Joie de Vivre
Today you are You, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive who is Youer than You.
—Dr. Seuss
I have just returned after nearly a month of travel with Drew—a rich yet full season which has included visiting family, attending a conference, speaking at retreats and conferences, and hosting a retreat just last week. I thought I’d be all set and ready to start writing in large swathes again but instead have been humbled to realize just how much I need rest as well as how difficult it is for me to receive it. Deepest down, I know the truth: the constant pressure I feel as a writer to produce content so I will remain “relevant” is not conducive to a soul that is truly at ease in its identity as Beloved. I want to become a person of ease who lives as though I have nothing to prove. Because maybe all God is asking of me—of us—is just to be still and be who we are in Christ. (And, dare I say, to enjoy who we are?) To enjoy God enjoying us like an infant enjoys her mother’s gaze is, perhaps, the bravest and most vulnerable thing we can do. My mind is still awhirl with all I’ve seen and spoken and done this past month, so I thought I would share some images of beauty, peace, and joie de vivre that I captured along the way. May they allow you to breathe a little deeper into the easefulness of living Loved—of having nothing to prove.
