Deeper.

At the beginning of each new year, I choose a word of intention - something I want to focus on, an aspect of my character I want to enhance. There’s no method for choosing my word of intention; rather, it’s something I meditate and pray over, and then go with what comes to mind during a moment of stillness.

And so, after doing that earlier this year, I decided my word for 2022 would be Deepen:

Deepen relationships - with God, foremost, and then with others.

Deepen my understanding of things in this world.

Deepen my impact in this world.

Deepen.

And as I sit here typing from my hotel room in Western Ukraine, I recognize that I am living out this intention in a surreal, profound way.

Practically speaking, I am deeper into an active war zone than I ever thought I would be. With this week’s missile attacks across Ukraine, I found myself with a deeper, first-hand experience of what it is like to live under constant threat of violence. I am feeling a deeper, more broad mix of conflicting emotions - fear, acceptance, anxiety, peace, defiance, anger, sadness, gratitude, love - unlike ever before. And I have a deeper, richer understanding of what matters most.

To quote the lyrics of one of my favorite songs, Oceans, I am, “…deeper than my feet would ever wander…”, and there is no place I would rather be.

To follow our calling requires a willingness to go deeper. To be pushed outside of our comfort zone. To embrace discomfort, because we know this is where growth happens. Where change occurs. And where the Almighty is revealed like never before.

Deeper is where the Ukrainian nation has been forced to tread for 7 long months, and where I find myself today. I invite you to join us and consider ways you can go deeper in your own life and response to this heinous war. It is a choice that you’ll be glad you made.

With love,

Lauren