photo: canva
graphic: Martha G. Brady
Have you ever noticed how life moves along at the same pace for awhile
Until BAM! an event drops into your life that marks it forever in ways
You know it will never be the same?
Have you ever noticed how life moves along at the same pace until BAM! an event drops into your life that marks it forever Share on XSometime they are joyful events:
- For me, they were my graduation from nurses’ training,
- Our wedding, almost 47 years ago.
- The birth of our first daughter alive!, and each daughter after her!
- the birth of our first grandchild…and each successive one!
- Our arrival in Jamaica in 1971. I never dreamed how my life would be changed by living there!
But there were many events that took the sameness of my life and changed it
In dramatic ways! stop
- The news that our first child had died in utero at the age of 8 months gestation.
- The sudden death of my father while I was living in Jamaica from a heart attack at age 54.
- The news of the 9/11 attack called to me by phone from my daughter who lived in New York City at the time. And the relief to know that her husband had observed the hit while at work, but was not in the buildings hit.
- The relief as I called my brother, an American Airlines pilot at the time, who normally flew out of Kennedy airport in New York City. As he answered my phone call with “I’m off today.” my stomach relaxed, my heart slowed down, the tension in my head eased. He was okay.
These are just a few times the sameness in my life was interrupted. I had to stop and think about my life and where it was heading. What values was I concentrating on? What things was I ignoring?
Where did my sameness need to become different? Maybe different in a drastic way?
Where did my sameness need to become different? ...maybe different in a drastic way? Share on XIt is no accident when these events come into our lives. GOD has good purposes in them.
They stop us dead in our tracks and make us consider our ways.
What direction are we going? Is that the way we truly want to be going?
These are the times we stop and consider. This is often the atmosphere where our lives change.
Sometimes, we are even transformed!
These are the times we stop & consider. This is often the atmosphere where our lives change. Sometimes, we are even transformed! Share on XDo not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,
but to think with sober judgment,
each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Romans 12:2-3
As much as I dread drastic change I also concede that those changes make us take stock of our priorities and alliances.
you are so right gabriele. that is the good thing about cultural change for sure. i’m not one who wants to go back to the way everything once was done. i think when it is clear who is a christian and who isn’t, that helps all of us. when it is popular to look like a christian, christians tend to not really look like biblical christians:( that includes me sadly.
Hi Martha 🙂
Visiting from fmf 🙂 When you talked about events that hit that change your sameness. I thought of one that happened this week: getting an internship with only a year and a half school, no resume and unpaid. My friend who mentioned it, is an editor for a nonprofit publishing house and is willing to train me, even though we don’t live in the same state.
There’s no timeframe and I have no idea where it will lead. But I don’t want to do something for the love of money (which feels like conforming to me), but help others until God sees I’m ready. All the voices in my head want to have mutiny, but all I keep thinking is:this can’t just be coincidence..why me, God?
It’s something new than once desire to be published in paying poetry magazine. I can’t help but think He’s humbling me.
Thank you for making me think & letting me share my heart 🙂
congrats julia:) sorry to be so late responding! lots of technical issues since thursday. won’t be fixed until sunday PM…i hope! spent about 5 hours on the phone w comcast on thurs. nite with no improvement:( only way to communicate is coming to B&N or some other such place.
glad my words were helpful and helped you think. I’m always glad to hear that happens:) blessings today!
Praying all the the technical issues get fixed by tomorrow. 5 hours on the phone…you so need a hug or maybe one of those desserts from b&n’s cafe ? God bless you.
thanks julia. finally fixed today…sunday! i hope it is all done now.
Great post and love that Romans verse. Glad your family was safe on 9-11. I’m parked in the #9 spot this week.
thanks Tara 🙂 I got a new take on Romans 12:2 when it was combined with vs 3. Thanks for your kind words.