It's 2AM on January 1, 2009. A new year. A new opportunity. A new light. A new dawn. A new hope.
Tonight, I had a lovely evening with my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew in Arizona. Watching television in their home, the evening news had the potential to fill me with despair as I ingested images of the war-torn Gaza strip and watched the murder toll in Juarez continue to rise. However, as the night progressed, I was absolutely captivated by my ever-smiling 1 year old niece, Miya. As she giggled and danced around the kitchen, I couldn't help but feel pure joy! and hope.
Once again, I could feel it, see it, taste it, touch it…the dual presence of light and darkness, constantly at odds in a precarious tug-of-war. Faithfully, the sun rises and the dawn emerges. Courageously, the daffodil pops its bright yellow head out of the frozen snowy ground.
For me, 2008 was a year of growth, a year of growing up, a year of reconciliation, a year of peacemaking and truth-telling, a year of all things new. I travelled the world. I started a new adventure in New Mexico. I made new friends. I reconnected with old friends. I witnessed God use grace and peace to mend broken hearts and damaged relationships. I learned more about who I am and became more genuinely myself. I was stretched into becoming more merciful and forgiving. I became more capable of giving and receiving love. I better learned the steps of the dance between leading, waiting, following, and risk-taking. In 2008, I witnessed beauty in the most unexpected places and found myself in jaw-dropping awe of light emerging from darkness, of renewal and restoration.
And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." -Rev 21:5
The word behold is used in the bible to proclaim a miracle. The miracle is in the newness and the proclamation of hope and grace in ALL circumstances.
In August, I had an opportunity to travel to Reno to meet with two amazing people, Tamara and Steve. Tamara is a woman with whom I share a serial-rapist. Steve is the father of a woman with whom I share the same serial-rapist. Our sole connection is meeting at the trial of a man who had broken into our homes and our lives, forever changing each of us through violence and hatred. It has been 3 years since that trial. The three of us were meeting in Reno to discuss Steve's desire to write a book about these crimes and the lives they impacted. I flew to Reno expecting a weekend of heaviness, of pain, of reliving old wounds. What I found was something truly miraculous…we had become family! The weekend was full of laughter, telling stories of healing and encouragement. We shared life on a deep and intimate level. We built each other up and fanned the flaming bright lights burning in each of us. Light out of darkness. All things new.
Take your shoes off. You may not realize it, but we are on holy ground.
Something amazing happens when we invite light into the shadows, when we find the God-spark in others and encourage it to grow stronger and brighter. It is a miracle when we engage in healing and peace when faced with violence, hate, and despair. It is God’s grace, truth, and light emerging and heaven coming to earth when we choose to love each other as we love ourselves. It is the beginning of a new year and I have so much to be grateful for and so much to be hopeful for. I am declaring 2009 to be a year of hope and new life. I pray more peace, more healing, more growth, more honesty, more mercy, more goodness, more courage, more love, more generosity, more kindness, more forgiveness, more justice...more light.
The sun is rising. What will you do with this precious new day?
Joyous New Year friends! Grace and peace and every kind of good to you!
love,
Tiffany
Tonight, I had a lovely evening with my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew in Arizona. Watching television in their home, the evening news had the potential to fill me with despair as I ingested images of the war-torn Gaza strip and watched the murder toll in Juarez continue to rise. However, as the night progressed, I was absolutely captivated by my ever-smiling 1 year old niece, Miya. As she giggled and danced around the kitchen, I couldn't help but feel pure joy! and hope.
Once again, I could feel it, see it, taste it, touch it…the dual presence of light and darkness, constantly at odds in a precarious tug-of-war. Faithfully, the sun rises and the dawn emerges. Courageously, the daffodil pops its bright yellow head out of the frozen snowy ground.
For me, 2008 was a year of growth, a year of growing up, a year of reconciliation, a year of peacemaking and truth-telling, a year of all things new. I travelled the world. I started a new adventure in New Mexico. I made new friends. I reconnected with old friends. I witnessed God use grace and peace to mend broken hearts and damaged relationships. I learned more about who I am and became more genuinely myself. I was stretched into becoming more merciful and forgiving. I became more capable of giving and receiving love. I better learned the steps of the dance between leading, waiting, following, and risk-taking. In 2008, I witnessed beauty in the most unexpected places and found myself in jaw-dropping awe of light emerging from darkness, of renewal and restoration.
And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." -Rev 21:5
The word behold is used in the bible to proclaim a miracle. The miracle is in the newness and the proclamation of hope and grace in ALL circumstances.
In August, I had an opportunity to travel to Reno to meet with two amazing people, Tamara and Steve. Tamara is a woman with whom I share a serial-rapist. Steve is the father of a woman with whom I share the same serial-rapist. Our sole connection is meeting at the trial of a man who had broken into our homes and our lives, forever changing each of us through violence and hatred. It has been 3 years since that trial. The three of us were meeting in Reno to discuss Steve's desire to write a book about these crimes and the lives they impacted. I flew to Reno expecting a weekend of heaviness, of pain, of reliving old wounds. What I found was something truly miraculous…we had become family! The weekend was full of laughter, telling stories of healing and encouragement. We shared life on a deep and intimate level. We built each other up and fanned the flaming bright lights burning in each of us. Light out of darkness. All things new.
Take your shoes off. You may not realize it, but we are on holy ground.
Something amazing happens when we invite light into the shadows, when we find the God-spark in others and encourage it to grow stronger and brighter. It is a miracle when we engage in healing and peace when faced with violence, hate, and despair. It is God’s grace, truth, and light emerging and heaven coming to earth when we choose to love each other as we love ourselves. It is the beginning of a new year and I have so much to be grateful for and so much to be hopeful for. I am declaring 2009 to be a year of hope and new life. I pray more peace, more healing, more growth, more honesty, more mercy, more goodness, more courage, more love, more generosity, more kindness, more forgiveness, more justice...more light.
The sun is rising. What will you do with this precious new day?
Joyous New Year friends! Grace and peace and every kind of good to you!
love,
Tiffany
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