The Soulful Series Newsletter

April 2023

Apr 02, 2023

Hey Friend!

Here I am. Faithfully showing up in your inbox. I know I’m a day late from my promised 1st of the month drop, but I am here nonetheless. I’m one of those people who takes seriously the commitments I make, sometimes too seriously, I suppose. I really value faithfulness and consistency. It helps me to know some things can be counted on, especially when things aren’t going as expected. And is life ever really “as expected?” Rarely, I would say.

What about you; do you find comfort in the faithful and the steady? Is your heart strengthened knowing some things never change, no matter the season?

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22–23

As I’ve recently walked through a difficult and long season of uncertainty, I was tempted to become hopeless, bitter, and at times angry. I’ve also been walking beside some friends who are experiencing even harder things, and naturally, some things are just super hard to understand. Some we never do, and that is when we have to remind ourselves of what is faithful and true. For me, that “what” is a “who.”

When life spins out of control and we experience things like rejection, loss, betrayal, grief, or uncertainty, we must remember that God’s faithfulness never wavers. If we go to Him in our weakness, He will provide the strength, comfort, and support we need. He knows our pain; scripture even says he counts every tear (Psalms 56:8).

We can’t forget to show gratitude for all the times He has been faithful to us in the past, knowing He never changes and will continue to carry us through every peak and valley in life. Often it’s our discomfort that grows us the most. Our discomfort is real, but so are His promises. We have to decide if we are going to live by them or not.

It’s a choice. We choose. We choose to whine or to worship. We choose to be thankful or unthankful. We choose to recognize a blessing or overlook it.

I recently read that one of the chief reasons behind pervasive sadness and disappointment (excluding any professional medical diagnosis) is a failure to be thankful. Well, that hit super close to home, so here I am, faithfully showing up to share with you that I choose God’s faithfulness. I choose to worship. I choose gratitude. I choose to look for blessings.

Are you ready to make a faithful change?

p.s. Want to go deeper into Faithfulness? Consider subscribing to A Soulful Calling, a special edition of the Art + Soul Newsletter

I recently stumbled upon Patrick Piccinelli’s (b. 1959) work on Instagram, and I can’t seem to get enough. He is a Swiss artist who explores the visual dialogue between notions of structure and randomness in the search for a balance between minimalism and expressionism.

He shows a faithfulness in his practice that fascinates me and always draws me back in.