Welcome to your first Word of the Week Sunday email! I'd love to introduce myself to you here. I am currently the Pastor of First Christian Church in Athens, GA and my latest book called Brave Church: Tackling Tough Topics Together. I write these emails every Sunday because I believe in having conversations about the stuff of life that matters the most and I'd love for you to join me.
I begin with this question: what are you hoping for? How are you wishing your life was different?
I want to start with this week's word: desire.
Desire is a verb that means to long or hope for something. To express a wish or a request.
I know this is a big question, but I'm wondering if you and I were to sit down for coffee what you say about the desires of your life?
Maybe you long for a new job. Or peace in places in our world where there is chaos right now. Or maybe you desire a specific conversation: one where you finally feel seen and appreciated by someone you love. Or maybe you just want your family to stop eating all the oranges before you ever get one (true story every week at my house).
I ask you to think about what YOU desire because often times we are so disconnected from ourselves that we don't even know what we really want.
We've lost sight of our desires because we're so busy. Or we're living our lives based on someone else's expectations of us. Or we're just plain afraid to move toward what we really want. We've been hurt too many times by putting ourselves out there.
But, I think our souls stir up desires for a reason.
Desires help us know who we are. Desires help lead us back to our true center. Desires remind us what is our most important work to do in the world.
I love how Mick Jagger was once quoted as saying on the subject: “You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.”
And leaning in toward what we really need-- what is our work to do (and ours alone)-- is life at it's best.
So, take a moment to honor your desire(s) by saying it aloud or writing it down. Be as honest as you can. Don't hold back. Offer the most honest prayer you can muster.
If there is anything I know, it's this: your desire won't be fulfilled exactly as you are envisioning it right now, but God is especially close to you in this moment of honesty. As you sit with your desire(s), examining them more closely, good surprises are ahead. I just know it!
Let's chat again next Sunday-
XO
Elizabeth
