Mighty Moms

Four months after my second son was born, my oldest son started getting sick.  First he had what seemed like a cold, then pink eye, and then he couldn't walk.  Three hospitals and two weeks later, he was admitted into Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.  He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome.  It was is so rare in children, that our physician said they usually only see one case every other month in the whole hospital.

This is 4 months post-partum.  4 months after raging hormones made it hard for me to transition from one to two children, though no one would know.  4 months and my own body started turning on me, like the woman with the issue of blood.  I fell into a pit of despair, while putting on the happy face for anyone I encountered.  The depression overwhelmed me and I felt really alone.  Not only that, but I couldn't imagine opening up to ANYONE about the depths of depression going on inside of me.  

It wasn't until 2 years later that God would lead a few women into my life for a season of healing.  I rarely get to see these women anymore, but they were instrumental in helping me understand that I was "normal".  That it was okay to talk about what I was feeling, and it was okay to talk to my doctor about it, too.  These were breakthrough moments for me.  I finally felt like I could see the light of the day.  I count myself blessed to have had mighty women around me to help me realize that I counted, I mattered, and that motherhood didn't change my value.

What if we all joined together, to link arms and hold up our sisters in their weaknesses?  What if, instead of hiding behind the changes our bodies, minds, and spirits go through during motherhood, we had women who have been there to hold our hands through it all?  What if, we see our sisters with littles and reach out a hand to help every now and then?  

On April 1st, our brave Five Minute Friday leader, Lisa-Jo Baker is due to deliver a new baby.  This baby is different though.  Her first book, "Surprised By Motherhood", will hit book stores and Amazon.  Might I encourage you to buy one of these books as your encouragement in motherhood?  Or, maybe you know a mom who could use a hand to hold while she navigates the waters of learning that they are mighty because they mother.       

Linking up again with Lisa-Jo Baker for Five Minute Friday.  We write brave for 5 minutes, without edits or backtracking or second guessing ourselves.  Then, we link up at Lisa-Jo's blog and encourage our hearts out to our sisters around us.  Please join us.  You'll be glad you did!

Sharpen, Stretch and Strengthen: People God Uses to Grow You

I have never been known as a "Type A" person.  Almost every personality test, and even friends, will tell you that I'm laid back, easy going, green/phlegmatic, and I am an Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving (ISFP) person.  I've never been comfortable being the one in charge, though I have done that.  And, though it would seem opposite of my personality, I am comfortable speaking in front of a large group (if I know my subject). 

All of my closest friends throughout life have typically been complete opposite of me, except for one, and she is almost identical to me.  For my life, I think God orchestrates for these strong Type A personalities to be in my life for two reasons.  

First, "iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."  We all need each other in order to grow as people, but also to grow in Him.  I can't do the same things my bold, outgoing, extroverted friends do.  They are driven to do.  In the same vein, they can't do what the easy going, laid back people do either.  I have one friend who has a successful business.  When I think of her life, I get anxiety.  She works hard, and is driven to use her talents in a way that brings income to her family.  The thought of having to meet deadlines makes me break out in a sweat.  But, sometimes, I need a little fire under me, and I know just the friend to call when I do.  I love that God puts people in my life that are opposite of me.  If nothing else, they sharpen me.

Second, God places opposites in my life as a way for me to stretch.  These people challenge me in ways that my "like-minded" friends don't.  They are not "yes" people, and are more likely to get on my nerves easily.  Sometimes, these people become my closest friends because of their ability to speak truthfully, and their ability to help me see outside the box.  Often times, these people are only in my life for a short season.  God puts them into my life, stretches my faith a little, and then we all move on to where He leads us next.

Finally, God places opposites in my life to strengthen my faith walk, or to strengthen my backbone.  I'm not weak minded, but I can sometimes be a pushover.  Usually in peacemaker mode, I tend to not rock the boat, but help keep the waters calm instead.  The people God puts in my life to strengthen me are people who don't back down very easily, have strong personalities, and are able to push me outside of my comfort zone.  

I believe it's healthy to have people in our lives who are different from us.  People who God uses to sharpen, stretch or strengthen us.  If we were all the same, it would not only be a boring place to live, we'd all be lazy and uninspiring.  I'm truly thankful for the Type A people in my life.  They bring out good things in me!

Joy is...

I'm linking up over at Lisa Jo Baker's blog for Five Minute Friday.  Each week we blog our hearts out for five minutes without editing ourselves and backtracking.  We link up over at Lisa Jo's place for community, encouragement, and blog love.  Please join us!  We'd love to hear your take on the word prompt.  Today's prompt is JOY.

I've been unsettled lately.  It's not a place I like to be, but it's where I am.  In the unsettling, I've found myself seeking Him, a deep need for more of Him.  For some reason, I'm stuck in Romans.  I'm finding myself in those words, in the depth of Paul's experience with Christ.  Praying the prayers that He prayed - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.  Romans 15:13.  

I am pouring my heart out in prayer with these scriptures believing God that He can fill me with all joy and peace.  That He is faithful to His word to complete it.  I'm not in state of depression or being down, just unsettled.  I can't find a better word to describe it.  But, I'm hopeful in His promise to keep me at peace and fill me with His joy.  

Joy, God's joy in us, is not just a state of happiness, it's peace.  Joy is trusting God through all things, in all things.  Joy is the knowing that, even in the midst of sad things, God will bring you through.  Joy is being filled with His Spirit day after day, being met right where you are.  Joy is loving Jesus when we're up or down.  His love supplies our joy.

Friends, I pray this prayer for you, too.  That you would also be filled with joy and peace.  That God's hope would be abundant in your life.  If you, like me, are in an unsettled state, let's take this time together to seek Him.  Maybe He's readying us for something, or maybe He's just bringing us to a place of deeper trust in Him, in His word, and in His promise.

End.

Making Room For One

Linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker today for Five Minute Friday.  Each Friday, this writing community links arms to write their hearts out on a word prompt, visit each other's pages and leave some blog love.  Would you join us this week?  Our word prompt is CROWD.  

Lamentations 3:21-25  "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."  The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him."

I'm a little socially awkward.  I get flustered in a crowd, although, I have no problem speaking to a crowd.  I get nervous and feel like I never say the right thing, or people can't hear what I'm saying.  I often try to be funny, but realize halfway through my story that I need to wrap it up.  If I'm at a party, you will likely find me near a wall with one or two other people, awkardly trying to figure out the right questions to ask to make conversation.  I like to develop deep, one on one relationships, and crave that type of relationship in my life.  This is who I am.  

I like to think that maybe I'm a little like Jesus.  He doesn't really like crowded hearts.  He has no problem speaking to my crowded heart, though I may not always hear Him clearly through the noise.  He's usually nudging me along with constant introspection and insight through the Holy Spirit, and He craves a deep one on one relationship with me.  That's who He is.

Noise is all around, and it vies for my hearts attention.  I make room for so much, but so sporadically make room for the One who seeks my hearts affection more than anything.  My heart becomes so over-crowded that I can barely hear Him speak.  He desires me more than any social media, more than tv, more than radio, more than my friendships, more than even my family.  He desires for me to know Him.  

I have to weed out my crowded heart and make room for One.  I have to learn to say "no" to the things reaching out for my attention that really have no room in my heart.  When I learn to say no to the noise, and yes to Jesus, it's not so crowded anymore.  I can clearly hear His voice and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  It's so easy to get drowned out in a crowd.  Let's drown out the crowd and let Jesus shine in us.

Will you join me and make room for One today?

Change on the Inside

Are you like me?  Do you like change, but hate the process of change?  Do you desire things to change, but don't want to put the work into making it happen?  I wish I had a genie in a bottle most days.  A little too much "I dream of Jeannie" reruns in my childhood, maybe?

I am so guilty of desiring all kinds of changes and never stepping foot in the direction, which would make the change reality.  I tend to like doing things the same way over and over, but expect a different result.  I know, that's the definition of insanity.  I never said I wasn't just a little bit crazy.  

But really, change isn't going to happen over night, just like a butterfly has to spend time in it's cocoon before it spreads it's wings.  Change is not going to happen because I do something different one time.  It's going to be a day by day, sometimes minute by minute attention to detail.  It's going to be when I purpose in my heart that today will be different and nothing can shift me off that focus.  Real change is a God thing.  

I have lots of lists of things I want to change.  Journals lie around my bed with half-hearted "goals", but really they were wishes and hopes.  

I want to lose xx pounds by the end of the year

I want to save xx amount of dollars

I want to do a family bible study every day

I want to learn a new hobby
I want to...

The point that I miss, every time I make my lists, is that I'm dismissing what God might want to be doing in me at that time.  He is ALWAYS working in us.  Sometimes the picture is bigger than our 3 bullet points and neat little lists.  Perhaps he puts the desire in my heart to lose some weight.  But, when I don't invite Him to help me in the process, I start doing it in my own strength.  You know what?  My strength fails me.  Again, and again.  I can't do life on my own, try as I may.  I must get into a habit of inviting the Lord into my day to day, into the little things and into the big things.

I do want to lose xx pounds, and save xx dollars, and all those other things.  But, I can't do any of it without Jesus by my side, directing my path.  Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  When I get into His word, spend time communicating and listening to Him in prayer and meditation, and worship Him, I can hear Him more clearly, see the pathway more clearly.  

He is ready and able to help me change whatever we are needing to change.  He plants those desires in my heart for change and is wanting to walk through those changes with me.  

What is God wanting to change in you?  Where is He wanting to grow you in Him?  Will you take a leap of faith with me, and let Him light our path to show us how to make those changes?

I Choose Love

I'm linking up with Lisa Jo Baker and a couple hundred other bloggers again for Five Minute Friday.  The past few weeks, I've been writing my Friday post on Sunday.  I'm late, and I've been going over my five minutes.  I'm not usually a rule breaker, but things are stirring on the inside.  I would love for my blogging friends to join us at the link up every Friday.  You will be so encouraged by the community of writers there!  This week's word prompt is Choose.

It had been a long week.  Getting things ready for my sister's bridal shower with my mom on Friday was just a small thing on my task list.  I had a whole list of things on my mind about home things I needed to do as well.  While I was making my bed, the Holy Spirit spoke softly to my heart.  He said "Love wins.  Choose love."  There wasn't any turmoil going on in my life, so I didn't think of it as something I needed to correct my attitude in immediately.  

However, throughout the past week, there was a lot of political talk going on in our country about who we should serve and why our beliefs would dictate who we could serve.  I don't usually carry strong opinions on this matter, and I'm not very politically active.  You can boo me now if you'd like.  But, this thing I heard while making my bed stirred up something in me I didn't know I had.

I thought about Jesus, who is our ultimate example especially if we call ourselves followers of Christ.  Jesus, in all of the gospels, in all of the words written that were spoken by him, never ruffled the feathers of the sinners.  Instead, Jesus was really good at stirring up the religious elite (Pharisees), and sometimes even His own followers.  

Jesus wasn't out to condemn the sinner, but often shows that He had compassion for them.  I felt so convicted in this area of my life Friday.  I felt fired up, something I very rarely feel in my INFP/green/phlegmatic personality.  I'm typically laid back, easy going, so for me to get riled up, you must know that God is working on something in me.  

What if, as a church, we have it wrong when it comes to the sinner?  What if our call is not to choose to cast them aside, believing our own sin is without weight, but instead to offer them hope and show them love?  What if, as we call ourselves followers of Christ, we acted as such and acted as Jesus would if He was living in 2014?  I'm pretty sure He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He would have compassion on people today just as He did 2000+ years ago.  

I believe that our call as a body is not to stir up and condemn the sinner, but to engage with them and show them His extravagant love that we so often talk about in our music and church services.  Do we even really know what that extravagant love looks like?  Merriam-Webster defines extravagant as "exceeding the limits of reason or necessity; lacking in moderation, balance and restraint."  That is HIS love for US!  For ALL of US!  Y'all, I know how much my Jesus loves me.  Why would I not want to share that LOVE to everyone?  Why would I want to hoard His love?  

I believe that it's time we choose love and lay down our weapons of words that pierce the already wounded and fall on deaf ears and blind eyes.  Instead of choosing to shut our doors to people who don't look like us, live like us or believe like us, let's open our doors and love them relentlessly.  Let the Holy Spirit do His work, because honestly, we can't.  Choose love, friends.  I choose love.