Your Story Matters

I sat in the middle of my bedroom floor with the big purple bin I've lugged around for 20 years.  It's full of memorabilia, pictures, and letters.  Those letters captured my attention this weekend.  I read letters as old as 25 years, and others as new as a year.  While reading through all of the cards and letters, I had a moment where I realized that all of these gifts were a result of God connecting hearts to encourage one another. 

Most authors of the notes sent multiple notes.  Sometimes, the letters were in return for a note I had sent to them.  This was a wonderful reminder from God.  An answer to prayer.  Years later, I am still receiving encouragement from these very notes.  They are fueling my heart to continue to do what I know God has called me to do - encourage others.  I believe I am an encourager.  I love to encourage people.  When asked to describe my perfect job, I've always said it would be a position that allowed me to help someone else shine, and I truly mean that.

The thing is, as an encourager, sometimes your cup can run dry.  Every now and then, a whispered word of hope to someone like me can be life giving.  Hearing that our words helped someone else overcome, well, that gives us the ability to offer words of hope and restoration to others.  Last weekend, I had the privilege of being invited to a bridal shower for a girl I babysat many years ago.  I felt so honored to be a guest and to be able to shower her with blessings for her future.  In return, my cup was full.  The verse Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 was a reminder to me "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!"

God never meant for us to live this life in solitude.  Look, I am an introvert, and I LOVE my solitude.  I love quiet, and I need retreat from the demands of life often.  But, I know that God desires for me to step out of that comfort zone sometimes and invite others into my space.  Come into my home and talk or pray.  Come with me to shop or to lunch.  God desires for me to be a friend, to use the gift of encouragement that He's given me.  

Reading through those letters this weekend gave me a reminder that I matter.  My story matters.  YOU matter. YOUR story matters.  It can often feel so minuscule in the grand scheme of life, but you really do have a story, and it really does need to be heard.  

What has God written on your heart?  What is your story?  Join with me, and let's step out of the boat and walk with Jesus to see where He leads our story.  Be encouraged friend, you are not alone.

A Thankful Heart: Day 23 - Showing Mercy

"No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,

    and this is what he requires of you:

to do what is right, to love mercy,

    and to walk humbly with your God."  Micah 6:8 (NLT)

What does it mean for us to love mercy?  Mercy here can also be interchanged with kindness. So, in a sense, we should love showing kindness to others.  God is our greatest example of showing mercy.  We can look to Him to find how we should show mercy to others.  

I have written a few posts about God's mercy toward us (here and here), but never about the spiritual gift of mercy.  The gift of mercy is a ministry of helps.  Someone with the gift of mercy tends to respond to the needs of others, whether it is spiritual, emotional, physical, etc.  They also tend to be prayer warriors, and feel the NEED to pray often.  Prayer is a way to express to God their heart.  Their hearts are strongly knit with other sensitive people.  

This is a gift that I walk in, and feel is one of my stronger spiritual gifts.  I need to ask myself, and ask God this; where would you have me show mercy today?  How can I lead someone closer to You through mercy, Lord?    

I am joining in on Five Minute Friday again.  You can join us, too.  Hop on over to Lisa-Jo's page to get all the information about Five Minute Friday!

Fan into flame the gift of God in you

This week started off very discouraging for me.  Sunday night, I broke down and literally felt like I was losing all sanity!  I was speaking in circles and couldn't make a clear thought come out.  I love my boys, but they are, well, BOYS.  They are perfectly funny, active, sweet, active, loving, active, tenderhearted and active boys.  Notice I said active?  By the time bedtime rolled around Sunday night, I was spent.  My two year old, who has taken to jumping off his brother's bed face first, had said "no" and "stupid" one too many times.  My five year old was caught between laughing at what he considers his brother's "funny" antics, and listening to me.  Brother's funny stuff beat my directions.  It does every time.  After a couple of minutes of hearing me stressing out, my tag team partner came up and gave me the relief I needed.  I think it took me a couple of hours to come down from the adrenaline rush I was on...  Motherhood has made me realize that I'm not as unselfish as I once thought I was.  I like "me" time, and I love quiet time.   Thank God for loving, compassionate, on-time husbands!

That was the first day of the week!  I started meditating on 2 Timothy that night.  Our bible study group is starting a study on this book, and I'm familiar with it since I grew up in church and have done lots of studies on the ministry of Paul.  As I've said in earlier posts, I've felt stagnant in my relationship with God recently.  However, knowing that we were getting into 2 Timothy, I knew of one verse that was going to stick out to me, and boy has it!  In 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul instructs Timothy "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands."  When I read this, it instantly jumped out at me.  I've read it many times before.  The awesome thing about God's word is that it never changes, yet there is always something new to learn no matter how many times you read it.  There is always new revelation, greater growth and change.  Interesting dynamic! 

Our group did a short study on gifts at the end of our first year together.  I have seen gifts in my own life, during my walk with God.  I have operated freely in the gifts of exhortation, wisdom, faith, giving and mercy.  Some are stronger than others, but those are what I see most in my life.  I haven't used most of those gifts regularly in the past 10 years.  I've had moments of great faith or great wisdom, but have not pursued that.  I am feeling re energized to fan into flame those gifts!  James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."  I pray that I have wisdom in every aspect of my life, but especially in using the gifts God has blessed me with at the right time, with the right people.  As a mom of boys, I need to be able to put that gift of mercy to use...daily!  I need the gift of wisdom to know how to answer my boys with confidence, and with the Word. 

When I think of fanning into flame, I think of a fire that is dying out, and you have to lightly blow on it or fan it to cause it to flame up again.  When we spend time with the Lord, we are just getting breathed on by Him, He's fanning us so that we grow hotter and hotter for Him.  WOW!  That's an awesome visual!  I am fanning the flame with God's word, prayer, quiet time to meditate on what God is saying to me, and writing!  Let me encourage you to fan into flame those gifts in you, too.  What if we all operated in our gifts all the time!?!  Could you imagine what we could get done for the Lord?  If you're stagnant like I've been, or you just feel complacent, turn off your computer and spend a few minutes talking to your Father.  Read what He says in His word to find some direction or peace.  Fan into flame the gift that is in you!  Stir it up!