20 years ago I wore a white robe, my grandmother poured water on my head, and I brought my hands together in prayer and said “AMEN.” It was a moment that overflowed with faith, hope, love and joy…a moment
20 years ago I decided to mark my faith in concrete and commitment through baptism. In the years that have since passed from that Easter Vigil in Boulder, CO…I have gone in and out of my commitment and I will admit, questioned my faith. I have questioned God. I have been tested beyond words. I have felt I had no strength left to keep moving forward. I have tabled gone through moments of ‘tabling’ my beliefs, thinking I could do it myself. I have prayed hard and then gone months without checking in. I have screamed and cried…I have laughed and experienced more joy than I knew possible. With all that said, whatever occurs in my life…I have always found a road back to my faith. I wish sometimes I didn’t have to experience truly heartbreaking, breathtaking, earth shattering moments in order for me to lean back into my faith at times…yet I am grateful and humbled that no matter how far I seem to want to question…faith always shows me a window to the hope that has never left my heart.
Life is hard. Hell…there is nothing about the fabric of society today that doesn’t seem to test us daily. We have broken moments. We have all sinned…or I certainly have. I have made mistakes and fallen down…and I have always risen stronger and happier and more confident than I knew possible.
While I have sometimes ‘tabled’ my faith…what I have never stopped carrying with me is HOPE…I have always said the day I wake up without hope…that is the day to check me into the institution to get my head and heart checked.
Hope to me is about having the ability to wake up and believe in the power of ‘there is a chance’…It is not about blind optimism….It about leaning on the foundation that life has created for you…and leaning into the powerful force of ‘there is a chance…’
When we capitalize on the power of hope, what we continue to create from the broken is better than we ever imagined. It is those cracks in our messy and imperfect fabric that become that beautiful gift of life…
Today I sat in church…and smiled. It is truly amazing to me how small the world is. I was reminded why overflowing with FAITH and HOPE is something so magical, powerful and necessary…Overflowing is something I believe we all need to be more mindful to share now today more than ever…
Today I was was overwhelmed as the music played…and smiled with joyful tears…reminding myself that when you keep your eyes, ears and heart open…love pours in…
Today I was hit with the reminder that nothing is a coincidence, everything truly happens for a reason…and patience is a gift that gives you that perspective…that there is a reason life is small…and why you end up where you end up…
Today I was reminded if you are willing to lean in and pay attention, you will be amazed at the power that FAITH can have.
Finally…today…I was reminded why 20 years ago I brought my hands together for an “AMEN”…because it is in times of hardship when God is doing his best work…and you are never alone…you are always loved…and life has a beautiful way of bringing you to being in the exact place you need to be…
With FAITH…with HOPE…#anythingispossible
There is ALWAYS a chance…
Never give up…Not on yourself. Not on the beautiful gift of imperfection…
Love. Always.
With FAITH and HOPE…we can overcome, we can overflow…and become stronger and more beautiful than we ever knew and imagined possible…