Lean In, Indeed

**Disclaimer: So I've been trying to write this post for weeks now--the fatigue of pregnancy + taking care of an 11-month-old is certainly impinging on my ability to find quiet, restful time to write! Consequently, this post isn't as in-depth and coherent as I imagined in my mind it would be--just a head's up ;-).


I recently read an article that resonated soundly with me, regarding the whole "Lean In" movement spurred by famed Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. I'll be honest, I have not read her book, nor do I plan on reading it. Ever. But I have a few friends who follow her theories with gusto--and just hearing about their lives, schedules and work makes me feel exhausted.

Like, put-on-my-yoga-pants exhausted (oh wait, I'm already wearing them!).

I'm not discounting her theories entirely. It certainly is tough to be a woman these days. So many voices vie for our attention, telling us what to do and how. Telling us to go out there and "have it all." A large part of my heart feels heavy for my baby girl, knowing this world she's entering, with all its pressure to be some Frankenstein's monster-esq mixture of Giselle Bundchen, Betty Crocker and Hillary Clinton.

As I said, the word exhausted comes to mind.

But I'm not interested in blogging about issues of feminism and gender roles. Rather, this article has had me pondering a different application of "lean in." Namely, what would happen if followers of Christ really leaned in to their faith? To their walk with the LORD? To their relationship with Jesus? What would that look like, and what would be the result?

I don't have the answers, but I'm currently in the middle of my own "lean in" experiment in terms of faith. As I've discussed before, I'm in a bit of an odd season of life. It's a beautiful and blessed season, but also a quiet and sometimes lonely season. I'm about to have two babies in my home, we're miles away from our network of family and friends, and forming new relationships and networks simply takes time.

My initial instinct is to run out and try to join every possible moms group around in an effort to connect and once again find a "place." But the LORD has challenged me to a different response--He's challenged me to put more effort into knowing Him. To developing a deeper relationship with Him. This certainly doesn't mean sitting in my house and making no effort to connect with other people--but for me, what it does mean is changing my primary focus: taking the main focus and effort off of creating a bubble of comfort around myself and instead leaning in to God's word and deepening my friendship with Him.

I continue to be amazed at just how much I desire and seek comfort--and this self-realization makes me sit back and chuckle, because a life abandoned to Christ is pretty much guaranteed to be anything but comfortable! How thankful I am for a God who is wise and loving enough to give us what we need over what we think we need, or what we may want in a moment. Like Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12, I certainly have not arrived at my goal, "but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." And oh, how it feels like pressing on some days!

Pressing, pushing, moving uphill one weary step after another . . . I cling to the words of Hebrews 10:35-36, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." Challenging and comforting words!

I've been a Christian for a long, long time, but as I'm learning, there is so much about Jesus I have yet to learn! To me, that's one of the most thrilling aspects of a life of faith, and of God's word--there is always more to learn, always room to grow. For those willing to lean in, God has a treasure trove of promises and divine mysteries waiting to be discovered! May I find the strength in Him to continue leaning in . . . even if that includes a face plant along the way every now and then ;-).

Blessings,

~Mere