Beautiful Girl, You are Loved and Cherished!

The alarm goes off, and I pull myself out of bed – the blanket of guilt and shame lays heavy on my shoulders. I pause to read the words written on the wall at the foot of our bed –

When I rise, give me JESUS.

and i whisper an AMEN as I run my hand down the wall to the bathroom door, intentional steps, forward motion, as I move toward the shower, I start to pray.

Lord, the blanket of darkness is heavy today, O Lord my God – come near! You tell me your burden is light and that your strength is made perfect in my weakness. Give me strength, strength for today, and teach me to lay down my worries.

As I pray it occurs to me – in light of God’s truth the opportunity for His glory in me is boundless as my weakness is abundant!

When your heart is broken, when you feel you’ve lost your way, when you’re walking through the valley and you cry out – but all you hear is your own echo, when you’re fighting the noise in your head that tell you you aren’t enough. This is for you girl, you are loved. You are cherished. You are chosen. Did you get that? You are loved – yes, YOU!

When it all just feel like it’s much too much – how could this possibly be the life you were made for? When the darkness creeps in and weighs heavily on your soul, resist the temptation to wrap yourself in the blanket of shame and sorrow. Girl, you are loved.

Gratitude

It’s a choice. My heart aches today, the sky is gray, my body is heavy, I am weary from the battle – I can hear the creak in my dry bones as I rise. The hum of the fan over the bed is interrupted by the bright, joyful song of the bluebird outside my window. I’m thankful for his sweet song and the prompting to choose joy.

As I look out the window I force myself to think of the evidences of God’s reckless, unconditional love for me inspite of the messes I create. When I rise, give me Jesus!

I am thankful; but some mornings, like today I have to choose to start with gratitude in the midst of the storm. I’m thankful to be alive, for a warm home, a beautiful song bird, hot water, the undeserved love of my Savior.

I choose gratitude, and although the storm rages and we have a long way to go, I’m thankful. It’s a choice.

The day is made of a million choices – some don’t even occur to us, and others hang over our heads for days as we contemplate. Walking in gratitude is the greatest choice you make on a daily basis.

The Lies

The choice to be grateful is quickly followed with a flood of emotion as I pour out my heart to the Lord and the lies rush in, and in a blink I find myself in a raging river of despair. My mind swirls around the body I hate, the marriage I broke, the struggle of balancing mom-life, wife-life and work-life… and my inability to find the secret formula to keep it all together.

I cry out for strength and courage for the day, for the moment. For the love, the maintenance light is on in the car again – how am I supposed to find time for all the things? and just like that my gratitude dissolves in to the racing river of things to do today… have you bee there?

You start to pray, choosing gratitude, seeking Jesus and you’re swept away in the racing storm of life…

…when the solid ground is falling out from underneath my feet,
between the black skies and my red eyes I can barley see
in the eye of the storm – You remain in control
in the middle of the war – You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me in the eye of the storm.

I love they lyrics from Ryan Stevenson in the Eye of the Storm. Do you feel alone in the storm? Girl, can I speak truth to you? You are loved. You are beautiful. You are a child of God. You are not alone.

The Enemy

The voice you hear, the one that says you’re not good enough, that you should’ve tried harder, got up earlier, worked out longer, called sooner. These words pour into our lives as the storm rages.

They may come from the mouth of a loved one, a friend, a neighbor, a colleague, a parent, a spouse, a stranger, and sometimes even from our own lips… but you need to know the author, the real author.

You see, the source of the lies is singular.

What do I mean by singular? Well Girl, let me tell you what I’ve learned. You are loved and cherished beyond your wildest dreams, by the maker of the Universe. He created you, He chose you, He loves you more than anyone else can or ever will.

When it feels like you’re failing on all fronts. When the storm rages and everyone is against you it helps to know the enemy is singular. It’s not everyone – it’s him. The prince of darkness.

I can guarantee he won’t show up in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork. He’d be to easy to identify. He’s much to clever for that.

Girl, he’s working overtime to find every insecurity you hold. He leverages those closest to you as his vehicles for the attack. You see “The battle is not against flesh and blood but against the power of darkness” – Ephesians 6:12. He’s relentless.

That’s right, your spouse, your son, your friend, your sister – they are not the enemy. The enemy is alive and well and he delights in deception, he celebrates division…he comes to steal, kill and destroy. He’s the master of lies, he tells you you’re unloved & unworthy. His disguises are many, but he is just one.

Although we stand in battle, under constant attack – the good news is, the war is already won. You are loved. Take refuge girl in the arms of the one who holds the universe. The one who makes the moon reflect the sun – He calls you daughter, princess, free, forgiven, chosen, loved – He calls you His.

You are loved, girl. John 10:10 reminds us that the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, I have come – Jesus has come – that we may have life, and have it to the fullest. No good will come of the work of the enemy; what he has intended for evil God will use for His good.

Agreements

We must learn to recognize our agreements. Agreements, what agreements? Oh I’m so glad you asked… a year ago I would’ve told you that I’d never agree with the devil – that’s just ridiculous. Well apparently not as ridiculous as I thought! I was agreeing with him on a daily basis, and sometimes multiple times a day.

When I lamented over not being enough, I was agreeing with his deception. I didn’t get the job yet, I didn’t celebrate that God had better for me, I agreed that I wasn’t qualified. When I lost it on the kids again, I agreed with the devil, they’ll never learn. In a debate with my husband I agreed he would never change – dismissing God’s promise that He who began a good work in us will see it to completion.

How freeing it is to recognize that my husband is not the enemy. My kids are not the enemy, my friend, boss, neighbor – they are not the enemy. Let’s read that again, “for the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the power of darkness” Ephesians 6:12. The enemy is not flesh and blood! What?! It’s liberating to shift our focus, to stand with our family, friends, and colleagues to fight a common enemy.

Stop agreeing with the enemy!

You are loved

You girl, are not the enemy, so for the love of all things – stop agreeing with him, stop helping him rock the boat! When he lays his blanket of shame, guilt and comparison on your shoulder, shrug it off. Refuse to carry the weight of that agreement – lay it down and look up, child!

Girl, you are loved! You are not alone. Stand in the light and accept God’s promise – “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

Take a minute right now to see yourself in the eye of the storm, the waves crashing around you. Allow yourself to feel calm, unaffected by the waves. Choose gratitude, be thankful inspite of the storm, not because of the storm and ask – Lord, what do you want me to learn while I sit with you here? What agreements do I need to lay down?

In the eye of the storm, He remains in control. He calls you child, free, forgiven. Girl, you are loved.