Moving forward on the same page // week 5

A ship is safe at harbor, but that's not what ships are for.
// william g. t. shedd


Sweet times and hard words. Fighting for clarity for ourselves somehow turned to fighting for clarity for each other. Gentle souls weathering wild waves (and, more literally, the storms of the polar vortex!). The fear of being torn apart by natural reaction to life's trials taunts us. The stress of this season's claims on your time and energy, of prior commitments and of a list of priorities that aren't as unquestioned as they once were nags. And right alongside Grace cools tempers and strengthens faith and moves hearts to joyful sacrifice. What the world could so easily wear thin or pull apart, the Lord sustains. Conflict is our friend, I tell you! In my experience, live in fear + selfishness and conflict will drive apart but live fearless + selflessness and it will drive together.

Living fearless only works out with the Lord. If you have Him, you have all you need to live in the land of adventure all your days. There isn't a schedule of brave choices for you to make in your day that you get to know ahead of time, there is just leaning hard on the Lord throughout the whole day and greeting the trials and fears and frustrations with grace and fearlessness.  That braveness looks a hundred thousand different ways. Reaching out. Holding back. Opening up. Waiting for the right time. Taking a leap of faith instead of "waiting to see". Changing your mind. Keeping your word. Repenting. Forgiving.

My goal in coming East was to know Zachary better. His goal in my coming out was for me to know myself better. Took five weeks of miscommunication, thinking we were on the same page but not being, to clear that up but those weeks weren't wasted. Both purposes were playing out independently during them. We aren't starting over now, we're just moving forward on the same page. Told you the adventure was only just beginning!

///

Also, this happened this weekend. Comic con at BBC meant Zachary becoming Ziggy Stardust + me  "playing dress up" and getting an excuse to finally sport my cute red dress as Clara Oswald. He's really into Rock from the 70's and I'm a Whovian. Part of being fearless is taking each other as we are. I'm proud to be this rockstar's best friend. ;)