Begin Anew Reading Plan
What does March mean for you? Maybe its just another month.
March for me is the beginning of spring. Yes. I know spring is technically in April, but let me explain to you how three years ago during the month of March my life was flipped upside down. Begin anew.
I stood at the airport, in a daze. I had flown into this airport dozens of times. With only three main gates, the Yeager Airport in Charleston, WV doesn’t hold a lot to do. I knew our family waited right around the other corner. I resisted the urge to run ahead and hug my three other babies. Instead, I held back. A stone in my stomach made me stop. Jason looked around to me, as he help our carryon luggage.
What are you doing? He asked.
I’m scared. I said. I didn’t know how to say it. I was terrified I was beginning a brand new life. In the small, blue umbrella stroller in front of me sat a scared little girl with almond eyes. Her hair messy from the flight, and the clothes mix-matched because she had thrown up on her cute “coming home” dress. I swallowed my fears and walked forward, tears pooling in the corners of my eyes.
Around the corner, through security I could see them. My sweet babies waiting to see me after two weeks in China. I felt an ache to hold them and ran ahead to meet them in an embrace. It didn’t matter. I was home. My heart, after being ripped apart for two weeks felt a little more whole. My emotions, a rollercoaster of doubt, felt the faithfulness of God in the warmth of my 6, 4, and 2 years old arms.
God sometimes flips our world upside down to show us a different kind of beauty. Like my little daughter likes to show me her drawings both right side up and up side down, God delights in showing us a bigger, more beautiful world than we might have originally seen if we had stayed in our winter hibernation.
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. – Isaiah 35:1-2
What is God awakening in you? Is God wanting to start something new in your heart this year? March is not too late to start something new. I’ve found these passages to be especially dear during times of transitions, endings and beginnings. Download a copy of the reading plan here.
Beginning anew doesn’t mean we need to change drastically. My favorite truth is that God is found here in the middle. We don’t have to be at the end or even at the beginning to see God working. God is working in the ordinary days, making us brave through it all. Becky L. McCoy says, “Courage doesn’t require an extra chromosome or special coursework.” Find a new beginning right where you are.
If you need a little help in finding a new beginning, check out Abi’s newest creation. Abi is a dear writer friend who I met last year. Through her beautiful creative process she has gathered several different types of artists to put together a magazine called Iola. “Iola” is a Greek girl’s name meaning “violet dawn” and in Welsh it means “valued by the Lord.”
The first TEN orders get a free pouch and entered to win an extra magazine. If you order within the first ten orders, you will be automatically sent a pouch and once I reach over ten sales, I’ll randomly draw a winner from the email customer list. So you have 1 in a 10 chance of winning. 😉 Order a copy here.
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