Thanks for walking with me through this season of life! Or through various seasons of my life! I don’t know where I would be without all of you! You are my oasis! Your friendship has been one of the greatest blessings in life, such as in this presently rough desert period of trial, unemployment, and uncertainty. God couldn’t have chosen better companions for the journey ;) It’s so good to know that we are in this together J
From the Lord of the Rings:
Elrond: Nine companions. So be it. You shall be the fellowship of the ring.
Pippin: Great! Where are we going?
We may not always know where we’re going in life, but God is in control, and for this season of life, I am so glad that He let me journey with you!
“I thank my God every time I remember you.” –Philippians 1:3
“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus.” –Philemon 1:4
“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” –Proverbs 16:24
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” –Romans 15:13
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” –Galatians 5:22-23
Never Alone
“A friend loves at all times, and a [sister] is born for adversity.” –Proverbs 17:17
“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” –Hebrews 13:5
“And Jesus told his disciples, ‘And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” –Matthew 28:20
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave nor forsake you.” –Deuteronomy 31:6
“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.’” –Deuteronomy 1: 29-31
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” –Psalm 23:4
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” –Isaiah 41:10
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from God’s presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” –Psalm 139:7-10
“You have made me glad with the joy of your presence.” –Psalm 21:6
Oh how He loves us -1 John 4:10
No matter what anyone else says, you are always loved and accepted by God, the One who loves us truest and best. You are His beautiful daughter, a cherished princess. Here is a song that I wrote related to that
Truest and Best
I am your hero,
your anchor, your rock.
I am your source of life,
your strength, your song.
(chorus)
I’ll always love you truest,
and I’ll always love you best.
My love never fails.
It’s faithful and true.
Forever and always,
I’ll be here for you.
I am your strong tower,
your shelter, your hiding place.
I am your king,
your teacher, your guide.
Repeat chorus
I am everything you want.
I am everything you need.
I am more than enough.
I’m the answer that you seek.
I’m your lover,
your friend, your God.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” -1 John 3:1
“This I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” –Lamentations 3:21-23
You Are Beautiful
I have come to believe that God has created every woman with her own one of a kind beauty. Just as there are so many varieties and colors of flowers, there are so many kinds of beauty. Each woman’s beauty is different and special and splendid and unique. If you ever fall into the trap of comparing and feeling like you don’t measure up: Don’t! Remember you bring beauty to the world in a way that no one else can!
“You are a jewel you're a treasure / You are one of a kind and / You shine just a bright as / The stars in the sky. / You're a rare kind of wonder created just right / So keep your head up no matter the pain / There’s nothing about you that’s plain” -Zoe Girl lyrics
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” –Psalm 139:14
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~e.e. cummings
It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is. ~Desiderius Erasmus
Like the sky opens after a rainy day we must open to ourselves.... Learn to love yourself for who you are and open so the world can see you shine. ~James Poland
You were born an original. Don't die a copy. ~John Mason
If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise. ~Johann von Goethe
Rabbi Zusya said that on the Day of Judgment, God would ask him, not why he had not been Moses, but why he had not been Zusya. ~Walter Kaufmann
Do I love you because you're beautiful,
Or are you beautiful because I love you?
~Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Cinderella
Beauty... when you look into a woman's eyes and see what is in her heart. ~Nate Dircks
Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic. ~Rosalind Russell
Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Quotes from Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge:
“We have all heard it said that a woman is most beautiful when she is in love. It’s true. You’ve seen it yourself. When a woman knows that she is loved and loved deeply, she glows from the inside. This radiance stems from a heart that has had its deepest questions answered. “Am I lovely? Am I worth fighting for? Have I been and will I continue to be romanced?” When these questions are answered. Yes, a restful, quiet spirit settles in a woman’s heart.
And every woman can have these questions answered, Yes. You have been and you will continue to be romanced all your life. Yes. Our God finds you lovely. Jesus moved heaven and earth to win you for himself. He will not rest until you are completely his. The king is enthralled by your beauty. He finds you captivating. . . . We are romanced. We are loved. When we are at rest in that knowledge, we can offer our hearts to others and invite them to Life.”
“Beauty is what the world longs to experience from a woman. We know that. Somewhere down deep, we know it to be true. Most of our shame comes from this knowing and feeling that we have failed here.
So listen to this: beauty is an essence that dwells in every woman. It was given to her by God. It was given to you. . . . Beauty is powerful. Beauty may be the most powerful thing on earth. Beauty speaks. Beauty invites. Beauty nourishes. Beauty comforts. Beauty inspires. Beauty is transcendent. Beauty draws us to God. As Simone Weil wrote, ‘The beauty of the world is almost the only way by which we can allow God to penetrate us . . .Beauty captivates the senses in order to obtain permission to pass straight through to the soul . . . The soul’s inclination to love beauty is the trap most frequently uses in order to win it.’
God has given this Beauty to Eve, to every woman. Beauty is core to a woman—who she is and what she longs to be—and one of the most glorious ways we bear the image of God in a broken and often ugly world. It’s messy to talk about. It’s mysterious. And that should not surprise us. Women are creatures of great mystery; not problems to be solved but mysteries to be enjoyed. And that, too, is part of her glory. . . .
It is an essence every woman carries from the moment of her creation. The only things standing in the way of our beauty are our doubts and fears, and the hiding and striving we fall to as a result.”
“. . . what it’s like to come into a beautiful place—a garden or meadow or quiet beach. You find room for your soul. It expands. You can breathe again. You can rest. It is good. That is what it is like to be with a beautiful woman. You are free to be you. It is one of life’s greatest gifts. . . . A woman who is unveiling her beauty is inviting others to life. She risks being vulnerable: exposing her true heart and inviting others to share theirs. She is not demanding, but she is hopeful. When our assistant Cherie walks into a room, it feels as if someone has just opened up the windows and let the fresh air in. Cherie is young, but that does not stop her from offering her kindness, her hopefulness, her sincere interest in how you are. She offers her beauty by asking good questions and by bringing something of her times with God—an insight, a glimpse into his heart—to bear. She entices others to the heart of God.
You see, ultimately, a woman invites us to know God. To experience through her that God is merciful. That he is tender and kind. That God longs for us—to be known by us and to know us. She invites us to experience that God is good, deep, lovely, alluring, captivating.”
“As we increasingly become women of substance, women who offer true beauty, we find that our hearts grow in their capacity to love and be loved, to desire, to live. Our hearts are enlarged by Jesus. And by that, we mean that we must be willing to be honest with him and with ourselves about the true nature of our souls—our sorrows, our desires, our dreams, our fears, our deepest and scariest hopes. To invite Jesus to come and walk with us there, to remove from our hearts the things that are getting in the way of our loving. We do not always get what we want, but that doesn’t mean that we no longer want. It means we stay awake to the unmet longing and ache. Wait there. Invite Jesus to come there.”
“Our hearts need to feed on beauty to sustain them. We need times of solitude and silence. We need times of refreshment and laughter and rest. We need to listen to the voice of God in our hearts as he tells us what we need. Sometimes it will be a bubble bath. Sometimes it is going for a run or a movie or a nap. Often, Jesus will call us away to spend precious time alone with him. We grow in our intimacy with Jesus as we practice listening to his urging, his nudges within. Pay attention to them and follow. The Holy Spirit is our guide, our counselor, our comforter, our Great Friend, and he will lead us. Abiding in Christ means paying attention to the voice of God within, nourishing our own hearts and nourishing our relationship with him. Over time.
Contrary to what the world claims, Beauty does not diminish with time; Beauty deepens and increases. As with June, gorgeous at seventy-five, we find that our latter glory will be greater than our former (Hag. 2:9). . . . I will never forget her because she gave me such hope. I finally understood that it took that long to become that beautiful. Beauty such as hers is rare because it is a rare woman who chooses to keep her heart alive in this dangerous world. Without striving. Her heart was very much alive. Present. Open. Alluring. She had lived years in the presence of God, with the gaze of her heart fixed on him. As we gaze on Jesus, as we behold his goodness, his glory, we are changed into his likeness, the most beautiful person of all.”
Quotes from Women of a Generous Spirit by Lois Mowday Rabey:
“Life-giving women.
We all know some . . . women we call when we need to talk, women we gravitate toward for encouragement and hope, friends we know will be excited to hear our good news. Women who graciously accept our interruptions and touch us with their love. They give of themselves, their time, and their possessions.
Women of a generous spirit.
They greet everyone they meet with a breath of life: a smile, an acknowledgement, a kind word that reflects a genuine caring beneath the simple courtesy. They touch with love: sometimes with the deep significance of friendship and sometimes with the light touch of a caring stranger.
We are drawn to them when we walk into a room full of strangers. Their approachable demeanor and warm greetings assure us of acceptance. They make eye contact and smile at us as we search the room for a safe place to linger.
Such women are life-givers.”
“. . . I sat at her kitchen table . . . I drank deeply of the hope she poured into the hurting places of my life. Claudette asked questions about how I felt. Her eyes held my gaze without shifting discomfort I had come to expect when I talked about the knowing ache of loneliness. She didn’t fill the silence with words or verses of Scripture. Often she just sat with me and let me ramble as I tried to integrate the reality of my faith with my broken heart. When she did speak, she didn’t offer solutions. Her words were few: a touch on my wringing hands and a soft ‘I know.’ Her compassionate eyes said the rest. She absorbed some of my pain and hurt with me.
Claudette gave me hope.
. . . She told me the truth. The fullness of her life was entwined with threads of grief. Claudette’s life showed me that peace and pain can coexist.
Through her, I cam to believe that I could experience joy again . . . Claudette gently and continually brought me back to the truth of God’s love.
. . . She’s a life-giver . . .
She knows my heart and carefully handles my joys and hurts. She’s available, interested, thoughtful, and firmly anchored in her faith. After being with her, in person or over the phone lines, I am lifted, energized, encouraged.”
[Corky] “. . . ‘She touched me,’ I told him. ‘I think she was an angel.’
This stranger listened to me and heard me. She sat down in front of me full of love, and she gave some of it away. She came like a gardener watering thirsty plants that happened to be in her path, and there I was. I hadn’t even known I was thirsty.”
“Women of a generous spirit have another distinctive characteristic: They give from an unseen reality. Life-giving women fill up and give out in ways that nourish themselves and give life to others. They know God, believe him, and live a faith-filled life. They seem to have something more—more than just head knowledge or blind obedience. They experience a relationship with God that transcends their circumstances. Somewhere deep inside their souls, they commune with him in ways that transform their minds and lives. That is why Claudette was able to walk with me in my pain—and why she is able to give to others in the midst of her own.
. . . She ‘tucks in’ when she needs God’s healing. . . . She would weep her grief out to him . . . and continue to affirm her belief in his love and care. . . . the hidden, mysterious breath of God sustaining her spirit. . . .a private place where her Father could heal her soul. . . . After a few minutes Claudette asked how I was doing.
She was back to giving. She had drawn deeply fro the bottomless reserves of God’s love and, in the unseen places of her heart, had vulnerably laid herself open to the healing mystery of his touch. She had placed her empty, hurting soul at his feet and believed in the work he would do to restore her. And when she was filled again with his strength, she had come back.
Women of generous spirit, like Corky and Claudette, come to every circumstance and relationship full. The edges around their personalities are smooth. They are not easily jarred or offended by intrusions and interruptions. They experience a strange inner calm that permeates even deep pain. They notice others. They touch warmly and ask sincerely. And when they are living in seasons of receiving, they receive graciously.
They are honest when they are unable to express their generosity. If something in their lives is out of balance, they don’t blame or complain or make excuses. They tell the truth. And they retreat to the source of their strength. The result? God fills them with life-giving love that impacts others and enriches their own lives.”
“They suffer just like the rest of us—the difference is that they have a power that allows them to get through difficulties and be life-givers again.
The stories in this book are about women like you and me, women who get tired and discouraged and struggle with the pains of life. But they are also women who are becoming women of a generous spirit. Their experience and wisdom can encourage each of us to keep trying. We can lay down our images of perfection and begin to explore how we can touch others. Each of us can become a life-giving woman. It is an adventure in God-discovery that can change us and free us. As we grow more like him, we are released from the bondage of trying to copy some unreachable ideal.”
“ . . . [not about] becoming clones of women who already live as generous spirits. We can learn from them and be encouraged by them, but we don’t become them. We become who God intends each of us to be.”
“We see the fruit of their continuing inner growth in relationship with God . . . this by-product of a relationship.”
“God desires us to look to him to meet those needs. Instead of trying to get something from our giving, we focus on him and receive all we need. When we come to God empty, he fills us in unexpected and supernatural ways.”
“When we come to God with open and honest hearts, he reveals himself to us.”
“When we are convinced of our need for God, we give gratefully because God meets our needs. As we grow to know him better, we become more and more able to lay down our controlling ways and increase our dependence on him.
. . . Our hearts begin to be touched; and in turn, we want to touch others.”
From Ch. 9 Me Too from Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would? by Pete Wilson:
“Writer Anne Lamott has said that the most powerful sermon in the world consists of two words: me too.
I believe she’s on to something.
Because when you’re struggling with a Plan B circumstance, when you are dealing with unmet expectations, when you’re hurt or doubting, questioning and crying, there’s nothing more healing than knowing someone else has been there. When you’re hurt or doubting, there’s nothing more comforting than hearing someone say, ‘I know what you’re going through.’ When you’re questioning and crying, there’s nothing that helps more than being told, ‘I’m in it with you.’
Me too.”
“When other people draw near to say those words, somehow you know they’re not going to judge you or look down upon you or lecture you. They get it. They don’t have to say a word because their simple presence is like a healing ointment to your pain.
So many of my closest friendships today were formed in the midst of a Plan B situation. It’s amazing how quickly you can make a deep connection with another person when you share a common struggle.
Me too—it’s really a description of one of God’s greatest gifts—the gift of community.”
“ . . .Winners have the tendency to be shallow, arrogant, and completely dependent on themselves. They are almost always critical and judgmental. There’s little giving or sharing. There’s little authenticity. And too often you end up feeling as if you just won a bag called success that ended up weighing a ton but was completely empty.
I’ve also been in enough losers’ circles with people who were experiencing pain, hurt, and disappointment to know they tend to be different. While people in the winners’ circle are notorious for being judgmental, the broken people in the losers’ circle are a little more reluctant to judge. Their Plan Bs have reminded them we all depend upon the mercy of God.
So here’s the thing. We’re a lot more likely to encounter community in the circle of people who have been broken. But unless we can get the idea out of our heads that winning is the goal of life or the only thing that counts, we’re apt to miss the community it offers. Unless we can admit to ourselves that, we, too, haven’t made it, we’re apt to miss the community.
Another way of saying this is that in order to hear a healing ‘me too,’ we have to be real about what is going on with us. We have to be authentic in order to experience authentic community.
It’s authentic community that can usher in healing even in the midst of the most wrenching Plan B circumstances.”
“Here’s something else I know. If you try to overcome your Plan B, your problem, your junk, your sin, on your own, it will beat you. Surrender your will, humble yourself, as scary as that is, and then another kind of life is possible.
‘Have mercy on me, a sinner’ are the words that enable you to accept God’s forgiveness and comfort. They are also the words that open your ears to hear ‘me too’ from other people around you.’”
“Two Are Better Than One
The writer of Ecclesiastes wisely observes:
Two people are better than one,
because they get more done by working together.
If one falls down,
the other can help him up.
But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls,
because no one is there to help.
If two lie down together, they will be warm,
but a person alone will not be warm.
An enemy might defeat one person,
but two people together can defend themselves;
a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
In the midst of our Plan B we desperately need a community pledged to build each other up and to watch out for each other’s good. Paul urges, ‘We who are strong in faith should help the weak with their weaknesses, and not please only ourselves’ (Rom. 15:1).
This kind of community is indispensable when it feels as if your life is falling apart.
Having personally watched hundreds of people go through Plan Bs, I would say one of the single most important factors in whether we lean on God or not is the group of people we have around us. Separated from community, we tend to think the worst. Separated from community, we tend to tilt toward hopelessness. And while authentic community doesn’t take away the pain in the midst of a Plan B, it certainly helps reframe the pain.
The only thing worse than disappointment is disappointment without a community. It’s disappointment with a community that can help guide you toward a hope anchored in our God.
Philip Yancey says that ‘God’s presence often comes as a by-product of other people’s presence.’ I’ve personally experienced many moments in the midst of Plan Bs where God’s presence was most evident by the community he had placed around me. However, the benefits of this community always came after I took the risk of opening up my life to others.”
Who’s Holding Up Your Hands?
Image by Dawn Camp.
Written By Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect
“Just finished my workout. R U up?”
“Tomorrow is February 1, you know. Did you write it yet?”
“Doing this study with you is really helping me be more consistent with my quiet times.”
Those are just a FEW of the text, Skype and Facebook messages I’ve received recently, encouraging me to stick with my goals. Somehow, I have managed to stumble into accountability in just about every area of my life. From my faith to my health to my blogging, my goals are getting a boost from some amazing women.
———————————-
Mandy sends me a text message, Facebook message or both every single day, asking me if I’ve worked out and encouraging me to stick with it, give it my best and – in general – “git ‘er done!” I told her she’s like my own personal Jillian Michaels, which I meant in the nicest way possible. (Mostly. She works out at dark o’clock in the morning, so her texts come mighty early for this night owl!)
Jill is the first person I told about my certifiably insane idea to run a half-marathon this year. As a matter of fact, she’s doing it with me. And while she doesn’t have more pounds than I care to say to lose like I do, she’s thrown herself into working out and has even [brace yourself] given up sugar. Every time I confess to slipping in my resolve to make healthy choices, she threatens to drive 12 hours and give me more than a virtual kick in the pants!
Tricia is all business when it comes to blogging, but she’s all heart when it comes to loving her friends. When I told her I had some dreams for changing things up on my blog, she told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to just do it – and do it now. Then she held my hand and prayed for me. Then she reminded me that time was passing and urged me to quit procrastinating and write!
Brittany is younger than me, and for a while, I fancied myself a possible mentor for her. Instead, she’s become one of my most favorite and closest friends who inspires me to love the Lord and His people more. And, she does our Bible study homework daily. Like we’re supposed to. Instead of all at once a few hours before we meet. (Like somebody I know…that’s me…I’m talking about me here.)
———————————-
It’s been a long time since I’ve had so many women standing by me and encouraging me to do more, to live more. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had so much accountability in so many parts of my life at the same time. And, it’s no coincidence, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such growth in my life at one time, either.
I’m reading through the One Year Bible (again), and I love this verse from the Old Testament:
When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. (Exodus 17:12)
I realize that this particular Bible story is about teamwork and leadership, but the way I see it, it’s also about friendship and not going it alone. And THAT is what I’m thankful to have in my life today.
The women I mentioned – and several others – are speaking truth into my life, walking beside me in a pursuit of excellence and holding my hands up. And the result is a beautiful picture, if you’ll imagine it with me: My amazing friends and me, with our hands raised to God. Together, we’re following God and honoring Him with our lives – something that’s a lot harder to do when you stand alone.
Do you have someone in your life who holds up your hands, who walks with you through struggles and stumbling blocks? Who keeps you accountable?
So thanks again! I hope these words encourage and uplift you and show you how much you mean to me!
Much love in Christ forever!
-Katie Wandell
“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
-1 Corinthians 13:13
"Friendship is God's special way of loving us through someone else."
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