Your words went straight to my heart today. I am 70 years old and still hoping for some magic place that will happen, while remembering the magic place that I left. I’m living in a state filled with people and lifestyles that I do not agree with or embrace, caring for my aging mother, and just “waiting”. My head knows I should be living in the right now and hearing this has helped set me upright, in this place. God is here, right now. It’s helpful to knows it’s not just me and Jesus is right now, here. Thank you.
This made me think . . . am I satisfied with what I have? My answer: on my good days, my strong days, my intuitive days, yes. I am not only satisfied, I am grateful.
On other days? Not so much.
Dilemma: grief. Grief is such a pain in the neck (not to mention the heart). When I am feeling really sad about my family of origin, all of whom have passed away, I cannot say that I am satisfied. on other days, when I am still grieving but somehow a little space clears out for gratitude, then I am satisfied -- grateful to have had the family I had, imperfect as we all are/were.
So I guess I've concluded that "acceptance" isn't a one-time exercise. It only works if you work it. I think.
Nadia, how did you know that this is exactly what I need to hear, today, tomorrow, and every day. God bless you for showing us your vulnerability, which helps me to face mine.
Nadia, there are a limited number of voices I allow into my heart and yours is one of them. As I lean into a trip to Hawaii this Friday wearing a 63 year old body that longs to be 49 again I totally hear you about resisting current satisfaction in lieu of chasing my tail and the completely unattainable. I will never be 49 again and I will never be younger than I am today. I think I have spent the past 2 covid years living with the uncertainty of one foot in what life used to be and one foot in the place of hoping things will be different tomorrow when I have 2 feet standing in the right now. Thank you for this timely reminder that God is completely with us in the right now. Blessings to you friend.
I waited to retire and then the election. I waited for the count and then the insurrection. We also found out that my daughter was pregnant. Waited for the baby to be born. Waiting for Covid to go away. Waiting to travel. Thank you, I so needed to hear this. It reminded me of something I heard a long time ago, “ God gives us a gift everyday, it’s the present”! Now to learn how to stop waiting!!! 💖😬
This is so hard. In the midst of ongoing trauma, caused by circumstances and people that I absolutely cannot change, how am I to find joy in _this_ day? I know the answer, I know that I have my daily bread, my needs and even many of my wants (and even more) met for today. I know that I have so very much to be grateful for today.
And yet… that knowing is in my head, not in my heart. My heart aches for the missing pieces. I hold my breath waiting and hoping for what I think is supposed to happen, what I think should already have happened.
A cheesy movie quote sums it up for me: “There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” I _know_ God is with me. I _know_ there is joy to be found in this day. I _know_ living in the what-ifs and somedays deprives me of those things. Walking the path, truly accepting life as it is right now, means getting those things from my head into my heart, and that is where I stumble and fall as I try to take even the very first steps.
I’m angry, I’m hurt, I’ve been done to and I resent it mightily. These, I am certain, are the stumbling blocks that trip me up day after day. Boulders smack in the middle of the path to acceptance of what is, because I think what should be is just on the other side of them.
“Be still and know that I am God” may be the thing I needed to hear today. Be still. Breathe. Stop trying to push the boulders off of _my_ path and look for _God’s_ path instead. Thank you.
Thanks for the slap across my face! I’ve been asking Father to provide 20,000.00 so we can be free of debt, no answer has come and I realize through this reading, we have all we need for today, I say thanks for the slap, because I see, realize I’ve been setting my sights on tomorrow, not today, ( grant us this day our daily bread, the cup of water needed for today) thank you so much! Grace mercy and peace!
“Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side." ― Jon J. Muth, The Three Questions (After Tolstoy)
Once again, you seem to be privy to the inner workings of our hearts and minds! Thank you, Nadia, for expressing so perfectly what I guess is a common dilemma. Grateful for you.
This got to me in such a powerful way. A different twist on what God is saying, and yet another indication of how timeless the Bible is that it could speak to our issues now. YOu pointed out connections I had not considered, although in Covid I have found that being forced to live in the present made me think more about the beauty of nature and life the way my dog experiences it, full of daily wonder. Same street, same walk but he gets so excited by it, like he is thrilled for the chance to have the same life again this morning. I also love how you frame body image in terms of years and not pounds. It's universal that way. At the weight we want to be or not, we all are facing the aging thing. Thank you for your wisdom that is so honest and non-judgmental.
"Let us rejoice and be as glad as is realistically possible in all of it." Perfect sentiment in light of everything happening in the world. Your words give me hope because I don't have to fake my feelings - they are valid just as they are!
Oh i have been wrestling with this message all day. Cause without dissatisfaction we wouldn’t have microwaves or airplanes or vaccines-so i appreciate some dissatisfaction. I love when a message results in struggle - cause i find truth (dare i say God) in the struggle or tension of paradox. God is lion and lamb. God is for justice and mercy. I think some dissatisfaction must come from God so we question cultural norms of theology and replace it with love and acceptance. Thanks for a safe place to struggle. I’m going to think some more… this may take a while
This was just what I needed to hear today as I was praying for the grace to love myself just as I am. I am 60 and losing the "aging well game" - my profile picture is less than three years old and I look ten years older, maybe 20. I'm developing arthritis. I forgot money was important and spent my life working for non-profits, which makes retirement elusive. Lots of things in life are complicated and/or not what I had hoped they would be. Thank you for putting words to my angst, and for reminding me that the gift of the present moment, and the presence of Jesus are all I need for this moment.
Your words went straight to my heart today. I am 70 years old and still hoping for some magic place that will happen, while remembering the magic place that I left. I’m living in a state filled with people and lifestyles that I do not agree with or embrace, caring for my aging mother, and just “waiting”. My head knows I should be living in the right now and hearing this has helped set me upright, in this place. God is here, right now. It’s helpful to knows it’s not just me and Jesus is right now, here. Thank you.
This made me think . . . am I satisfied with what I have? My answer: on my good days, my strong days, my intuitive days, yes. I am not only satisfied, I am grateful.
On other days? Not so much.
Dilemma: grief. Grief is such a pain in the neck (not to mention the heart). When I am feeling really sad about my family of origin, all of whom have passed away, I cannot say that I am satisfied. on other days, when I am still grieving but somehow a little space clears out for gratitude, then I am satisfied -- grateful to have had the family I had, imperfect as we all are/were.
So I guess I've concluded that "acceptance" isn't a one-time exercise. It only works if you work it. I think.
Nadia, how did you know that this is exactly what I need to hear, today, tomorrow, and every day. God bless you for showing us your vulnerability, which helps me to face mine.
Nadia, there are a limited number of voices I allow into my heart and yours is one of them. As I lean into a trip to Hawaii this Friday wearing a 63 year old body that longs to be 49 again I totally hear you about resisting current satisfaction in lieu of chasing my tail and the completely unattainable. I will never be 49 again and I will never be younger than I am today. I think I have spent the past 2 covid years living with the uncertainty of one foot in what life used to be and one foot in the place of hoping things will be different tomorrow when I have 2 feet standing in the right now. Thank you for this timely reminder that God is completely with us in the right now. Blessings to you friend.
I waited to retire and then the election. I waited for the count and then the insurrection. We also found out that my daughter was pregnant. Waited for the baby to be born. Waiting for Covid to go away. Waiting to travel. Thank you, I so needed to hear this. It reminded me of something I heard a long time ago, “ God gives us a gift everyday, it’s the present”! Now to learn how to stop waiting!!! 💖😬
This is so hard. In the midst of ongoing trauma, caused by circumstances and people that I absolutely cannot change, how am I to find joy in _this_ day? I know the answer, I know that I have my daily bread, my needs and even many of my wants (and even more) met for today. I know that I have so very much to be grateful for today.
And yet… that knowing is in my head, not in my heart. My heart aches for the missing pieces. I hold my breath waiting and hoping for what I think is supposed to happen, what I think should already have happened.
A cheesy movie quote sums it up for me: “There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” I _know_ God is with me. I _know_ there is joy to be found in this day. I _know_ living in the what-ifs and somedays deprives me of those things. Walking the path, truly accepting life as it is right now, means getting those things from my head into my heart, and that is where I stumble and fall as I try to take even the very first steps.
I’m angry, I’m hurt, I’ve been done to and I resent it mightily. These, I am certain, are the stumbling blocks that trip me up day after day. Boulders smack in the middle of the path to acceptance of what is, because I think what should be is just on the other side of them.
“Be still and know that I am God” may be the thing I needed to hear today. Be still. Breathe. Stop trying to push the boulders off of _my_ path and look for _God’s_ path instead. Thank you.
Oh geez... like you pulled this one straight from my heart. Thank you!
Thanks for the slap across my face! I’ve been asking Father to provide 20,000.00 so we can be free of debt, no answer has come and I realize through this reading, we have all we need for today, I say thanks for the slap, because I see, realize I’ve been setting my sights on tomorrow, not today, ( grant us this day our daily bread, the cup of water needed for today) thank you so much! Grace mercy and peace!
“Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side." ― Jon J. Muth, The Three Questions (After Tolstoy)
Once again, you seem to be privy to the inner workings of our hearts and minds! Thank you, Nadia, for expressing so perfectly what I guess is a common dilemma. Grateful for you.
This got to me in such a powerful way. A different twist on what God is saying, and yet another indication of how timeless the Bible is that it could speak to our issues now. YOu pointed out connections I had not considered, although in Covid I have found that being forced to live in the present made me think more about the beauty of nature and life the way my dog experiences it, full of daily wonder. Same street, same walk but he gets so excited by it, like he is thrilled for the chance to have the same life again this morning. I also love how you frame body image in terms of years and not pounds. It's universal that way. At the weight we want to be or not, we all are facing the aging thing. Thank you for your wisdom that is so honest and non-judgmental.
You know, you never struck me as a pep talk kind of speaker but I'll give it to you Nadia, that essay got me out of bed this Monday morning.
"Let us rejoice and be as glad as is realistically possible in all of it." Perfect sentiment in light of everything happening in the world. Your words give me hope because I don't have to fake my feelings - they are valid just as they are!
Oh i have been wrestling with this message all day. Cause without dissatisfaction we wouldn’t have microwaves or airplanes or vaccines-so i appreciate some dissatisfaction. I love when a message results in struggle - cause i find truth (dare i say God) in the struggle or tension of paradox. God is lion and lamb. God is for justice and mercy. I think some dissatisfaction must come from God so we question cultural norms of theology and replace it with love and acceptance. Thanks for a safe place to struggle. I’m going to think some more… this may take a while
Keep sharing your pep talks with yourself. It will help us remember that in reaching out, we often
help ourselves more than others.
This was just what I needed to hear today as I was praying for the grace to love myself just as I am. I am 60 and losing the "aging well game" - my profile picture is less than three years old and I look ten years older, maybe 20. I'm developing arthritis. I forgot money was important and spent my life working for non-profits, which makes retirement elusive. Lots of things in life are complicated and/or not what I had hoped they would be. Thank you for putting words to my angst, and for reminding me that the gift of the present moment, and the presence of Jesus are all I need for this moment.