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Anita Mathias's Blog on Faith and Art

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We only really master some spiritual truths by doing!

By Anita Mathias


  

My twenties were an amazing decade. Likewise, my forties. (In my thirties, I had babies!)

In my twenties, besides moving to the UK and then the US, getting married, and earning two degrees, I

1   1)   learned to ride a bike, aged 22.
     2)   learned to swim, aged 25.
     3)  learned to drive a car, aged 29.
     4) learned to touch-type–and fast, aged 29.
Yeah, a late developer.
Generally, I do everything by books. Whether it’s hosting a children’s birthday party, gardening, or running a house, I tend to first buy three books on the subject which I quickly skim-read.
But for these achievements of my twenties—cycling, swimming, driving, typing—no amount of book learning would help. I just had to get in the pool, on the bike, behind the wheel, and do it.
·      * * *
The truly life-transformational insights of my forties have been these.

1   1) That God loves me. That I can rest in his love. That I don’t need to do anything.
     
     2) Learning to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.  That when I am running ragged, I just need to stop and rest and wait for the filling of the Holy Spirit.   
     
    3) The Spiritual Passive Voice. Waiting. Trusting. Resting. Abiding. Not striving, but resting on the faithful one.
4)Allow God to worry about my worries.
One can’t really learn these transformative spiritual practices from books. Or lectures from those who have mastered them–though these have helped me.
We can only learn them by “doing,”– resting in God, experiencing him, asking him to fill us with his Spirit.
Just hanging out with God.
They have to be caught, from the Father and the Spirit and Jesus—and then practised. They cannot really be taught. We learn them by doing them.
How about you? What has been spiritually transformational for you in the last decade? How did you learn it?


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Filed Under: In which I explore the Spiritual Life

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Comments

  1. Anita Mathias says

    August 30, 2012 at 10:02 pm

    Hi Dana, I am a full-time writer too, though the writing isn't supporting the family.

    When we needed additional income, I started a business unrelated to my writing to pay the bills. I read about Dostoevsky who frantically wrote books to pay his bills, and sadly wished I had the guts to do that. But I lacked the faith and energy to even try to write to pay bills, and indeed the stress might have been too much for me.

    Now, aspects of my writing bring in small sums money on a weekly, sometimes daily basis, and it's so exciting!!

    Making a living as a writer is a dream few realize, and I salute you for your courage!!

  2. Dana Rongione says

    August 29, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    After leaving my job as a teacher and embarking on a new career as a full-time writer, I was forced to find out what it truly means to live by faith. I didn't know from where or when my next paycheck would come. I had no idea if I could or would make it as a writer. There have been many mountains and many valleys over the past decade, but through it all I've learned that when Jesus is all that I have, He's all that I need! I haven't arrived yet in my spiritual journey, but I'm finally learning to enjoy the ride.

    A Word Fitly Spoken
    http://danarongione.blogspot.com

  3. Anita Mathias says

    August 29, 2012 at 4:20 pm

    Thanks, Rachel. I too have learned some dark things in the last decade, specifically the stuff in the link I sent you, and on the same lines as you mention.

    But, as you allude to, strength does come out of those places of weakness and suffering:-)

  4. Rachel says

    August 29, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    The last decade? I have learned about friendships. Specifically: loss, betrayal, hypocrisy and gossip. Also abuse, depression, grief and many of my own weaknesses. However, with all of that I have learned what it is like to lurch forward into darkness and feel God catch me. Over and over.

  5. Anita Mathias says

    August 29, 2012 at 6:34 am

    Thanks Penelope. That sounds like a very difficult lesson.

    Your ministry through blogging, social media and leading pilgrimages may well reach even more people than the ordained ministry which has been temporarily laid down. And who knows what God will do in the next decade of your rich and fruitful life!

  6. Penelope Swithinbank says

    August 28, 2012 at 9:54 pm

    This has really made me think … because in the past decade I have been given a new (Ordained, priestly) ministry in which I was privileged to see the Lord powerfully at work in others; and then had it almost, or mostly, removed from me for a while. And in the giving and the taking, the Lord has taught me that it is HIS ministry, not mine. And I have had to learn to say “the Lord gives and the Lord takes away – blessed be the name of the Lord.” It is as though I have had to learn to hold it out on the palm of my hand so that He can pour out blessing or not, as HE chooses; and not to try to grab tight hold of it (for fear of losing it or for wanting to call it mine). It is all from Him and all for Him – and when and where is His choice.
    Thank you for helping me to look back and 'see' the lesson of the past decade, Anita.

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My Books

Wandering Between Two Worlds: Essays on Faith and Art

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Francesco, Artist of Florence: The Man Who Gave Too Much

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The Story of Dirk Willems

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Premier Digital Awards 2015 - Finalist - Blogger of the year
Runner Up Christian Media Awards 2014 - Tweeter of the year

Recent Posts

  •  On Not Wasting a Desert Experience
  • A Mind of Life and Peace in the Middle of a Global Pandemic
  • On Yoga and Following Jesus
  • Silver and Gold Linings in the Storm Clouds of Coronavirus
  • Trust: A Message of Christmas
  • Life- Changing Journaling: A Gratitude Journal, and Habit-Tracker, with Food and Exercise Logs, Time Sheets, a Bullet Journal, Goal Sheets and a Planner
  • On Loving That Which Love You Back
  • “An Autobiography in Five Chapters” and Avoiding Habitual Holes  
  • Shining Faith in Action: Dirk Willems on the Ice
  • The Story of Dirk Willems: The Man who Died to Save His Enemy

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Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
Barak Obama

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H Is for Hawk
Helen MacDonald

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Tiny Habits
B. J. Fogg

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The Regeneration Trilogy
Pat Barker

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anita.mathias

Writer, Blogger, Reader, Mum. Christian. Instaing Oxford, travel, gardens and healthy meals. Oxford English alum. Writing memoir. Lives in Oxford, UK

Images from walks around Oxford. #beauty #oxford # Images from walks around Oxford. #beauty #oxford #walking #tranquility #naturephotography #nature
So we had a lovely holiday in the Southwest. And h So we had a lovely holiday in the Southwest. And here we are at one of the world’s most famous and easily recognisable sites.
#stonehenge #travel #england #prehistoric England #family #druids
And I’ve blogged https://anitamathias.com/2020/09/13/on-not-wasting-a-desert-experience/
So, after Paul the Apostle's lightning bolt encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he went into the desert, he tells us...
And there, he received revelation, visions, and had divine encounters. The same Judean desert, where Jesus fasted for forty days before starting his active ministry. Where Moses encountered God. Where David turned from a shepherd to a leader and a King, and more, a man after God’s own heart.  Where Elijah in the throes of a nervous breakdown hears God in a gentle whisper. 
England, where I live, like most of the world is going through a desert experience of continuing partial lockdowns. Covid-19 spreads through human contact and social life, and so we must refrain from those great pleasures. We are invited to the desert, a harsh place where pruning can occur, and spiritual fruitfulness.
A plague like this has not been known for a hundred years... John Piper, after his cancer diagnosis, exhorted people, “Don’t Waste Your Cancer”—since this was the experience God permitted you to have, and He can bring gold from it. Pandemics and plagues are permitted (though not willed or desired) by a Sovereign God, and he can bring life-change out of them. 
Let us not waste this unwanted, unchosen pandemic, this opportunity for silence, solitude and reflection. Let’s not squander on endless Zoom calls—or on the internet, which, if not used wisely, will only raise anxiety levels. Let’s instead accept the invitation to increased silence and reflection
Let's use the extra free time that many of us have long coveted and which has now been given us by Covid-19 restrictions to seek the face of God. To seek revelation. To pray. 
And to work on those projects of our hearts which have been smothered by noise, busyness, and the tumult of people and parties. To nurture the fragile dreams still alive in our hearts. The long-deferred duty or vocation
So, we are about eight weeks into lockdown, and I So, we are about eight weeks into lockdown, and I have totally sunk into the rhythm of it, and have got quiet, very quiet, the quietest spell of time I have had as an adult.
I like it. I will find going back to the sometimes frenetic merry-go-round of my old life rather hard. Well, I doubt I will go back to it. I will prune some activities, and generally live more intentionally and mindfully.
I have started blocking internet of my phone and laptop for longer periods of time, and that has brought a lot of internal quiet and peace.
Some of the things I have enjoyed during lockdown have been my daily long walks, and gardening. Well, and reading and working on a longer piece of work.
Here are some images from my walks.
And if you missed it, a blog about maintaining peace in the middle of the storm of a global pandemic
https://anitamathias.com/2020/05/04/a-mind-of-life-and-peace/  #walking #contemplating #beauty #oxford #pandemic
A few walks in Oxford in the time of quarantine. A few walks in Oxford in the time of quarantine.  We can maintain a mind of life and peace during this period of lockdown by being mindful of our minds, and regulating them through meditation; being mindful of our bodies and keeping them happy by exercise and yoga; and being mindful of our emotions in this uncertain time, and trusting God who remains in charge. A new blog on maintaining a mind of life and peace during lockdown https://anitamathias.com/2020/05/04/a-mind-of-life-and-peace/
In the days when one could still travel, i.e. Janu In the days when one could still travel, i.e. January 2020, which seems like another life, all four of us spent 10 days in Malta. I unplugged, and logged off social media, so here are some belated iphone photos of a day in Valetta.
Today, of course, there’s a lockdown, and the country’s leader is in intensive care.
When the world is too much with us, and the news stresses us, moving one’s body, as in yoga or walking, calms the mind. I am doing some Yoga with Adriene, and again seeing the similarities between the practice of Yoga and the practice of following Christ.
https://anitamathias.com/2020/04/06/on-yoga-and-following-jesus/
#valleta #valletamalta #travel #travelgram #uncagedbird
Images from some recent walks in Oxford. I am copi Images from some recent walks in Oxford.
I am coping with lockdown by really, really enjoying my daily 4 mile walk. By savouring the peace of wild things. By trusting that God will bring good out of this. With a bit of yoga, and weights. And by working a fair amount in my garden. And reading.
How are you doing?
#oxford #oxfordinlockdown #lockdown #walk #lockdownwalks #peace #beauty #happiness #joy #thepeaceofwildthings
Images of walks in Oxford in this time of social d Images of walks in Oxford in this time of social distancing. The first two are my own garden.  And I’ve https://anitamathias.com/2020/03/28/silver-and-gold-linings-in-the-storm-clouds-of-coronavirus/ #corona #socialdistancing #silverlinings #silence #solitude #peace
Trust: A Message of Christmas He came to earth in Trust: A Message of Christmas  He came to earth in a  splash of energy
And gentleness and humility.
That homeless baby in the barn
Would be the lynchpin on which history would ever after turn
Who would have thought it?
But perhaps those attuned to God’s way of surprises would not be surprised.
He was already at the centre of all things, connecting all things. * * *
Augustus Caesar issued a decree which brought him to Bethlehem,
The oppressions of colonialism and conquest brought the Messiah exactly where he was meant to be, the place prophesied eight hundred years before his birth by the Prophet Micah.
And he was already redeeming all things. The shame of unwed motherhood; the powerlessness of poverty.
He was born among animals in a barn, animals enjoying the sweetness of life, animals he created, animals precious to him.
For he created all things, and in him all things hold together
Including stars in the sky, of which a new one heralded his birth
Drawing astronomers to him.
And drawing him to the attention of an angry King
As angelic song drew shepherds to him.
An Emperor, a King, scholars, shepherds, angels, animals, stars, an unwed mother
All things in heaven and earth connected
By a homeless baby
The still point on which the world still turns. The powerful centre. The only true power.
The One who makes connections. * * *
And there is no end to the wisdom, the crystal glints of the Message that birth brings.
To me, today, it says, “Fear not, trust me, I will make a way.” The baby lay gentle in the barn
And God arranges for new stars, angelic song, wise visitors with needed finances for his sustenance in the swiftly-coming exile, shepherds to underline the anointing and reassure his parents. “Trust me in your dilemmas,” the baby still says, “I will make a way. I will show it to you.” Happy Christmas everyone.  https://anitamathias.com/2019/12/24/trust-a-message-of-christmas/ #christmas #gemalderieberlin #trust #godwillmakeaway
Look, I’ve designed a journal. It’s an omnibus Look, I’ve designed a journal. It’s an omnibus Gratitude journal, habit tracker, food and exercise journal, bullet journal, with time sheets, goal sheets and a Planner. Everything you’d like to track.  Here’s a post about it with ISBNs https://anitamathias.com/2019/12/23/life-changing-journalling/. Check it out. I hope you and your kids like it!
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