Out with the old, in with the new

Opposition or opportunity?

I suppose it's all a matter of perspective.

Every discouraging/stressful circumstance that you can imagine a person experiencing in their life at any given time, has seemingly happened to me in the last 4 months.
Family disappointment, a relational setback, life threatening family illness, job uncertainty, moving house....I've had them all in the last few months.

In the midst of this, I've felt a stirring deep within. There's more.  Hunger to be living at a higher place. Doing what I've always dreamed of doing. Influencing and affecting others for good. Yet, in the awkward in-between, I've felt the sting of the gap, the place where I am not quite at the more level. Yet.

I've been sensing for a while now that there's something really new and really big coming. I can't see it, but I sense it.
I had this picture of a tree with old leaves. A fierce wind came suddenly and blew off the old things. And the tree was left bare. Barren. Exposed. As I looked at this tree I heard a voice say "Out with the old, in with the new" and in that moment I knew that what seemed like barrenness was simply to make way and create space for the new to occupy.

I feel this is a picture of what is happening to me right now... seemingly challenging opposition is really opportunity in difficult situations to blow out the old in order to make room for the new to occupy and bud. Am I being punished?
Honestly, sometimes I wonder. But the truth is, I am being prepared for what's to come. I don't understand why all of these things are happening at once and stretching me to what seems beyond my capacity but I have to believe that I am being readied for the new big things that lie ahead.

Although it's difficult and I don't always 'feel' as though it's true, I am choosing to look at what could be construed as opposition, as opportunity.

Peace that surpasses understanding

I love peace. It's one of my core values. I can't live a day without it. But you know when you have those moments where you misplace it? Like a wallet accidentally left at the checkout of a grocery store...You discover that you left it somewhere and you momentarily have that sense of panic..."oh no, where did I see it or have it last"?
You retrace your steps and find it again.
Peace is a powerful force. It's not passive. Its active. It's defensive.
The God of peace will soon crush satan under your feet. Rom 16:20
He will keep in perfect peace him who's mind is STAYED on you. Is 26:3
Peace will GUARD your hearts and minds Phil 4:7
Jesus calmed the storm, because the peace inside of Him was a greater reality than the external storm He found himself in. "The storm you can sleep in, is the storm you have authority over."
Peace is a soldier, protecting, quelling, watching, guarding, defending our hearts, our minds in a crazy, chaotic, distracting world.

Today, I am intentionally choosing peace in the midst of blatant uncertainty. I am letting go of my need to understand and have the future all mapped out, so that I can repose in His perfect peace.

Peace to you today, whatever you are going through, whatever circumstances you find yourself in....May the God of all peace so fill you up right now...

Gratitude.

I'm doing something a little bit different these days on this thing.
I'm keeping it simple and concise.
Let's all just take a moment in our day to remember how sweet and good life really is.
Today, I am intentionally remembering all the ways that I am thankful for the life I get to live.
Thankfulness brings increase. It's also really easy and delightful to be around thankful people.
Today, I am thankful for my job and the amazing team I get to be a part of. I get to walk with incredible talent and creatives, which is so inspiring.

What are you thankful for?

when disappointment becomes bigger than our hope.

when disappointment becomes larger than our hope....we cease to be fun to be around.

the hardest thing for anyone to do is to have hope in an area where there has been consistent or longstanding delay or unfulfilled desire...we make poor choices from disappointment.

I refuse to let disappointment direct my decisions.

Hope is Here.

Happy New Year.
Some of you may have noticed I've been talking about hope a lot for the last number of months. It's been interesting intentionally raising my hope level whilst also trying to process through deferred hope and disappointment. Or things not working out quite as you had supposed.
I am really ready for 2011 to be over and I am very hopeful as to what 2012 holds....even though there is a lot still shrouded in mystery. My last quarter in 2011 was a poor one if I am honest with you. Probably one of the toughest ones I've had in a while, partly because it changed from one extreme to the other almost over night. I have to remind myself that breakthrough and growth can look and feel different from season to season.
I wanted to share something with you as we step into a new year that has been really powerful to me.
Almost 2 months ago I had an encounter with God that was really powerful. I was in worship when I heard Him say to me "there's things that you are holding on to in your heart that are taking up room for my hope to occupy. Let go and let hope. Let hope invade. Let hope expand. Let hope do its work." I was floored. I knew exactly what He was referring to. In that moment, I knew He was releasing a supernatural ability to let go of those things, the pain, the disappointment etc and in faith, to step forward into higher levels of His hope. Letting go meant being ok with not having answers right now and possibly ever for why certain things, situations, relationships did or didn't happen. This has been a process for me, not merely limited to just one moment in worship, nor one breakthrough encounter. Its been an intentional day by day saying "im ok with not knowing. Im ok with no answers. I trust in your goodness. And that gives me hope".
In coming to this place and this practice, I've found my expectation for what's next in 2012 increase and expand. I've even noticed recently a renewed hope in the areas where there were formerly unique disappointments. It makes no sense.

A lot of the prophets are already saying it, but I think it's really key and worth repetition: It's time to get your hopes up as high as they will go as we come into a new year. I feel strongly that some of the things that we still cant see clearly about 2012 are because it's yet to be determined. And we have an invitation to be a part of determining what unfolds. That being said, I feel like our hope levels will be really influential in determining what plays out.
Often, it can be hard to raise our hopes when we've encountered disappointment in specific areas. And whilst that is true, I know and I've experienced this grace He is releasing to let go of the disappointment in order to come up to a higher place of hope.
I feel strongly that the areas where you've been disappointed whether it's delayed dreams, promises, community not quite panning out, relational tension, uncertainty & disappointment, position, job, geography being a cause of hopelessness that these will be the areas that you see the greatest increase in terms of your hope level. And its because of this grace He is releasing.
We may not step into new things over night as we move into 2012 because there is value to process, but in saying that, Hope will be really strategic in navigating and positioning us into proper alignment so that we can be in the right places at the right times with the right people and see the hope we've been cultivating make way for the things our hearts long for to be made manifest. Hope is likened to an anchor in scripture for a reason. In transition, in the waves, in the shaking, it keeps us grounded. Hope means we do not have to be at the mercy of the wind or the waves around us.


This year I am making it my goal, my mission to live my life with the most hope ever. And to leak this hope where ever I go.
I say all of this for the reason to encourage you to let go and let hope. There is a grace to leave discouragement, hopelessness and disappointment behind if you will only receive this Hope invitation from Him.
His justice in your life looks like Him restoring your capacity to hope in the areas where you may have scars of disappointment.
"we have this hope as an anchor..."

Happy Hopeful New year my friends.
Love you all,
Michelle.

Hope.

this seems like an appropriate anthem to close out 2011 and usher in 2012.

There's a song that's inside of my soul

It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again

I'm awake in the infinite cold

But You sing to me over and over and over again

So I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands And pray to be only Yours I pray to be only Yours I know now You're my only hope

Sing to me the song of the stars Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again

When it feels like my dreams are so far

Sing to me of the plans that you have For me over again

So I lay my head back down And I lift my hands And pray to be only Yours I pray to be only Yours I know now You're my only hope

I give You my destiny

I'm giving You all of me

I want Your symphony Singing in all that I am

At the top of my lungs I'm giving it back

So I lay my head back down And I lift my hands And pray to be only Yours I pray to be only Yours I pray to be only yours I know now You're my only hope

-Only Hope, Switchfoot.

the marriage of the old & new.

there’s a glory on the dawning of the new. the first break of light. even though there’s a sadness to that which is passing. old things falling to the place where they should. to make room for the new. to hold the new.

Fighting off the grip of sleep each morning is aided by the prospect of that first flash, that first glimpse of dawn. Light. I love watching it expand across the sky. It captures the transformation that He does within, as more rays of His light rip through the strongholds of faulty mindsets.
I’ve been thinking a lot about newness. new things. new seasons. It ‘dawned’ on me this am as I was driving to work....something feels new. Something feels different. Fresh. Not sure what it is yet as its still draped in dew. But its here and I cant wait to see what unfolds.
A friend and I were having a conversation about closure recently. Especially as it pertains to positioning/placement.
It generated a lot of thoughts in my head....Often, when moving into the new, there is a natural closure that happens of the old. Sometimes it can feel sad, because we are closing things out, ending things. Finishing.
But then I had this thought. Closure is often an opportunity or an invitation to take old things to new levels. To elevate them. To raise the standard of them. At times it is a walking away, a division, a separation. Moving into different directions. But it can also be an opportunity to go deeper. to go higher. to go lower. In the midst of the dawning of the new, and the closing or finishing of old things....I feel this draw, this pull, this invitation to take some of the old things with me for the very purpose of going deeper.
Vulnerability is a buzz word for me in this season. And I feel one of the glories of the new that I am stepping into, is in inviting greater vulnerability into some of the existing (old) relationships I have.
I guess part of the new that I am sensing, as I process it, is in old/existing relationships going to new places and levels in my heart. in my life. in my time. in my schedule.

He makes even old things new, or why else would He promise to renew our youth like the eagle?


Suddenly, in the midst of this all.....closure, finishing, endings have become beautiful. They represent opportunities for new stories to be told, sometimes with the same characters. Much like a sequel. One of the things I love most about sequels are the history of the characters and journey's that they convey. It makes my heart inexplicably happy.