the art of paying attention to God in our midst

Posts wrapped in parchment

Posts wrapped in parchment

Search for:

every little thing

I was thrilled to be part of the launch team for Deidra Rigg’s new bookEvery Little Thing: Making a World of Difference Right Where You Are.
I devoured an advance copy about a month ago and have been itching to share aquote which has continued to tumble around my brain and heart.But this is simply one small aspect of this incredible work from Deidra.If you ever needed a friend to help dust you off when you have fallen,you need this book.If you often wonder how you landed in the place you currently reside,allow Deidra to share her own experiences with humor, wisdom and honesty.
Every Little Thing will help you discover how it is possible
to change your small pocket of the world simply by being you,
wonderful world-changing you.Every Little Thing is available everywhere you would find stellar books.
*****

God is in the wilderness.Go there. You can trust him to meet you right in the middle of your wild and worn and weary places. Take off your shoes. Tear off your pretense. Skip over the polite conversation. It’s you he wants.

Simply you.

~Deidra Riggs Every Little Thing

Reading and writing has always helped me figure out who I am and
what I am experiencing.
These two activities work in tandem to help me make sense of my world,
allowing me to dig deep enough to hit the core of what’s going on.

None of our lives are experienced in isolation.

There are people we love, circling our hearts and when they hurt,

it creates shared suffering.

Add our personal realities to the collective realities of others and it is

no wonder many of us feel swamped by life.

When I read the above quote and allowed my eyes to linger on the word wilderness

I finally found a peg to hang my hat.

Granted I am not unfamiliar with the wilderness.

I have logged quite a few seasons upon its terrain just like many of you.

Past times seemed dark, quiet, lonely and hopeless.

This current wilderness landscape feels polar opposite.

Forward progress appears to be impossible.

I simply can’t “try hard” myself out of these confines.

About 7 years ago, I looked up every possible definition and synonym

for the word wilderness.

There was a definition for wilderness which fascinated me all those years ago

and instructs me today:

a part of a garden devoted to wild growth

This definition sums up how I feel right now.

There is life and growth but there is also a lot of wild, massive tangles.

I see new blooms and others bent low, exploding with seeds for

another season and death can’t be hidden.

There aren’t tidy perfectly symmetrical rows of flowers consisted of

concrete and absolute answers in this section of the garden.

Perhaps if I take a few steps backward, I will discover a garden with straight rows

nuzzled against the unruly plot of land.

The wilderness has purpose, there is undeniable growth despite its wild nature.

Weeds and blooms weaving themselves together isn’t necessarily the bad news I feared.

I just might be able to survive this section of my life garden.

Deidra’s words provided my mind with a new synapse to ponder good

rising from the wilderness.

She reminded me, I am not alone.

God is with me in every knotted length of this terrain.

He longs to meet me in the midst of my exhaustion and questions.

Most people would never choose the wilderness as their destination.

Yet God doesn’t say “see you later when you are on your way out of the wilderness”

and take a shortcut to the outskirts of the wilderness.

No, he chooses to plant himself right on the most uneven paths.

I am grateful to have read Every Little Thing because it is filled with wisdom

when you find yourself in the least likely and undesired places.

It’s a book of encouragement for when we fall down and desperately

need a perspective adjustment.

Tucked between the yellow starred covers,

I am confident you will come face to face with the realization,

it is possible to make a world of difference right smack dab where you are,

even if it happens to be in the wilderness.

Share some love:

Like this:

Post navigation

7 thoughts on “every little thing”

jodyo70says:

Helen, that wilderness quote really hit me, too. “God is IN the wilderness.” We just need to turn towards Him to see it.
So blessed to read how God used this book to uncover some ‘tangles’…..Man, I’m glad Deidra wrote this–for ALL of us.

Hello. I’m Helen.

I have always loved words, whether in books, letters or dreaming of sharing my own with others.
I am a wife and a mother of three. I love Earl Grey and English Breakfast tea, Red Vines, high stacks of books and never tire of the ocean or sunsets.
I believe God reveals Himself to us each day…we just need to pay attention.
This is my spot to shine a lantern with my pen.

I am grateful for the time you spent reading my words.

I hope you will join me often and explore what it means to be a work of heart.

Email me!

wassuphelen@gmail.com

Follow Me!

Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email.