A lightbulb moment!

Welcome my friend! I thought it was high time to give an update on this year’s theme words.

So grab a cuppa & get comfy because it’s been quite a bumpy ride!

If you join me here often then you know that for this year, two words had presented themselves to me.

They were Ask & Intentional.

And as shared in A Theme for 2022 I didn’t think they were mutually exclusive so I combined the two in the flowing theme,

Ask with intent

However confusion reigned!

However, every time these words came to mind over the past eleven months, I have to admit, confusion reigned.

Confusion rarely visits me, so this has been rather disconcerting.

Thinking the following;

The word Ask, to me represents asking in prayer & 2021 had already been a One word focus on Prayer.

Which had been a wonderful & revelatory journey in the area of communing with the Lord as never before.

So I thought that the word Ask was just a follow on from 2021’s word Prayer.

And the word Intentional although seperate was attached or intertwined to Ask in someway.

However, everytime the two words came together, I felt confused.

Thinking…

I always ask/pray to God intentionally with the things going on in my family life & the life of Others.

And I thought I really can’t Ask with intent anymore then I already am!

Granted at times when Fibro Fog is at its peak I have a tendency to ‘umbrella’ prayers together but I know God knows I’m incapable of doing anything else in those times.

So I knew that wasn’t it…then I had a lightbulb moment.

The light burned brightly

Reflecting upon this year that has not been an easy one, as you may be aware, it has seen the death of my Mother.

And the heart wrenching event of another dear loved One having to enter residential Aged care due to their deteriorating health.

It has also been a Challenging climb on Mt. Fibromyalgia.

My lightbulb moment came at the beginning of this week reflecting upon the above.

When I separated the words back into Ask & Intentional!

I realised they were never meant to be joined together into a theme!

And that the word Ask when it presented itself to me late last year was the conclusion of last year’s focus on Prayer.

On discovering this the following scripture came to mind;

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4: 6-7

The actual word for 2022’s focus was Intentional!

Has this year been wasted?

Not at all!

As I thought about this I realised this is exactly what I’ve been doing this year!

Being Intentional!

Especially in the following areas;

• I have been intentionally looking after myself! This is big for me, as I have always put Other’s needs above my own, sadly to the detriment of my health.
• I have been intent on not succumbing to the pressures to meet Other’s expectations when I simply can not!
• And I have intentionally continued to practice the The Art of the Slow  not just in the big things but in the everyday little things.

Wisdom gained

This experience has highlighted to me how we can become so focussed upon a theme (goal, career, holiday, circumstance) in life that we can get totally sidetracked from what God wants to reveal.

But I’m also glad God in His Grace has been working in my life despite my confusion!

The greatest lesson I’ve learnt in all of this is that confusion is not of God.

And if we feel confused about anything then we need to STOP & take a good look at things objectively.

Seperating the chaff from the wheat, so to speak, of the situation.

Otherwise we can’t see His truth!

Until next time,

Jennifer

 You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

Or 

in Prayer

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© 2022 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo by LED Supermarket on Pexels.com 

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