The Journey Begins - 1 ... {Finding Sanctuary}

Photo Credit - this is what I "see" as my journey's path and end...tho' I know some findings will undoubtedly hold the same "ugly to beauty" shell that a seed has...

Peace.  Calm.  Rest.  Quiet.  Shelter.  Safety.  Worship.  Centered.  Balance.

These are all words that come to mind when someone mentions the word "sanctuary" around me.  I want these things in my life...sometimes these qualities are evident in abundance and are overflowing; sometimes worship and a sense of peace only are flowing in that deep place within - where the Holy Spirit dwells, offering a current, a flow, that carries me through whatever immediate crisis is at hand where these other desires are nowhere to be found!

What defines "sanctuary" for you?  What is blocking that from manifesting in your life?  What can you do to cultivate more of what creates "sanctuary" for you?  These and other explorations around the idea of "sanctuary" are what this Lenten season for me...we will be following the "Finding Sanctuary" class in this exploration, so join along if you wish.  Link up in comments if you want to share, or just follow.

For myself specifically, I am going deeper with the Lord into an issue that I thought was taken care of -  and now He is showing me there is more to uncover, and not what I thought/expected either.

Today's Assignment:

Spend 5 minutes journaling using a "Free Writing" style (no punctuation, no concern for proper grammar, just capturing the "stream of consciousness" coming from your brain).  Let the topic of this journaling be "What does the Holy Spirit want to explore with me over Lent".  You probably have already had some ideas/promptings in this direction...

For those who are more visual, maybe an art journal page is emerging that speaks to this topic or an abstract type collage, mixed media piece, or painting is speaking a direction...

You don't need to have anything solved or figured out at the end of this exercise - but you only need to be able to perceive a topic, and then be able to verbally declare it...you see, the Lenten exploration journey is about EXPLORING the direction God is leading you...and with Him, exploring around the dim paths, the hidden scenic views, the surprise just around the bend, and even cutting through overgrown areas to create a new road is a joyful, creative adventure!

My topic?  Over the last several months, God has helped me see that my deepest anger is rooted in fear - we {myself and God} will be exploring these roots, these hidden (to me) areas with the goal of rooting out the fear once and for all.  {italicized portion is my topic}.

Can't you sense the story here?  What has been happening in current life that there is anger about?  How I know it isn't healthy?  What I suspect I might find?  What I already know about healthy vs. unhealthy anger (afterall, that is a pretty basic lesson in the arena of counseling!)   But all you need after today is that one sentence that tells what the journey is going to be about...

Tomorrow I will show an exercise that we can use to show the direction to begin exploring in...are you excited?