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#DistractedByBeauty, 31 reminders from Eden, China, Signs, The Church Year

A Sign From a Beijing Bathroom That Points to Eden

I saw this sign in a bathroom in Beijing:

Please be informed

We were in a nice hotel, doing a bathroom stop—as public restrooms are not always the easiest to find in downtown Beijing. While I understand why a hotel might want to discourage people from using their bathroom as a changing room, when I read it, I was reminded how Eden Lost our world is.

Eden Lost declares some parts of our stories are untouchable for God to reach in and influence, change, redeem, or offer His presence. This is not a changing area.

Eden, however, would have signs with the opposite message! God has hung this sign on your life, over your circumstances, in your messy middle:

Please be informed that this is a changing area.

This is a changing area.

I want to print this sign off and hang it on my wall. Better yet, I want to paper the walls of my heart and mind with it. How helpful to see this sign the day after I shared with you Kimberlee’s book  The Circle of Seasons and an invitation to join in reading it over the course of the year.

A friend contacted me wanting to double the offer on the books for the giveaway. Eight of your names were drawn and you’ve been contacted that you won!

I was moved at the response. Twenty-four of you left comments. And I don’t believe it was just because of a free book (though, I know it helped!). Honestly, I believe it’s because you too long to be anchored in a deeper story than Black Friday, Valentine’s Day, even, dare I say it, Pi Day.

We want to be invested in stories that matter. Like this one. Before I headed to China, my friend Michelle texted me: “So the college I work at—Northwestern College—is doing Operation Christmas Child. I shared your post and they are ramping up the boy boxes. They are putting out a challenge for the guy dorms to pack as many as they can. Yay for boys.”

Yesterday she sent me this:

OCC boxes

“Most of our 100 boxes is for boys. The big stack of boxes is for boys ages 10-14. Majority of our boxes are for boys.”

Please be informed that this is a changing area.

God hangs this sign over your heart. And then it hangs over the boys.

This sign is hung again and again.

If you didn’t win a book, I still have good news for you. Kimberlee has extended the offer of her book to you for $5. She said, “Just shoot me an email with your mailing address, the number of copies you want, and to whom you’d like them inscribed, and I’ll get them in the mail to you. You’ll have them in plenty of time to read the Advent chapter before the season begins on November 29.”

I’m still a bit fuzzy in the brain from jet lag, so I haven’t made a plan yet. I’ll work on how we’ll get started this weekend and let you know early next week.

Know why I’d like you to leave a comment on this post? It’s not because I love comments (even though I do), it’s because God used that sign as an invitation to me to slow down and reflect on my life. He’d like to do it for you too.

Where could you use the Eden Sign in your life right now?

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13 Comments November 20, 2015

About Amy

My name is Amy and I live in the messy middle of life. I have been Redeemed from permanent muck and live with the tension of the Already and Not Yet.

Comments

  1. Alice says

    November 20, 2015 at 7:32 am

    “Eden Lost declares some parts of our stories are untouchable for God to reach in and influence, change, redeem, or offer His presence.”
    Can you please explain what you mean by that statement? Are there really any areas in our life or story that are untouchable for God? Is not every detail of our life open and laid bare before Him with whom we have to do?

    Reply
    • Amy says

      November 20, 2015 at 8:09 am

      Delighted to! No, there are no areas … That’s why God’s sign would be: “This is a changing area!”

      Reply
    • Mark Allman says

      November 20, 2015 at 8:31 am

      Alice,
      I thought the same and said “no that’s not true” and then I saw where Amy had contrasted that falsehood with the truth that God and reach anyone and into their entirety.

      Reply
  2. Lynn says

    November 20, 2015 at 8:02 am

    Hi Amy! I’d like to join you in reading this book. I just sent my e-mail. I wish it was digitized so I download it, but thankfully, I will be home from Kenya in mid-Dec so I’ll be able to start reading then. I think God might be inviting me into his changing room after many years here and think it would be good to travel through the church year with others on the journey.

    Reply
  3. Lynn says

    November 20, 2015 at 8:04 am

    oops, I put the wrong e-mail on that last comment

    Reply
    • Lynn says

      November 20, 2015 at 8:07 am

      hm..I don’t actually see my first comment. I am excited to join you in reading and practicing the church year. I think God is inviting me into a season of change and think it will be good to travel with others in the journey of connecting with Him.

      Reply
  4. Mark Allman says

    November 20, 2015 at 8:33 am

    I’ve passed along your information about the boys Amy. Glad you are having a good time in China!

    Reply
  5. Becca Byers says

    November 20, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    Hi dear Amy,

    Your blog is so touching and so tangibly real! Thanks for sharing the truth that God gives us every opportunity to change, and change to our depths!

    You have this sassyness and sadness that reminds me of the writer Jeanette Li (a Chinese-born Chinese missionary who wrote a terrific biography). If you’d like a copy of her biography & consider reviewing it, just let me know at becca@crowandcovenant.com.

    Reply
  6. Jody Collins says

    November 20, 2015 at 2:26 pm

    Oh, Amy, there is so much to love about this…..the sharing of K’s book, for one (God bless her generosity)! And the sign in the bathroom, prompting some deeper thoughts.
    I love the way you look at the world, friend.

    Reply
  7. M'Lynn says

    November 21, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    sometimes i need a sign that says “this is a changing area” so i can be reminded I always have the option to change my negative attitude into a positive one and continue on with my day :)

    Reply
    • Amy says

      November 21, 2015 at 8:19 pm

      Me too!!! :)

      Reply
  8. Nancy Ruegg says

    November 23, 2015 at 1:10 pm

    Often we (OK, I!) balk at change. We don’t like the menu to change at our favorite restaurant, the format of our favorite magazine to be altered, or the order of worship at church to be shifted around, But just the light-hearted tone of that sign, “Please be informed. This is a changing area!” lifts the dread of change into the realm of positive possibilities. I am a changing area! God is still working on me! New possibilities lie ahead! Yup–I’m actually liking the idea of change, thanks to you, Amy!

    Reply
  9. Elizabeth says

    November 23, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    Hey Amy! This is a great reminder! I need to remember this in the area of my pride. It keeps cropping up here and there no matter how hard I try to keep it mowed down. Glad to know the Father’s still working on me!

    Reply

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