If you know me, you might be surprised to hear I feel nervous about writing and publishing my thoughts. I am known to be less than shy about sharing them and typing them has usually come easily. At the same time, metaphorically speaking, I have never been so far out in the deep, without a view of the shore. I have never before written without lines that form a box from which to know my limitations.

I love clarity. Clarity is my friend (and your friend too) because clarity is caring. When things are unclear, it is much easier to get hurt or hurt others. The expansive lack of clarity I am living in leaves me uncharacteristically quiet and cautious.

For example, 

1. I have no clarity on who my next employer will be.
2. I have no clarity on when I will begin working for an employer again.
3. I have no clarity on whether I should become self-employed instead of seeking an employer.
4. I like writing, but I do not have clarity on a topic for which I am uniquely called and qualified to write. 
5. I do not have clarity on where we should go to church.
6. I do not have clarity on where we should live.

I am writing from this space of limited clarity.

1. I know I heard the voice of God call me to a new season.
2. I know that call came with a sense of who I am and what I uniquely bring.
3. I know where I feel a tug to use my gifts and talents and where I do not. 
4. I know God to be Provider (even if I wobble in my faith moment by moment).
5. I know God will not abandon me. 
6. I know God will lift me up in God’s time.

What about you? Where do you have clarity? Where do you feel unclear? How do you feel when you have to exist in a space without clear lines? Is it freeing or terrifying?

As we enter 2024, my commitment is to be brave, explore the world beyond the lines, and see where it leads me.