this past weekend i facilitated a reflection exercise for my ex-good-christian-women’s group & i thought it’d share it here just in case any of you want to give it a try. it was our semester wrap & i wanted to do something that gave us some room to reflect & consider this season in our journey. the ecclesiastes 3 passage came to mind, so i used it as a template. so many beautiful things emerged!
anyway, i thought i’d share it here in case any of you wanted to use it either personally or with groups you are in.
here’s the template if you want to download & use it.
here was mine:
for everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
a time for quiet strength to be born, and a time for insecurity & self doubt to die.
a time to plant courage, and a time to harvest peace.
a time to kill self-hatred, and a time to heal from fear of abandonment.
a time to tear down walls that protect me, and a time to build up hearts that love me.
a time to cry about how hard it’s been, and a time to laugh about how hard it’s been.
a time to grieve over the loss-of-my-back-as-i-once-knew-it, and a time to dance because i still can.
a time to scatter people who don’t give a rip about me, and a time to gather people who do.
a time to embrace my voice, and a time to turn away from worrying about what other people think.
a time to search for balance, and a time to quit searching for the finish line.
a time to keep what’s important, and a time to throw away all the rest.
a time to tear apart “right doctrine”, and a time to mend what i deeply believe.
a time to be quiet about what isn’t, and a time to speak about what is.
a time to love slow & steady transformation in myself & others, and a time to hate impatience.
a time for war against resistance, and a time for peace in the chaos.
amen.
also, some of you saw this on my facebook, but i thought i’d share it here, too. this was my favorite song at the u2 concert on saturday night (it was truly an amazing show) & definitely fit into the conversation on “a time to….” enjoy.
6 Comments
What a great exercise. Beautiful Words. A time for everything…
thanks for reading, jenn. i’m really glad you’re here from afar.
Hi,
Lots of poetry was spoken Sunday AM. I really like this reflection on the times of our lives. And all I can say is I wish I had been able to go to U2……powerful and beautiful words. Love ya gal!!
that was some seriously pretty poetry, wasn’t it. i wish you were there, too, at u2. next time! xo
Such a great template, and even though it was super hard, it was worth it. 🙂 In moving from a place where there is really only one weather season, I am learning more than I bargained for in life seasons, too. A time to let myself feel, love, and heal.. Way easier to write than to do. Thanks for being such an amazing leader. 🙂
thanks my dear and way to be brave…yeah, you really are in 4 season land aren’t you, not just in terms of the colorado weather…love ya.