I continue my quest to become not just the person God wants me to be but the woman God wants me to be. It is a God-directed quest and I confess I never would have had the courage or strength to travel the road of femininity without God’s constant prodding. I have been wounded as a result of being female and somewhere along the way learned to close my heart and mind to the reality that I am a woman. Many things have changed about me over the last several months. The changes have occurred on the inside and the outside.
As I learn to become more comfortable with the fact that God created me to be a woman, I realize that God has given each woman her own unique beauty. And one woman's beauty has nothing to do with another woman's beauty. My beauty...and your beauty...stands on its own. And one woman's beauty does not take away from another woman's beauty. Did you get that? Another woman’s beauty does not take away from your beauty.
Our beauty as individual women is enough because God gave it to us. And because God gave our beauty to us, no one can take it away unless we let them. Recognize your incredible, God-given beauty and do not let anyone...even yourself...take it away from you.
Recommended Reading
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Hope and Disappointment
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for…” Hebrews 11:1
Several friends and I are daring to believe God to change us and some of our circumstances. For various reasons, we are afraid we will not make it this time and either stay in patterns and habits that do not get us where we want to be or we will fail and be worse off than when we started. None of us wants to contemplate the cost of perceived failure.
Disappointment is an interesting emotion. To be disappointed means to be “defeated in expectation or hope” (merriam-webster.com). We hope for something or expect something and if we do not get it we feel disappointed. We feel defeated. String together enough defeated expectations and hopes and we start to give up or give in. We stop hoping and expecting and believing for something to happen. Eventually, we give up and settle for whatever state we are in adopting an “I don’t care” attitude.
Disappointments are a part of life. There is no avoiding them. Disappointments, like failures, do not have to be defeating and they are not the end of the world even though they may feel like it.
I have already had a significant disappointment today. But it’s okay. I decided that I will let God be the God of my disappointments. I will turn my disappointments over to Him and dare to keep believing. I will make whatever adjustments I need to make because those who put their hope in God will never be disappointed (Psalm 25:3).
What about you? What are you doing with your disappointments? Do not run from them or ignore them. Take them to a God Who loves you more than you can imagine. He is a God Who wants only the best for you. Put your hope in Him and you will not be disappointed.
Recommendation: Go to biblegateway.net and do a search on the word “hope.” Read the passages from the Bible that have the word “hope” or a variation of “hope” in them. Be encouraged and learn to put your hope in God and trust Him with your disappointments.
Several friends and I are daring to believe God to change us and some of our circumstances. For various reasons, we are afraid we will not make it this time and either stay in patterns and habits that do not get us where we want to be or we will fail and be worse off than when we started. None of us wants to contemplate the cost of perceived failure.
Disappointment is an interesting emotion. To be disappointed means to be “defeated in expectation or hope” (merriam-webster.com). We hope for something or expect something and if we do not get it we feel disappointed. We feel defeated. String together enough defeated expectations and hopes and we start to give up or give in. We stop hoping and expecting and believing for something to happen. Eventually, we give up and settle for whatever state we are in adopting an “I don’t care” attitude.
Disappointments are a part of life. There is no avoiding them. Disappointments, like failures, do not have to be defeating and they are not the end of the world even though they may feel like it.
I have already had a significant disappointment today. But it’s okay. I decided that I will let God be the God of my disappointments. I will turn my disappointments over to Him and dare to keep believing. I will make whatever adjustments I need to make because those who put their hope in God will never be disappointed (Psalm 25:3).
What about you? What are you doing with your disappointments? Do not run from them or ignore them. Take them to a God Who loves you more than you can imagine. He is a God Who wants only the best for you. Put your hope in Him and you will not be disappointed.
Recommendation: Go to biblegateway.net and do a search on the word “hope.” Read the passages from the Bible that have the word “hope” or a variation of “hope” in them. Be encouraged and learn to put your hope in God and trust Him with your disappointments.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The Concert
A friend of mine sent this to me by e-mail and I thought I would pass it along. Even though there is no evidence that this event happened with Paderewski, the great pianist, the principle in the story is still good enough to pass along for inspiration.
The Concert
Author Unknown
When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. To her horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.'
At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, ‘Don't quit . . keep playing.’ Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato.
Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great master played. Only the classic, 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.'
Perhaps that's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't always graceful flowing music. However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work can truly be beautiful.
The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully...you may hear the voice of The Master whispering in your ear, ‘Don't quit. Keep playing.’
May you feel His arms around you and know that His hands are there, helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces. Remember, God doesn't seem to call the equipped, rather, He equips the ‘called.’
Life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch than by the things you acquire.
The Concert
Author Unknown
When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. To her horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.'
At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, ‘Don't quit . . keep playing.’ Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato.
Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great master played. Only the classic, 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.'
Perhaps that's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't always graceful flowing music. However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work can truly be beautiful.
The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully...you may hear the voice of The Master whispering in your ear, ‘Don't quit. Keep playing.’
May you feel His arms around you and know that His hands are there, helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces. Remember, God doesn't seem to call the equipped, rather, He equips the ‘called.’
Life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch than by the things you acquire.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Ride the Wave
Yesterday, I sent a friend of mine an e-mail asking for prayer support regarding an emotional thing. I felt the emotional dissonance the minute I woke up and it caught me by surprise. I immediately prayed and continued to do what needed to be done. I got up and spent time with the Lord then got ready for work. I left the house but confess I cried most of the way to work. I admit that I do not know the source of this emotional turmoil so all I could do was ask God to help me pull it together so I could get through the workday. I assured Him that if the emotions still needed to express themselves then I would let them, BUT…I needed to get through the workday first.
My friend replied back later in the morning (my day starts much earlier than hers) and told me that she had prayed that God would give me His peace in understanding this emotional thing and that He would give me peace as I “ride the wave.” She encouraged me by telling me that God was riding the wave with me.
“Ride the wave” brought an analogy to mind that this same friend offered to me a couple of years ago in the height of the most severe emotional pain I have ever felt. She told me that I would get through it and provided a word picture. She knows about my love of sports and extreme sports and I don’t know if that’s why she used this analogy or if God just gave it to her because He knew I would respond to it but the analogy went like this…
My friend told me that what I was experiencing was like riding a surfboard. The waves come and you go for a ride. Sometimes the waves are too rough or too big and they knock you off the board. My friend said that the waves I was experiencing were rough and big. She said I needed to keep getting back on the board and trying it again. The more I tried the better I would be become at identifying and managing my emotions. She was right. The difference between where I was at two years ago and where I am today is like the difference between surfing ankle snappers (that’s a small wave) to catching a big mama (that’s a big wave) off the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii! Despite the emotional surfing skills I have acquired over the last two years, there are times when the rough and big waves will come and I must ride them out trusting that God is with me.
How do we ride out an emotional wave? Confess Scriptures from the Bible and anything that has a positive, faith-filled message. I say Scriptures out loud that describe peace and strength and power and victory. My friend and I have selected Philippians 4:13 to help us this year: “I can do all things through Jesus who gives me strength.” I speak words of encouragement to myself and just like a fin on a surfboard slices through the water and helps keep the surfer afloat and traveling in the direction s/he wants to go, the words I speak slice through the emotional wave going on in my soul. The Word of God keeps me afloat and moving in the direction I need to go. It takes practice and it takes time but eventually the emotional wave will have minimal impact and you will learn how to ride it. But every now and then an emotional wave will hit without warning and it’s great to have the Word of God and a friend help you get back on the board.
Surf’s up! Grab your board and let’s go surfing!
My friend replied back later in the morning (my day starts much earlier than hers) and told me that she had prayed that God would give me His peace in understanding this emotional thing and that He would give me peace as I “ride the wave.” She encouraged me by telling me that God was riding the wave with me.
“Ride the wave” brought an analogy to mind that this same friend offered to me a couple of years ago in the height of the most severe emotional pain I have ever felt. She told me that I would get through it and provided a word picture. She knows about my love of sports and extreme sports and I don’t know if that’s why she used this analogy or if God just gave it to her because He knew I would respond to it but the analogy went like this…
My friend told me that what I was experiencing was like riding a surfboard. The waves come and you go for a ride. Sometimes the waves are too rough or too big and they knock you off the board. My friend said that the waves I was experiencing were rough and big. She said I needed to keep getting back on the board and trying it again. The more I tried the better I would be become at identifying and managing my emotions. She was right. The difference between where I was at two years ago and where I am today is like the difference between surfing ankle snappers (that’s a small wave) to catching a big mama (that’s a big wave) off the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii! Despite the emotional surfing skills I have acquired over the last two years, there are times when the rough and big waves will come and I must ride them out trusting that God is with me.
How do we ride out an emotional wave? Confess Scriptures from the Bible and anything that has a positive, faith-filled message. I say Scriptures out loud that describe peace and strength and power and victory. My friend and I have selected Philippians 4:13 to help us this year: “I can do all things through Jesus who gives me strength.” I speak words of encouragement to myself and just like a fin on a surfboard slices through the water and helps keep the surfer afloat and traveling in the direction s/he wants to go, the words I speak slice through the emotional wave going on in my soul. The Word of God keeps me afloat and moving in the direction I need to go. It takes practice and it takes time but eventually the emotional wave will have minimal impact and you will learn how to ride it. But every now and then an emotional wave will hit without warning and it’s great to have the Word of God and a friend help you get back on the board.
Surf’s up! Grab your board and let’s go surfing!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Today Is My Birthday
Today is my birthday. This time last year it was my birthday, too! :-) In my birthday post last year I wrote how for the first time in my life I was experiencing God’s pleasure with me. I am certainly not perfect, nor will I ever be perfect, but that does not matter because I discovered God has never asked me to be perfect. And being perfect has nothing to do with God loving me and being pleased with me.
This year I believe God asked me how I felt about my birthday. Interestingly enough, the first thought I had was about the story of Job found in the Bible. Job cursed the day he was born. He was going through some significant pain, physically, mentally, and emotionally and, in his pain, he cursed the day he was born. He had some extremely violent feelings about how he wished that day had never existed (see Job Chapter 3 in the Old Testament). On the heels of remembering Job’s feelings about the day he was born, I told the Lord that I am grateful for the day I was born. To be able to say this is an honest-to-goodness miracle. For years that turned into decades of my life, I wished I had never been born. I experienced significant pain that I could not let go of. That pain made me miserable every day of my life. While I never cursed the day of my birth like Job did, I lived daily with the feeling of hating that day. But God feels much differently about the days that each of us were born.
The Psalmist tells us a truth about himself that is true for all humans: God is our creator and we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God’s works are wonderful and the implication is that we are wonderful (Psalm 139:14). God told Jeremiah the prophet that God knew him even before Jeremiah had been concieved (Jeremiah 1:5).
God knows me and He knows you. He knew us even before we were conceived, even before our parents met and knew each other. God has known from the beginning that He would create us and we are no accidents. Regardless of the circumstances of your conception, God created you. He planned for and waited for your birth day. And God rejoices in the day you were born. He does not regret it.
I am grateful that God has healed me and set me free from the pain that consumed me for far too long. I no longer hate the day I was born and I no longer want to end my life. God, in His infinite love and mercy and grace, continues to teach me how to see myself the way He sees me. And I am learning to reject thoughts about myself that do not agree with God's thoughts about me. I praise God that He is much more merciful than I am.
Today is my birthday. And I praise God for the life He has given me.
This year I believe God asked me how I felt about my birthday. Interestingly enough, the first thought I had was about the story of Job found in the Bible. Job cursed the day he was born. He was going through some significant pain, physically, mentally, and emotionally and, in his pain, he cursed the day he was born. He had some extremely violent feelings about how he wished that day had never existed (see Job Chapter 3 in the Old Testament). On the heels of remembering Job’s feelings about the day he was born, I told the Lord that I am grateful for the day I was born. To be able to say this is an honest-to-goodness miracle. For years that turned into decades of my life, I wished I had never been born. I experienced significant pain that I could not let go of. That pain made me miserable every day of my life. While I never cursed the day of my birth like Job did, I lived daily with the feeling of hating that day. But God feels much differently about the days that each of us were born.
The Psalmist tells us a truth about himself that is true for all humans: God is our creator and we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God’s works are wonderful and the implication is that we are wonderful (Psalm 139:14). God told Jeremiah the prophet that God knew him even before Jeremiah had been concieved (Jeremiah 1:5).
God knows me and He knows you. He knew us even before we were conceived, even before our parents met and knew each other. God has known from the beginning that He would create us and we are no accidents. Regardless of the circumstances of your conception, God created you. He planned for and waited for your birth day. And God rejoices in the day you were born. He does not regret it.
I am grateful that God has healed me and set me free from the pain that consumed me for far too long. I no longer hate the day I was born and I no longer want to end my life. God, in His infinite love and mercy and grace, continues to teach me how to see myself the way He sees me. And I am learning to reject thoughts about myself that do not agree with God's thoughts about me. I praise God that He is much more merciful than I am.
Today is my birthday. And I praise God for the life He has given me.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
My Sins or God’s Greatness?
What do you think about the most? The mistakes you have made and sins you have committed? About how you think you are bad and worthless and unlovable? Or do you think about God’s greatness? About His great love toward you, Jesus’ death on the cross to free you from sin and condemnation, the abundant life God has for you, and the love, peace, and joy that are prepared for you?
I spent just about all my life thinking about my sins and everything I had done wrong. It was not uncommon for me in my early forties to think about things I got in trouble for when I was four or five years old! I sat around and nursed all the memories of my mistakes and sins and continued to condemn myself for all of them. As a result, I could not let God penetrate my heart or my mind with His love. I wanted Him to and I know God wanted to but I built all these strongholds based on lies in my mind that made me believe I was not loveable. This self-created belief kept me from believing the truth that God loved me.
I praise God for delivering me from my self-hatred and self-condemnation. I no longer sit around meditating on my faults, failures, shortcomings, and sins. I actively and consciously meditate on God’s greatness. Whenever my thoughts remind me of the past, I resist them and choose to think about what God says in His Word. God reveals to me in His Word that I am a new creature in Christ. He reveals to me that He has poured His love on me. He reveals to me that I have been adopted into His family and He loves me dearly. He reveals to me there is no condemnation for me because I have been set free from sin and condemnation. He reveals to me that because I have confessed my sins He forgives me. He tells me that my forgiven sins have been dropped into the sea of forgetfulness and He does not remember them. And whenever Satan or my own old thought habits try to tell me that I am no good and unlovable and not worthy of God’s love I choose to not believe them anymore. Instead I replace those old, defeating thoughts with life-giving thoughts from the Word and believe God’s truth about me.
I spent just about all my life thinking about my sins and everything I had done wrong. It was not uncommon for me in my early forties to think about things I got in trouble for when I was four or five years old! I sat around and nursed all the memories of my mistakes and sins and continued to condemn myself for all of them. As a result, I could not let God penetrate my heart or my mind with His love. I wanted Him to and I know God wanted to but I built all these strongholds based on lies in my mind that made me believe I was not loveable. This self-created belief kept me from believing the truth that God loved me.
I praise God for delivering me from my self-hatred and self-condemnation. I no longer sit around meditating on my faults, failures, shortcomings, and sins. I actively and consciously meditate on God’s greatness. Whenever my thoughts remind me of the past, I resist them and choose to think about what God says in His Word. God reveals to me in His Word that I am a new creature in Christ. He reveals to me that He has poured His love on me. He reveals to me that I have been adopted into His family and He loves me dearly. He reveals to me there is no condemnation for me because I have been set free from sin and condemnation. He reveals to me that because I have confessed my sins He forgives me. He tells me that my forgiven sins have been dropped into the sea of forgetfulness and He does not remember them. And whenever Satan or my own old thought habits try to tell me that I am no good and unlovable and not worthy of God’s love I choose to not believe them anymore. Instead I replace those old, defeating thoughts with life-giving thoughts from the Word and believe God’s truth about me.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Walk by Faith and Not by Sight
I’ve been in some emotional turmoil for a while experiencing doubt and fear despite trusting God and letting Him be the director of my life. I am obeying whatever He tells me to do, but I have been having a difficult time when looking to the future. To be honest, I am at a level of obedience for the first time in my life where every commitment and responsibility I have has been given to me by God. I am not executing any plan of my own and I am out of my comfort zone in every way. The only thing that seems constant in my life right now is feeding my fish every night!
God is running the show and I trust Him. But He isn’t sharing the entire plan with me. All I know is the activity of the moment. I do not know what all of my obedience will ultimately produce and, as a result, I have fallen into a questioning attitude.
Have you ever had a questioning attitude? A questioning attitude goes something like this:
Why am I doing this? I just don’t see what good it’s doing. What am I going do with this anyway? I just don’t see how I’m going to get through this. How will all this workout?
I got lost in this questioning attitude and began to experience discouragement and confusion. Whenever I experience these emotions, I know that I have to stop trying to figure things out and surrender it all back to God. As I laid it all at God’s feet this last weekend I realized that it’s okay that I do not see the plan. It is okay not to see because I choose to walk by faith not by sight. If I could see what was ahead…if I could see what this was going to do for me…if I could see how this will benefit me then I would not be walking by faith.
I felt God telling me that I could walk by faith or by the sight and the choice is all mine. Walking by sight would require me to put my plan in place and work with my limited ability and knowledge and understanding. Walking by faith requires me to obey the God Who knows everything and trust Him to know what is right for me even though I cannot see the end goal. The reason I can say “I don’t see…” is because I walk by faith and faith goes after something that cannot be seen.
When we walk by faith we cannot see what is ahead. More often than not, all we can see is the last thing God told us to do. As long as we are doing the last thing God told us to do we are being obedient and God always honors obedience. In God’s time, when He is ready and we are ready, He will reveal the next step of His plan for us. Until God reveals the next step, we must remember that we walk by faith and not by sight.
God is running the show and I trust Him. But He isn’t sharing the entire plan with me. All I know is the activity of the moment. I do not know what all of my obedience will ultimately produce and, as a result, I have fallen into a questioning attitude.
Have you ever had a questioning attitude? A questioning attitude goes something like this:
Why am I doing this? I just don’t see what good it’s doing. What am I going do with this anyway? I just don’t see how I’m going to get through this. How will all this workout?
I got lost in this questioning attitude and began to experience discouragement and confusion. Whenever I experience these emotions, I know that I have to stop trying to figure things out and surrender it all back to God. As I laid it all at God’s feet this last weekend I realized that it’s okay that I do not see the plan. It is okay not to see because I choose to walk by faith not by sight. If I could see what was ahead…if I could see what this was going to do for me…if I could see how this will benefit me then I would not be walking by faith.
I felt God telling me that I could walk by faith or by the sight and the choice is all mine. Walking by sight would require me to put my plan in place and work with my limited ability and knowledge and understanding. Walking by faith requires me to obey the God Who knows everything and trust Him to know what is right for me even though I cannot see the end goal. The reason I can say “I don’t see…” is because I walk by faith and faith goes after something that cannot be seen.
When we walk by faith we cannot see what is ahead. More often than not, all we can see is the last thing God told us to do. As long as we are doing the last thing God told us to do we are being obedient and God always honors obedience. In God’s time, when He is ready and we are ready, He will reveal the next step of His plan for us. Until God reveals the next step, we must remember that we walk by faith and not by sight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)