Tag: transparency

Walking Home Well

- dannalundstrom

last_day

Father our vulnerability is the greatest gift we have to offer each other.  Embracing transparency frees us from a life of isolation, and the exhaustion of trying to appear like we have it all together.  Transparency is contagious and liberating because it gives us and others permission to be “normal.”  Father there are so many ways we try and dress up so we feel acceptable to the world, You and even ourselves.  Many are the masks of self-righteousness.  Accessorizing with them drains energy we should be using to rest in your perfect righteousness that is already ours.  Our lives are just a long walk Home Father.  Enable us to walk our beautifully, broken journeys with each other well.  Remind us we cannot do that if we are not willing to give up our need to manage what people think of us, and to have the appearance of an “altogether” life.  We are all only accountable to You.  Let us never forget you accept us just as we are, broken and inadequate, but unconditionally loved and approved.  Amen.

Shedding Souls

- dannalundstrom

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Our bodies seem to have been created for sloughing?  Sloughing is defined as the act of casting off dead tissue or cells.  According to The American Academy of Dermatology, the average person looses anywhere from 50 to 100 strands of hair a day.  We loose an estimated one million skin cells per hour.  This is not only natural, but necessary for optimal health.  If this is the way our bodies were made to function on the outside, why should our insides be any different?

When I fail to remember the value, and importance of shedding the built up atrophy of my soul, I head down a frail path.  Life, responsibilities and circumstances build up and form layers of dead weight that are important to yield in order to give our minds and bodies rest.

Why do we carry burdens and worries so long?  I often bottle worries deep inside me and bear them longer than needed.  Then when I cannot shoulder the weight anymore, I have to make a critical choice; I either shed them or become subordinate to them.

Have you ever noticed how good you feel after you release a burden to a trusted friend?  It can sometimes feel like an extreme weight loss.  We just feel lighter. A load has been lifted, and we can breathe with less effort.

Not too long ago, my son was wearing the weight of a heavy burden that had been enslaving him too long.  He finally reached a point where he could not keep it at bay anymore.  He needed to “shed” the weight of his heart to someone.  He said it all from behind the voice of one trying to hold it all in, but tainted with the sound of tears. I knew that sound.  He could not hide it.  Not from me.  Not from me who knows him so well.  So he released it all bravely, and then he was rescued by a deep, desperate sleep.

Isn’t that an organic picture of life?  We try to hold it all in, and conceal that which opposes us.  We try hard, and then a little harder to not be found.  Then there comes a point when we are pinned under the pressure of the fire we are walking through, and we release it in a spewing of toxic ash that has been brewing under the surface.

It is in those times, when we let ourselves be fully known that we can be fully loved.  It is those moments of true identity and authenticity that afford us the pacifying balm that our true self-longs for every day.  It’s in the most desperate moments that we are most receptive to receiving the mending, and comfort of Jesus, who already knows us just as we are anyway.  Masking of inadequacies only delays God’s refurbishment.

We live in a world that is in the business of replacing all that is broken, but Jesus is in the business of restoration.  We shoulder burdens and limitations that we were never meant to bear.  Why do we delay our recovery so long?  There comes moments in this life when it takes more courage to fall apart in the presence of someone who loves us than it does to keep it all together.

At the heart of us all we just really want to be seen, heard and understood.  This is a beckoning to trust in our Savior who in His timing restores, and makes all things strong and steadfast.  Part of the renewal process is releasing all the rot that begins to infest our souls.

Restoration rarely happens how we envision it, and never as timely as we would like, but all good things have to happen on a timetable that is outside of ourselves.  Overseen and orchestrated by The One who knitted us together, every little detail, with his soft, sovereign hands.

I am thankful for those moments when courage wins.  I am thankful for glimpses of people’s true identity.  I pray as we all mature in our secure standing of Christ’s righteousness that we will become more comfortable shedding the layers of entanglement and trade them in for the acceptance and love that transparency affords.

It is in our purest identity that we are open to the most beautiful of possibility.  May we all embrace, learn from and release all things that embattle us.  We were given them for a reason, a resource and as a bridge for restoration.

 

There is Beauty in the Crisis

- dannalundstrom

It was exactly 5 weeks ago yesterday that Carter’s accident occurred, and our family began a new journey carved out of crisis. The definition of crisis is: A crucial or decisive point or situation, especially a difficult or unstable situation involving an impending change. It is the very identity of the word that sheds light on our fate of victim or victor. A crisis diverges into two roads, and the direction we walk either creates or conquers us.

There is so much potential, opportunity and beauty that can be born out of crisis. It is something most dread. None of us would choose it, but unfortunately it sometimes chooses us. It’s where we react from when our name is called that writes our story of one who soared or succumbed. It is not the strength of our faith, or the amount of knowledge we possess, but Who possesses us that determines our destiny as we travel through a crisis.

Today Carter was in the neuropsychologists office for 6.5 hours of cognitive testing. I picked him up at 11:30 for an hour lunch break. He ate about five bites of food, and immediately fell asleep in the car. He was huddled in the seat with the sun piercing the windows shining warmly on his face. It had been 2.5 hours into his day and he was exhausted. The taxing of his mind in that short time was a lofty challenge.

Before falling asleep he told me: my eyes hurt, I feel pressure in my head and my vision is blurry. He said it all from behind the voice of one trying to hold it all in, but tainted with the sound of tears. I knew that sound. He could not hide it. Not from me. Not from me who knows him so well. So he released it all bravely, and then he was rescued by a deep, desperate sleep.

Isn’t that an organic picture of life? We try to hold it all in, and conceal that which opposes us. We try hard, and then a little harder to not be found. Then there comes a point when we are pinned under the pressure of the fire we are walking through, and we release it in a spewing of toxic ash that has been brewing under the surface. It is in those times, when we let ourselves be fully known that we can be fully loved. It is those moments of true identity and authenticity that afford us the pacifying balm that our true self longs for everyday. It’s in the most desperate moments that we are most receptive to receiving the mending, and comfort of Jesus, who already knows us just as we are anyway.

Masking of inadequacies only delays His refurbishment. We live in a world that is in the business of replacing all that is broken, but Jesus is in the business of restoration. It was right there in my car today that Carter was allowed to fall apart and risk being fully recognized. It was also there in that hot, cramped parking lot of his favorite burger place that I was reminded that this is how it goes. We carry things far too long. We shoulder burdens and limitations that we were never meant to bear. Why do we delay our recovery so long?

There comes moments in this life when it takes more courage to fall apart in the presence of someone who loves us than it does to keep it all together. At the heart of us all we just really want to be seen, heard and understood.

Today, again was a call to trust in our Savior who in His timing restores, and makes all things strong and steadfast. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.~1 Peter 5:10

Restoration rarely happens how we envision it, and never as timely as we would like, but all good things have to happen on a timetable that is outside of ourselves. Overseen and orchestrated by The One who knitted us together, every little detail, with his soft and sovereign hands.

I am thankful for those moments when courage wins. I am thankful for glimpses of Carter’s true struggle today. I pray as he matures that he will become more and more comfortable shedding the layers of protection and trading them in for the acceptance and love that transparency affords. It is in our purest identity that we are open to the most beautiful of possibility. May we all embrace those things that embattle us. We were given them for a reason, a resource and as a bridge for restoration. Much love and thankfulness for all of your prayers and support in so many ways.

Transparency, A Priceless Gift

- dannalundstrom

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So this was asked in a private message sent to me: How can you be so comfortable just putting it all out there?

Well, I thank the friend who messaged me this question. I was going to respond to you individually, but this is actually the third rendition I have received of the same question.

In light of depression and suicide being in the spotlight again, it is a very worthy question, and I do not take any offense to it. The first thing I want to say is, I don’t put it all out there, but I am happy to share with any of you if you would like to have coffee with me.

Secondly, we all have our struggles and challenges: me, you, your neighbor, your counselor, your preacher-everyone! Silencing our struggles only imprisons us in shame and isolation, opening the door for dangerous assailants like fear, anxiety and depression.

Struggle, pain, difficult times are a common thread that connect us all, and hiding our pain was never how Jesus intended us to live. 2 Corinthians 1:4 says…He comforts us in all our affliction so we may comfort others in their time of need. We are to take that which challenges us, and use it to encourage and comfort our brothers and sisters.

I am so thankful for the people in my life who do this for me. They show me Jesus everyday through their words, actions, kindness and love. I could not manage this life without them. Maybe I’m wrong, but I cannot think that you are that different from me. We are all really more alike than different.

Our vulnerability is the greatest gift we have to offer each other. Embracing transparency frees us from a life of isolation, and the exhaustion of trying to appear like we have it all together. Transparency is contagious and liberating because it gives other’s permission to be “normal.”

We need to walk this beautifully, broken life with each other well. I cannot do that if am not willing to give up my need to manage what people think of me, and to have an appearance of an “all together” life. We are all only accountable to One. He accepts us just as we are-broken. This frees me to “just put it all out there,” because nothing you or anyone else thinks about me affects my standing with the only One who matters. He has already sealed my destiny, and I am completely secure under the shelter of his righteousness.

So I guess to answer my friend’s question more briefly; I can risk transparency, because I have nothing to loose, and so much freedom, connection and friendship to gain. Life is so much lighter when we allow our challenges to connect rather than control us.