Category: friendship

I Belong

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Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable – Bondai People Proverb

Recently I sat with a sweet friend who began to share some of her life story with me. I wept as the horrific details spilled out. It was more than I could almost fathom as she shared of her childhood and the shattered life she had endured and somehow miraculously survived. Her tween and teen years were saturated with ongoing abuse and pain. I felt like vomiting as I listened to her share. My heart broke for her. For many nights after I could not sleep just reliving what she had shared.

I first met her many years ago. She stepped into my circle when we both had babies, when her family began to attend my church. I remember meeting her and distinctly remember enjoying her sweet, kind personality. What I did not know, is the horrid things that were happening to her inside what should have been safe and welcoming walls of that church. It was not what Jesus called us his bride, the church, to be – a hospital for the sick.

People who had no idea of the magnitude of her trauma constantly taunted and belittled her, driving the lies of the enemy deeper into her soul. The words “you don’t belong here” were physically spoken to her in multiple situations.

I can not fathom what prompted such a response from people professing to love and follow Jesus. It made and continues to make me angry. I know the people behind some of those comments and I want to walk up and shake and scold them. I know we are human and make mistakes. But when are we as the church of Jesus going to come together and be what HE called us to be?

The enemy of our souls is absolutely delighted when he sees these kinds of stories unfolding. He wants more than ever to keep each of us bound up in the lies we begin to believe, thinking there is no place we really belong. Truth is, we don’t really belong here. But while our home is heaven, we are called to be a body of believers (a place of belonging) here who binds up the wounds of others, encourages one another and walks in true holiness like Jesus with skin on.

Recently some personal events in my life, sent me on a spiral to a deep pit of discouragement which I did not like to be stuck in. The voices in my head tormented me with the lies of the evil one convincing me that I did not really have a place or group where I really belonged.

Realizing this was not a place I wanted to stay, I reached up and out and through a series of events, God has connected me in some pretty amazing ways to people who struggled along side me and helped me crawl up out of that dark place. He also brought resources like my pretty much all time favorite book, “Find Your People” by Jeannie Allen and somehow surrounded me with a magnificent army of prayer warriors who pray me through anything.

I still struggle with darkness at times. I think we all do if we are honest. The battle is real and continues to rage until we get to heaven! I know now who my people are and where I belong. Do I still have ugly bouts of insecurity? Yup! But I am finding more confidence and help in refuting the enemies’ lies with God’s truths!

And, I am placing myself on active duty in the war against hurt and pain that happens inside God’s hospital for the sick. As I continue to think and pray about this issue, the question that keeps popping up is this: What if we as a church greeted people with “Let me hear your story…” instead of shooting those evil, self righteous, nauseating to the heart of God, arrows of ” You don’t belong here…” What if instead of looking down our noses at people who are different from us, we embraced them as the beautiful creations of God that they are and made every effort to walk with them in their messy pain and trauma.

We are all messy. We all face defeat and discouragement but as members of God’s family we do have a place where we are known and loved and where we really do belong!

Peopling

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I am married to a dear man who creates his own words. As I was pondering the title of this particular writing, I decided to look into if peopling was actually a word or if hubby was wearing off on me.

The Urban Dictionary notes peopling as the ability to tolerate people and their stupidity as well as your own stupidity in a public place. Hmmm. Not all that flattering of a definition. I like to think of “peopling” as being out and about mingling and interacting.

As a younger me, my sanguine self was quite adept at peopling, content to flit about hither and yon interjecting my bubbly self into many unique and fun settings, making action happen if life was to quiet. If all else failed I could always bring a scone or some of my fresh salsa and life would be right side up again. As I have gotten older, my desires to mingle and interact have morphed into different and sometimes unfamiliar shapes. The past decade has brought several major life traumas to our family necessitating huge changes in locale for us which resulted in uprooting and needing to readjust to new faces and places. This, if I am completely honest has been brutal for my 40 something brain to process and cope with. Starting over with friendships on quite a few levels has been overwhelming. It’s not easy breaking into circles that have been established for long periods of time, sometimes decades. I have compared myself to the Israelites after they left their bondage in Egypt. I know with out a shadow of a doubt that we are in much healthier places but I still miss the “leeks and the garlic” of Egypt which were the established comfortable routines like having monthly planned activities with other families and friends, having persons who love and appreciate my scones, and having someone to go camping with in the summer time. Being older and tireder and wondering what I have to offer, plagues the epicenter of my thoughts as I dream of being settled and comfortable in relationships.

Now I am not over here in some black hole but some days I am sad at how lonely I feel. (Important Side Note: I promise I do have a real friend or two.) As I have come to grips with the current season, I have become more aware and intentional. I listen and watch and hear other people’s hearts and the scary and sad, but somewhat hopeful in a very strange way thing is, I am not alone in this. People are lonely. People around me are lonely. People who sit around me at church, in my job, at my kids’ school are lonely. Loneliness is reaching epidemic levels. How do I know? People have told me so. Some say it just like that. Others say it more subtly. People are even writing books about it. Jennie Allen in her book “Find Your People” says this – God said it after he made the first man. It is not good for man to be alone. So, as messy as relationships might be, we can not live life alone. Allen goes on to share ways to find your circle of people.

I have often thought with humor about how it might look to run an ad for friendship with the same theme as those singles ads that used to run in the Sunday paper. Wanted: Family Friendships. Prefer imperfect family units. Grumpy dads and helicopter moms acceptable. Love of camping, porch sitting, low country boils, veggie tales music and nut pickout nights a plus. Or Wanted: Christ Honoring Female Friendship. Prefers slightly bulgy, non perfect 35-65 year old female. Listening skills a plus. Must love Jesus, speaking the truth in love and celebrating life events together.

If it were only that easy right?!

One of the issues we face is we are to busy. Way to busy.

Secondly, we live in an era where 500 or even a 1,000 social media friends is the norm. Sadly, 100 likes on a post is not even any where close in value to a simple conversation in person with a real honest to goodness unadulterated person. We have become a dehumanized people hiding behind the screens of our phones and laptops where sadly we can say mean and hurtful things and even post anonymously only feeding the giant monster of loneliness and despair.

I am convinced that if each one of us took the time to work on building relationships in person, this epidemic of lonely people would diminish. But how do we do so?

I love what it says in Hebrews 10. Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up the habit of meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another…

I do not want to take things out of context and I certainly don’t profess to be a deep theological student, digging into the back meanings and greek and hebrew meanings but am more of a words at face value kind of gal. I kinda like how this verse actually just spells some things out. Sound simple? Not exactly. Peopling IS messy, this we know for certain, and takes work but can truly bring about the biggest blessing in a lonely world.

Who’s with me?

What Grief Is Not

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As the ebb and flow of my own personal grief continues, I remain astounded at the fragile sometimes painful ties that bind my heart to others who grieve. 

Conversations especially with other mamas who have lost often turn to what might be our own triggers for the resurfacing of what we thought was done like the way even driving past the giant University of Iowa hospital inevitably brings a fresh inability to breathe.  It doesn’t ever feel silly to express. In those moments each of us is completely understood.

Today for my husband’s hand surgery, we actually parked in the same spot in the endless parking garage where our van had been parked when we had to leave the hospital without her. I remember walking out holding my children’s hands, feeling like I was naked or like I must have forgotten my purse.  

Also noted is the keen awareness of loss when someone we know is experiencing trauma or shattering loss. My sweet friend Gloria, who I have actually not met in person, is living that as I type. She was a faithful prayer warrior as Abby lay connected to tubes and wires. She has checked in on me despite the miles since.  Now her young adult son is fighting for his very life as the result of a tragic accident in snowy Indiana weather over New Years. (prayers appreciated for her son, Collin) Watching her story from afar, rips the band aid off of my own grief and brings remembering the emotions and moments of our own story to the forefront.

Living through tragedy is an unwanted connection with people you may not have even noticed prior. It has often been a lifeline, a blessing in disguise but is not something one would wish on one’s worst enemy. 

Dusting off these emotional boxes of stuff I wish could just vanish, brings to mind things I have indeed learned through the process. People often ask me how to reach out when someone has lost or is living tragedy. While I wish there were a pat answer that would work across the board, there is not. Each of us is uniquely created by God not only physically, but emotionally so what may be helpful to me may mean next to nothing to some one else with similar circumstance. 

Recent conversation has once again freshened some things that remain at the top of the list that I share when someone really wants to know how to best reach out to others who hurt.  

#2. Grief is NOT a time for judgement.  

This is a tough one to navigate. Life has consequences. If my choices include over indulgence in smoking or drinking, my physical body may live out consequences like liver damage. If I choose to be morally “loose” with sexual standards, I may reap the consequence of a sexually transmitted disease. Overeating may result in diabetes or other weight related issues. The list could go on. 

While I do believe that our Creator God is just and as he says in his word we will reap what we sow, I do not believe that it is ever appropriate for us mere mortal humans to judge other humans on these issues especially when that other human has just experienced tremendous loss. 

I do not have the answers as to why Abby had to die at 3 years of age, but I still cringe at the quiet whispers of how it was most likely God’s judgement for our earlier marital separation and my wicked and rebellious spirit. 

I also know my sweet friend’s choice to allow her young adult son to attend a secular university was not the reason for his early demise as a result of nasty cancer. 

Yes, people actually do say these kinds of things. Well meaning or not, they are not words necessary in times such as these!

If you have “judgements” that just must be stated, hide yourself in your closet and talk to God about them! Don’t share them with others and most definitely please have mercy on the hearts of the grieving and don’t break their already fragile hearts into more pieces. 

Judgement is God’s job and HIS alone!

#1. Grief is NOT a time to expect normal.

Patsy Clairmont says it best. “Normal is just a setting on your dryer…”

Nothing will ever be normal after you have lost. 

This can be best explained when we look at those who have lost limbs. Yes, a prosthesis can be helpful! But that arm, leg or those teeth are still never going to be the same and will be daily reminders of what used to be. To expect someone to pop back to their old self is unfair and adds unwarranted punishment to the stress of continual grief. Part of our heart is gone. Life won’t ever be normal.

Grief is a time for you to muster all the care and kindness your soul has to offer and asking God for more when you start to feel emptied out .  It is checking in on folks in the weeks and months that follow, not just the day of the funeral. Pray. Take a favorite meal.  Send a plant. Write a meaningful letter that is not full of cliche things like Heaven got another angel or All things work together for good…It’s ok to say that you don’t know what to say. Let them know you care then watch for ways to be Jesus with skin on.

Most of all truly seek God’s heart on how you can minister best to those who are closest to your corner of the world!

To Love and To Flourish

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I have come that they might have life and might have it abundantly…John 10:10

This week as I sat with a new friend, she spoke some words that have been long tumbling about in my heart. They came out something like this…

What if Christ’s church could truly grasp the need for prayer for the marriages in its midst? 

Though I had just officially met her about an hour before, the passion in her eyes and the tears that accompanied her words matched one of the deepest passions in my heart, a passion most likely growing there because of my own marriage’s history. 

If you have been here with me for very long, you may have heard me sharing tidbits of God’s miraculous healing in our marriage. Though we are so very far from perfect, we have come a long way from the two hurting people we were during one of the most difficult seasons of our 24 years together. 

Lowell & I have often pondered the responses of well meaning family and friends during our 11 month separation. We have talked about how things could maybe have taken a different path, had we, in our hurt not helped the social circles around us draw those lines in the sand and “create sides”. While wall building and side taking can seem like natural responses when people we love go through difficult relationships, especially in marriage, this may not be the response that ends up promoting the most healthy outcomes. 

((Now I’m going to stop right here and say that I do firmly believe there are exceptions! If you or someone you love, lives in an abusive marriage where there is physical danger, some “side taking” may need to take place in order to bring the abusive spouse to the help they need.))  

I also am well aware that openly hurting marriages draw attention. People talk and suspect and pass judgement. Of this, I too am guilty.  

But here again, my personal experience kicks in and reminds me of the pain of that judgement in a time when my heart was already in a million teeny tiny pieces. 

My new friend went on to say how she felt that we as Christians need to motivate one another towards flourishing marriages, realizing that it is God’s calling on us to live life (which includes our marriages..) well and not just merely getting by. 

What if we were more transparent with the struggles we face in our marriages? I firmly believe that no matter how well a marriage looks to others, there is still always room for growth and encouragement. My heart has broken again recently as I’ve watched people I love reach the broken place of divorce after appearing “just fine” to those of us around them. 

What if we spent as much time teaching on the healthy gift of God honoring marital sex as we do telling our young people to abstain and wait for marriage? Now I am not saying that great sex is the answer to all marriage problems, but as I have read more of what the Bible says about this amazing gift, I think it could be given a little more attention then it is!  I won’t get on my soapbox right now….

What if we worked as a church to encourage one another in our marriages by finding and providing tools to help marriages thrive?  For Lowell and I, traditional Christian marriage conferences only served as  just another miserable weekend and a space to argue.  Not until we found Mark Gungor’s “Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage Series”, did we truly begin to understand each other and gain the ability to embrace our differences. Does that mean that particular conference is the only way to encourage marriages?  Absolutely not!  Marriage encouragement just like marriage itself, is NOT one size fits all.  

What if we really did spend more time on our knees for our own marriages and for those marriages around us realizing the miracle containing power our prayers can contain? 

James 5:16 hits the nail on the head where it says, “Confess your faults one to another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much….”

As I have said before, I would love to pray for you! And I would love it if you would do the same for me! May our focus be on the one who can indeed cause our lives to flourish!

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn…

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“You keep track of all my sorrows.  You have collected all my tears in your bottle.  Psalm 56:8”

Pastor Steve read from Matthew 5 in his latest sermon. I have heard the Beatitudes read probably a million times in my lifetime. Never did verse 4 jump out to me like it did in this moment.  “Blessed are those who mourn…”

Blessed?  You’ve got to be kidding me!

Mourning is not particularly pleasant. 

Recently a caring friend asked me about how I felt about a certain aspect of grief. We talked about timetables for grief. We chatted about those we knew and how they grieve.  I find for myself that grief has been most unpredictable. Trying to find a place for her picture on my new walls has presented a challenge I could not have foreseen. But that’s grief.

As I sat re-reading the Matthew verse, I thought about how many times I’ve tried to imagine how my life would be without my daughter’s untimely passing.  While I feel like I have adjusted and am doing ok with the life altering loss, it still touches life in some way, almost daily.  Sometimes I don’t even realize how it slips its way in. 

I have had to come to grips with it (grief) entangling itself in what I say every single time I write.  I’ve wished it not to be so.  But it is. I have come to the conclusion that if my writing is truly a God calling, then apparently what I feel as I write must be the current message HE wants me to share in this place and time. And I have come to realize that it may not be for anyone else maybe, but simply for my own healing and wholeness. 


The rest of that Matthew 5 verse is so so precious.  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “  It doesn’t say might or may, it says will! To me that is all the comfort I really need – the promise of the hope of a brighter tomorrow.  If not here, over there with the blessed comforter Himself!

Letting Go

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It feels sooo good to write again!

So much has happened since I was last here. I was blessed with the gift of nearly full time employment which in combination with building our home, homeschooling my son and just being wife and mom, has put a crimp on my personal leisure time. But some thoughts have been rolling around in my brain that I need to vocalize, so here I am.

I’ve been big on the phrase “hold it lightly”. It seems there’s very little in life we can truly control though if you’re like me you’d really like to think otherwise.

A few months before Abby died I went through a process of surrendering her to whatever God had. The process was grueling and intense and yet brought peace. Little did I know the unfathomable pain I would walk through a few short months later. I remember holding her cold, lifeless body screaming out to God for his help and mercy. Even as the flight medics worked on her, I had a quiet peace and a complete understanding that she was indeed with Jesus already and that medicine though so advanced was not to be her path. Realizing that over the nightmare of the next 21 hours was surreal.

I’ve really struggled since, understanding surrendering to God’s will. Fear has had it’s ugly grip on my heart causing me to shrink away into my reclusive corner whenever I’m faced with the reality of the frailty of life. I’ve wondered if vocalizing what scares me is an invitation of sorts for the inevitable to plague me. Like yesterday. My husband made a comment about his health. Instantly my heart went into panic mode. I couldn’t possibly go on without him. The house isn’t finished yet. The kids are still reeling from the traumatic death of their sibling. I want to grow old with him….. So many of the same thoughts that had crossed my mind in my process of surrendering Abby made their way to the forefront of the battle in my head. I couldn’t breathe.

Then, though not audibly, I heard God whisper, “Dorothy do you trust me with Lowell? He’s not really yours anyhow. He’s mine…”

Surrendering those we love or anything dear to us for that matter, is not an easy feat. Realizing however that everything and everyone we hold dear really does belong to God makes the exhausting process a teeny bit easier.

Intentional Trust – “exchanging fear for faith”

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2020 has been tough on a lot of people.   

“Our new normal” includes daily conversations about things we never used to discuss. Fear seems to be a factor in most discussions. Each of us has a very distinct opinion, often completely opposite of those we love.   Distrust of everyone we meet has sprung paranoia on us like the springing of a steel trap.  Each week brings new reports of how bad things are.  The mandated ways we are to live in this new normal change almost daily. The so called experts can’t even seem to agree. Our addiction to news via social media and watching the news have fueled anxiety and fear, ruined relationships and caused suicide and depression rates to skyrocket. 

As I have watched the effects of these changes on my family and friends, my mind has been drawn to the truth of scripture.  While it may sound cliche, it has been the soft landing place my weary heart has been craving. 

I still check into my social media accounts off and on but have found my spirit is quieter when I lessen my time spent there.  Big surprise to me – I found I can actually survive without facebook, instagram and snapchat on my phone, instead limiting myself to checking when on my laptop.

Just prior to Covid’s infamous start, I had spent yet another weekend in the hospital . My sweet friend Mary came to pray with me and shared some of her handwritten scripture cards with me.  I was so blessed by the very practical truths she shared with me straight from the pages of the Bible that I began to ask God to awaken my hunger for his word.  

He has done just that. 

As worry has increased and uncertainty about how tomorrow, the next week, month or year may end up, I have found myself turning repeatedly to God for his comfort and truth. It has taken me being intentional about getting into his word, that has brought the rewards of peace and calm in a time of overwhelming stress and anxiety.

I am going to share just a few precious promises that have become dear to my soul and hope you will share some back!

Matthew 11:28 – Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Psalm 92:12 – The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree:  he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Psalm 4:8 – I will both lay me down in peace and sleep; For you alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.

Psalm 56:3 – What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

Psalm 29:11 – The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. 

I obviously love the Psalms!  David, the author, shows over and over how human he was and how God was his only hope despite numerous too big for man situations. 

What are your go-to scriptures for combatting worry and fear?  Share them in the comments or send me a message.  Let’s be intentional about encouraging one another in these dark times!

Goodness & Mercy

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Psalm 23:6   Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…

As I sit reflecting on the last few years, my mind is drawn to the fact of it being the first week of May once again and my heart overflows with gratitude to God for his faithfulness. 

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you may remember hearing me continually prattle on about my barrage of health issues, surgeries, hospitalizations and long periods at home which is a trial in and of itself for this social bird.  

While I will probably always question grief’s affect on my body, I also acknowledge how amazingly God created us.  Sometimes we will not have answers to life’s tough questions (health issues, death, grief, loss…) on this side of eternity. 

As I entered 2017, I could not have imagined the journey of the next months and years. This exact time of May in 2018 found me hospitalized with mysterious symptoms that ended up being staph infection and an antibiotic resistant sinus infection that had gone septic. I remember slipping into a nearly unconscious state as my temperature skyrocketed.  All I wanted was cool for my burning head, but also warmth for the rest of me which was trembling with cold.  My words no longer came out even though my mind was actively trying to make them.   

I remember my friend Connie standing vigil at my bed, covering me with prayers.  

Those prayers, followed by her reassuring touch on my hand jolted me back to reality. My doctor, who did not make rounds at the hospital any longer, was there, out of breath from having dashed over from his office across town.  He has told me multiple times since how he thought I was gone.  It’s kinda scary to think about when you hear it that way. But, that’s God and his faithfulness protecting my very life for some reason.

My daughters brought a hairband and lipgloss to the hospital
Got to go home if i agreed to IV antibiotics!
Ended up on major meds, steroids and anitbiotics for over a year! So thankful for healing!

I’ve not always been sure about his plan, as my health has continued to be temperamental.  But as I’ve continued to cling to faith I have truly experienced his goodness and mercy time and time again. 

Fast forward to 2019 which once again found my still recovering self in undesirable health related circumstances.  Biopsies with unknown results, strange tumors, and the inability to continue the work I love, did not deter God from being faithful.  

I still stand in awe at how he used a new radiology tech to lead to the discovery of the tumor on my thyroid which had actually begun to, unbeknownst to me, affect my swallowing. I am thankful for his goodness in allowing the end results to be good.

In the current quarantine of 2020, He continues to show his goodness.  While my nature would normally tend towards fear, He has stayed close reassuring me with his presence and meeting all of our needs in sometimes unexpected ways.  It seems fear dominates daily life, especially on social media.  I ran a small experiment on myself recently and found my anxiety and depression levels much lower the days I stayed off of social media and abstained from watching the news.  

It’s not rocket science people! 

I love Ann’s reminders and clung to this when I wasn’t sure how life was going to end up!

God has gifted us with his word which admonishes us many times to not be afraid. 

And while each of us copes differently, I am thankful for encouragement from friends who help me focus on God’s daily goodness and mercy.  My hope and prayer is that I can portray his goodness and care to those around me! 

Psalm 23 

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

7 ways to help a grieving parent

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 Recently someone asked me if I had any advice on walking with a friend who had lost a child. While I do not profess to be an expert, I can share some things that have been helpful to us in our journey. 

**Please bear in mind these are my list.  Everyone else’s list will be unique to them. 

#7. Allow them to grieve on their own timetable. 

Sometimes we think grief follows certain steps and is then done.  Not true. Never hurry someone along in the journey.

#6. Show up with practical gifts.

 In the early weeks and months, comfort food is vital.  Take a freezer meal. Give a gift card to their favorite restaurant.  Offer to eat with them but give them the right to refuse. Offering to help with errands or to do lists is also a big one. My sweet friend Laura contacted my clients for me and brought deo and a change of clothes to the hospital.  Other friends cleaned the house and weeded the garden. 

#5. Remember this is not about you at all. 

While their loss may deeply affect you, it is theirs. Your need for things to be done a certain way for your own healing or closure does not trump their needs. EVER.  

#4. If they have other children,  love on them.

Often remaining children, in addition to being extremely traumatized may feel guilty at still being alive. Seeing them for who God created them to be and ministering to them in that way can be so life giving in the darkest time.  Take age appropriate gifts. Offer a day trip to the zoo or museum or offer to pay for the family to go. A sweet friend actually paid for our family to go on a “griefcation”, which was super meaningful to our whole family!

#3.  Don’t be afraid to be with them. 

Often people tend to shy away from people who are grieving out of the fear they will do or say the wrong things. Be sensitive to what they may be feeling and if you feel like you may have done or said something inappropriate, apologize and go on. But PLEASE keep showing up. 

#2.  Understand that your friend will never be the same. 

Loss of any kind, but especially the unnatural loss of a child, alters the course of life forever.  Comments like “I’m so glad to see the old you” can cause a load of unnecessary pain. 

#1.  Remember their person – especially birthdays and angel-versaries. 

While this may not be of the same importance to everyone who has lost, most people I’ve spoken to, appreciate others remembering. It may mean you put it as a repeat date in your google calendar.

Remembering is such a gift…

I’d love to hear from you!  What has been most helpful in the journey called grief?

Enough

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I’ve been there a bunch lately.

In that place I call “the corner”.
It’s that uncomfortable state of being.  Many of us find ourselves at there, some more then others. 

If we’re honest.

I beat my self up there.

“Crazy” happens there and the “yucky ugly” comparison of me versus others who are perceived to have reached those gargantuan places full of perfection I can never hope to attain to.

There’s also the “what ifs” section of the corner.  It’s the place where every idiosyncrasy of my spontaneous nature is dissected and abhorred.

What if I’d been more rigid in my education style?  Maybe my kid would read better?

What if I’d been more watchful? Maybe I’d still be mom to 4 living children instead of 3 and 1 angel.

Lots of my friends have been there too recently, in the corner.

They stress and fret and stew and live really hard and sometimes very yucky day to day existences.

They wonder, as do I, about who they are.  Really are.

They wonder if they are worthy.

They wonder if they are loved.

They wonder if they are enough.

And they wonder if they can make it though one more day of pain.

I once read a home school mama’s book called “Teaching from Rest”.
Now let me tell you, I don’t get much reading time.  I enjoy reading but my current pace eliminates time for meaningful reading. But this book was short and I devoured it.  Every single line. It was what I needed at that moment.
It gave me the much needed reminder that rest is ok…and really actually needed…and that the crazy we subject ourselves to with the lists of activities and responsibilities (not to mention the beating ourselves up time)  we immerse ourselves in, while though they may be good are not always for our best.
It did not grant me a license to be lazy, mind you, but to re evaluate my priorities with the Best Yes philosophy that has turned my life upside down. (Go read Lysa Terkhurst’s the Best Yes if you haven’t yet…)
This also motivated me to re investigate the truths of the Bible and how they apply to my day to day.

Here’s my most recent list (since I’m all about lists…)

*We are LOVED. 
Ephesians 2:4 – 7 says “But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loves us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…

*We are VALUED.
Matthew 10:31 says Fear not, therefore; You are of more value then many sparrows.

*We are PRECIOUS.
Isaiah 43:4 says Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.

*We can make it through the tough.
Isaiah 41:10 reassures us of this..”Fear not, for I am with you; Be no dismayed for I am thy God.  I will strengthen you, I will help you…

* We are ENOUGH.
2 Peter 1:3 says “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness..”
and then there’s this one…Ephesians 2:10 – For YOU are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…”

How’s that for value?

If you like me and many others I love, struggle with who you are, let me shout to you from my corner that YOU ARE ENOUGH!

Fat, thin, short, tall, smart, not so smart, introvert, extrovert….You are loved by your creator.  YOU ARE ENOUGH!

So much has happened recently that has reinforced these truths.
I’m finding that so many of my beliefs center around my wrong thought processes and me not valuing who God created me to be.

Not that I need to take pride in wrong ways, but God talks much of our value in his word so there has to be truth to that somewhere right?!

I ran into someone, who in my mind is somewhat of a celebrity.  She bounces around in memories of my childhood.  She has also reached pinnacles of success I feel are never going to be my destiny.  (how’s that for the yucky comparison monster?) My first reaction at meeting her again had me shaking in my boots.  “She’ll never remember me…country mouse I be…” But as fate would have it, God reminded me of my value. I considered running the other direction or acting like I was busy when she entered the room.  But there she came, straight into “my corner”..and she remembered ME!  and had the same recollection of memories.  I’d have missed a great conversation if I’d stayed stuck in my corner, worrying and devaluing God’s handiwork.
Now, I’m not saying that her remembering me gives me value, but for me it is a reminder of who I am…I AM ENOUGH!

Casting Crowns has a song I love called Voice of Truth.  Take a minute to listen. Let the truth wash over you.

And if you are facing a “climbing out of boat onto the crashing waves” time in your space called life, take hope and remember…YOU ARE ENOUGH!



He is enough!