Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

Monthly Muster for November

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As I sit here listening to Shelby’s music therapy session and know that within a few hours I will have a houseful of guests, my mind is not much for writing.  This may not be my best attempt, but I have failed to set aside time as I’ve cooked and cleaned and made preparations for Thanksgiving.  So it’s now or never (for this week anyway).

 

We observed the time change to usher in this month and we see the leaves changing and falling as we escort it out.  And ready or not, the holidays are here.  I want to go on record as saying that the first thing I give thanks for is Allie’s release from concussion protocol.  The process stressed us all and taught us a lot.  And I am not sad to see it go.  A sweet friend of our family invited us to her wedding shower and Shelby and I gladly accepted and went.  Of all people I know, this young lady is worth celebrating.

 

Our kids’ school district hosted a viewing of the documentary film Angst and my husband and I thought it important to attend since our youngest struggles with anxiety.  A counselor friend of mine insists that most teens today probably suffer as well.  The NIH says 1 out of every 3.  I recommend looking at this website and seeking out a screening if you know or suspect that a teen you love is affected.

 

My sweet Mama invited me to a fall luncheon at her church where we heard Rachel Anne Ridge speak.  She owns a donkey named Flash and wrote a book by the same name as well as Walking with Henry (another donkey), Made to Belong, and Flash the Donkey Makes New Friends (a children’s book).  I squeezed in another lunch with a couple of cherished high school friends and loved catching up.  We went to a dinner fundraiser for Allie’s choir as well as one for Hope Squad – a suicide prevention group Allie helps with at school.  Whew.  All this eating and as I’m writing Thanksgiving is still a day away.

 

I feel privileged to have added to my yoga teaching schedule two groups of special needs adults.  Pretty challenging to instruct, but so near and dear to my heart.  I also got to take a dear one to a big doctor’s appointment and provide meals for two others dealing with health issues.  God is so very kind to allow me these opportunities.

 

One of the biggest highlights of the month has been Baylor football.  I fall more and more in love with it every fall and getting to go to the game against the University of Texas with my best friend of 25 years was a treat.  So much fun to get to see this team, who have fought back from so much, earn their spot in the Big 12 Championship game.  Getting to spend the better part of the weekend with my favorite family (other than my own) iced the cake.  I even blew up an air mattress on the floor of Patsy’s family’s hotel room for a night.  I’m so grateful they let me share in their vacation time.

 

We took Shelby to see Frozen II and we all loved it.  Then the girls and I took in Playing with Fire with my sister and two nieces.  It was a weird movie, but I’m still laughing about parts of it.  There are so many good movies out right now that I’m not sure how we can possibly fit them in, but I would love to try.  But now, I must close and finish preparations for my husband’s family.  As always, I love you, I thank you and I hope December treats you well.

 

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And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Hearth and Soul Link Party,

Let’s Have Coffee, Welcome Wednesday, Recharge Wednesday,

Worth Beyond Rubies, #TellHisStory Link Up, Porch Stories,

Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

Legacy Link Up, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent

 

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Learning to Lament

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The weight of this sad time we must obey;

Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.  – William Shakespeare, King Lear

 

This blog has been a place of processing, learning and growing through the hardships and trials of the last two years.  And two weeks ago, I shared that I was in a new place – a better one – even if my footing still felt a little fragile.  So when Tyndale House Publishers graciously provided me a copy of The Louder Song:  Listening for Hope in the Midst of Lament by Aubrey Sampson, it piqued my interest.  But my honest thought was that I didn’t really need this as my disposition toward God and my family’s situation was improved.  But I was wrong.  I needed the truths of this book.  And if you don’t currently need this message, at some point you will.

 

I now agree with the author 100% when she wrote, “In my youthful naivete’ I believed that hardships were supposed to be the exception to life, not the rule.  But suffering is not an exception, after all.  It’s not a surprise.  It’s not an interruption to an otherwise easy life.  The older I get, the more I realize that no person is untouched by some level of pain and heartache, big or small.”  I believe we, the global church, have a skewed idea of what it means to “Rejoice in the Lord always“.  And because of it, we are uncomfortable with pain and grief – our own and that of other people.  Laments are an overlooked form of prayer and worship.  In studying the laments of the Bible (Job, David, Jeremiah and more), we learn that laments bridge the gap between “current hopelessness and coming hope”.  There’s hope because “we don’t lament to a void.  We lament to the God who wants our laments.”

 

What is lament?  A pouring out of our hearts to God.  It’s an invitation to stop pretending we don’t suffer, to stop avoiding our big feelings and let go of control.  Most believers in Jesus Christ, and even some non-believers know that God is not an agent of pain, evil or death.  But in this broken world, we need to be able to admit that it’s often hard to make sense of a God who is able to stop pain, evil or death and sometimes doesn’t.  So how are these types of questions…the “why’s?”, the “how longs?”, the “where are you’s?” worship?  Because we still take them to God.  “Lament is the art of trusting God no matter what he gives, no matter what he takes.” 

When we cry out to God, we trust Him with our feelings, even as we struggle to trust Him with the circumstance. 

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“You get to feel what you feel and don’t have to try to force yourself to transcend the moment as you lament.  In fact, you don’t have to do much; just let him love you – you and all your mixed emotions, too.  God’s love will transform you.”

 

God is big enough to handle our doubts and frustrations.  He isn’t one bit threatened.  He created our finite minds, in fact.  It’s true that He wants our worship, but not just for worship sake.  He wants us to come to revere Him and honor Him because we know Him and His character.  That takes experience with Him and it means relationship with Him.  “If we never acknowledge our pain to God, we will never truly know what it means to praise him on the other side of suffering.  It is in our honest crying out to God about our pain that our worship of God grows more authentic…Lament is part of the rhythm of a deepening relationship with him.”

 

True confession:  When I read non-fiction books, I never read the questions in the back of the book that are sometimes included for groups.  This subject matter was so interesting to me that I read and wrote out answers to every one.  I found catharsis and incredible wisdom – even in the appendix.  I am not overstating the importance of this book to say when I say that I feel much better equipped to handle my pain and the pain of others after spending time between these pages.

 

*As a reminder, all links are affiliate links and if you purchase anything after clicking on them, I will receive a small commission to help with the costs of operating this blog at no additional cost to you.  Thank you in advance.  

 

 

 

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