A Day of Thanks, Contemplation, & Prayer

Thanksgiving does funny things to me.
While being surrounded by my family who simultaneously drives me crazy and makes me happy, I found myself trying to think of what I have to be grateful for. And of course, that’s the point of this day, but this year’s Thanksgiving was slightly different for me than they’ve been in the past. I’ll elaborate:

I woke up this morning and spent the precious early morning hours with a cup of coffee in hand and my prayer journal (aka - secret prayer blog. Sometimes I feel hesitant about such technological of a way of communicating with God, but I highly doubt He minds). Then I went for a run, which was freezing but also refreshing. I ended up being out for close to an hour without realizing it. Arcade Fire just fueled the fire of my run. I find running a really healthy way to clear my mind. I try to sort out my thoughts and give my concerns and fears to God. So I get rid of the junk in my brain as I get rid of the junk in my trunk. Ha!

Moving right along...
Somewhere in the midst of peeling potatoes and having conversations with both my mom and dad, I decided that instead of just thinking how grateful I am for them and the countless blessings I have in my life, I would pray over it.
I’ve become so aware of the power of prayer as of late. Not only am I communicating with the Maker of the universe, but the very act of praying changes me. I hadn’t considered how much prayer actually shapes us. In hindsight, that seems like a pretty obvious effect of prayer, but I really hadn’t pondered it as deeply as I did today.
Sure, I’ve always placed high value on prayer and known that it was really important to my walk and indispensable to me feeling a true sense of God’s reality. But there are so many vital subtleties of prayer that I hadn’t thought in depth about before.
Mainly, my source of enlightenment has been this book:

In it, Paul Miller said something that I found to be a precious reminder to my life. He writes,
“We forget that God is not a genie but a person who wants to shape us in the image of his Son as much as he wants to answer our prayers.”
Not only that, but prayer reminds us of who is in charge. Why do we pray? Because the Author of Life is the one who has power over our lives. When do we pray most? When we feel helpless or out of control.
Coming to grips with my complete lack of sovereignty and God’s complete and total sovereignty is initially an anxiety-inducing thought. But then I rewind my mind and realize that despite my natural proclivity to want to shape my fate, by giving it to God I’m leaving it in infinitely better hands.

So what do I do in order to keep my head on straight and my heart pointed due North? I’ll borrow an analogy from the brilliant Mr. Miller: grow my roots down deep and watch as God unfolds the story before me.
In fact, just ask my favorite author and speaker, Ravi Zacharias. In one of my favorite books of his, The Grand Weaver, he writes,
“I do not believe that one can earnestly seek and find the priceless treasure of God's call without a devout prayer life. That is where God speaks. The purpose of prayer and of God's call in your life is not to make you number one in the world's eyes, but to make him number one in your life. We must be willing to be outshone while shining for God.”

I am so thankful for the life I’ve been given. Every facet of it, good and bad. It’s all been hand woven by God to bring me here, right to this moment.

I am blessed beyond belief.

With a sigh of relief and a heart full of gratitude,
Chrissy Lynn

Dear World,

And by world, I mean the non-existent people who read this blog.
I don't blame you all for not reading this. I never write anything and when I do, it's just ramblings.
But I feel inclined to start again. Who knows if that'll stick or if I'll even have time to write as I desire to.
I'll start by posting this article I wrote for the Broad Street Journal. Here goes:

A Plea From My Inner Tree-Hugging Hippie

Living in Philadelphia can do some crazy things to you. After you get over the initial excitement of being in a new, bustling city, there’s a tendency to get overwhelmed. The first time you decide to take on the city alone, get off at the wrong subway stop and have a mini-panic-attack. Or perhaps you decided to go for a walk to clear your mind and be alone - but wait, there is nowhere to be alone! Some of these aspects of city life can be overwhelming.
I frequently find myself missing the low-key lifestyle of home (and Grantham). I despair over the lack of (clean) leaf piles to jump in. I long for open grassy meadows to run barefoot in until it gets dark and our friendly firefly friends come out to play. I suppose watching Lord of the Rings to admire the Shire in all its grandeur doesn’t help. But I digress. I have no nature trails to walk, no stars to gaze at after dark, and no forest critters to delight in. Granted, there are squirrels here, but they appear to have lost their minds. My point is: there are precious parts of the rural lifestyle that you just don’t get in Philly.
Don’t get me wrong, Philadelphia is incredible and exciting to live in. But I can’t deny that my heart longs for nature, and when the day comes that I can be home again, my inner tree-hugging hippie will emerge content and grateful. In the mean time, there are sights to see and experiences to soak up. I have only a short month left in this concrete jungle and I, for one, won’t waste it wishing I was somewhere else. On that note, I end this rant with a tiny love letter to nature: I miss you.Youda youda best. Don’t forget me while I’m away. We’ll be together again soon.

With all the love in my city-dwelling heart,
Chrissy Gelok