Finding My Destiny and the Stone

So, I attended Destiny Project, a Christian retreat for women a couple of years ago, where most of us there were trying to figure out why on Earth we were on this planet, and what are destinies were to be. I was sure God was going to talk with me about my journey as a creative artist in the world. A bit of naive narcissism crept in as I thought about moving from theatre arts and entering a full time career in film.

Toward the beginning of the first night we were all given a gift bag with a stone with a single word etched in it to help in this weekend-on this journey toward self discovery. We were told that the bags had been prayed over and they felt that the bag and stone we received was meant exactly for us. No pressure there : / It seemed like most of the ladies were excited about the stone they received, believing it was meant for them. Quite honestly it was as if some of these women were having major epiphanies in the moment over a simple word inscribed on their rock. I looked down at my stone and saw the word "Welcome". "Welcome"? What the heck was that supposed to mean? I could find that word on my door mat in front of my house. Seriously?! I looked over to my friend's stone, who had the word "Creative" etched into it, and had a short, indignant thought of striking the "Creative" stone that was so rightfully mine out of her hand with my "Welcome" stone. That would set God straight. "Creative"! That's the stone I should have gotten. It suited me. Not that my friend wasn't creative, but God and I had talked about this. It was why I was here, right? To find my purpose in the field of creative arts! I was pretty sure I got the wrong stone.

So, when we went around in a circle, describing what epiphany our stone had given us, I dug deep and came up with some plausible answer about fearing what other women in the group might think of me, and that maybe God was telling me I was welcome here. Meanwhile, I must admit, I had thoughts of sneaking into my friend's gift bag, late at night and stealing the "Creative" stone, but quickly realized, she was one of the one's who had a joyous epiphany over that word, and I could never steal that smile from her face. And besides, if I really wanted to, I'm sure I could have found out where they bought the darn things, and go purchase my own "Creative" rock if I wanted. Ok, so maybe this wasn't the healthiest way to start out a women's retreat. It's not that I didn't try to glean philosophical meaning from this 2" paper weight that I could easily skim across the water. But, everything that crossed my mind, didn't seem to quite make sense.

The weekend was amazing, and God did talk to me about my purpose in the creative art's field - that I was to help create stories that impacted the world in a positive light and connect people to the love of God. But what about this pesky rock? What about the unanswered question - why did this thing land in my hands? And why couldn't I just let it go?

Fast forward a couple of years, to today, where I'm in probably in one of the most broken places of my life. A place where the marriage, the things, and the patterns that I held so dear for the past 11 years were crumbling and slipping through my hands, and I didn't know how to fix any of it. I simply knew that I didn't want to live this way anymore. I wanted to become this new creation, so often mentioned throughout the Bible. I was exhausted with the way we had been living and the old patterns of avoidance we created to help numb the pain, but also kept us hidden from life. So, I set out on this adventure to find the phoenix hiding in my soul, hoping my husband would, at some point, join me in the fight for our marriage (which he since, has).

The first step in my journey was to create safe boundaries for myself and provide space for healing.

I had always prided myself on having a "healthy" marriage and didn't want anyone close to me or in my community to know it was an area in which I was now failing, for fear of judgment.

I cried out to God and He showed up in so many ways. First with a mutual friend - a place where I felt safe to air my current problems and ask for help. I felt completely welcome, without judgment or reservation. She asked if I was willing to reach out for help from people I knew at that time, and my pride got in the way, initially shooting down the idea. But God was gentle, and He blessed me with a couple, who I knew a little better than the mutual friend, but still felt distant enough to let them in; and, they walked beside me, welcoming me.

Then, I felt safe enough to share this area of my life with someone from Destiny Project who I trusted deeply and with whom I had shared very personal things in the past. In all honesty, she helped get me to this place of wanting more for my life and helped me to understand the role of boundaries in relationships. I was welcome there.

And then one morning, I heard God telling me I needed to share this with someone who was a little closer to home, someone who ran in the same circles, someone with whom I attended Destiny Project. I cried as the fear of rejection spilled from my veins. In this release, there was so much freedom - as I knew God was the only person I could hold onto now, and He would never reject me. When, I finally spoke with her about my current circumstance, she did nothing but welcome me with open arms.

And now, I'm sharing this with you - my Destiny Project sisters. Because relationships aren't easy, and marriage isn't easy. But we serve a God of new creations, of new covenants. A God we can look to for our value, instead of finding it in our partner, our friends, our work, or the rest of the world. A God who is willing to take us and love us right where we are at. A God who welcomes and deals remarkably with imperfections.

So, I'm still not perfect. My marriage is not perfect, though I can feel God's handprint in it, working and moving-healing the past and creating a future for us. It's painful to let the familiarity of the past go, even though it may not have served us in any way or been a part of the blessing God wanted to bestow on us.

I was listening to a Mumford and Sons song the other night, after the thought occurred to me that as hard as I had been trying to "fix" our marriage, I had no power to fix anything or any other person. Trying just left me resentful and exhausted. New creation could occur, but only if I surrendered myself and this marriage to God.

The song is entitled "Roll Away Your Stone". The whole songs speaks heavily to my heart right now. But the most poignant lyrics for me are:

"It seems that all my bridges have been burned,
But, you say that's exactly how this grace thing works
It’s not the long walk home
that will change this heart,
But the welcome I receive with the restart."

There it was...my epiphany, two years later. The stone was now screaming at me -- WELCOME! And my mind shot instantly back to Destiny Project. Set in a song called Roll Away Your Stone, were lyrics that welcomed me to an experience with the God of Grace, and beckoned me to an opportunity to start again.

This time with Him in the driver's seat.

Perhaps God didn't give me the stone I wanted, but the stone I needed. I knew God designed me to be creative. I didn't need some affirmation on a rock to prove this. I did however, need the word "welcome", planted in my heart at the precise moment, sitting there, germinating until the one day when God would decide to use it at a turning point in my life.

Through a simple word, he humbly reminded me that there is an amazing group of women who have been a part of this experience who will lovingly step up and welcome those in need. I don't need to fear condemnation. And if I do happen to come across that, I pray that God will use it as a tool to allow me to find my value in Him.

In this new journey God has welcomed me to rise out of the ashes of a self destructive past, into the light of brilliant future. Out of the ashes of a stale and sometimes destructive marriage, and into what I pray, will be a new covenant.

Both my husband and I have a long way to go toward healing, but here's to another step in letting people in, and letting the fear of what others may think, go.

Twice in a Lifetime

There is a set of lines, a bit sappy, found in the climax of many movies of the romantic genre. Said lines are usually uttered by a character, generally, a man who has lost his wife, accompanied by an orchestration of swelling violins and violas. As the the music reaches it's pique, the man sweeps a strand of the female's hair off of her forehead and gently caresses her cheek. Or if the director wants to go for added benefit, they will have him stand in the freezing rain, the female soaked in some floral patterned, cotton dress, the violins still at an all time screaming pitch. And at the moment of perfect catharsis, this amazing man will reveal the words that would make any breathing female's, heart skip a beat, "After my wife died, I honestly thought I would never find love again. I thought, if people were lucky enough to grab hold of it, true love only came along once in a lifetime. And I was content to go the rest of my life knowing I had shared something very special with one very special woman, something some people search their whole lives and never find. But now, you're standing before me, the second love of my life, and the only thing I can think, is don't let her go!" This of course is followed by an extremely romantic embrace and a kiss. (at this point I should add, I am not making light of those who have lost a spouse, just Hollywood)

The only reason for this very drawn out exposition is that, as corny as the latter lines may sound, I can't help but picture Fear that way sometimes. Not a simple, I'm a afraid of spiders Fear, although I'm sure that can leave some in a life altered state for a matter of...moments.

I'm talking about Fear that, almost as powerful as Love gripped you so strongly at one point in your life, you would be happily content if it never shared a cathartic moment with you in the freezing rain or placed it's sharp, boney fingers anywhere near your face.

But there's the rub. Although, Fear and Love can often be construed as opposites, Fear is the one thing that has touched me as deeply and intimately as a lover.

And although, I would be content if I went the rest of my life without this invader uninvitedly seducing it's way into the very marrow of my bones, naked and raw, making me wish to crawl out of my flesh, I must admit, we've shared something -- a kiss. He has seen me at my darkest moments. He has tucked me into bed, wishing to smother me in the blankets which nestle me in safety.

However the one truth I hold to is that Love is stronger, more alive and palpable than Fear.

This very week my unwelcome invader tried to sneak his way back into my heart, seducing me with his muffled logic -spewing that the depths of what we've shared only comes along once in a lifetime, that he had searched the whole world and couldn't find another with whom he had experienced the same level of intimacy. He grabbed the locks of my hair, twisting them, ensnaring them in the space where his joints barely met at the knuckle. And in a scotch and cigar infused wheeze, he whispered that he realized he was lucky enough to find me once, and now, that I was caught again in his embrace...he would never let me go.

My heart skipped a beat...

For a moment, I surrendered, briefly paralyzed by the vitriolic fumes of his breath. But, then I realized... I've been to the deepest, darkest pits with this monster's boney fingers wrapped around my neck, and I have SURVIVED! I have come face to face with my hellish predator, who longs for nothing but my destruction, and I have survived! And I will continue to survive! Each time I stand firmly and look him in the face, allowing Love to replace what he has to offer, that boney grasp loosens its grip. It's only a matter of time really, until his skeletal remains have not even the strength to lift a pinky finger. And on that day he will have no choice, but to let me go.

by Tracy Medberry 2011 (not that you want them but all rights reserved)