For such a time as this

There are certain phrases in the Christian community that are quoted so much that I almost feel like I've built up a sort of immunity to their potency, simply because I've heard them used so many times. 

"For such a time as this..." is one of those for me.

I've heard it used and quoted so many times that I have a tendency to let it go in one ear and out the other.  But yesterday morning I was reading the book of Esther and for some reason, as I read it in context, it jumped off the page as if I had never heard it before.  It moved from being a bit of a cliche (for lack of a better term) to being alive with power and purpose. 

Esther was an orphan being raised by her older cousin, Mordecai.  The king of their land, after being humiliated by his wife and basically dethroning her, was in search of a new queen.  The king's advisers went to him with a proposal.  Their idea was to go to each province and gather the most beautiful virgins, bring them back to the palace, give them beauty treatments for a year and then let him pick the best of the best for his new queen.  Then I read a verse that made me laugh out loud.  It said:

"This advice appealed to the King, and he followed it."

Um.... yeah??!! Can't really imagine him refusing that one.

Anyway, Esther was obviously beautiful but the story tells us that not only was she beautiful but she had a great sense of humility about her which helped her to find favor with those around her.

To make a long story short, Esther was chosen to be the new queen.  The king did not know this but Esther was a Jew.  While she was living in the king's court she learned (from Mordecai) that the king had approved a conspiracy to kill of all the Jews in the land.  Mordecai realized the timeliness of Esther's recent placement in the palace and encouraged her to appeal to the king to save the lives of her people. But, (and this is a big BUT) in order to do this Esther would have to go to the king which was not permitted unless you were invited, admit her nationality, and risk her life of comfort and luxury in hopes that she could save thousands of lives.

It was at this critical decision making time Mordecai floated out this pivotal and emotionally charged question and said, "Who knows that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

Esther decided to rise to the challenge and  responded by saying, "If I perish, I perish." Such courage!!

I've heard this phrase thrown around a lot but often without the gravity that it deserves.  This was not about Esther rising to some position of power and influence but actually the complete opposite. It was about Esther realizing that her position was really not about her at all but about the thousands of lives that would be saved.

There are a lot of people anxious to have a position of influence but would they still be willing if it meant risking every comfort that they know...even their life?  (I'm asking myself too...just so you know!)

Doesn't seem as glamorous when you read it that way.  But what a beautiful display of courage to aspire to! The crown, the *bling*, the position, but along with it...the risk of total exposure.

Who are the people in your circle of influence you have been called to reach out to?  Would you be willing to risk total exposure if you thought it may save a life?

I would love to hear from you...feel free to comment :)

Shrunk, stretched and scratched!

Still harping on the Alice in Wonderland theme…

 ________________________________

At one point in Alice's journey when she consulted with Absolom, the Blue Caterpillar, about which way she should go, he answered her sharply saying,

“I can’t help you if you don’t even know who you are,

 stupid girl.”

Ok, so that was a little harsh but there was truth in what he said.  You cannot know where you are going until you know who you are. 

It is most important on this journey of life to establish who we are; perhaps even more important, is to know where we derive our sense of self from.  If we don’t, we run the risk of falling prey to the pressure of other people’s standards and hopes for us rather than charting our own course.

This is definitely a process, one that we must keep revisiting throughout our life.   Every different stage of life presents new challenges and new temptations to let outside influences define who we are, how we feel about ourselves, and where we are going. 

It is usually when we are completely fed up with trying to measure up to the world’s standards or the opinions of others (no matter how well-meaning they are) that we really dig in to find out who we are and where we should be going.

I love how Alice expressed herself in the movie when she finally reached her breaking point.  She said, exasperated:

“From the moment I fell down that rabbit hole I've been told where I must go and who I must be. I've been shrunk, stretched, scratched, and stuffed into a teapot. I've been accused of being Alice and of not being Alice but this is *my* dream. *I'll* decide where it goes from here.”

Oh my goodness!  Can anyone relate?? I have felt exactly that way before with the possible exception of being stuffed in a teapot, although I’ve definitely felt like that too!

Alice finally decided that she was her father’s daughter and she was going to let that be her guide. She was going to begin following her own instincts.

This is something I have recently really come to embrace.  The fact that, because I have the spirit of God living inside me, I can depend on Him to guide my every decision and not stress out about whether or not I am veering off the "right" path. Here are a few verses that I rely on. 

Acts 17:28 says (and I love this…)

“In Him we live and move and have our being.” 

That pretty much sums it up.  That is where we live and how we move...IN HIM.  If you know that...if you really know that, and base your decisions on that reality ~ it will guide your every move.  

And one final promise to tuck deep inside your heart ~ Isaiah 30:21

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

So trust His voice and get on with your journey!! The best is yet to come.

Have you lost your muchness?

When Alice arrived in Wonderland for the second time there was some debate about whether or not she was "the" Alice that they were all waiting for.  They were anxiously anticipating her return because they knew that she was going to be the White Queen's champion on the Frabjous Day making things right in their world by defeating the Jabberwocky. 

Yes, I realize this all sounds a little bit ridiculous but stick with me for a minute.  

When she meets up with the Mad Hatter he immediately assures his friends that she is indeed "the" Alice.  He says that he would know her anywhere.  But after being with her for a little while he notices her reluctance to slay the Jabberwocky, a feat that would save them all from the terror of the Red Queen's rule. He notices that she no longer has the fighting spirit she once had.  This is how he tells her.

He looks at her sadly and says, "You're not the same as you were before.  You were much more...muchier.  You've lost your muchness."

It is a funny way to put it…but have you ever felt that way?  Like you have lost your muchness? Life has beaten you down, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t muster up the energy to keep getting back up? But deep down inside you just know that your muchness is still there somewhere!

This is where Alice was but slowly she began to realize that the people of Wonderland needed what she had to offer and that light began to grow inside of her pressing her forward. 

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 puts this idea into context for us.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.  Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

And so regardless of our present circumstances we must reach down deep and get our muchness back because the world is waiting for it!

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.  2 Cor. 4 16-18

Around the bend

My daughter and I recently cuddled up on the couch and watched Tim Burton’s 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland, with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. I’ve seen it before but for some reason this time I saw so many parallels to the journey of life and faith. So,  I thought it would be fun to write about them this week. 

 

From the opening exchange between Alice and her father I was hooked.  Alice was having nightmares and delusions and asked her father if she had “gone round the bend.” His response was, “"I'm afraid so...you're mad; bonkers. Off your head...but I'll tell you a secret...all of the best people are."  

I have always had affection for people that are just a little wacky.  Wackiness is often indicative of an eccentric personality or an entrepreneurial spirit both of which I find inspiring and fascinating. 

I found Alice so endearing. Perhaps I identified with this unconventional and often defiant young girl and her quest to become all that she was meant to become.  It was not an easy journey to say the least, but one with many twists and turns, much like life.  I loved her spunk and tenacity.  She was not always sure of who she was, nor was she confident that she had what it would take to fulfill her destiny, yet she displayed an enormous amount of courage from the very beginning.  It was her courage coupled with curiosity that led her down the rabbit hole to ultimately discover her identity.  And every step of the way she was becoming more and more her self.

Alice had a sense that there were great things in store for her.  She carried her father’s free spirit inside of her but she was being pressured to settle for a life of convenience.  However, just in the moment that she was “supposed” to accept the marriage proposal that would “supposedly” mean that she would be taken care of financially and live a carefree life, a rabbit in a waistcoat showed up and challenged it all.  She recognized the interruption as an invitation to embark on an adventure. Instead of settling for the status quo, she followed the rabbit all the way to Wonderland where she would realize an inner strength and resolve that she didn’t even know she possessed.

I think we all have times in life when we may be tempted to settle for the path of least resistance or the less scary option. But we have our Father’s spirit inside us pushing us to believe for the impossible. 

Alice’s father in an opening line in the movie said, “The only way to achieve the impossible, is to believe it’s possible.”

Is there a path you should be following even if it goes against all reason?  Is the Holy Spirit nudging you to follow Him down a particular road?  Say "Yes!" to the invitation to embark on the adventurous life of faith marked out for you and just wait to see all that is around the bend! 

Start here.

Start Here.

For months I had been having visions of starting something.  For years actually. I could see it. I could taste it. I was growing more and more impatient.

I knew that there were lots and lots of women struggling just like me to find their place.

I had just been through a very trying time of feeling like I had lost, or was losing, my identity.  It lasted longer than I would have liked, but through the process, I felt awakened to the suffering of other women. We all face challenges maintaining our identity because of all the different hats we wear.  Coming through the experience, I felt called to take what I had learned through the process and reach out to others that may be struggling.  I was a woman with a mission burning inside of me, and I was ready to go out and change the world. 

But instead, I was working as a Marketing Director for my husband's business.  I knew he needed me there, but I could feel myself itching to move on and start living out what I now believed was my "calling."  I became very frustrated.  I didn't understand why I felt so impassioned to reach out to women of all ages and walks of life and start this ministry when I was not free to do so.

On my way to work one day I vented my frustration to God.  The whining session sounded something like this:  "I just don't get it.  You've given me this passion, but I feel like my hands are tied. I just wanted to get started." And I felt Him challenge me by saying, "So start."

I started to list the reasons why I couldn't, and I heard that still small voice say, "Start right where you are."  I thought about it for a bit and realized that I was surrounded by women every day and that I could look for opportunities to encourage someone right where I was.  I adjusted my attitude and asked God to give me an opportunity that day to do what I believed He was calling me to do in my current situation.

When I got to work I overheard a conversation that a young girl that worked for us was having with our manager. The young worker was disrespectful, and I needed to step in.  I asked her if I could speak with her and gave her some gentle instruction about submitting to authority even if you don't agree with everything they say or do.  I told her God would honor that and it would serve her well to learn that lesson now.  (I had the liberty to do that because I knew that she was a believer and was striving to live by biblical principles.)

She didn't looked thrilled with me, but before I left that afternoon, she asked if she could speak with me.

She shyly said something to this effect, "Every time I am around you, I feel like I learn something.  Do you think it would be possible for us to meet outside of work for coffee every now and then just to talk?"

That was the day I learned the "Start Here" principle. No title. No logo. No fanfare. I just needed to start.

Can you relate?  Are you there right now?  I'd love to hear your story! 

Feel free to leave a comment!

Excuses, Excuses

I have a lovely flower garden.  But I didn't always.

Before I decided to get intentional about making my garden look nice, I would just wish that I had one.  I wished I could just close my eyes and *poof* a beautiful garden appear.  But great gardens don't just happen.

In my wishing stage I would see other people's gardens and find myself being jealous.  And then I would make excuses. A list of reasons why I didn't have a nice garden.  I decided that there was something wrong with the soil in my front yard. Every time I planted flowers, they would inevitably shrivel up and die.  So I blamed the full sun exposure of my yard. Excuses, excuses.

Last month, I decided to trash the excuses and get serious about finding out what it would take to have a thriving garden.  That was step one.

STEP ONE: Stop making excuses!

So let's apply this principle to life.

Is there something in your life that you have been dreaming of doing? Do you see someone else pursuing their dream and find yourself being envious that you are not living yours?  Do you have a gift that you could be sharing with the world that you are not using? Do you find yourself making excuses for why you are not stepping out?

If the answer is yes to any of the above, then it's time to stop making excuses.  There is a difference between a reason and an excuse. If you really peel back the so called "reasons" that you can't pursue your dream, you will most likely find that they are actually excuses in disguise.  People that really want to do something will go out of their way and overcome incredible obstacles in order to do it. We read inspiring stories about them all the time. I would like to encourage you to make a list of your "reasons" why you cannot move forward with your idea or your dream and scratch out the ones that are really excuses in disguise.

Every dream, no matter how big, starts with one small step.

What is that one step that you need to take today to start moving in the direction of your dream?

Food for thought:  "Not enough time" and "not enough money" are both excuses.

Tomorrow, I'll share my personal experience with this step. Hope you'll check back.

Have a wonderful day!

Great gardens don't just happen!

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, 

bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept."

I have been doing a lot of gardening lately. This is a fairly recent passion. The more I get into it the more I have seen so many parallels to life.

My gardening endeavor coincided time-wise with preparing for our Girls Night Out that we had this past Monday evening.  The topic of the evening was a serious one ~ Human Trafficking, specifically sex trafficking.  It is not a pleasant topic yet it is important that we talk about this and don't ignore what is going on right under our noses, in our city, on our watch. (and not just our city ~ lots of cities and even small towns)

According to the Clearwater Area Task Force on Human Trafficking's website recent studies estimate that approximately 18,000 to 50,000 people are trafficked into the United States annually with Florida being one of the top 3 destination states.

And so if we look at our community as our "garden" and we want to bring out the God-colors in our corner of the world, we must do what every gardener has to do when they get started.

We must CLEAR, CREATE and COMMIT.

We must clear the garden of the things that are choking or eating away at the potentially beautiful plants and flowers.  The Task Force is working hard to do that along with the lawmakers and concerned citizens that are aware and looking for signs, calling the hotline with potential leads.

We must create safe and nurturing environments for the flowers and plants to grow.  We must make sure the soil that they are planted in is rich with nutrients.  Organizations like Created and Bridging Freedom are doing just that.  Making sure that the victims that are rescued have a safe place to recover and rehabilitate.

We must commit to caring for our plants and flowers.  We cannot expect to plant flowers in the ground and just expect them to thrive.  They need water, fertilizer and light! If we want to see change we must commit to helping in someway.  Everybody can do something.

Our evening ended with this song.  If you have time, have a listen.

COMING UP:  I will be expounding on the gardening theme but how it applies to our personal lives and dreams...stay tuned :)

Good Friday thoughts

I remember Good Friday being a big deal when I was a little girl.  My grandmother made fish (which I wasn't crazy about and didn't understand the significance of) and we went to church.  Over the years it seems like Good Friday does not get the kind of attention it did then.  We attended a Lutheran church when I was little. Maybe the Lutheran church still makes a big deal of it.

Anyway, I have just been thinking today about what a very big deal it really is.

It was the day it all changed.

The day that salvation came.
The day that redemption was set in motion.
The day of justification and pardon.
The day of freedom for you and for me.

There is a Redeemer, 
Jesus, God's own Son,
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, 
Holy One!

Thank you, oh my Father
For giving us Your Son,
And leaving Your Spirit, 
'Til the work on Earth is done. 
(Excerpt from "There is a Redeemer" written by Melody and Keith Green)

There is still so much work to be done.  So many broken people in need of hope.  I find myself this Good Friday challenged to be a messenger of hope. The hope that Jesus died to bring.

I

I love this conversation between Jesus and his disciples just before he died:

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” 

And since we are children of the light everyone of us must let His light shine. 

Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice ~ help me to let your light shine.

Never Give Up. Ever.

The vision of For the Girls International was born in the middle of one of the darkest times of my life.  At the time I didn't really know it was a vision.  It just seemed like an odd thought.  Very odd.  The depression was the result of some physical issues with my thyroid combined with a lot of emotional stress.

It was the year I was turning 40 and my oldest son was graduating high school and preparing to leave for college.   It sounds a little ridiculous to even write but I was just not ready for any of that. It seemed like one day he was my little boy and then poof ~ he was a young man and would be leaving me!  I wasn't ready to move into the phase of life where all my children were not sleeping safely under my roof.  I don't know what I thought "ready" would look or feel like, I just knew that I wasn't ready.  On top of that my grandfather who I loved dearly was dying. I was trying to be there for my grandmother and help walk her through the pain of losing her life and soul mate. It was a rough time. It didn't seem like enough to throw me into the darkness that I was in but in addition to the physical and emotional challenges of life there is always a spiritual element too.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us:
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

It is not a pleasant subject but it is a reality that we must be aware of.  We have a God that loves us and delivers us but we also have an enemy that hates us and wishes to destroy us. Our adversary is constantly on the prowl to see who he can kick while they are down.  He uses lies fired at our minds to try to convince us that God has forgotten about us or is not loving because He is allowing us to go through a valley experience.  But the truth is our enemy is powerless.  The truth is God is aware of every circumstance we are in and intends to use what we learn through those experiences to strengthen our faith.  We in turn can use those faith building experiences to encourage and influence those around us to have strength on their journey.  And so faith and strength multiplies through the hardest times of our life.  


We must be alert and realize that we have an enemy so that we don't fall prey to his lies and temptations.  Then we must rely on our Redeemer to rescue us and lift us out of the darkness as He promises that He will.  1 Peter 5:10 tells us:


"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

This sounds a little heavy for a Monday morning but praying that someone needed to hear it!  
The darkest hour is just before the dawn. NEVER GIVE UP!

Resolve to BE FEARLESS!

I remember the first time I was asked to speak to a group about my experience with depression.

I said yes.  And then, almost immediately, I regretted it.

Fear began to creep in.  I was afraid of what people would think of me.  I wasn't sure I wanted people to know about my weaknesses and frailties. I was afraid that they would think less of me.

At that time, besides my husband and my sisters only a few very close friends knew what I had been going through.  It's not something you really want to talk about. The reason I had said yes to speaking was because during that depression I had felt God open my eyes to the suffering around me. I had a profound sense that I was not alone and that there were many others that didn't speak of it but were in pain. I thought that if even one person was encouraged by my story then it would be worth it.  And I was right about that.

But it was still scary. A few weeks before the event  the women's pastor was announcing the conference in a service and right out loud in front of 1000+ people she announced that Tracey Metzger had just been through several months of depression and would be speaking about it at the conference. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.  Why had I said yes??

Putting yourself out there can be terrifying but if God is calling you to do something, whether it is making yourself vulnerable like that or just taking that first step towards your dream...if he is calling you he will equip you with the boldness and the courage you need. 

I made a resolution back then that if God was calling me to do something scary that I would resolve to be fearless and if I couldn't be fearless then I would do it afraid!

I did speak at that conference. It was scary but not as as scary as I had imagined it would be.  I was humbled by how many people came to thank me for the glimmer of hope they had found in my story.


I love what Mordecai told Esther when she was afraid to step into the position that God had ordained for her:

"And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 

By stepping into that place that God had prepared for her and prepared her for, Esther saved her people. Remember that you are part of God's big picture and we all have a role.

What is God calling you to do that may be a little scary to you?

Make a resolution today to BE FEARLESS or at least to do it afraid!

Keep running!

A few years ago I was preparing a message for one of our conferences.  It was based on Hebrews 12:1 about running our race with perseverance.  I was praying that God would lead me to the resources I needed to gather information for my talk.

Soon after praying, I got an email from a friend who is a fitness instructor and she was offering to train a group of women to run a 5K.  Something in my head said, "There's your resource ~ you should train for the 5K." I promptly ignored the voice and clicked out of the email.

That was not the kind of resource I meant.  I meant books, or articles.  Something that I could read from the comfort of my couch.  I strongly dislike any form of physical exercise and to make matters worse the training would be at 6:00am!! I dislike getting out of bed early in the morning almost as much as I dislike physical exercise.

A few days went by and I could not ignore the prompting so I conceded and signed up for the training.

When I was in school people would always think, because I have long legs, that I am a runner.  But I am not.  My legs just don't work that way.  I have weak ankles and no stamina.

But I made it a goal to finish the 5K.  The first day we just did one lap around her neighborhood and I was pretty glad I did that without passing out.  I could not imagine that I could ever accomplish much more than that.  But Jenni, my trainer, encouraged me that I would build strength and endurance as I went along.  I would have been happy to settle for being able to run a few laps around her neighborhood but she kept pushing and to my amazement I was able to complete the race.

God may be calling you to something that you feel like is stretch for your current ability and skill set.  They dream that he's given you may overwhelm you at times and it may tempting to settle for less.

But be confident of this ~

 "...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

 Phillipians 1:6

As you keep moving forward towards your goals and dreams God will give you just what you need for every step of the journey.  So keep running!

Faith that moves mountains

If we are going to see the dreams that God has planted in our hearts come to fruition we must have faith to believe that He is able to make them happen. Sometimes we settle for less just because we don't know how to access the faith that we do have.


You may be thinking to yourself that you don't have a lot of faith in comparison to others.  Maybe you don't.  But you have some.  I know that because Romans 3:12 says, "...as God has dealt to each a measure of faith." If you feel like maybe you were dealt a smaller amount, which is how I feel sometimes, then take comfort in the fact that it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed to move a mountain!!

So much for the excuses!! We all have faith and it only takes a little teeny bit to move mountains. Now it is a matter of drawing upon it and growing it.

So how does it grow?

The first thing I do when my faith is low is pray.  There is a story in Mark 9 of a desperate father pleading with Jesus for healing for his son. Jesus tells him, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Then the man says, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief" (Read the whole story here)


I cannot tell you how many times I have prayed that prayer.  And it works.  God stands ready and willing to increase your faith if you simply ask for it! 


The next thing I do is pick up my bible.  Plain and simply, "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17.

Lastly, I call to mind times in the past when God has come through for me.  The recollection of all that He has done for me in the past builds my faith to believe for my future. I learned this from David.  Whenever I am feeling hopeless about the future I love to read the Psalms because then I don't feel so bad.  David was absolutely miserable at times!! But he pulls through by remembering all the times that God was faithful and it brings him hope. (Psalm 143, Psalm 77)

I love this quote from Corrie Ten Boom...

Faith is like radar that sees through the fog.

Work for it.

Some people may choose to settle for less because they don't want to work for more!

If it's worth having it's worth working for. 

I'm sure someone much smarter than me has said that before but when I searched for it as a quote I couldn't find it so I'm claiming it!

In my quote search I found "If it's worth having it's worth fighting for" which is also true. But sometimes I think it's easier to fight for something than to work for it.  Fighting for something, in my mind, evokes images of passion and fervent intention.  Sounds kind of exciting! Working for something, on the other hand, brings to my mind drudgery and laborious effort. Not so inviting.

Working just sounds hard. And sometimes it is.  But if it is worth having then it is worth working for. 

In 2 Thessalonians 3 Paul talks about this very thing.  He stresses the importance of not being lazy. God has called everyone of us to do great things in His name.  He wants to use us to bring solutions to the needs of this sometimes dark world.  That will require getting our hands dirty and working hard.  We must not become weary in well-doing. 

Never settle for less than God has for you because you don't want to work for it.  We are promised that the payoff is worth every ounce of sweat.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time 

we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 

Galatians 6:9 

The waiting game

Patience.  The word itself makes me start to squirm. I, like a lot of people, hate to wait.  I realized recently that the main reason that I often cut it too close for appointments or meetings and end up being late is because I hate the idea of getting somewhere early and having to wait. 

Several years back I needed to find a full-time job. I heard through the grape vine that that there was a possibility that the Production Director at the church that I was attending was leaving and his job would soon be available.  It was a great solution for me since I already spent a lot of time volunteering in that department.  I was excited but weeks and weeks went by and the church administration had not posted the job and there was no indication of when it might happen. I was feeling the pressure to find something quickly and my husband was encouraging me to look elsewhere.  I knew that the production job was the job for me.  I remember being so upset with God because I could see the perfect fit but He was not moving fast enough for me.  Ever been there?

I distinctly remember the day that I said to myself, "Fine, obviously this is not going to happen anytime soon so I will just go find a job myself." I was definitely hoping that God would overhear me. I thought to myself that I would show God and my husband that I was fully capable of finding something on my own it and making it happen all by myself.

Caution: I do not recommend taking matters into your own hands and/or thinking that you can "show" God anything. 

I did go out and find a job in a call center of a uniform company but it was the most miserable two working weeks of my life!  It was the only time I have left a job without notice.  I'm not proud of that, but it was that bad!

The day I quit, I went home and dissolved into tears apologizing to God and surrendering my plans to Him.  It was such a huge lesson to me.  Two days later the job at the church came through.

Even though that experience was a little blip on the map of my life it was a lesson I tucked away in my heart and when I feel anxious and tempted to settle for less than what I know God has promised for me I remember those long two weeks in that dingy call center and the lesson I learned about waiting on Him.

So many times in life we quit believing or holding out for the best just shy of it coming to pass.  Don't be tempted to settle for less.  Hang on and hold out for the best!

Psalm 27:13-14   

I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be strong. Yes, wait for the Lord. New Life Version (NLV)

Never Settle!

I'm on a roll here with this blogging thing.  Thanks for those who have been reading along.  If you are just joining in, I have committed to blogging each week on the resolutions that a bunch of us made at RESOLVE, our first Girls Night Out of the year for For the Girls International.  You can see all of the resolutions here.

This 3rd week I'll be talking about resolution #3 which is:

I resolve to refuse to settle for anything less than everything that God has for me.  

If we really stop and think about that we have to ask the question...why would we settle?

Why would we be willing to settle for less than God has planned for us? That opens up a lot of possibilities as answers.  It could be that we are not patient enough to wait for it.  It could be that we are not willing to work for it.  It could be that we don't have enough faith to believe it will come to pass.  We could be under the mistaken impression that we don't deserve it. It could be that what God has for us is so big that we are fearful to embrace it, afraid that we could not cope with it or live up to it. It could be that we are allowing Satan to use a number of those reasons to rob us of what is rightly ours as children of God. 

Whatever the reasons, there are times in our life that we compromise and settle for less than the best.

God's word clearly tells us that Jesus came that we may have life and have it to the full!! I love that!!  I want to live life to the full.  I do not want anything less than everything God has for me but that doesn't mean that I don't fall into the trap of settling at times.

So this week I want to dig a little deeper into what it means to NEVER SETTLE!  Are you ready?

Meditate today on this verse:
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."  John 10:10

Ask yourself this question:
What am I allowing in my life to steal, kill and destroy my plans, my hopes, my joy? What would it look like if I was living life to the full?


Check back each day this week! On your journey to your best life, I would love to have the privilege of cheering you on.  Our God is amazingly generous and can do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond anything you could think of or even hope for! So why would you settle for anything less?

Wannabe cheerleader

 When I was a teenager I wanted to be a cheerleader.  My father didn't feel it would be right for me and forbid me to try out. I was so upset! I went crying to my mother about it and she told me to go ahead and try out without telling my dad, then if I made the team, we would deal with it when the time came.  (Yeah, she didn't win any parent-of-the-year awards for that one!)

 The try-outs were held over the course of 2 weeks and during that time I did my best not to engage in a lot of conversation with my dad.  I was afraid that somehow I would expose myself if I talked too much.  So I avoided him as much as possible and made sure I figured out how to get to and from practices without involving him.

I was thrilled when I made it to the final try-out.  One more to go and I'd get to wear the cute outfit and hang out with the football players! On the day of the final round I had to call home to let my mom know that I'd be late.  I went to the pay phone - yes, the pay phone, put in my DIME (that's how old I am!) and dialed my house.

To my horror, my DAD answered!!  That's when things began to unravel. First, I asked if my mom was there but she wasn't.  Uugh!  So, I told him that I needed to stay late.

And then he asked why.

I had to tell him.  I couldn't lie. He was upset. I blamed my mom, of course. He told me to go to the last try-out and then we would talk.  So with red puffy eyes I went and gave probably the lamest effort they had ever seen and consequently did not make the team.

In the beginning of this week I talked about throwing off the things that slow us down so that we can run our race unencumbered.  The resolution to LIGHTEN UP was inspired by the commission in Hebrews 12:1, but there is a second part of that verse that we must not ignore.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

God has set guidelines for us. They are found in the Bible.  He instructs us in His ways for our protection.  He is not trying to suck the fun out of our lives.  When we are tempted to go around His instruction we are on dangerous ground. The farther we get from communication with Him, the easier it is to rationalize that what we are doing is ok.  We must not avoid talking to our heavenly Father.  If our communication with Him is broken it becomes harder and harder to hear His voice. Lines become blurred and before we know it, sin trips us up.  It's that easy.

Thankfully, His grace is endless and sufficient.  No matter how far we are He is waiting with open arms, ready to pick us up and set us on our course again.  But wouldn't it be great if we could avoid the detour altogether?!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Next week: Resolve Week 3 - REFUSE TO SETTLE

Sometimes you need to say no to saying yes!

Every year we host a Christmas party at our house for my husband’s employees.  We look forward to our chance to serve his team.  For the last few years we have had a white elephant gift exchange which is always fun. They all try to outdo each other with funny gifts but the all- time winner for me was the guy who brought a hamster as his gift.  Yes, a live hamster!  My husband knew that my daughter would love it so he “stole” it.  Weeks later I was watching that silly rodent go around and around and around on her wheel.  She was getting nowhere fast. 

Do you ever feel that way?

Sometimes I find myself running and running but accomplishing very little.

When I first began this journey of FTGI I had the privilege of speaking with author and speaker Lysa Terkeurst of Proverbs 31 Ministries for some words of wisdom.  (You can read about our God ordained connection here)  During the course of our conversation she talked about the need to be intentional about how we spend our time if we are going to pursue the calling on our life. 

Intentional.  I loved that word.  I still love it but it is also a challenge for a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of girl like me. 

As the years go by I find that it is more important than ever to be intentional about what I put my hand to and what I commit to. I need to make sure that the things I say “yes” to line up with my priorities based on what I believe God has called me to do.  If I don’t I could very easily get distracted and slow down progress on my assignment for this season in my life.  

So sometimes in order to LIGHTEN UP we need to strip down our schedule in order to focus. 

It may be possible to run so fast that it slows you down.

Lighten up ~ Choose to forgive

“When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive” Alan Paton

Unforgiveness is one of the heaviest pieces of baggage to drag around with you on your journey.  If we are going to run our race unencumbered we need to make sure that we are not harboring bitterness or anger toward someone that has wounded us. But how do you forgive someone that may not even be truly sorry?

When my daughter was a toddler and she would do something naughty like throw something at her brothers, I would do the motherly thing and march her over to apologize.  A forced apology is rarely sincere.  We still laugh today about how when forced to apologize she would give an icy stare, grit her teeth, barely open her mouth and say "Rorry" without any expression.  (that wasn't a misspelling ~ that was how she said it)

The boys would be incensed saying, "Mom, she's not really sorry!!"

She would go on her merry way having done her duty and they would remain all riled up about the injustice of it all.

My response to them would be, "Let it go."

In this life you will be offended and you can count on being hurt by someone at some point. The decision you will have to make in favor of your mental and emotional health is to forgive them and let it go.  If you don't it will slow down your forward motion.

But how? Here are some suggestions...

1. Prayer. Lots of it.  ~ Pray not only for strength to forgive but pray for that person's well being.  This is hard to do but it will help you to see past their fault to their need. You may even begin to have compassion for that person.

2. Have a ceremony ~ Write down who and what you are choosing to forgive and then do something creative to symbolize letting it go.  Burn it (safely in a sink).  Write it on toilet paper and flush it down the toilet...whatever helps you to visualize officially letting it go.

3. Say it out loud ~ It helps to hear yourself say it.  Say it over and over again.  I choose to forgive _____.

4.  Remember that forgiveness is a choice and an act of obedience to God.  It is not a feeling.  You may not feel any different at first but you will over time. Be patient with yourself, forgiveness is often a process.  You know you are making progress when you can think of the person without the offense being the first thing that comes to mind. 

Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Col 3:13)

Break free!

Truth-tellers

Resolve Week Two:
I resolve to lighten up.  
To read about the other resolutions...click here 

The other day I was running a little late to a bridal shower (not unusual for me.) Because of my terrible time management skills I had to rush to get dressed and wrap my present so I was relieved that I had only gotten there 10 minutes late.  Upon arriving the host served me a drink and I began mingling with the guests.  After greeting quite a few people a friend came up behind me and whispered that my tag was hanging out of my shirt.  I thought it was the tag of the maker of the shirt, but no, it was the entire price tag that I had neglected to remove in the rush.  So there I was mingling at the party with a big old Macy's tag hanging down my back!  So embarrassing!  But I was so grateful for the friend that had let me know and had saved me from going through the whole party that way.

In those kinds of situations we welcome the truth-tellers in our lives.  The friend who will tell us when we have something in our teeth or an outfit really doesn't look good on us.  Those kinds of friends are not afraid to cause us momentary embarrassment to save us from further humiliation.

However there is a type of truth that is not so easy to receive from a friend.  The kind of truth that validates the common expression "the truth hurts." Many times it is easier for a friend or someone close to us to see the baggage that we are carrying around.  But when our defense mechanisms kick in we can become very good at convincing ourselves that we are all right and don't really need to make any changes. I've tried to make it a habit that if I receive feedback that sounds like criticism, no matter the source, I will try to peel it back to see if there is any truth to it. 

We know who the truth-tellers are in our life and we should seek out their council.  If I am avoiding telling one of my truth-tellers something that is going on in my life, it is an indication that I may be heading in the wrong direction.

I thank God for the people in my life who I can count on to tell me the truth, even if it hurts.  I have to constantly remind myself to welcome their input.

A good friend and truth-teller should be:
 (take note if you are a truth-teller to someone else)

1. Trustworthy - You need to know that you can trust that person to tell the truth about you to you, but not the to rest of the world!
2. Faithful - You want truth-tellers to be willing to stand by you as you work through the issues you may be facing. It's unusual for change to happen overnight.
3. Loving - The manner in which hard truths are told should be loving and full of grace.

Take a quick minute to pray and ask God to provide you with good friends that will run alongside of you on your journey ~ if they are doing their job they will ensure that you travel light!

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy." Proverbs 27:6

Excess baggage.

Resolve Week Two:
I resolve to lighten up.  
To read about the other resolutions...click here 

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 

Over the years I've worked for several airlines and have been able to observe the difference between passengers that travel light and those that are encumbered by excess baggage.  The recent trend of airlines charging for even the first piece of luggage has caused more and more people to opt to carry on their baggage.  I've seen people at the check-out counter claiming that their 2 year old is carrying on a bag that weighs more than the child itself in order to save the baggage fees! 

The passengers that choose to lug around their overstuffed carry-ons take longer to get through the security checkpoint, have a hard time getting down the narrow aisle of the plane and have to fight to find a place to store the bag once they arrive at their seat.  

On the other hand the passenger that has no baggage or pays the price to check it in and get rid of it breezes through security and boards the plane without complication.  

There is no doubt about it; the person that travels light completes their journey with more ease than the traveler that is dragging along a lot of baggage. 

The writer of Hebrews encourages us to take the "traveling light" approach to life.  We are encouraged to strip of every weight that slows us down. That can be so many different things.  Sometimes when we have been hurt or betrayed we carry those wounds with us on our journey, nursing them and wasting precious time.  Those wounds can result in unforgiveness adding to the heaviness that impedes our progress.  If the unforgiveness is directed at ourselves then it converts into guilt and shame, burdens we are not meant to carry.

Sometimes the things that slow us down are obvious.  Others not so much.  Fear, doubt, worry can all be excess baggage. As you read this you may already know what it is that slows you down.  Then again you may have been carrying it so long you don't even realize it's there anymore and you may have to dig a little deeper in order to recognize it and get rid of it.  

Either way if we are going to accomplish everything that God has called us to do and if we are going to become all that we that we were created to be we have to lighten up!  It may require letting go and paying the price no matter how difficult. When we do, we will find we have the stamina to run our race to win! 

I've been working on off loading some stuff I've been carrying around.  I am praying that this week you will be willing to take steps to check some baggage and lighten up in preparation for the next phase of your journey.

He sees me free!

Freedom is probably my favorite word.  

Definitely in my top ten of favorite words. 

When I close my eyes and think about what it means to be free 

I find myself unconsciously taking a deep cleansing breath,

and my whole body relaxes.

When I hear the word freedom in a song it gets me all choked up. 

It is a longing in the deepest part of every human being ~ to be free.

I can't think of a better way to end this week of talking about how God see us than to simply say

God sees me free!

 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery"  Galatians 5:1

 Walk in freedom...Have a great weekend!

Coming Next Week:  RESOLUTION #2 

I resolve to lighten up! 

Getting rid of the things that threaten our freedom.

What does God see in me?

Last month a bunch of us made 5 resolutions. If you weren't with us feel free to jump in now.  You can review them here.  This week I am blogging on Resolution #1 which is:  

I resolve to see myself as God sees me. 

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome in order to keep this resolution is the temptation to compare ourselves to other people.  This temptation exists for men and women alike, however, in the realm of comparing physical appearance and measuring beauty I don't think anyone could argue the fact that women have it way worse. We are bombarded with an endless stream of images and messages luring us to measure our worth by what we look like.  So let's all feel sorry for ourselves for a second.

Ok that's it...now let's get over it and fight to keep ourselves from falling prey to it.
The onslaught is not going to end anytime soon so...

Let's stop buying into it.  (we could make that Resolution #1a !)

 "God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”   1 Samuel 16:7

In context, God was correcting Samuel's thinking.  I need that sometimes ~ a little readjustment of my thinking. Samuel was trying to figure out who God's anointed one was based on looks and physical ability alone.  But God had chosen David because of his heart. He was described as a brave man, a warrior who chose his words well.  A man after God's heart.  He also happened to be handsome but it's interesting that God went out of his way to point out that it did not factor into His decision to choose him as His anointed one.

I love that David was chosen for his heart and yet this same man wrote the Psalm that cried out,

"Create in me a new heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me" Psalm 51:10

That Psalm was written out of David's brokenness from making a mess of things and succumbing to temptation.  But the good news that everyone needs to hear is in Psalm 51:17.  The word tells us that God will not despise a broken and contrite heart.

God sees straight through to your heart and no matter what condition it is in, if your desire is for it to be clean, He will wash it white as snow.  Now that is beautiful.

You ~ the Warrior

Some days I wake up feeling strong.  I love those days! But other days I feel like Gideon did when God addressed him as a mighty warrior ~ not so convinced.  Some days no matter how I try to push through and put on the full armor of God I just feel like this..

                                              Overdressed in a clunky outfit!

When God told Gideon that He was going to use him to save Israel, He told him to go in the strength that he had and then he said these four words...

"I will be with you." 

Those four words make all the difference in the world.  It is the difference between operating in our own strength or operating with whatever strength we have and then allowing God to fill up the space in between.  That is the true meaning of His power being perfected in our weakness. 

There is an old song by Twila Paris (I'm dating myself!) called The Warrior is a Child

It goes like this...

Lately I've been winning battles left and right
But even winners can get wounded in the fight
People say that I'm amazing
Strong beyond my years
But they don't see inside of me
I'm hiding all the tears

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child

I think we all feel like that child at times.  No matter how strong we appear on the outside. But He is right there with us calling us to be strong in Him and the power of His might. 

Rest in the knowledge that He is with you today and this is how He sees you!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”  Ephesians 6: 10-13

RESOLVE Blog Week One!

Well, we are 2 months into the new year and usually by now I have long forgotten my resolutions or have chosen to block them out of my mind if they had anything to do with diet or exercise!  But this year is different.  This year I made some resolutions at our first GNO of the year (along with some of you) that I am trying hard to keep top of mind.  

At our kickoff event for FTGI this year I challenged everyone attending to make 5 resolutions for this year that will keep us moving towards our dreams and will help us to live a fulfilling and successful life. I would love to extend that challenge to anyone reading that may not have attended and encourage you to come on this journey with us.  At the end of the evening last month we each made these declarations....

1. I resolve to see myself as God sees me

2. I resolve to lighten up! 

3. I resolve to refuse to settle.

4. I resolve to be fearless 

5. I resolve to never give up!

The message of the evening was inspired by the story of Gideon.  I have spent a lot of time entrenched in his story because I can relate to him on so many levels. When we are introduced to Gideon in Judges 6:11 we find Gideon threshing wheat in a wine press.  He was trying to stay hidden because his tribe was under constant attack.  He was not able to do his job in the normal way because if he did he would be an open target for his enemies.  

Have you ever been there?  You have a job to do (one you thought God asked you to do) but circumstances just keep making it more and more difficult to accomplish!   I have definitely been there.  I remember even recently having a little bit of an attitude with God ( I know that's shocking) because I was trying to carry out a task I knew He had called me to do but it seemed like all the powers in the universe were coming against it making it more and more difficult.  I just felt like giving up.  I knew it was not ultimately what I wanted to be doing forever but I did believe that it was what He was asking me to do in that season.  So I found myself asking..."if I am here, doing what you clearly told me I should be doing then why is it SO hard?" (hence, the attitude)  But reading Gideon's story encouraged me.   I don't want to read into the text too much but I find it interesting that it was during Gideon's time of persistence under persecution that the angel of the Lord showed up out of nowhere.

There, in the drudgery of the work at hand...work I'm sure he didn't feel like was his ultimate calling in life...work that he probably would have traded places with anyone for... there, in that place of faithful persistence God finds him.  But here's the thing.  God did not just accidentally stumble upon him.  He actually saw him all along.  I believe that God was developing character in him that would sustain him for the much larger assignment God had for him.  It is often during those character proving times of hardship that God is preparing you for a bigger assignment.  But we want to just get through it as fast as we can.  I know I do.  

But the angel of the Lord showed up and when he addressed Gideon he said, "The Lord is with you mighty warrior."  MIGHTY WARRIOR? Gideon must have looked around as if to say, "Are you talking to me?" Gideon did not see himself as a mighty warrior.  In fact he let the angel know that he was, in fact, the weakest in his clan and not only that...his clan is the weakest of all the clans.  The weakest of the weak!  And yet God saw something that Gideon himself could not see.  God knew the plans He had for Gideon.  He knew that His power would be perfected in Gideon's weakness.  

So Gideon had to start seeing himself as God saw him.  If he continued seeing himself with his own eyes he would see only his weakness, his fragility and his faults.  He would never have been able to accomplish the big assignment that was waiting for him.  And the salvation of a nation depended on it.  

It is so important for you to start seeing yourself as God sees you not only for your sake but for the sake of the lives that you will impact when you are living the life you were created to live.  

For the next few weeks I would love to have the privilege of encouraging you on your journey to live by these resolutions.  I'm going to take one resolution a week and expound on them and see where it takes us...

I would love to interact with you so feel free to leave your comments.

Lots of love fellow warriors!!

The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

Judges 6:11-12