Week 5
Welcome to WEEK 5!! This week a couple of these chapters really hit home for me, so I sincerely hope something within this study is lighting a spark for you too!
Click here to review prior weeks.
Notes from my reading journal-
CHAPTER 16-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
*Keep in mind, I highly recommend grabbing your Bible and flipping to these verses (preferably even a verse before and/ or after). I’m so glad Allie includes these verses within the chapters, but I still just feel a deeper connection when I’m in my actual Bible!
John 16:33
James 1:2-4
Malachi 3:3
Romans 5: 3-4
1 Peter 5:10
2 Corinthians 4:17
James 1: 12
Romans 8:28
Notes:
If you’ve been following along on theWHEREblog, you probably already know that I am a firm believer in “everything happens for a reason.” My stance is that God is behind everything- He has a plan and it takes all the moments (big and small, good and bad) to create the details of His plan. Last week, my family was all over the place (nothing extraordinary) but it was just busy enough that I ran out of time (and energy) to keep on track with my Wonderfully Made reading and study notes. Instead of my regularly scheduled Saturday post, last week ended up getting posted the following Tuesday, certainly not the end of the world, just real life. So that of course meant this week was also starting a few days later than normal. The events of this week in my professional life have been anything but boring or expected- so as I sit down to read chapter 16, ALL of that is heavy on my mind. In fact before even starting chapter 16, I had to take a minute to listen- my mind is literally spinning to the point that I have no words for prayer other than “Lord, you know what’s on my heart and mind.” Ok ok, so anyway- with ALL of that going on, I pick up Wonderfully Made to read chapter 16- and it hits me like a truck! Today, this very morning, is the morning I was meant to read this chapter! Last week I got off schedule so that I would be in this mental place for this exact chapter! Allie- yes, yes, yes; all of this, every word, yes! I mourn my broken dreams, yet knowing my “suffering” (albeit minor in the grand scheme of things) is for God’s purpose, His plan, my refining!
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
Like I’ve said before, I grew up fairly sheltered so thank God (literally thank God), true suffering hasn’t been a huge part of my story. I’ve had the normal ups and downs of life- divorced parents at an early age, drama of being a teenage girl, miscarriage, difficult child birth, critically ill infant, frustrations within my job, challenges with our house (buying, selling, remodeling, etc). However, when I think back on all of those difficult seasons, it becomes clear that each and every one of those were “short lived” in the grand scheme of this life and even more so short lived when I consider the eternity I get to spend with my Heavenly Father. Of course, each and every one of those seasons caused pain and struggle, but even more so I can look back now and see where they each taught me something about myself and my faith, and brought me closer to Jesus. Each of those seasons played a role in my sanctification process, the process of making me more like Jesus- and afterall isn’t that what this life is about? Jesus justified our sins so we can be sanctified and become more like Him! I don’t focus on any one of those difficult seasons and I don’t want to spend too much time focusing on the pain and struggle of my past, because it’s my belief that the future, specifically our future with God, is where our attention should be focused.
CHAPTER 17-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
Psalm 139:16
Esther 4:14
Matthew 9:37
Notes:
Wow! This chapter hit the nail on the head!! And somehow gave me some peace about our current world. Right now, even if you live under a rock, you know about everything going on- seemingly never ending pandemic, Russia invading Ukraine, supply chain shortages, massive inflation, the list could go on and on! BUT GOD not only does God know about all of that plus more, He knew it was going to happen, when it was going to happen, and when/ how it will all end. Knowing all the information, knowing your heart, He decided right smack in the middle of all of that is where you fit best into His plan. WOW!! I am not a fan of watching the news, in fact I pretty much avoid it at all costs because I just don’t understand what I gain from it, other than unnecessary stress over situations that I cannot control; my husband on the other hand wants to know all the things about all the things, so he keeps me informed plenty. Despite the fact that of course I already know God knows ALL, somehow hearing it in this context really gave me peace. God knows our strengths and weaknesses, and He decided right now at this seemingly pivotal point in history, the decade that will forever haunt history books because of the sheer volume of stuff happening all at once, is when we best fit into His bigger picture.
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
Now, let’s turn this around just a bit and focus more on the “small scale” specifics of my life, rather than the much larger problems of the world. Within my own little life, this chapter seems to have an insight into my day-to-day, my “nine-to-five” world. I’m not sure that I have a deep calling; I often find myself praying for clarity and direction, but I know God has a plan and a purpose for my life. My main takeaway from this chapter was the piece about Rosa Parks and God taking away her fear, giving her the strength to endure what was necessary at that time in history, so I’m making that a personal goal of mine, praying for God to take away my fear when it’s time to stand up for what’s right and say what’s needed to be said at the appropriate time. Within my professional life, I often feel torn between keeping the peace but still knowing the difference between true right and wrong- something that feels like I shouldn’t be juggling, but here we are, in the real world- full of broken people, making decisions that impact others, and often teeters on the line between right and wrong.
CHAPTER 18-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
Bible Passages:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Psalm 3:5
Philippians 4:8
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
I think the reason women have a hard time treating themselves with kindness and respect is because many women struggle to treat other women with kindness and respect, so why would they be any different with themselves? As a woman, it is easy to take on too much and then take it personally when things don’t get done or others aren’t as appreciative as we think they should be about all the things we are juggling. For me, and I’m assuming lots of other women, a huge step in self care would be just to say no and ask others for help. We cannot do it all; it’s not possible, but yet I know I try- the world will not fall apart if I say no more often. No, I do not have time to sit on that committee; no I do not have time to volunteer for that project; no I do not have time to help with that task- just no! I have a blog post about this exact topic on the “Daily Struggles” page because I know I am certainly guilty of this, but I do think the Devil uses even those “small,” seemingly good things to work against God’s plan; when we get too busy with all the projects, committees, and tasks, we have less time for prayer and Bible study.
CHAPTER 19-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Notes:
Love, love, love this chapter! Yes to all of it!! My husband and I used to live in Raleigh; right after college, we got married, and moved to the city to chase the corporate life. How high up the corporate ladder could we climb? What’s the next big promotion? When’s the next big bonus? It was a constant chase. We loved our time in Raleigh- we learned and grew a lot! But somewhere along the way, we both realized that wasn’t the life we wanted. We were several hours away from family, our daily commute took far too much time and created unnecessary stress, no matter our salary it was never enough for the next big shiny object that our neighbors already had, so therefore we NEEDED a bigger, nicer, newer version- you get the vibe! Fast forward to now- we live in a small town, exactly halfway between my parents and my in-laws; sure our career opportunities aren’t what they were in Raleigh, but our personal life opportunities SO-far outweigh any and everything we could possibly even imagine achieving professionally- it doesn’t matter! My commute is less than 10 minutes; I can be at my kids’ daycare in 5 minutes; when my kid got sick our pediatrician already had my cell phone number and was texting me at all hours of the day to check on us! Things that money and fancy job titles can’t buy- so YES give me a “boring” life all day long!!
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
If you’ve read my “About Me” page on www.theWHEREblog.com, you probably already know the answers to this chapter’s discussion questions, but regardless- a few years ago, I felt the distinct tug at my heart to read the Bible, cover to cover. I didn’t know where to start, so being the Amazon addicted consumer that I am, I started on Amazon. I found the Diane Stortz book A Woman’s Guide to Reading the Bible. I followed her book, loosely, as a guide and eventually made it through the entire Bible, in much more than one year. During this process, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to do something else, something more with it. I wanted to dive into the details, track my notes, share my thoughts. Well, meanwhile my husband and I moved, had a child, started new jobs, etc- just real life happened, but I couldn’t shake this feeling. This past summer, I was looking for more- I wanted to contribute to something, but I couldn’t put my finger on what- did I want to start a business, write book, change jobs, just this open-ended feeling of not know what was causing me to feel so scattered?! So as I’m brainstorming one day trying to figure out my feelings- I see this Diane Stortz book again and it really was a light bulb/ a ah-ha moment. I felt so strongly compelled to start this blog- to read through the Bible again, but this time do it slower and more intentionally. Sketch out my notes, type up my thoughts, and share it! So here we are- my blog was born!
Comparison is so scary and so easy to fall into- so yes, absolutely, of course comparison and distraction have been stumbling blocks during my blogging journey. It’s so easy to look at other pages and other social media accounts and compare the number of followers or number of likes and comments. I have to (often) remind myself, I am not responsible for other people, their actions, or their intentions- I just need to focus on my own actions and intentions, so as long as I am blogging for the glory of God and seeking His will, that’s all that matters- I didn’t start this because I wanted tons of followers, or needed external approval; I started this quite simply because of the tug I felt at my heart.
