Some Highlights From 7 Years Of Blogging!

Can it really be seven years since I tentatively clicked “publish” and released my first post here into the world?

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been blogging here for seven years, and, as I thought about how to mark this anniversary, I thought I’d share snippets from seven posts over the years – some of the most popular posts and a few of my favourites.

So, here is my “Life In The Spacious Place highlight reel from the last seven years. (The titles link to the full posts if you would like to read more.)

1. Kintsugi: Beauty In The Broken Places

First up, we have the post that has been viewed far more than any other on the blog, and fortunately it is also one of my favourites – the first time I wrote about the Japanese art of Kintsugi.

God knows our brokenness, yet he doesn’t reject us or discard us.  Where we see a heap of broken pieces, he sees potential and the possibility of creating something beautiful and new.

He doesn’t want us to hide our brokenness.  He wants to heal us in such a way that, while the cracks and scars are still visible, they are not something ugly or shameful.  They are part of the beauty.

God takes our broken pieces and puts them back together in a way that displays his glory, because it is in the cracks and in the scars that we see evidence of healing and God’s power to restore.

2. Do You Believe That I Am Able To Do This?

The second-most-viewed post here comes from my series exploring questions Jesus asked:

If I was to honestly answer the question, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” most of the time I think my answer would be: “Yes, I believe you are able.  I have seen you transform situations, I believe in your power and I know that nothing is impossible… but I’m not sure if I believe you will.”

Maybe that’s okay though.  God rarely gives any guarantees about how he will answer our prayers. I think there are times when faith is believing that God can and will move mountains, but there are also times when faith is trusting in God’s goodness and continuing to place our hope in him, even when the mountains refuse to move.  Ultimately our faith has to be in him rather than it resting on a particular outcome.

3. 6 Reasons Why Your Story Matters

And here is an excerpt from my third-most-read post:

Your story matters because you matter.  You were designed and created by a loving God.  “The very hairs on your head are all numbered”  (Luke 12:7 NLT) so your story is important.  Time and time again we see Jesus making time for individual people, caring about their stories: Zacchaeus, the Samaritan woman at the well, the paralysed man by the pool…  Each individual matters to him.

Your story matters because it is unique.  No-one else has your story, and no-one else can tell your story without you doing so first.  You may worry that it is not as dramatic or exciting as other people’s, or you may feel that it is not as you would like it to be, but God can use it.  Sharing your story doesn’t mean that everything has to be resolved with all the loose ends tied neatly in a bow.  Your story is still on-going, but if you share it honestly – the times where you have seen God at work and the situations where you are still waiting to see – your story will be able to reach certain people in a way that no-one else’s story can.

4. Lessons In Perseverance From A Polish Pianist

My final “most-popular” post is an early one that is a little different from my normal posts. It is a review of “The Pianist”- a memoir by Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish concert pianist, telling his story of survival as a Jew in Warsaw during World War 2. There were several lessons about perseverance which could be drawn from his story.

We have to choose where to fix our minds.
Szpilman had to spend several days, lying perfectly still for hours at a time in his hiding place.  He created a structure for his day and spent time going over all the piano pieces he had ever played, running through them in his mind, as well as revising English vocabulary and recapping literature he had read.  Having a structure and a focus helped him to endure those long hours of waiting.

He saw the importance of staying positive and maintaining a sense of hope.  One of the people who helped Szpilman encouraged him in this: “If you and I have survived this inferno for five years, it’s obviously God’s will for us to live.  Well, we have to believe that anyway.”

As Christians, where we choose to fix our minds is important, especially when we are in difficult circumstances.  Are we going to focus on the problems and give in to worry, or are we going to focus on God’s truth, love and power?  Isaiah 26:3 promises: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.”   Hebrews 12:2 tells us we can endure “by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”

5. When Ministry Is Interrupted

I’m including this next post simply because it is one of my favourites. When the pandemic hit in 2020, one of my biggest frustrations was the interruption of a new, flourishing ministry. This “letter to Mary” was a heartfelt attempt to hold onto a healthier perspective.

Mary, did you ever wonder if it was all real?

The angel appearing with his unbelievable message; the shepherds, barely able to contain their excitement, rushing in to see the baby and spouting a garbled story of more angels singing in the sky; the wise men travelling miles to see with their unusual selection of gifts; Simeon and Anna holding the baby, praising God for the fulfilment of his promises and celebrating that, at last, the Messiah was here.

When the flurry of excitement was over, when Herod’s decree forced you to flee to Egypt, when your focus turned to protecting your precious child and keeping him alive, did you ever start to wonder if it had all been a dream? …

… You encourage me to hold onto what I’ve seen – never to forget, but to store these things in my heart – and to allow what I’ve seen to give me hope.  I suspect that throughout those quiet years, you were the only one who truly saw, and I believe you knew there was more to come, even if you weren’t quite sure what that “more” would look like.  I think you knew that God’s plan hadn’t been derailed but that he would fulfil his purpose.

6. Church In A Changing Culture

As well as writing here, one of the joys of the last few years has been writing regularly for Gracefully Truthful. This is my favourite guest post there in which I was asked to share some reflections on the church in Scotland.

As I climbed the steps of my former church building, I paused.  There was a sense of familiarity – for five years I had entered through these doors almost every Sunday to join others in worship – but it also felt incredibly surreal, because now the fragrant aroma of garlic and herbs was drifting from the building, and inside people had gathered not to worship but to eat.  My former church was now a pizza restaurant.

That one incident says a lot about being a Christian in Scotland today.

Scotland is a country with a rich Christian heritage.  It was once known as the “land of the book” and it sent many missionaries to spread the Gospel in other countries – people such as David Livingstone, Mary Slessor, and Eric Liddell.  Church buildings are everywhere in Scotland’s cities, and even the city mottos reflect this history…

…But if that was the past, the present is very different. 

7. Thirteen Reasons For Hope

If you’ve been here for any length of time, you’ll know that Five Minute Friday is one of my favourite writing communities and that it has played a huge part in my writing journey, so I had to include a Five Minute Friday post in my highlights. Since hope has been a major theme here over the last seven years, I thought I’d share my response to the prompt “thirteen” in which I shared thirteen reasons for hope.

1. We are never alone- God will never fail us or abandon us.  (Isaiah 41:10)

2. Even when situations seem impossible to us, nothing is impossible with God.  (Matthew 19:26)

3. No matter what is changing around us, God is always faithful.  (Lamentations 3:22-23)

4. However broken we feel, God is the one who has power to heal and restore.  (Psalm 147:3)

Thank you so much to everyone who has read and commented over the last seven years. One wonderful surprise about blogging was the amazing community. I am so grateful for all the connections and friendships I’ve been able to make and I’m thankful for each one of you!

Linking with: Inspire Me Monday, Tell His Story, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee, Recharge Wednesday, Tune In Thursday, Grace & Truth