As I have been writing word of the week for over 5 years now (shout out to all ya'll who have been with me from the beginning-- wow!), there is one piece of feedback I have consistently gotten:
"I feel like you are speaking directly to me. How do you do that?"
Well, my answer is always, "That's great! But I don't know how."
For the truth is, I can't see inside your heart, your head or your schedule in the past week. I just write whatever has come to me and won't let me go. I hope that somehow it might mean something to someone. And your encouragement all these years has helped me keep writing.
And I've learned this: when I tell the truth about my life the best I can, the miracle of human connection is that YOU get that.
We all feel similar things. We all long for the same things. When any of us gets quiet enough to listen to the "still small voice" inside of us, we find a path forward. What a beautiful mystery! (Or in my faith tradition, I call this God).
So, with all of this in mind, today I want to offer you back yourself. So, here's our word for the week, you.
You: a second person pronoun that refers to a person or to people in general.
So, today, what might you need to say to you this week?
What wisdom is already present in your heart that you need to pay attention to?
What next steps do you already know about your future (that maybe you don't want to admit are there)?
What hope is already living inside your bones that won't let you go?
If there is anything I know about what religious authority types are the worst at, it's this: pushing people like you and me away from the Holy all around us.
I can't tell you, dear ones, how many times I have sat with people with heavy burdens placed on them about stuff they don't actually believe! Yet, somehow so many of us think the "you" within us doesn't matter as much as "those out there" do.
So, if you are up for it, do this with me: breathe. Give yourself some moments of stillness without rushing off to the next thing. Remember that you are a "you" that your Creator deeply loves and cherishes. You were made for a purpose to do things in this world that no one but you can do.
Then ask this: "What is you saying to you about you today?"
I look forward to hearing how the great Spirit of knowing continues to lead you. I'm glad to know you're here.
XO
Elizabeth
