Dragonflies

 photo and letter I shared at our small group sendoff last night for Taylor....

Dear Taylor,

The day you were born, I was wearing these dragonfly earrings pictured above, and I am wearing them again today. Dragonflies symbolize courage, wisdom, transformation, and happiness, and these are some of the things I am praying for you as you enter this next chapter.

1)      Courage – “Have I not commanded you to be determined and confident? Do not be afraid or discouraged for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (This is the version Sikose shared with us over dinner the other night, and she commented how much she loves that it is a command which makes her take it very seriously.)

2)     Wisdom- “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 – When we realize that our days are numbered, we are more mindful of making the most of our time to live well and to love those God has put in our path.

3)     Transformation - "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2

I recently heard Father Greg Boyle define repentance as moving beyond the mind you have…. and to align your heart with the God who loves you without measure. This is what I hope for you in college. 

4)     Happiness- Remember that class I took online during Covid called “The Science of Wellbeing” that emphasized that some of the things that we think will make us happy like a good job, lots of money, awesome stuff, perfect grades, finding a soulmate, etc.- really don’t.  Actually, research shows that being kind, connecting with others, gratitude, getting more sleep, and exercising are the things that actually do the trick. "This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

 

Amy Grant wrote this about that passage: “When I wake up in the morning- regardless of the temperature, whether the sun is shining or the rain is pouring- I go outside. I speak aloud to the predawn darkness or the tail end of the moon just kissing the edge of the horizon or the 9 a.m. bright sun of a sleep-in Saturday morning. I say, “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” I say it out loud because I’m groggy. I say it out loud because I’m speaking it and hearing it.  And I don’t just say it once.

As the cobwebs and sleepy confusion start lifting from my brain, I keep saying that phrase, accenting different syllables, placing varying degrees of importance on different words.  “This is the day that the Lord has made.” This- the one I’m in right now. Not yesterday. As much as I want to reach back and relive something or reminisce or bring back somebody who’s gone or feel what I once felt- that’s all in the past. I can’t reach it, I can’t touch it, I can’t return even if I tried. The door is closed. This day- the one I’m standing in- is the day the Lord has made. This is it. How I live this day is what matters.

“This is the day that the Lord has made.” If God made this day, if He intended me to wake up this day, then there’s purpose in it. It wasn’t made because he was bored and had nothing better to do. He created it because that’s his nature- he is creative. And he creates for his pleasure. And here I am right in the middle of a creation that was provided for his pleasure. Where do I fit? How am I a part of it? These questions start turning in my head.

“I will rejoice and be glad in it.” I’ve got several choices ahead of me. I can worry. I can fear. I can hesitate. I can plan. I can be regretful. But these first words out of my mouth- I will rejoice- remind me that this, too, is an option. I have the option to choose rejoicing and to be glad.

As I speak , I feel my senses waking up. I hear the chatter of the birds. I smell the air. I feel the wetness from the dew on my feet. This is my early morning meditation.. In whatever mental state I might happen to be, I can greet the day and engage my spirit for the hours ahead.”

 

And it would not feel right if I did not send you off you the blessing I’ve said to you since you were a little peanut….. And remember that the word peace means to be well and whole which are the words I am praying for for you as you go…..

 

May the peace of Christ go with you

Wherever He may send you

May He guide you through the wilderness

Protect you through the storm

May He bring you home rejoicing

At the wonders He has shown you

May He bring you home rejoicing

Once again into our doors.