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!

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 

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

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