Hi friends!
It’s been a minute since an update, so here’s a short & sweet one before I get to the important stuff. I’m currently a month into my time in Asheville. Our little, intentionally placed together team of 4 is tucked inside a larger community of people following after Jesus & seeking to model the early church lifestyle. The majority of day to day life looks like serving in a cafe supporting the Black Mountain Home for Children & then coming home to gather around a table with people, their hearts, and their stories. Here’s the sweet stuff: I’m finding Kingdom purpose in the what looks mundane on the surface because of a gift that is the gospel. Through the lens of the gospel (remembering I am eternally loved & abiding in Love) circumstances have no hold on living abundantly.
When I first set foot in Asheville my heart freaked out a little bit. All sorts of new perspectives and personalities. I wanted familiarity in order to fill a longing for comfort. But I also wanted the posture of sitting at the feet of Jesus & seeing what He had to teach me. A sweet friend told me before leaving that in order to wholly surrender this new season I must be willing to let go of the past one. Oh my word that brought my heart through a loop of realizing letting go & abandonment is scary & liberating all at the same time. l’ve always known the Father loves me, but letting go felt painful. It felt more like discipline. So I asked the Father to reveal what He meant by ‘God is Love’. Here’s what He began to explain to me through life: “My [daughter], do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves…for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it,” (Hebrews 12:5-6,11). The Father wired creation to simply be loved by Him and the way to be loved by Him is just to know Him. From this Love that creation first receives, love naturally pours out & the beautiful cycle of abiding in Love continues. He is stripping the unnecessary things, so that I can find my life sealed & intertwined & abiding in the truest Treasure.
One day I was on a little hike & looked up to see streams of sunlight hitting the mountain peaks. I focused solely on the sun for just a minute, but once I looked around again everything turned to color. That day the Father kindly made it so clear that everything else pales in comparison to His face, His Name, His character. He is the Source of every good thing because He is every good thing. Because of the gospel I get to know Him & be His daughter & be His friend without having to uphold any perfect standard or performance. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to my brain, but His love is better than any kind of sense I’ll ever be able to wrap my understanding around. It’s a sweet thing to look just a month back in time & remember the way He heard & continues to hold onto the desires of my heart.
Thank you for reading & supporting me in doing so. You are truly special.
Love,
Peyton 🙂
