A Green Gables Summit by Magen Nelson

Devo #1: A Green Gables Summit "Dear old world, you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you”

When Claire shared the Summit theme with me a few weeks ago, I quite literally squealed with glee because Anne of Green Gables was a cherished imaginary friend for me throughout my childhood. Lucy Maud Montgomery is a storyteller unlike any other. In her books you will not find chaotic twists and turns, nor will you discover psychological or historical stories with high stakes. No, instead you will be immersed into the loveliest, quaintest story about a little orphan girl who simply lives genuinely and propitiously. If Anne Shirley were to transform into an inanimate object - she would be rose-colored glasses. Anne continuously chooses to see the world as wonderful, and consistently works to find the good in whatever her circumstances are.

I have a daughter, Cora, who (through no fault of her own, bless her) is the exact opposite of Anne Shirley. She is chemically wired to see the challenges and worst in herself and in others. She is melancholic, quick to anger, and often irrationally sad. (Don’t worry, we’re all in therapy and are learning how to handle these innate emotional responses.) I don’t bring up Cora to compare her to Anne Shirley, but rather to point out that we all have a little bit of Cora inside us. We all struggle with melancholy to some degree or another - it’s why the economic burden of mental illness in the U.S. is estimated to be nearly $282 billion every year. Not to mention, Anne Shirley is a fictional character, and her rose-colored outlook on everything life is not the standard we should seek to achieve. We are doomed to fail if we attempt such a thing. However, it would be just as detrimental to our minds and souls to do nothing about our sadness, our loneliness, our burdens, our fears, our mistakes, our traumas, our triggers, and even our chemical imbalances that we cannot control.

So what are we to do, then? We all have things that have happened to us that have profoundly or foundationally negatively affected our world view. We’re cynical, jaded, and morose. (Raises hand here - it seems like I just keep jumping from one burden to the next crisis to the next mistake. And the last half-decade or so of my life has left me feeling all the things.) Just know that I’m not pointing a finger, I’m living in the weeds with it all, too. Life is hard - and sometimes it feels impossible. In the moments where I just can’t see the next step in front of me, and am left blind by it all - I rest in the moment, and then I take the step blind. The good news is, none of us are alone when we take that blind next step. Jesus is with us, always, even to the ends of the earth.

So let’s talk about some tangible things that we can do when we’re resting in the yuck, and trying to figure out the next step. The “application” portion of the devo, if you will.

Step One will always be to PRAY. Pray, pray, pray. When in doubt PRAY. What can prayer look like?

Biblical prayers we can use: (replace any “you-s” with “me-s”) Numbers 6:24–26 ) Psalm 19:14 ( Psalm 23: 4-6 Psalm 51: 10-12 2 Chronicles 20: 9 Matthew 6:9–13 Ephesians 1:17-18 Ephesians 3:14-19 Romans 15:13 Jude 24–25

Quieting your mind and just listening (meditation) This isn’t really my cup of tea, but I wanted to provide some helpful information for those that might find it helpful. The two biggest tips I can give are: Christian Meditation is about clearing out all of the noise in your mind to make room for God to speak to you. It will take practice to clear your mind - so don’t give up after the first try! Resources: Hit Reset: 5 Min Christian Meditation https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/biblical-meditation/ https://www.gcu.edu/blog/theology-ministry/theology-thursday-christian-perspective-meditation

Grounding Techniques: (we use these A LOT with Cora!) Once you enter a better head space, try meditating on what God wants to tell you - or praying a specific prayer to God - or just speaking to Him from your heart.

Cora’s personal favorites:

Connect with Nature: go stand barefoot, in some grass, and close your eyes.

Listen to Music: acoustic guitar or piano worship music without lyrics is a go-to at our house when Cora needs to clear her brain out.

Positive Affirmations: saying things like, “Everything is going to be OK,” “I am safe in this moment,” and “It’s OK that I feel upset” over and over again.

Box breathing Clench and release your fists

Journaling / letters to God: Sometimes writing things down is the best way to stay on track when you’re praying to God. Sometimes I have a physical list of who/what I’m praying for. Sometimes, I just need to pen a letter to Jesus instead of speaking to him directly.

Read your Bible. Jesus IS the word of God.

Seek Biblical Counsel (therapists, friends, trusted family members, accountability partners)

Doing all of these things, practicing all of these applications, are easy, doable tasks to do as Paul instructs in Philippians 4:8 - by praying, meditating, reading the Bible, etc. - we are embodying this scripture.

Pencil activity: Write, firmly, pressing down quite a bit something that you are dealing with right now that is a distraction to you - that keeps you from doing as Paul tells us.

Now, erase it.

Notice that no matter how hard you erase, the paper will never be as it was before you write that thing down. There is the shadow of the thing left behind. Maybe the paper has actual ridges in it from how hard you pressed down. Maybe it is almost completely erased, but you know it was there - even if no one else does.

Now, write on top of it something that will help you stay focused on Jesus, stay focused on the next right thing, stay focused on not doing nothing. Maybe that’s a bible verse that you’ve turned into a mantra, maybe it’s a song, maybe it’s looking at a picture on your phone or nightstand, maybe it’s nothing at all and just clearing your mind. Whatever it is -write it down on top of the thing we erased.

Notice that whatever was there before is.still.there. Our hurts, our chemicals in our brains, our mistakes, and fears, and burdens…. It’s all still there. BUT, we can make a choice to focus on the thing freshly written. We can feel the feelings, we can understand the weight of the burdens, and the sting of trauma - as long as we don’t sit in it for long, and lean on Jesus for support. So let me encourage you, as Paul has done, to think on “whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy.”

BENEDICTION: “May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be at your back, may the sun shine warmly on your face. And may God hold you in the palm of his hand.”