Living with an Orientation of Holy Mystery

Written By Lori G. Melton

As you may remember from the July newsletter, Bryan and I were headed to Scotland as the first step in our progressive 40th-anniversary celebration.

The trip was fabulous!

We met so many friendly people and ate lots of fish ’n’ chips, steak and ale pie, and haggis—their famous national dish. If you haven’t tried it, haggis is a savory mixture of meat, oats, and spices traditionally cooked in a casing, like a big sausage. There’s even an elaborate ceremony surrounding it, complete with bagpipes, the reading of Robert Burns’s famous poem, Address to a Haggis, and a prayer. So charming! (Click on the video below)

​

​​Scotland, with its colorful culture of kilts, castles, and courageous historical figures like Robert the Bruce, Queen Margaret, and William Wallace (aka Braveheart), is absolutely delightful!

As it turned out, Edinburgh, where we spent an entire week, is also a worldwide hub of literature—a special love gift from the Father just for me. Home to notable writers such as Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns, and Robert Louis Stevenson, Edinburgh was named the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature in 2004.

After our week in Edinburgh, we headed north into the Scottish Highlands, where the scenery, national parks, and wildlife took our breath away.

Then we returned to Dundee, where Bryan dropped me off to spend a week at my first international writers’ workshop.

So many other gifts were waiting.

Living with an Orientation of Holy Mystery

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5–6

Sitting around the table on the first day, Vinita, the facilitator of my workshop group, said,

“Let’s take a few minutes. Briefly introduce yourself and tell us why you’re here.”

It was a typical question for the first day in a new group. And yet, for me, the answer was anything but typical.

The question took me back four years, when Cynthia, the director of the conference, stood in the entryway of our house. We had invited her and her husband over for dinner after they spent the weekend in the prayer cabin.

As she removed her shoes, I shared with her about the project I was working on—the first draft of Journey with a Giant.

Immediately, she said,

“You need to come to Scriptoria in Grand Rapids this summer.”

And then, in the next breath:

“And in a few years, if we have a Scriptoria in Scotland, you need to come to that one too!”

Instantly, I felt a holy spark ignite inside of me. I knew that if there ever was a Scriptoria in Scotland, I was meant to be there.

So, as the introductions circled around to me, I shared that story and said,

“I don’t know exactly why I’m here, but I come with a sense of holy mystery, ready to receive whatever God has in store.”

Letting Go of Having a Plan

That was different for me—and different from most attendees, whose primary objective was to receive feedback on their writing submissions.

Not knowing specifically why I was there challenged me. My modus operandi for almost any endeavor—especially one as significant as attending an international writers’ workshop—is to have concrete objectives I’m hoping, even planning, to accomplish.

But that wasn’t the case this time.

In the months leading up to the workshop, I often asked the Lord why I was going and whether registering had been a mistake.

But He kept reassuring me that He had led me there. I didn’t need to arrive with a big agenda. I didn’t need to understand exactly what I would take away because I attended.

I simply needed to go with an orientation of holy mystery—ready to receive and to give whatever blessings each day held.

Guided Drift

In that moment, my dear spiritual giant Mister Rogers floated through my mind, along with a principle he lived by that just so happened to be the subject of the Journey with a Giant article assigned to the week Scriptoria landed.

Guided Drift encourages us to:

“…see our life as a raft floating down a stream. As our raft floats along, we can put our pole out from time to time to keep us from bumping into logs or other obstacles, but the real force directing our raft along is not the pole but the stream (God) itself.”

When we become concerned about figuring everything out, the Lord invites us:

"…to dangle our feet over the side of the raft, let our toes float in the cool water, and enjoy the sunshine on our face.” Journey with a Giant, pp. 145–146

I love that picture.

The Gifts I Couldn't Have Planned

The workshop was amazing!

The main sessions were instructive and inspiring.

I felt incredibly privileged to participate in my workshop group—to witness, walk alongside, encourage, and give and receive feedback with such a beautiful group of Christian writers.

Our conference was hosted by Gilfillan Memorial Church in downtown Dundee, and the congregation loved us well. They welcomed us with open arms, and a daily supply of hot coffee, tea, homemade shortbread, and Scottish lunches. On Sunday morning, we had the honor of joining them for worship.

On the last day of the trip, my DNA started bumping around inside of me again—pushing me to make a list of takeaways and figure out what I needed to get busy doing once I got home.

Then I sensed the Spirit whisper:

“Just as I led you to come with a sense of holy mystery—not needing to figure out why I called you here—I want you to go home in the same way.”

Hmm.

It was so much lighter, more joy-filled, and more childlike than I was used to. I think I could get used to living like this.

God is so good!

How About You?

If you’re like me—always wanting to know the answers and have a concrete plan—where might God be inviting you to loosen your grip on the plan and live with a little more holy mystery?

What might change if, instead of needing to know exactly where He is taking you, you simply trusted the One directing the stream?

Resources Worth Noticing:

Lori G. Melton
Next

Wisdom from the Trail: The Joys & Challenges … and Tips for the Second Half (JWAG Digest)