intimacy with others is difficult, humbling, and often emotional.
however, interwoven with these challenging characteristics, resides a richness beyond description.

the truth will set you free...john 8.32.
amen.

oftentimes, allowing people into the places of my being that are beyond my control, namely where emotions surface as I begin to speak, fills me with nervousness.  though the Lord continues to shape me into a braver soul in this area of heart revealing, my nature is to attempt to appear strong, confident, informed, and well-spoken.

a greater inability to "appear altogether" is one of the giant changes in my person since having lived overseas.  when I was in england, my day-to-day life held so much unknown that little by little I lost the capacity to fake self-confidence in so many ways.  I was humbled at every turn, especially in the beginning.  I needed to ask questions, get lost, look silly, and be bold to survive essentially.
also, when I moved from london, I feared that I would be moving "back" to the States...that I would be somehow regressing in growth, as I re-entered so much familiar.
oh how gracious the Lord is to shake his head lovingly in His all-knowing essence and patiently reveal to me that going "back" is not an option.
the changes He makes in our lives are significant, deep, and beyond our explanation.
He has revealed (and continues to make very evident) to me that He is the one who led me away from the UK and desired for me to re-enter the States.  I did not leave Him in england.  and england is not a magical place.  it was the place for me for the time He had me there.  it was the setting He used to teach me lessons He needed me to learn there.
now I am in colorado discovering new truths, remembering who I am in Him and learning who I am becoming each day with His hand lovingly leading in this setting.
no locale is more special or important than another.
where He is and desires us to be is the holiest, life-changing "home".

today I truly felt the deeper breathing that arrives when transparency resides in friendship.  keeping those around you "in the loop" allows for support, insight, affirmation, and perspective...

I am thankful for such sweet friends who cheer for me with such steadfast spirits.
I am thankful for friends who lead me by living a life striving to be obedient, daring to take risks.
for an impressionable emulator like myself, being surrounded by people of such character blesses me to my core.  

happy new year!
cheers,
kb.