R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Thoughts for R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Women

“She said that faith is not about how we feel; it is about how we live.” Anne Lamott in Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith (Speaking of Sister Veronica)

If you’re a normal woman going through the despair of divorce, things have been bleak for you. Any of us who have been through it, or are still going through it, have done our share of slogging and struggling. During a midlife divorce, we feel crappy to put it mildly. We feel sick. We feel like we want to strangle someone or maybe some two people. We feel like God is not paying attention. We’re trying to “live by faith,” but it just doesn’t seem to be working very well. But “living by faith” doesn’t mean we always feel wonderful or cheery or the world is continually full of butterflies and daffodils. Living by faith means exactly that … living by faith even though we don’t feel like it. Even though we seem to be stuck in the darkness, we still choose to live by the principles of the light. Even though we are struggling through the desert, we still share the water we have. Even though we are crying a million tears, we choose to do the right thing when we’d rather hit back or talk ugly or give someone what they deserve. Living by faith is easy when everything is going according to our plan. But it’s at midnight all alone in your bed, or when you are faced with unjust accusations after trying to do the right things, that the life of faith is most demanding … and God does his most amazing work in us.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV)