Monday Manna
Becoming yourself and a renewal of spirit...(plus greeting cards now available) :)
If you are new to Monday Manna, I’m so glad you are here. My prayer with this little pause on Monday mornings is to offer some nourishment (“manna”) for you — via my reflection, prayer, and painting — as you are nourishing the world around you. Together, we are watching for the ways God is with us and for us as we take one day at a time….
Good morning, friends, and much love and renewal to you in this fresh week ~
I’m guessing you have had this happen to you as well. Someone says something to you about something, and then that same thing/theme pops up in something you’re reading, which is followed by you hearing it mentioned off-hand in the podcast you’re listening to, and then it emerges once again in some surprising place — the words of a stranger, the quote on your flip calendar, even a t-shirt (!!!)etc. I like to call these “Spirit synchronicities” rather than merely coincidences, because I truly believe when we have our eyes open and antenna up, we notice these things.
God is speaking to us all the time, but — in my case — it can be easy to miss when we don’t have the presence and awareness to connect the dots. When we do, it can be such a source of delight and wonder.
In recent months, but especially in the last week, I’ve had an experience like this around the themes of a renewal of spirit (especially Psalm 51!) and being yourself.
I know part of it for me has been a recent birthday. Part of it is the continual embrace of life’s fragility in this season of intense caregiving. But specifically, I’m learning some deep truth about how discovering your God-given self never ends, and there is a lot of release work to do around how others do things. I think of that Carl Gustave Jung quote — “the privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
A renewal of spirit leads you into the true heart of who you are, what you love, and what you want to be about in the world. A renewal of spirit leads you into your true self, and God within you — cleansing away the dross, and all that’s kept you distracted or distanced. A renewal of spirit brings you back to love as the center, which is often illumined through the things that light you up. A renewal of spirit is getting you aligned with the Spirit.
Perhaps you, too, have found yourself caught up at times with the endless quest for the “best” way to do things. Or thought who you are and how you operate should match what cultural messaging says is the “right” and successful way to be. But one of my big learnings lately is that there is no ‘best.’ Only what’s fitting to me/you.
This sounds so obvious, but I will say again that people are going to do things differently, and have different gifts. It was embedded in one of the devotions I listened to last week from Romans 12 —
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:5–8).
So a big part of our work, friends, is to listen to our own hearts and bodies — what makes us come alive — and do it in the way that feels good, that feels fitting. We get so grounded in our Good Shepherd that we don’t feel distracted or swayed by comparison (in fact, we celebrate how others are using the gifts they’ve received). We free ourselves from believing we “should” be or live in a way that follows societal pushes (which are often about going bigger, getting more attention, grasping for more control).
We breathe in peace and trust, moving with gentleness and showing ourselves grace. Because discovering ourselves and using our gifts takes a long time. And it never ends, because God is always doing work in us, and there’s more to discover. It’s an adventure.
I’ll end with a quote from beloved poet e.e. cummings…
“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting.”
A Prayer
My friend, Edward Goode , is a pastor and talented photographer (speaking of gifting!) whose ministry of words and beautiful photographic art is incredible (check out his work at Imago Scriptura ). He asked me last week to voice record my prayer, “When I Need A Fresh Spirit” for a video he was making at his new church. The video is below, set to his photography of the beloved bench (the premise for his new book). The text of my prayer is below, taken from my book, Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life, Second Edition.
When I need a fresh spirit
Holy God,
Unfurl, unclench,
release, relax
my soul this day.
Unwind the tangled thoughts
that have trapped me
in webs of worry this week.
Show me I’m not cornered
in the decisions I face.
Bring my heart, mind,
conversations, and circumstances
into alignment as I seek to
keep putting one foot in front of the other…
peeling back the layers, one at a time,
to the person you’ve made me to be,
to the pieces of you placed within me.
I want to live with integrity, Lord—
to be whole on my inside and outside
and honest about my motives.
I hunger to hold quiet courage—
to be so steady in your promises
that I stop getting caught in comparison.
I need to see myself the way you do—
beloved and cherished and
completely enough.
Please, Holy Spirit, release my fear,
ushering into its place
new trust, confidence, and peace.
May I claim that spirit of power,
love, and self-discipline today
as I offer my life to you and your purpose.
As I follow your beckoning,
my soul’s face will emerge,
will smile, and will begin again.
Amen.
Psalm 51:10 * 2 Corinthians 5:17 * 2 Timothy 1:7
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.”
—Psalm 51:10
Something that nourished me recently…
I coached a Girls on the Run (GOTR) group this spring and we finished out our season with the all-Chicagoland GOTR 5k down in Grant Park. I felt like my heart was going to explode — I was so proud of these girls. One of the big lessons we returned to again and again this season was how each person has their own “happy pace” — important literally when you’re running, but also a metaphor for so much. Yet another reminder to do things your way, honoring God’s Spirit within you.
My daughter, Eden, and me after the race. 
One last cheer before heading to the starting line. VERY resonant with this theme of becoming yourself and following your gifts, I cannot recommend enough Rob Bell’s new audiobook. I’m only partway through but have already re-listened to portions again and again.
And on the theme of listening to your own heart, following your desires, and how doing what we’re passionate about always blesses others — my dear friends, Brett and Lauren Rudowsky, are in the early stages of launching a Sauna community. Their vision is to offer not just the health benefits of a sauna, but the holistic and heart gifts of community and connection. I just went last weekend to their first gathering. I am so inspired by them! If you are local to northshore Chicago, please follow them here.
I mean, they’re both glowing. Doesn’t it make you want to just jump through the picture into the sauna right now?
Ash and Starlight, plus other good things…
*MY ETSY SHOP ~ Some folded greeting cards, notecards/postcards, as well as a couple more print options are now available on my Etsy store! I plan to create more options as time goes on (and if there is a particular piece I’ve had in Manna that you love, let me know, and I’ll try and do a print of it!). The “everything is figureoutable” notecard is also back in stock! That quote remains my motto in this adventure. All things are possible with God. :) Thank you so, so much to everyone who has offered their support. A reminder that a portion of proceeds goes to the Hunger Project (and World Hunger Day is May 28!). See the Etsy site here.
*SECOND EDITION OF ASH AND STARLIGHT ~ Find the updated edition of my book here at Chalice or at the Amazon link.
*MONDAY MANNA ARCHIVES ~ You can view previous Substack Monday Manna reflections as a paid subscriber here, or for the really old stuff, go to my website.
*WHAT DOES MANNA MEAN? ~ Check out an earlier post to learn how this little bit of “daily bread” got its name…
Praying for a renewed spirit in you today, friends, as you ground in love, live out who you are, and respond to the call of your gifts with courage to follow their path.
Love and Light,
Arianne
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I'm heading over to check out the greeting cards now. My mom *loved* the one I gave her for Mother's Day! These are so gorgeous!