Hi all, we are at Week 15! My friend Emily has shared beautifully on waiting through Winter for Spring, and what God has for us in the wait. Also, on hearing from God on a London bus! Please do enjoy and share any thoughts in the comments.
I've decided to start doing video intros to the stories on Instagram but I struggle being on camera. So, this week, there are also outtakes from my many takes which I hope bring a smile to your face. Finally, we've gone through a little bit of a redesign on Instagram so check that out while you're there.
In Emily's Words...
Serenity- The state of being calm, peaceful and untroubled.
As I prayed on the bus this morning, I felt the gentle whisper of the words ‘Serenity in the Seasons’ pop into my mind to share. Slightly ironic, as a London bus is the furthest place from serenity! And on the way home, I thought more about what this really could mean (irony still not lost about thinking about it again on the busy bus home!). I moved to London last year, a giant, vibrant city full of life, culture and people. It’s a city where life rarely feels quiet or serene.
I moved for work, mainly, and from the gentle nudges from God that this was the next step. It all fell into place and I’ve been here for nearly 10 months, with many blessings on the way. Life feels like it hasn’t stopped in many ways, but it also feels very much like its stuck, too, and has been for a while.
There are areas of my life; work, relationships and finances, that I have been praying into for a very long time. And they remain largely unanswered. In many ways I thought London would kick-start many of these areas changing, and when I felt the nudge from God to move, I thought 10 months later life would look different to how it does now!
But waiting is a big part of faith. And how we wait is an even bigger part of our journey with Jesus. Waiting can teach us a lot about ourselves, but it teaches us even more about God. The waiting has forced me to rely on Him, to trust in His timing. It’s teaching me that its ok to bring my fears, frustrations and sadness to the foot of the cross. That he can take the lamenting on Monday and the joyful worship on Tuesday. The waiting is teaching me how to sit in the season I’m in- even if the weather is changing every day!
The thing with seasons, is that one prepares us for the next, or restores us from the one before. Winter is a time for pruning and hibernation. Spring brings forth new life. Within the seasons (and especially in the UK), we never know if its rain or shine day by day. But we know that we must sit through winter before we see the joy of spring, trusting the signs that the next is coming.
And this, for me, is where I feel God nudging me towards a state of Serenity (that state of being calm, peaceful and untroubled) with the season I’m in, even if it doesn’t look like how I expect.
For now, in the waiting and what feels like a winter, I’m asking the Holy Spirit to teach me things about God. I’m learning what trust in God really teaches us about Him. His faithfulness. His joy. His steadfastness. It’s in His presence the serenity comes. Like Jesus calmly asleep in the boat as the storm raged around him (Matthew 8:23-27). It’s what life looks like as I trust him. Where the signs of spring may be in my life right now.
As I watched out the windows of the busy London bus, I could see the trees starting to bloom their buds as we move into the promise of Spring. Winter feels long, but thank God Spring is on the way! I pray that if you are waiting on something at the moment, you, too, would see glimmers of His promises. Most of all, that you would see Him, His perfect peace in the waiting. That you would find His divine Serenity in the Season you are in.
Emily lives in London, working for a faith-based international aid agency, and is an aspiring humanitarian aid worker. She loves to be outside in nature, walking, hiking, or running. In London, nothing beats a great cup of independent coffee and watching the world go by with dear friends.
Thank you all so much for reading this story of God connecting with his people. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Until next week,
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