance and sing with no inhibitions, I am thankful for this outlet I have. Because, in this, I too regain that part of my youth that is lost in adulthood because we worry so much what others will think about us. This community does not. They simply live in their fantasy world, which maybe is not fantasy at all but how God desires us to live our lives trusting Him and enjoying this life that He has given us even in the unanswered prayers and difficult circumstance.
At one point you seem to suggest that there are scriptural promises that there will be something akin to happiness in this life if we just follow scripture.
I do not recall any scriptures that promise anything like happiness in the Mundane.
I believe many people read the Scriptures that way, inferring worldly happiness results from obedience to God.
But my understanding is that God promises reward in the next life.
Anything that feels like reward in this life is an added blessing.
Well, I think that when we begin to live in the way that Jesus describes, with God as the one in charge and an understanding of ourselves as beloved, limited humans, then we begin to experience a life of love, peace, patience, joy, etc. even in the midst of the mundane, even in the midst of suffering, etc. The rewards of this life that don't last are fame, fortune, and so forth. The rewards of the next life are love, faithfulness, and so forth. Those rewards can start now
Oh I’m so grateful for your heart and this good work. I would love to take your course along with a young friend who has recently had a child born with dwarfism.
I just returned from hope heals camp two weeks ago and completely resonate with every word you have expressed. Can’t wait to go back next year.
Prayers over you as you lead next week. I hope to meet you there one day.
I hope we get to meet in person one day too! I hope the timing of the workshop works out for you and your friend. If you can't be there live, the videos are a good other option and you and your friend could even work through them together. Thank you for your prayers, too!
Thank you, Amy Julia, for this recentering reflection on the holy places where “status ceases to function as currency.” Beautiful line. And I love the quote on living values! 🙏🏻
Thank you! I've thought for a while now about the difference between the "way of payment" and the "way of blessing", which is how I realized that we often "pay" each other with status and ignore the ones who don't have that type of currency. But Jesus invites such a different type of currency, which is the currency of love that is never in short supply!
It takes courage to forget about social status and not hide in parochial groups. You could easily do that and choose not to. Thank you!
Yes--courage and I guess just an invitation to something different. I guess it's both scary to lay down social status and also really freeing!
I appreciate your thoughts very much. Nearly two years ago my 65 year old intellectually disabled brother came to live with me and my husband. I am 64. We are retired and were traveling a lot. That all changed. My brother is mostly like a middle schooler mentality. He’s very high functioning but could not live on his own. He lived with my older sister for 17 years until her health declined. We had to remove him from her care and it was a really hard family issue for a while. She recently died. It has been such a huge adjustment for me and my husband. I haven’t lived with brother since the 70s when I went off to college and then got married. Thankfully, God has been so faithful to help us navigate different things and he is now enrolled in a day community that he loves. He never did this before. He just sat in his room with his iPad and his TV. WE found this group because I happened upon an article about special needs adults playing Bingo at a local community center. I have now been around these special people and there care takers (which is even another story) and am learning a whole new way of seeing this special group of people. I say all that to say- They really are a source of leaning into Gods blessings. The beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount. I have much to learn and reprocess about blessings and gifts from God. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, Janet, thank YOU for sharing. I read your message out loud to my husband and got all teary because this is such a beautiful testimony to "reimagining the good life." Thank you so much for your reflections here. I would love to hear more.
Amy, I appreciate your response. I would love to tell you more and maybe one day that will happen. Honestly, at times it really is difficult. Its hard on our marriage, its just hard a lot of times. My brother’s moods can swing in that everything is taken literally and when his favorite sports team loses or something happens that he does not agree with he can become very angry, yelling and just difficult. And then ashamedly I yell back, like that will help. UGH!! It’s hard to reason with someone who doesn’t understand how to reason. However, there are those times when we watch a movie together or we go to dances with his community group that he thrives. He loves to be around people and he loves to be social which was what was lacking for most of his adult life. I cannot tell you how faithful God has been to lead us, through other people, to where we are and his involvement with his community group. My favorite thing are the dances, as I dance with my brother, as I watch his new friends dance and sing with no inhibitions, I am thankful for this outlet I have. Because, in this, I too regain that part of my youth that is lost in adulthood because we worry so much what others will think about us. This community does not. They simply live in their fantasy world, which maybe is not fantasy at all but how God desires us to live our lives trusting Him and enjoying this life that He has given us even in the unanswered prayers and difficult circumstance.
At one point you seem to suggest that there are scriptural promises that there will be something akin to happiness in this life if we just follow scripture.
I do not recall any scriptures that promise anything like happiness in the Mundane.
I believe many people read the Scriptures that way, inferring worldly happiness results from obedience to God.
But my understanding is that God promises reward in the next life.
Anything that feels like reward in this life is an added blessing.
Well, I think that when we begin to live in the way that Jesus describes, with God as the one in charge and an understanding of ourselves as beloved, limited humans, then we begin to experience a life of love, peace, patience, joy, etc. even in the midst of the mundane, even in the midst of suffering, etc. The rewards of this life that don't last are fame, fortune, and so forth. The rewards of the next life are love, faithfulness, and so forth. Those rewards can start now
Oh I’m so grateful for your heart and this good work. I would love to take your course along with a young friend who has recently had a child born with dwarfism.
I just returned from hope heals camp two weeks ago and completely resonate with every word you have expressed. Can’t wait to go back next year.
Prayers over you as you lead next week. I hope to meet you there one day.
Gratefully, Alison Ross
I hope we get to meet in person one day too! I hope the timing of the workshop works out for you and your friend. If you can't be there live, the videos are a good other option and you and your friend could even work through them together. Thank you for your prayers, too!