Are You Feeling Limited and Trapped in This Season?
Are you discouraged by the season you are in? Are you feeling limited, trapped in this moment, with no hope of change?
I want to tell you a story from a recent trip to Washington DC in May, involving the Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial that made me examine those questions.
The architect, Lawrence Halprin, included four different outside rooms symbolizing the president's four terms in office when he designed the memorial in 1974. Each room included a statue, a waterfall, and quotes from FDR.
Halprin also had to determine how to depict the president's disability from having polio as a child. During his lifetime, Roosevelt would not allow photos of himself in his wheelchair or leg braces, as he did not want to appear weak as a leader. Since FDR had not wanted to show his disability in public, the designers of the memorial chose not to do so either. The closest depiction involved the bronze relief statue of the seated president with his dog. The wheelchair is not visible, but is covered by a giant cloak.
Even with this decision, Halprin wanted the memorial accessible to people with all kinds of abilities. He added wheelchair ramps (before they were required), encouraged people to touch the statues, and included an exhibit using braille.
As people's thoughts and views of disabilities changed, conversations grew -- including from eight of the president's grandchildren -- to include the wheelchair in the memorial. In 2001, the Prologue Room was dedicated with a life-size statue of FDR seated in his wheelchair -- one he designed himself from a kitchen chair and tricycle wheels.
On the wall behind the statue is this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt,
"Franklin's illness...gave him strength and courage he had not had before. He had to think out the fundamentals of living and learn the greatest of all lessons -- infinite patience and never-ending persistence."
Do you feel constrained and limited by your story? Are entire paragraphs silenced, unable to be brought to the light?
Be patient. Be persistent. Your story is not complete.
Recently, I was nominated for an award from a local magazine with other women in our city of Chandler. When I received the email asking me to fill out some paperwork for the selection committee, I wrote back, declining the nomination. I explained that a long recovery from the side effects of COVID in 2021 had sidelined my commitments in the community.
I felt limited. Canceled. Small. Unworthy.
Have you been there? Are you still there? Are you sitting in the cloaked loss of dreams? If so, pay attention to what happened next.
The magazine editor emailed me back, asking me to reconsider. At the end of the email, she wrote,
"A season does not define your life."
Read that again. Slowly. A season does not define your life. A limitation does not define your life.
Your weakness. Your illness. Your disability. It is not the entire scope of who you are.
Let that zing into the deepest parts of your being. Be encouraged with the truth of those words today. You are more than the current season you find yourself in.
So. Much. More.
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LIFEWAY WOMEN'S Bible Book Review
The Lifeway Women's Bible is a beautiful book with some exceptional features to aid in your reading of God's Word, including:
Easy to read text with wide margins for notes
Full-color illustrations
Encouraging articles that accompany favorite Bible stories
Helpful biographies of key women in the Bible to apply to daily life
Inspirational quotes to remind us of God’s grace every day
Introductions to each book with a highlighted reading plan
This beautiful, high-quality Bible has a sewn binding that immediately laid flat when I opened it out of the box. It comes in four different colors to match your personal preference. It also includes a concordance. Christian Standard Version.
You have to check out this Bible to note all the special features. It's been years since I have had a new Bible and can't wait to dig into the pages!
You can purchase your own copy here. Absolute A from me.
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