And We Draw to Others With Jesus

God created us for fellowship, first with Him and then with others. His desire and intention have never been that we do this life alone.

There have certainly been times I have felt alone. Seasons I have walked through that were more lonely than others. Times I was required to pull away from distractions and even relationships to get alone with Him. This, too, was for my good.

But other times I need people, lots of people. WE need people. We need an encouraging word from a friend. A prayer from a leader. A cheer and a "you can do it!" from a mentor. Advice or correction from an accountability partner. A phone call from a sister. A hug. A lunch date. An unexpected gift. A letter in the mail. All these can come at just the right time to lift our spirits and encourage our hearts.

But just as we need others, they need us, too.

In times of brokenness, we can offer our Savior and remind someone that Jesus comforts those who mourn and He heals the brokenhearted (Matt. 5:4, Ps. 147:3). In one of my favorite books, "Strong Women, Soft Hearts" by Paula Rinehart, Paula says, "We don't mend each other's brokenness, we admit our needs and let that draw us to each other and to God."

We draw others to Jesus, and we draw to others with Jesus.

We need God.

We need people.

And people need us.

Sometimes we just need to listen.

Sometimes we just need to say, "I'm so sorry you're hurting."

Sometimes a hug can be the medicine God uses to ease the pain.

Yes, you and I…we are healing agents on earth...sent by the Great Physician to offer Jesus to the world. We can look toward heaven and extend our hands and our hearts to those around us.

We must not and we cannot do this life alone. 

We need God.

We need people.

And people need us.

In times of trouble and uncertainty our humanity leaks weakness. What strength we have often fails in the face of adversity and crumbles at the sting of heartbreak. But when we find it hard to stand, Jesus holds. He holds and he uses the arms of people - my arms and your arms - to love and embrace and support. He uses our words and our smiles and our time.

We draw others to Jesus, and we draw to others with Jesus.

Encourage someone today. Be a friend. Give yourself. Share Jesus. Listen. Offer hope. Love big.

You never know what the person next to you is going through or what they have to go home to or what their lives may hold for them tomorrow.

Go. And take Jesus to the world.

He Sees. He Knows. He Has Experienced It.

I recently read this by Mary DeMuth (from her book, "EVERYTHING," that comes out TODAY):

"Everything that hurts us on earth has the potential, when we let God put His hands in the conflict, to bless the world. In short, we hurt, God heals, we become an agent of healing. In other words, when we're brave enough to let God transform our pain, we bring heaven to earth. And when He stretches His arm from heaven to earth, blessing us with comfort, we, in turn, touch the world with heaven's touch."

And then, this morning, I heard an interview on the radio with Mark Shultz. I don't remember his exact words, but Mark said something like this, "If God isn't moving the mountain, it's because He's giving you the strength to go over it."

And then I remembered seeing this:

"The quickest way to forget about your pain is to help someone who hurts more." ~Matthew Barnett

So many times we find ourselves in places we'd rather not be, in circumstances we would've never chosen for ourselves, and pain (physical, mental, emotional) we wish would just. please. go. away.

But what if our circumstances don't change and the pain does not go away?

What if we use our faith and we pray every day and we stand on scriptures and nothing changes?

Maybe something IS changing.

Maybe WE are changing on the inside.

Maybe we are being prepared to help someone who hurts more.

Maybe we are becoming an agent of healing.

Maybe we are healing from the inside out.

Maybe our faith is growing and our hearts are being softened.

I don't understand everything, but I know God never changes.

I know Jesus loves me so much He died on the cross so I can live.

So when I don't get I answers, I remember, God has my life in His hands.

He sees the big picture. He knows the number of my days. And His ways are perfect.

So I keep walking.

I keep celebrating.

I keep praying.

I give thanks.

I keep believing.

I share.

I keep praising.

I chose joy.

And I remind myself His love never gives up on me. He knows me better than anyone. And He promises that no matter what, NO MATTER WHAT, He will never leave me nor forsake me.

In that hard place? Yep. He's there.

When my pain is more than I can bear? Yes. He is there, too.

He sees, He knows, He has experienced it.

Keep pressing forward, sister. Keep going. Don't give up! Your story isn't finished yet, and neither is mine!

Please let me pray with you today. Let me keep standing and keep believing with you. Leave a comment below or feel free to send me a private message: shellyafaust@gmail.com

His love never fails!

Praise the Lord! He is good. God’s love never fails. Praise the God of all gods. God’s love never fails. Praise the Lord of lords. God’s love never fails. ~Psalms 136:1-3

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. ~Psalms 105:4

Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. ~Psalms 63:3

Sometimes It's Easier to Pretend It Doesn't Hurt

If my bedroom or closet is messy (and they usually are) I have a bad habit of walking through with tunnel vision pretending like I don't see it. Life is messy, too. Marriage and church and family and death and teenagers are messy. Sometimes it's easier to avoid the messes.

If I run into writer's block or only get 300 words in a day, I have a bad habit of closing my eyes and putting down my paper (or keyboard) out of frustration or disappointment. Sometimes it's easier to not push through and deal with the hard things.

If someone hurts me I have a bad habit of closing off, putting up a wall, and neglecting the relationship completely. Sometimes it's easier to pretend it doesn't hurt.

But sometimes, we must deal with the messes.

Sometimes, life is hard and we have to push through.

And sometimes we hurt.

God takes our messes (not my messy closet) and makes something beautiful. ...to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3).

He takes the hard things...His yoke is easy and His burden light (Matthew 11:30)...and His grace is sufficient for me, for His strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 11:9).

And He cares about my hurts. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3).

The God Who created me...knows me and loves me.

The God Who created YOU...knows YOU and loves YOU.

Trust Him.

Even when it's messy.

Even when it's hard.

Even when it hurts.

******************************
Linking with Emily for imperfect prose on thursdays.

Hear It On Sunday, Use It On Monday & A Tribute

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We will not fear. Psalm 4:1-2

At the beginning of service this morning, the congregation rose, hand over heart, eyes fixed on our American flag displayed proudly at the front of the stage. In unison, voices pledged allegiance to the red, white and blue and sang of the land of the free and the home of the brave.

A Tribute to lives lost ten years ago, on the day that forever changed America and left hearts aching

In the middle of crisis, the fierceness of the storm, the heat of the battle, it is easy to give in and give up. But the victory comes with digging in heels and drawing strength from the inner depths of your being, strength you never knew you had, strength that overcomes the greatest evil...His strength in our weakness. We continue to rise above this tragedy and pray for America to remember who she is, to take her rightful place, to once again stand for truths upon which she was founded ...and to trust in God.

A Tribute to Fallen Soldiers, a moment of silence and prayer for hurting families

A Tribute to active/retired soldiers abroad and in our own congregation

Below is Retired Sgt. Brian Fleming - our guest speaker.

http://www.blownupguy.com/

He gives a powerful testimony of one soldier's journey from being blown up twice in Afghanistan to using his story to bring hope to others and his voice to tell of the love of Christ all across the world.

We are the United States of America. We are the land of the free, the home of the brave.

God Bless America!

Linking today with Michelle at Nebraska Graceful

and counting gifts with Ann at A Holy Experience

76 freedom to worship

77 men and women who risk their lives for our freedom

78 the ability to forgive

79 courage to press on

80 hope to become better

81 love that covers and heals

82 His strength in my weakness

83 gentle reminders that keep things in perspective

84 grace for this journey

85 mercies new in the morning

(More Than) 5 Minute Friday, in real life, & an On-Line (un)Conference

(Please continue praying for Texas and all those affected by the wildfires and working to put them out. Send Your rain, God.)

I popped over to The Gypsy Mama for the normal 5 Minute Friday post and was surprised to discover this. It sounds really amazing and I can stay in my pajamas…bonus! Maybe you can come, too? I'm thinking...pajama party?

In keeping with their theme, in real life, I decided to share a few of the first thoughts that come to mind (this could be dangerous…). You can read more of the same here., and link up, if you'd like.

The phrase in real life implies that maybe some things in life… aren’t…real? This got me t’ thinkin’ (sorry, sometimes the Texas in me sneaks out)…and to brainstorming (like writers sometimes do). Here’s what I came up with:

In fake life?, get real, for real, uncover, lies, cover-up, pretend, in plain sight, taking off the mask, not always perfect, too good to be true, put on a happy face, behind closed doors, hiding, fear of, out in the open, the real me, the real you, what you see is what you get, closed, open up, share

Boy, did that open up a can of worms.

Aren’t we all in this real life together? Why the temptation to hide behind masks of perfection or cover up hurts or put up walls or be someone we’re not?

In this life…this real life…there are hurts. There is happy and sad. There is beautiful and there is ugly. There is abuse, failure, success, lies, mistakes, regrets, victories, anger, sin, love, hate, tempers lost, divorce, jealousy, expectations, affairs, rebellion, cliques, impure motives, joy, disappointments, accomplishments, and on and on and on.

You get the idea.

Let’s talk about the real. Let’s be real. And let’s help each other.

It’s all good (except when it’s not).

And that reminds me of one of my favorite books, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, by Dr. Seuss.

“Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest…Except when you don’t. Because, sometimes, you won’t. I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you…”

But do we stop or give up because real life happens? No.

“…on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.”

I hope you know as I write these words on my blog, God is speaking to me, healing me, correcting me, exposing me, re-directing me… loving me. I invite you to come along and pray that you find some of the same through what you read. Sometimes my arms get sore and my sneakers leak, but God never changes. I am happy to be sharing my journey with all of you.

Isn’t that part of our job description anyway?

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing (I Thes. 5:11).

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Heb. 10:23-25).

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace (1 Peter 4:8-10).

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2).

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God (Col. 3:16).

Happy Friday, friends! :)

Chapter Five: Control

Releasing Our Sticky Fingers

"All of us want to hold on to the illusion that we are in control of our lives.....at least a little bit anyway..."

The title alone of this chapter immediately grabbed my attention. I know this is one of the (many) areas I struggle with. 

Hi, my name is Shelly.  I have control issues.

But seriously.....coming from a woman's perspective (cause that's where my expertise is, ya know...)....we all have ideas and dreams of how we think and hope our life is going to go, and we think we know how to make it happen. 

I have an idea of how I think my kids' lives should go.  How they should do things, how they should dress, what they should say, who they should marry.....you get the idea.  And I think its certainly okay to (and we should) have expectations and dreams for our children, but ultimately God is in control.  And we are not.

Our daughter is graduating next weekend and I know that things are going to be a little different. :)  Although she is still living at home, going to a community college, she is becoming an adult.  The hard part for me will be giving her the freedom to make choices and decisions.....even when they are not the ones I think she should make.  This is new for me.  How do you watch as your child makes a wrong choice and you know there will be consequences?  I know this is a part of the process, a part of life, character building, a part of who she will become and how God will use her.  Lord, help me to trust You with Your daughter.  Help me to release my sticky fingers.

And sometimes things just don't work out like we had planned.  Sometimes they do!  But sometimes they don't.....

Paula tells of her personal experience with skin cancer.  This really hit home for me.  5 1/2 years ago while pregnant with my baby boy, I received some similar, unexpected news - I had melanoma.  (Read that part of my story here) 

That was definitely not supposed to be part of my story. 

Or was it?

I believe that God will bring something good out of every bad situation or circumstance in our life.  He can't help it!  He's a good God.  Did He cause my cancer?  No.  Will He use my story for His glory and to draw people to Him?  Yes, I believe He will.

Today, I attended the funeral for my niece's twin boys who were born prematurely at 23 weeks.  My great nephews....Ayden and Evan.  Not how we imagined or hoped things would go.  Definitely not according to our plan.  Does God have a plan?  I just KNOW that He does.  As Starla said in one of her comments to a previous post of mine, I know that God is going to bring greatness out of this sadness.  Somehow.  Some way.

Paula quotes advice she received from a friend, "You have to realize that your dreams aren't going to materialize in the way you have hoped - even the ones you thought God gave you.  Some will turn out better than you could ever imagine.  Some will go belly up.  And hardly any will match the picture in your mind."

It's not always bad when our ideas or expectations don't materialize.  Not everyone will get cancer.  Not everyone will lose a child.  But we each have our own trials and tribulations....our own character building....our own story. 

And we each have our triumphs where God shows up and shows out.....and things are BETTER than we had hoped or imagined (even though they weren't part of our 10 year plan or vision board with accompanying pictures). 

When our oldest two children were 13 and 9, God decided we needed another one!  Not part of our plan....but definitely better than we expected or could have planned for ourselves! :)

God sees the big picture and He knows what He's doing.  Too often we ducktape our fingers around our circumstances and try to make things happen, fix things, or change things (because we know better). 

Rinehart exposes two faces of control:

• one looks anxious, overbearing, just plain trying too hard (ahhemm....you talking to ME?)
• the other is more a story of avoidance and self protection (again....)

Often our hurts and/or past experiences influence our future decisions, our plans, our goals and our dreams.....how we attempt to build our life.  If we can just do this, or avoid that, things will be fine and dandy.

Paula states that often the pain in our life "just sits there fermenting, expressing itself as control...."

"Most often, our need to stay in control springs from inner vows we do not know we have made:

• I will not hurt like that again.
• I will never be loved the way I long to be.
• I am really all I have.

She goes on to say that control "masquerades as strength, but it's really not........We try to get a life by arranging the pieces as best our limited vision and wounded, misbegotten hearts can do.  God may be a prop in the play, but He is not the director."

If I am going to trust God with my life, (and that of my children) I have to trust Him with every part of it.  The happy times and the sad times.  I have to trust that He already knows and that He has a plan. 

I have to trust that He is ever present, holding my hand, whispering softly the words that I need to hear, molding me, equipping me, making me, loving me.

Because He is.

Is there something in your life that has happened that wasn't exactly how you planned it?  How has it affected you and your relationship with God?  With other people? 

Are you allowing control to masquerade as strength and cover up the places that God wants to expose and heal?

Are you missing out on God's plans for your life because you have your own plans?

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9

Ask God to help you peel off the ducktape.....release your sticky fingers.....and truly become the director of your life (and mine).  Pray for me, and I will pray for you. :)  I need all the help I can get.

XO

Shelly

Chapter One: Awakening

Wow.

Seriously.

This book, so far, has tugged at my heart, probed and uncovered places that I either didn't know were there or would have rather kept hidden, denying their very existence.

I'm a little nervous.

The last 3-4 years of my life have been about discovery.  Discovering who I am apart from positions, titles, roles, expectations, etc.  Discovering the nature and character of God from God Himself, free from man's opinions.  Discovering what it means to be a follower of Christ, saved., reborn, set free, a daughter of the King.  Discovering His voice, His call.  Discovering His grace.  Discovering. 

And still, I continue on this journey.  A journey whose final destination is not found on this earth, but one that I do not have to walk alone.  A journey which leads me down hi-ways and dirt roads - some bumpier than others, brings me to crossroads and  intersections, exits and entrance ramps.....all leading me closer to Him, each place containing the possibility of finding something new or reclaiming that which was lost. 

Through this study, I am expecting God to awaken that which is sleeping or laying dormant on the inside of me, reveal and heal those things that may be keeping me from discovering all that He is, and bring me to a place of intimacy like one I have never known. 

I just watched the discussion video posted by Angie and Jessica here.  Please go and watch it, it will add a personal touch to your study and offer a different perspective to what you've read.  It also may challenge you to think deeper.  In addition, they have discussion questions here.

Some things that stood out to me personally:

"It's strange the way we meander through life, thinking we are moving forward, only to discover we have left our hearts behind" (pg 2).  (Are you just going through the motions, performing duties, just showing up?)

"The very struggles we would just as soon skip past become the ticket to gaining what we lack, as though God knew just the grist we needed to become what He had in mind" (pg. 2).   (Relationships are risky....not everyone is going to love us back, and most everyone will at some time disappoint.)

"Each of us wants to become.....a woman in touch with God and alive to all the possibilities that walking with Him can bring. It's just that sometimes we get mired in the very clay He dug us out of, tangled in the weeds of our own wanderings" (pg. 3).  (Life happens.  And it's easy to get our eyes off of Him, onto other things, only to find ourselves back in the place where we first started.)

"I find the temptation to shut down on the inside and settle for the crumbs under the table is one that every woman faces" (pg. 3).  (There is a whole sermon in this one statement!)

Each of these quotes either directly or indirectly relates to being hurt, wounded, disappointed, used, let down, etc.  With hurt after hurt piled on top of each other, never receiving healing, we become numb and our hearts become calloused, making it difficult or sometimes even impossible to experience the joy found in relationships with one another and with God.  We begin to consider the invitation to shut down.

Paula states that we can "build a monument to our woundedness, .....shape an identity around the things we've suffered."

When we do this, we cannot truly experience all that God has for us.  We become stuck in time, unable to grow or move forward, unable to hear, for it is....."with our hearts that we listen to Him" (pg. 16).

What have you given up or forgotten in order to eliminate or lessen the risk of experiencing pain or loss?

Are there certain areas in your life where you've built walls to keep others out?

Are you living a smaller version of the life that God created you for?

A relationship with Him is more than following a set of rules, making sure you do everything right, winning the talent show or out-perform everyone else.  I camped out there for a while. It's a lonely, empty place.

God desires intimacy.


He is pursuing us.

He has set His affection on us.

We must awaken our hearts.    

"We must have our hearts intact in order to make the journey of life well.  We must have access to the inside stuff - the longings and desires and dreams and vulnerabilities that make us who we are.  God placed those in us" (pg. 6).

Vulnerability can be scary.  Let us find our courage in knowing that He desires to walk with us through every circumstance, every hard place, every happy place and every place in between.  Ask Him to show you the places that you've closed off, refused entry or hidden.  Trust Him with the places that may still be tender and allow Him to mend your brokenness.  Allow Him to awaken your heart, stirring the dreams, desires and gifts that He has placed on the inside of you.  And embrace the journey that is set before you.

I could go on and on with this chapter alone, but I'll stop here!  

See you Tuesday night to discuss Chapter 2!

XO