How put together are you today? Are you well? Or are somewhere between good and falling a part at the steams?
This morning I want to share a word that speaks to how "put together" we might feel (or not): wholeness.
Wholeness which is the quality of being or feeling complete and not divided or damaged.
I will let you in on a little secret. My word for 2024 is wholeness.
If you are in my congregation now or ever have been, you might know something I always offer on Epiphany Sunday (early in January) is a star word. There's no magic in it of course, just a potential spiritual tool in one word to provide illumination along the way.
When I blindly drew (as the practice goes) the word "wholeness" this January, I didn't know quite what to do with it (other than celebrating the fact it didn't seem too negative . . it wasn't like "repentance" or "no.")
But as the year progressed and life unfolded, I can't think of a word I needed more than this one: wholeness.
For what wholeness gifts us is the grace of being pieced back together.
Wholeness offers the rough edges in us healing.
No one's life stories are without pain, trauma and loss. Mine is no different. Owning up to this fact, this year, for me, has brought me many opportunities to see truth I might have otherwise pushed to the side. Seeing things as they really are, so I could move forward in some new ways.
Such might sound lofty but practically it can look like making room for joy, saying no to what does not, and staying connected in community. Really listening to what people who know you best say.
And I've learned this: to lean into a life of wholeness is to be honest about what has broken you, so that in that very place, love can heal you.
When I think about all the hard stories in people's lives that I am privy to as a pastor, prayers for wholeness is usually my first response. There is so much heartbreak in this world! So much to weep over, but I truly believe we're never without wholeness' gifts if we lean toward it.
So this week, I am praying for you!
That you would believe that what is most hurt-producing in you can be restored (even if it doesn't happen today).
That you would trust that new beginnings are always possible.
And that you would feel the love of somebody that looks you in the eyes and says, "I've got you. Keep going."
God loves your broken heart and longs for you to feel more whole.
XO
Elizabeth
