You are Loved
In the chaos, it's the one thing we can count on.
Merry Christmas, Family!
I’ve been trying to be consistent in getting these newsletters out in a timely fashion and it just so happens that today’s message falls on the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. So…here we are! Lol
I’ve always been very open and clear about my faith. The way it grounds me. The way I’ve been challenged by it. AND the way it has evolved over the years. In all of that movement, I’ve come to recognize that, for many people, Christian or not, this holiday season is not the most wonderful time of the year.
In fact, it’s during this time of celebration and gift-giving that many of us are reminded of what we don’t have. Who is not here. Where we can no longer go. And that grief and rage and helplessness is very real.
I want to acknowledge that.
And/also, I want to share the one thing that holds me down; the thing that keeps me from going over the edge and into the dark places when my grief overwhelms me in this season. I’m generally saved by the deep sense that I am loved by God.
Yep, dassit.
Cliche?
Maybe.
But I’ll take it.
I don’t always understand it.
But I’ll take it.
When I can embrace and accept the idea that nothing can separate me from the love of my Creator, whether it makes sense or not, it absolutely changes how I show up in the world.
In my sorrow, I can know joy because I am loved.
In my rage, I can know peace because I am loved.
In my isolation, I can know access because I am loved.
In my chaos, I can know calm because I am loved.
Do I wish that this unconditional, magnanimous love would stop me from experiencing sorrow, rage, isolation, and chaos in the first place? I’d be lying if I said no. But I also cannot deny that believing I am loved by God gives me the strength to endure when life starts life-ing.
And maybe that’s the point. We have no choice but to be confident when we know we are loved. We can stand firm in our trials and victories when we accept that there is nothing we can to do lose God’s love. We can no longer feel the need to control everything and everyone around us when we embrace love as a foundational truth. And most significant of all—especially in this season of hoping and shifting—trusting the existence of God’s love frees us to trust God’s timing.
Whew! That’s the one.
Keep sojourning, Friends.
Love,
tmlg
BLACK JOY IS…
My Black Joy Happy Happy Hour over on Instagram is a weekly joy for me to curate. So I thought I’d drop a taste of it here. Let me know if you want to see it regularly in this space. And maybe I’ll offer a special extended edition for paid subscriber? We’ll see! In the meantime, SOUND ON!