Spirit, Word and Truth

Shining the light of God's word into our confused world.

Month: August 2017

What I Learned This Summer

August 31, 2017 / / 0 Comments

It’s time for another post about what I learned this season! Which is good because I’m having an unexpectedly hectic week and otherwise I would’ve skipped posting this week. Which brings me to my first item:

  1. I don’t have to operate on anyone else’s schedule. This is something I finally figured out after allowing myself to sloooow dooown this summer. Of course there are deadlines and obligations and commitments that sometimes require me to work with other people’s schedules, but I don’t have to stick to a self-imposed schedule that I self-imposed out of a sense that I’m just supposed to, or out of a sense that if I don’t people will be unhappy with me. It helped to realize that these are imaginary people I’m trying to please because actual flesh-and-blood people don’t really care that much about these things.
  2. Mosquitoes find me delicious. This isn’t actually a new discovery, but living in the city and spending most of my time indoors I kind of forgot how they’re drawn to me. Since we moved back out to the country and we’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors, I was reminded with a vengeance. Which brings me to…
  3. There are several reasons why mosquitoes find some people more delicious than others.
  4. Community is good (drama and tragedy, not so much). I’ve mentioned before that the neighborhood we moved back to is where I grew up. I’ve also waxed nostalgic on this blog (or possibly my other one) about what a tight-knit community this was when I was a kid, and lamented how that’s been lost. Recently, there’s been an effort to bring back a sense of community, and neighbors have been reaching out and making more of an effort to know each other, all of which is great. But all of this was spurred by a couple of houses moving in that violate the neighborhood covenenants–50 year old covenants that a lot of the newer residents didn’t even know existed–all of which has resulted in a lot of fighting and drama, which is not so great.What’s worse, a couple of weeks ago one of our elderly residents was murdered in her home, and the sheriff’s department has no idea by whom and they have very little to go on. This is the first time ever in the half-century of this neighborhood’s existence that something of this nature has happened here, and it’s unsettling to say the least. One good thing coming out of this tragedy, though, is that everyone’s been laying aside their differences for the sake of reviving a neighborhood watch and developing a program to check up on our elderly neighbors and do our best to keep each other safe. Having just moved from a place where this sort of crime was sadly commonplace and only made people more withdrawn and untrusting of their neighbors, this is a refreshing thing to see.
  5. I’m a renaissance soul. I recently figured this out when I read this book, and it explained so much. Another name for this is scanner personality. I always thought my ADD was the reason I could never be happy just focusing on one thing, and why I’m always trying to cram so many different projects and interests onto my plate. But it turns out that it’s just my personality. Good to know.
  6. God’s will for my life is not that complicated. During my summer slow-down I read a lot of good books, one of which was Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will by Kevin DeYoung. It gently (and sometimes not so gently) points out that this idea that there is a single, perfect path that God has laid out for us and it’s our job to discover that path by praying and agonizing over every big (and not so big) decision, seeking signs and refusing to make a move until we get a neon sign from Heaven telling us which way to go is not actually Biblical. I’ll be writing more about how this book helped me get over a lot of fear and actually start making decisions again in a future post, but if you’re stuck because you’re afraid of making a wrong move, this book is for you.
  7. It’s possible to be depressed and grateful at the same time. This is also a future blog post, but it’s worth mentioning in case there’s anyone reading this who, like me until recently, is struggling under the misapprehension that being depressed makes us ungrateful and bad Christians (this is one of those beliefs that I illogically apply to myself but not to other people. How often do we do that? Refuse to give ourselves the grace or cut ourselves the slack that we happily extend to others? Maybe we should all knock that off). But the truth is that we’re complex creations who are capable of feeling multiple things at once, and it’s entirely possible to be glad and grateful about answered prayer in one area while at the same time struggling with feelings of sadness and depression, and this does not make you a bad Christian. 
  8. True crime podcasts really are addictive. I passed on Serial when it was all the rage, and I’ve also skipped all the copycats, instead favoring Serial-style fictional mockumentaries with a fantasy/horror bent. But recently I decided to check out an investigative podcast called Up and Vanished, about the 2005 disappearance of teacher and former beauty queen Tara Grinstead from her small town in Georgia. And I’m totally hooked. I’ve been binging this podcast every chance I get since I first started listening last weekend. You should listen to it, even if you think true crime podcasts aren’t really your thing.

What did you learn this summer? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! And if you like lists like this, be sure to head over to Emily P. Freeman’s blog to see what she and her readers have all learned over the summer. ♥

The NO List

August 24, 2017 / / 5 Comments

In my last post I talked about essentialism, the discipline of eliminating the non-essentials from your life so that you can say yes to what really matters to you. I’ve found that as helpful as it can be to write down the things I want to say yes to, it’s also helpful to make a list of the things I’m deliberately going to say no to. So I thought I’d share my NO list for this particular season of my life. Here’s what I’m saying no to right now:

  • Facebook and Twitter marketing. I have a Facebook author page and Twitter author account, but currently the only activity they see from me is when my new blog posts or Instagram pictures get pushed to those accounts.
  • Pinterest. I mentioned in my last post how there were things I’m “supposed to” be doing as an author and blogger and Pinterest (along with Twitter and Facebook) is one of them. I just don’t enjoy Pinterest anymore since they changed their algorithms and my home page is just the same recommended and sponsored pins over and over again. I just want to see what my friends are pinning! Anyway, Pinterest is just no fun anymore, and using it as a marketing tool requires more time and effort than I’m willing to give right now.
  • My Facebook timeline. If I get on FB at all these days it’s to check in with groups and check my messages. Speaking of…
  • Facebook Messenger. I don’t have enough memory on my phone to install this app but I wouldn’t install it even if I did (so everybody can go ahead and stop sending me invitations to do so, thanks).
  • Twitter. I keep an eye on notifications so I can respond to ats and mentions, but that’s about it.
  • Audio and video. This is another area where anyone with anything to promote is strongly encouraged to participate, especially on Facebook and Instagram. But this is so far outside my comfort zone and I’m giving myself permission not to worry about it right now.
  • Coloring my hair. That’s right, y’all — I’m letting my “wisdom highlights,” as my friend Becky calls them (*waves* Hi Becky!) grow out. Partly because I missed my natural shade of copper blonde and partly (mostly) because reapplying henna once a month was a huge pain that always took up the better part of a weekend. I thought I’d be at a point where I’d need to chop off my hair to get rid of the henna by now, but thankfully it’s faded to the point that there’s not an obvious demarcation line. Which brings me to…
  • Cutting my hair. I wore it short for about four years, which meant cutting it about once a month. But now I’m ready to try long hair again. It’s currently about an inch past my shoulders and I’m loving it–wisdom highlights and all.
  • Makeup. For years now I’ve only bothered with makeup when I’m going out, which doesn’t happen a lot, but now even when I do wear it my routine is pretty minimalist–just enough beauty balm and concealer to even out my skin tone, a tiny bit of cream blush, mascara (just on the top, outer lashes) and lip gloss (full color lipstick if I’m feeling fancy).
  • A rigorous cleaning routine. Of course, my “rigorous” is already a lot of other people’s “lazy,” but while I’m in a season of writing a book, I just do the bare minimum needed to maintain my habits and keep things fairly tidy and not gross.
  • An elaborate bullet journal. I love my bullet journal. I would have a hard time doing life without it. If you ever watched Mystery Science Theater 3000, there used to be a character who carried his brain around in a plastic tub. That’s what I feel like when I carry around my bullet journal. But my bullet journal exists to serve me. I do not exist for it. Sometimes I like to take the time and effort to make it pretty. But for now it’s minimalist and basic, and I keep it in a 99 cent composition book (albeit a pretty yellow one), and that serves me just fine.
  • An editorial calendar or blog schedule. This is another one of those things you’re “supposed to” do when you have a blog. I was doing that during the first half of this year and it’s part of the reason I felt so burned out. So for now I’m just posting when I have time and when the Spirit moves me, and I’m going to let that be enough.
  • Elaborate meals or meal prep. Thankfully, I only have to cook for myself. My husband and I follow different diets and different eating schedules so we both cook mostly for ourselves (although he enjoys cooking more than I do so sometimes he’ll cook special meals for the both of us). So I can keep it really simple. My meal prep usually involves cooking enough of a meat and a side (or a one-dish meal I can throw together in a skillet) for several nights and then eating that throughout the week, throwing in a steam-in-the-bag frozen veggie or some fruit for a little variety. On weekdays, breakfast is usually refrigerator oats that I set up in about two minutes the night before, and lunch is typically some form of healthy DIY grown-up lunchables–i.e., nitrate-free deli ham with gluten free crackers, avocado slices and some fruit or grape tomatoes.
  • Talking on the phone. This has been on my NO list back before I even consciously had a NO list. I just really hate the phone, you guys.
  • Unpacking. Since moving in last March, we’re probably somewhere between 60 to 75 percent unpacked, and that’s good enough for now. The rest will happen as needed or when we’re in the mood. There’s no need to make it a priority.
  • Politics and culture wars. Just no.
  • Local politics. There is drama in my neighborhood, y’all. Not the “joint raid by several law enforcement agencies on the drug cartel member across the street” kind of drama that we moved to get away from, but the “Somebody put a mobile home on a lot and that violates the covenants and now we have to have neighborhood meetings to decide what to do about it before this place transforms into a trailer park and home values plummet and now everybody’s fighting over whether to start an HOA” kind of drama. I’m trying so hard to say no to getting involved (we’re just renters anyway so we don’t really get a say) but it’s so hard not to get sucked in.
  • Staying up late. I’m a night owl by nature, but my husband’s an early riser and I usually wake up when he does. I’m often tempted to stay up to read or watch something but I know if I do I won’t be as effective as I need to be the next day. So I don’t.
  • Netflix. I love watching stuff, but for now, there’s just so much other good stuff–mainly books and podcasts–that I’d rather spend my time consuming.
  • Music practice. I have a guitar, and I feel bad sometimes about not practicing it, but again, right now there are other things I’m more passionate about that I’d rather spend that time on, and that’s okay.
  • Reading bad books. If it’s not grabbing me by the first 100 pages or so I have no qualms about putting it down and never finishing. Life’s too short and there are too many good books to get through.
  • Reading books just because they’re popular. Just because everybody’s talking about them doesn’t mean I’ll like them, and see above re: life’s too short.
  • Going out and socializing very often. My husband and I are both introverts and homebodies and that’s okay. We’re both past the age where we feel like freaks or losers if we don’t have somewhere to go. We don’t go out just for the sake of going out and we no longer feel the need to apologize for not enjoying big parties or staying out late.

That’s a pretty long NO list, and I’m sure it’s not comprehensive. I’m also sure that at least part of it makes me seem like a curmudgeon. 😉 But these are all things I’ve decided do not need to be in my life taking up my time and energy. What am I able to say yes to without these things? Not just writing more of what I want to write (as opposed to what I’m paid to write), but reading GOOD books, doing something creative every day, going outside more, spending more time with my family, being available for my mom, and for my friend who’s fighting breast cancer, and putting more thought and energy into decorating my home and making it the cheerful, cozy, inspiring place I want it to be. I have time to get enough sleep and exercise and be mindful about my health and nutrition. I also have more time to delve into scripture and meditate on it, to pray throughout the day, and to sit and think and dream and process big ideas. I have time sometimes to just BE, and to be good to myself, and to love the people in my life well. THESE are the things that matter to me.

What matters to you, friend? What are you willing to say no to so you can say yes to more of what matters? I’d love to chat about it with you in the comments! ♥

The Essentials of Essentialism

August 22, 2017 / / 1 Comment

Recently, I joined the launch teams for two upcoming books–one by Jess Connely and one by Holley Gerth. I will talk about each of those books in future posts–two different posts, because it wouldn’t be fair to make them share–but today I want to talk about the fact that guys, I signed up to two different launch teams!

That’s a big deal, and here’s why: until recently, I would have seen the invitation to apply and thought to myself, “Wow, I wish I could do that, but there’s no way. I’m just too busy,” and let the opportunity pass me by. But this time I was able to respond to each invitation with a resounding YES without any hesitation or guilt.

So what’s changed?

The short version is, I’ve stopped giving so much of my time and capacity to unnecessary things. I’ve been working on not only clearing the physical clutter from my life, but also the mental and emotional clutter. And that has left me with more time and energy for things that really matter to me, things I really want to do, like getting to say yes to reading advance copies of books from amazing authors and helping to publicize them.

This is a shift that’s been happening in my life for a while now–for at least the past year–and this summer I’m starting to see a lot of fruit from my efforts to pare down my life to what’s essential. And now I want to tell you about some books that helped me get here.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown – This is the essential book on essentialism, which, in a nut shell, is the discipline of saying no to the things that aren’t actually important and get in the way of your goals so that you can say yes to the things that actually matter. The book deep dives into what that looks like and also how it can make your life both saner and more productive–like how not being pulled in a million different directions actually makes it easier to focus on the important tasks–as well as how to discern what is actually important from what isn’t and how to say no when it’s not. It comes down to understanding that everything is a trade off. Every time we choose to give our time or energy to something, we’re choosing to ignore something else. And if we don’t consciously decide which things to say yes or no to, other people will decide for us.

A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman – I first read this book last year, and at the

time I devoured it as quickly as I could. I’ve been re-reading it this summer, and this time I’m taking my time with it, sitting with it and taking time to slowly process each new idea. Overall, this is a book about uncovering the art we were each uniquely designed to make with our lives in order to bring glory to our Maker. But there is a section on putting first things first that made me realize I’ve been giving priority to second things. There’s a quote from C.S. Lewis about this in the book and I’m going to go ahead and share it here:

Put first things first and we get second things thrown in; put second things first and we lose both first and second things.

I know when I let secondary things take over, I end up too tired and burned out to do anything. But when I put what really matters first–give it the first of my time, energy and focus–I not only have enough capacity left over for whichever secondary things are actually needed, but also better perspective to discern whether they are indeed actually needed.

Which brings us to…

The Renaissance Soul by Margaret Lobenstine – I just read this one last weekend. This is a book for anyone still struggling to answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a helpful guide for those struggling to settle on one career or vocation because you have so many different passions and interests. Maybe you’re like me. I’ve always known I wanted to be a novelist. I know I will always be a novelist. But I don’t and have never only wanted to be a novelist–I have at times also wanted to be a web designer, a graphic designer, a freelance writer, a professional crafter, an editor, a musician, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a marketing professional, a career academic, a college professor, and probably some other things I’m forgetting. And I have actually been (and still am) some of those things at times.

This book gives practical advise on how to not only identify and narrow down which passions actually fit into your life in the current season you’re in, but also how to organize your life to make room for them. But one exercise I found particularly helpful was one that involved writing down everything currently on my plate that’s demanding my time and attention and identifying which of those things help to further my goals and which actually serve to further the goals of others, even if it’s just perceived goals, even if the “others” in question is just the mean boss in your own head. In other words, which tasks are done solely to please other people, and what needs to happen for me to stop giving my energy to those things?

One thing that stood out on my list was book marketing tasks that I don’t enjoy and that don’t actually do anything to help me connect with readers and sell books. I’ve been doing them solely to please my publisher, or because authors are “supposed to” do these things. So I’m just not doing them anymore. That alone has freed up a ton of time and energy that I can devote to things that matter–like saying yes to book launch team invitations and reading books that can help make all our lives more enjoyable and sane. 😉

What about you guys? What are you saying no to so that you can say yes to what matters? And have you read any life-changing–or just super-useful–books lately? Let’s chat in the comments! ♥

What’s True About You

August 18, 2017 / / 4 Comments

If we were having coffee together and I could encourage you face to face, I would lean forward and look you in the eye and tell you these truths:

You have nothing to prove.

You don’t have to earn your place.

You don’t have to be perfect or have it all together.

You are worthy right now, right here, just as you are, no matter how big your mess.

You are not required to hustle.

You are allowed to rest.

You are allowed to dream.

You don’t have to be all the things to all the people.

You don’t have to listen to the mean boss in your head.

You are allowed to be your truest self and to be true to that person.

You might now know who that person is. You might have been striving to be what other people think or say you are or should be for so long that you have no idea who you actually are. You may need to give yourself space and time to figure that out. But here’s a starting place: If you are in Christ, then you are…

Loved.

Beloved.

A royal daughter.

Holy.

Forgiven.

Chosen.

Called.

Cared for.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

You are God’s masterpiece, created on purpose for a purpose, intentionally made and molded to carry out work that was specially prepared for you when you were just an idea–and even then, you were already loved.

You are His, and He wants you to know that you can lay down your burdens and give it all to Him. You can depend on Him.

You are highly capable.

You are more than conqueror.

You are not a victim, but a victor.

You are a warrior.

You are the light of the world.

♥

Sometimes the best way to move forward is to step back.

August 17, 2017 / / 0 Comments

I’m back from my summer blog break and ready for a fresh start… and also kind of feeling like I forgot how to write a blog post. But before I talk about the fresh start, let me talk about the break. What did I do with six whole weeks of no blogging?

Well, mainly I worked on my book, although I didn’t make as much progress as I wanted or needed to (and it’s still going to have to come first until it’s done). And I didn’t take a break from my freelance work. But between those things, without the blog to worry about I had a lot of time for reading and the slow processing of ideas. And let me tell you, I read a lot.

I kind of surprised myself, actually. As much as I love to read, I also really like TV, so I thought I’d spend a lot of my downtime during the break catching up on at least one Netflix series. But other than dipping my toes into The Great British Baking Show while working on a (slow) embroidery project (and also other than the hour a night my husband and I spend watching a show together–right now we’re catching up on Better Call Saul and it is crazy good) I haven’t watched anything. What’s even more surprising is how much of my reading has been non-fiction instead of fiction (although there has been quite a lot of fiction in the mix, too).

At any rate, I was grateful for the time to just process and fill the well, and also to pray and plan. One of the things I prayed a lot and spent a lot of time journaling about was this blog. Because the truth is that I had gotten to a point where I wasn’t sure what the point of it was anymore, or if it should even continue to be something I put my time and energy into. It was feeling more like a chore than a passion, and I knew it was time to stop, if only temporarily.

So I stopped. And I prayed a lot about whether I should stop for good or just take a break. And I prayed about the purpose and mission of this blog, which turned into examining MY purpose and mission on this earth and how that can be expressed through this blog.

Which brings me to the fresh start.

If you’re reading this post at the actual blog, you probably noticed the new layout and a new logo (if you’re reading this somewhere else, you can click here to check them out). The new logo also includes a new tag line: “Standing at the intersection of faith, creativity, simplicity and knowing what matters most.” Those are pretty much the four pillars of my life (the fifth is home and family, but that tag line was already feeling overstuffed and those things are pretty well covered under “what matters most”). And I’ve realized that not only am I all about figuring out how these things intersect and interact together, I’m also all about helping you figure out what that looks like in your own life.

I also want to inspire you, encourage you and build up your faith–not only in God but in believing the truth about who you are and what you’re capable of in Christ. And I want to help you give yourself permission to relax, to lay hold of grace and let go of what doesn’t matter that’s getting in the way of what does, to stop emulating Martha so much and start emulating her sister Mary more.

As to what that’s going to look like… we’ll see. I think this is a “learn as you go” type of thing, and there’s going to be a period of transition as I learn to navigate my mission and settle into my new blog skin. I’m hereby giving myself permission to experiment and try out different things, and I’m giving you permission to tell me how those things sit with you.

But for now, I think it will look like this: Shorter blog posts about lighter topics such as what I’m reading or listening to or using and how I’m fitting these concepts into my life, as well as more practical posts about doing life and adulting and being faithful stewards of what we’re given. And I’ll save the deeper, more theological stuff for the newsletter, which will go out once a month, in order to give me plenty of time to process these bigger ideas and do them justice.

There are also some other fun things coming. Like a shop that will sell graphic inspirational prints and other merchandise like mugs and tee-shirts created to inspire and encourage you. And an online course or two, or at the very least some workbooks aimed at helping you sort some of these things out in your own life. The print shop is coming as soon as I can get the shop set up–hopefully some time in the next week or two. The classes and/or workbooks will have to remain in the idea stage until my book is finished, which will be a while yet.

Here’s a peek at what will be in the shop:

And I’ll be giving away free printables of each of these designs to subscribers of my monthly newsletter, Daydreamer Dispatch. So if you would like to delve deeper with me each month about how faith intersects with creativity and doing life in a way that puts first things first, click here to sign up, and you’ll be given a link to download print quality PDFs of the above graphics. I’m kicking around the idea of sending out a new printable in each issue of the newsletter, but that will depend on whether I have time to create a new graphic each month.

In light of all of that, I can genuinely say I’m happy to be back, and I’m excited about moving forward!

What about you guys? Does my new tag line and its four pillars stir up any issues or questions in your heart that you’d like to see addressed here? Do you have a favorite quote or verse you’d like to see turned into a graphic print and added to the shop? I’d love to hear your ideas, as well as what you’ve been up to this summer! Let’s chat in the comments. ♥

The Meaning of Grace

The Meaning of Grace

August 8, 2017 / / 2 Comments

The Meaning of Grace

 

Note: I’m still sharing posts from the archives while I work on my book and take time to enjoy summer. This post originally appeared March 30, 2016. I’m sharing it today because as summer winds down and we head into the back-to-school season (some of us, anyway), we can’t have too many reminders about God’s grace.

***

While reading A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman, at one point she mentions that she stumbled across a Bible verse about grace and was filled with questions about what, exactly, grace means. Naturally, this prompted me to ask the same question. It’s easy to think we know the answer, but it’s equally easy to get all mixed up about it and misunderstand its meaning.

After some thought and prayer, here’s what I think grace means–or at least, what it means to me.

I think grace means being released from focusing on our own goodness (or lack thereof) and focusing instead on God’s goodness. Or as Mary Ingalls put it:

“I mean I don’t believe we ought to think so much about ourselves, about whether we are bad or good,” Mary explained.

“But, my goodness!  How can anybody be good without thinking about it?”  Laura demanded.

“I don’t know, I guess we couldn’t,” Mary admitted.  “I don’t know how to say what I mean very well.  But – it isn’t so much thinking, as – as just knowing.  Just being sure of the goodness of God.”

–Laura Ingalls Wilder,  Little Town on the Prairie (emphasis added)

Grace means moving toward righteousness and sanctification as best we can, but accepting that we can’t get there on our own, that we’ll never fully get there in this life, and resting in the knowledge that grace fills the gap for us.

It means accepting our humanity and frailty and weakness and knowing that that’s when He’s best able to manifest His strength and power within us.

It means freedom — not to sin, not to do whatever we want, but to not beat ourselves up when we stumble and fall. To know He’s there to catch us, set us back on our feet, and keep on loving us anyway.

It means that every single morning is a fresh start. Every time we sincerely repent is a clean slate and a new beginning.

Grace means we can relax. We don’t have to overthink this whole salvation thing. We don’t have to work our butts off to earn it. We don’t have to constantly examine ourselves to make sure we’re doing it right. We can be confident that the Holy Spirit will be sure to let us know when we’re doing it wrong and we need to course correct — and He’ll give us what we need to do so.

It means we don’t have to be perfect, because Jesus was perfect for us.

It means we have everything we need to be pleasing to God, and to be satisfied in Him.

May we all go forth in His grace today.

Love,
sig-transparent

 

 

PS – Linking up this week with Holley Gerth’s Coffee For Your Heart, Missional Women’s Faith Filled Friday, and the Faith Barista.

Chosen

August 1, 2017 / / 4 Comments

We are All Chosen Ones in Christ

 

Note: I’m still sharing Golden Oldies from the archives while I take time off to enjoy the summer and write my next book. Here’s one from last September. It feels relevent, and not just because of the picture (aside: I saw Wonder Woman a couple of weeks ago and I have to confess that I hold the extremely unpopular opinion that it’s not actually a very good movie. There, I said it). ANyway… we’re all Wonder Women in Christ.

***

Harry Potter.

Buffy Summers.

Luke Skywalker.

The Pevensie children.

Frodo Baggins.

What do these characters all have in common? They’re all Chosen Ones, heroes with a special destiny to drive back the darkness and swing the scales of Good and Evil back to Good’s favor. Fiction, especially the Fantasy and YA genres, are rife with Chosen Ones. If they didn’t step up and accept their Chosen status and face their fate head on, apparently we’d all be in big trouble.

I love a good Chosen One story. Some of the characters listed above are some of my favorite in all literature. But as I was pondering this particular trope this weekend, something occurred to me:

We are ALL Chosen Ones in Christ.

If you are in Christ, you have a special destiny. You were chosen and called for a purpose, to play a specific and unique role in God’s plan to bring light to the world and vanquish the enemy’s hold on it. Not only that, but you were fearfully and wonderfully made–lovingly and purposefully created, designed and built specifically to carry out that purpose, right down to your DNA.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you don’t have flaws, weaknesses and failings. All the best heroes do. That even goes for all the best Bible heroes. Just look at Moses. Noah. King David. The apostles Peter and Paul. The enemy wants us to believe that those failings make us unworthy and unable to carry out the purpose for which we were made. But that is a lie.

The truth is that God designed you for His purpose. Flaws and all. He can use your failings and weaknesses as much as He can use your strengths and talents. He knew what He was doing when He made you.

But you have to be willing.

The amazing thing is, that’s all you have to be. You don’t have to be strong, or fearless, or have magical powers, or be able to kick bad guy butt six ways to Sunday. Because our strength and courage and ability to carry out our purpose doesn’t come from within us. It comes from Him.

We only have to be willing.

If you’re doubting today whether you’re good enough or worthy enough or able enough to make a difference for God’s Kingdom, remember this, dear one: the almighty Creator of the Universe loves you and thinks so much of you that He didn’t want to carry off His plan without giving you a part in it.

You are Chosen.

You are able.

You are loved.

Love,
sig-transparent

 

 

PS – Find more encouragement at the following linkups:

Holley Gerth’s Coffee For Your Heart

Missional Women’s Faith Filled Fridays

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