I don’t usually write about spirituality on my blog, but several women have inspired me this spring. One shared her beauty, another shared her life, and the last shared her voice.
Mother Nature has been at her finest this spring. The heavy rains brought us an abundance of wildflowers. This attracted millions of Painted Lady butterflies that crossed through the area for the super bloom and delighted us all. The hills and roads in So Cal have never been so beautiful. Here’s a shot taken from my car window driving down the 15. Usually these hills are bare and brown. Now they are green and covered with orange poppies.
In mid-March, I attended an arts and lecture event at Cal State University San Marcos with some dear friends. We went to hear Lisa Ling speak about Women Breaking Boundaries. Lisa Ling is an award-winning television host, journalist, and author who shared many inspirational stories. But what stayed with me were her words on faith.
“As a journalist, I have seen things that have scarred me. I have interacted with people who have haunted me. I have heard things that have pained me. As a result, I have long struggled with the notion of faith. I have said more times than I can count, “If there is a God, how can he allow this to happen? How can he let so many people suffer?”
Several years ago, I married a man of strong faith. One day he sent an email to me that said this: “On a street corner I saw a cold, shivering girl in a thin dress, with no hope of a decent meal. I got angry and said to God, ‘Why did you permit this? Why don’t you do something about it?’ God replied, ‘I certainly did something about it. I made you.”
Whenever I start to blame God for what I encounter in the world, I stop and remind myself that maybe it is I who should be doing more. We get so hung up on the notion of success that we can easily forget about being of service to others. I have actually found that giving of oneself is far more fulfilling than gifting oneself.”
The woman whose voice inspired me is Lauren Daigle. I heard her song called “You Say.” Not knowing her Christian music background, I thought it was a love song. And it is.
You Say
I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough
Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up
Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?
Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know
You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh You say that I am Yours
And I believe, oh I believe
What You say of me
I believe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaT8Jl2zpI
What’s been inspiring you?
