Writings of a Beholder 🌿 10.20.23

Reflections on traveling & being a beginner

Reflections on Traveling & Being a Beginner

This morning, I’m writing to you from a train headed northbound to Waverly Station in Edinburgh, Scotland.

For the past five days, my husband and I have been exploring the lovely city of London after arriving last Wednesday jetlagged and tired, but full of joy and excitement. It’s our first time traveling internationally as adults, on our own, with no youth group leader or parent to guide us. To say we were a bit intimidated at the start (and continue to be, honestly) is an understatement.

What I’ve noticed most about being in a new country is how uncomfortable the unknown has felt. These days of traveling and navigating have reminded me of what it’s like to be a beginner. Traveling internationally, I’ve learned, has a way of humbling you.

But what’s been beautiful about being a beginner (besides all of the gorgeous London cathedrals and attractions we’ve seen) is that it places you in a position where you can either let go and trust and reach for help when needed, or absolutely meltdown and freak out over the things you can’t control.

On this journey across the United Kingdom, I’ve been practicing letting go; trusting that the Lord is with us and will provide what we need when we need it. And each time I’ve offered up a short prayer of help or I don’t know what to do here, Lord, there have been strangers with kind smiles and loads of patience that have come out of nowhere to point us onward like the hand of God Himself gently guiding us.

There have been moments I’ve borderline freaked out, I’ll be honest, but there’s been this steady undercurrent of peace as I breathe in and out, remembering that my God is good and He is with me — a practice of surrender, a practice of constant trust.

I’ve found that this trip has me relying on the Holy Spirit more than I usually would on a routine day in central Indiana, and I can only imagine how much this experience is strengthening my beholding practice and intimacy with God. Because not only have I leaned into surrender here, but I’ve learned that beauty can quite literally bring me to tears leading to an overflow of gratitude and praise.

All things really do point to God if you look closely enough to see it.

London was full of wonderment, beauty, and unexplained joy as we walked through the halls of ancient and holy places such as Westminster Abbey, St. George’s Chapel, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. As I paused to light a candle at each sacred church, I prayed and closed my eyes, basking in the nearness of God’s presence. The reality that God has been in these places for thousands of years and still continues to be present to me and everyone else has almost brought me to my knees a few times.

Then there was Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, and tours where we drank in the rich history of the city. My heart is full, my spirit sated, and my soul at peace.

The words of Psalm 92:1-4 keep bubbling up in my soul, my mouth whispering them as a prayer of thanks in response to this journey:

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
to declare your faithful love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
with a ten-stringed harp
and the music of a lyre.

For you have made me rejoice, Lord,
by what you have done;
I will shout for joy
because of the works of your hands. (CSB)

Now, we ride northbound to spend four nights in Scotland’s capital city — Edinburgh — before renting a car and road-tripping it through the rugged Scotland Highlands (say some prayers for my husband, who will be the one in charge of driving as rental cars here are only available to those who can drive stick!) where we will spend a few days in Inverness before returning to Edinburgh to fly home.

Every leg of this trip has been and will continue to be an invitation to step into being a beginner, to surrender to the flow of not knowing exactly where my feet will land but trusting that God’s faithfulness will take me exactly where I need to be.

And, of course, to enjoy the ride and soak up every glimmer of goodness and beauty along the way.

Selah.

With you on the journey,

Celia

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Life Lately

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A Breath Prayer for Your Weekend

Inhale: You are with me, God.

Exhale: Wherever I go.

*If you’d like to learn more about the practice of breath prayer, download this complete digital guide to practicing breath prayer.

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Resources & Good Things to Pick Up

My Etsy Shop, The Beholding Co., is closed for the next few weeks as I travel abroad! It will reopen on October 26th.

Grab a copy of my Bible study, You Are Beloved: a 21-day study on how to root your identity in the love of God, over on Amazon. If you’d like a free 3-day sample of the study, reply to this email and I’ll send it right over!

My friend and licensed spiritual director, Kari Bartkus, offers an 8-week journaling program for those who want to process their grief and trauma with God within the safety of blank journal pages. I’ve completed the program myself and can say confidently that it was incredibly impactful and healing: Journal Gently

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An Invitation to Pause & Reflect

A regular practice of reflection helps us recognize what’s going on beneath the surface of our souls so we can name it in the Lord’s presence. Because as we learn to name what we feel, what we need, and what we long for, we’re also learning to discern the Spirit’s sweet, gentle voice within our hearts and lives.

Take a few moments today or this weekend to journal or contemplate with the Holy Spirit the following question(s) or prompt(s):

• How do you feel about being a beginner?

• What positions have you been in recently that have invited you to rely competely on God’s presence? How did you respond?

• How can you slow down and notice beauty today?