Dear Reader,
I am sharing this letter for 3 reasons:
1. To break my silence here (I will share details later, I promise!)
2. To assure you that I am very fine and all is well with me.
3. To encourage your heart.
I have prepared different letters to share with you over the past few weeks, but breaking out of my current "rest season" has been a bit tough! I told a friend recently, "resting for me in this season is like a 7 unit course, and believe me, I am committed to excelling in it!" 😄
My next letter should have more details about what this rest season has been like.
But I also woke up with a burden in my heart today. My heart really longed to carry a lot of the people who came to mind today and the ones who are probably struggling with one thing or the other.
My heart goes out to those who are just passing time and waiting for the next day to come.
My heart goes out to the heavy hearts who are trying to navigate a tough bend and make sense of their seasons.
My heart also goes out to those who are buried in the hustle of everyday labor, whose hearts are gradually losing a grip on what truly matters.
My heart goes out to you all.
Then I wondered, what could I possibly write to encourage these people in different seasons of life, with their own unique struggles and realities?
I found the answer that has carried me in EVERY SEASON OF MY LIFE: Looking unto Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).
Life can feel crazy, boring, painful, surprising, heavy, happy, memorable, or even distracting on some days. But the One who holds all things together is the Lord Himself.
"Looking unto Jesus" is a heart posture that is fixed on the Lord in every season. It is the inward commitment to live before His face, to make Him our greatest priority and pursuit DAILY.
It is the solid commitment of the heart to navigate the journey of life, hand-in-hand with Jesus. This looks like staying in His Word, following His lead, and surrendering to the goodness of His heart. It is the commitment to embrace the journey He has set before us, NO MATTER WHAT COMES OUR WAY: whether good or bad.
I jokingly say that when all is well with me, Heaven knows. Because "I will tell the Lord every detail about it." I will tell Him about the funds and how I plan to spend it. I will tell Him about the beautiful memories I am making and how grateful I am for everything.
Then! Whenever this girl feels broke or down? Not even the elders in heaven can pretend they didn't hear about it. Because this girl will "skrrrriimm" about it to the Heavens!😄
The point? I am learning to intentionally build a life that keeps me before the Lord. I am learning to do life with the Lord and STAY with Him in the Word and Prayer.
Your seasons are real. Your feelings are valid. Your pursuit and ambition are legit. But can you PAUSE to discern the motivation behind it all? Can you pause to discern who you are truly living for?
Jesus deserves our worship in every season. He deserves the offering of our life's surrender on the good and bad days, even more intentionally on the bad days. Of what value is our YES to Jesus if we will only confess our allegiance when everything is easy? Your pain, struggles, or questions can become a costly perfume, poured out in surrender at His feet.
I want you to see the difficult chapters of your journey as sacred opportunities to give God a costly offering. Opportunities you wouldn't have had if things were different.
See your struggles as an invitation to step into the gathering of the Mighty. A gathering of surrendered men and women whose stories are being fashioned by the Only Wise God, to reveal what only He can do with weak but surrendered vessels.
The world calls it a problem, a stigma, a struggle, a challenge, but Heaven calls it a setup for the revealing of God's glory. Hallelujah!
We must reckon within ourselves, dear sojourner, that the sufferings, distractions, challenges, or disappointments of this present world are NOTHING in comparison with the GLORY that is being fashioned within us, even as we walk before the Lord in Holy Surrender.
There is so much more I want to share. But I will stop here for now.
I may not know you all by name, but Mary is praying for you. The One who calls you by name has not left you.
May the light of truth dawn upon your soul and liberate you from the weights that seek to hinder your upward journey with the Lord, amen.
Keep abiding in the Vine.
Stay with Jesus.
With love and honour,
Mary Oyewunmi
If this letter has encouraged you, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to reply to this email. And don’t forget to be a source of encouragement to others by sharing this letter and encouraging them to sign up for lively letters too!
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When pleasing God becomes the greatest priority of our lives, every other thing will fall in place. |
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