I got a phone call a few weeks after I finished my summer internship. It was one of my supervisors calling to encourage me. She had been driving one of the youth I worked with somewhere and had asked her how her summer had been and how she had liked being paired with me.
The girl, bless her lovely heart, said that I had taught her how to be confident.
WHAT!?!?!
I was blown away that God had used me in this capacity to encourage this girl to be confident, mostly because I had never once, not even for a second, considered teaching this girl confidence.
I just acted like myself.
Let me let you in on a little secret . . . I'm not actually very confident.
And I think that is something God is trying to teach me.
Which, if you've been reading along this week, is something He's been encouraging me to share.
When I walk boldly into something standing on my own strength, it usually flops.
But when I'm loving Jesus, constantly studying the Word with joyful diligence, seeking His presence, and acting like a normal human being, suddenly everyday things become legacies.
This isn't a pride post. I promise.
It's a go live your life and love Jesus every minute because I bet people are going to notice.
I also promise that I'm not saying "preach the gospel and if necessary use words". Always use words. Every minute. No one should question if you love Jesus and no one will know if you never mention His name. But, with this girl, in the context of working with her this summer, we just talked about life. And somehow I encouraged her to be more confident. And my prayer for her now is that her confidence in herself will lead her to a deep relationship with the One who made her.
I want to point to Jesus always.
Not well-traveled, not well-read
Not well-to-do, or well-bred
Just want to hear instead
Well done, good and faithful one
Have you ever noticed something happen all the time?
A reoccurring event.
Or felt like you keep hearing a certain word being spoken more often then you ever have before?
A repeating word.
Or looked at your life pattern and recognized the same emotion showing up, consistently and without fail?
A regular sentiment.
Oh, just me?
There's a word that just keeps showing up.
An emotion that keeps on being felt.
A pattern that won't quite quit.
The word is striving. (as in stop striving)
The emotion is tired. (as in choose to rest instead)
The pattern is restless. (as in live in peace)
The overarching point seems to be
cease these things
. . .
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” . . . “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
(John 14:18-21,26-27 ESV)
. . .
I truly am grateful, thankful, eternally in dept, to the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who teaches me all things and brings to my remembrance all that Jesus shared.
The Holy Spirit points me to the One who saves me from my striving, gives strength to my tired soul, provides refuge from all of my restlessness. His name is Jesus.
Maybe I'm the only one that this is true for, but I find it's when I'm honest about my weaknesses that people see Jesus in me.
It's almost like when I try to utilize my own strength, I force a bad cover over God. I look to Him and say that'll do puppet, I've got it from here.
And I walk around on my own strength, ignoring the fact that I keep tripping, that I keep failing, and that nothing is working.
I'm fine.
I'm fine.
I'M FINE!
Are you convinced yet?
Oh you're not? How odd . . .
Gritted teeth, tense shoulders, and a pounding headache are constants in my life.
But why?
Why do I keep trying to feign strength when God never asked me to do that?
You can search the scriptures and you'll never see God telling somebody to do something on their own strength. You'll never hear God telling someone that He will leave them and forsake them.
No.
Scripture says these things:
It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
(Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV)
“Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
(Mark 12:28b-34 ESV)
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
(1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV)
Today I'm praying that I'll finally, yet again, drop my burdens and let Jesus reign.
My prayer is that Jesus will reign, and that in HIS wisdom, by HIS strength, and for HIS glory, that HE will use me, and that my weaknesses will be covered by His strength.
My prayer is that I will be clothed in Him.
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
(Proverbs 31:25-26 ESV)
And maybe. JUST maybe, my weakness will point to Him.
Christmas Tune-y Tuesday season is upon us folks! Woot Woot!
I love this song by Francesca Battistelli. This season, as I've held my newest niece, I've been struck numerous times at how she is powerless. And how Jesus chose to come down to earth. Fully God, fully man, a baby. A baby who cried, who pooped, who didn't sleep through the night. A baby who would one day provide the remedy to all the problems.
Noel.
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Hold on now, I gotta take a deep breath
I don’t know what to say when I look in Your eyes
You made the world before I was born
Yet here I am holding You in my arms tonight
Noel, Noel
Jesus our Emmanuel
You’re here
I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior
King
and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own
But You’re here
Don’t know how long I’m gonna have You for
But I’ll be watching when You change the world
Look at Your hands, they’re still so small
Someday You’re gonna stretch them out and save us all
Noel, Noel,
God with us, Emmanuel
You’re here, I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior
King
and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own
But You’re here,
You’re here
Someday I’m gonna look back on this
The night that God became a baby boy
Someday You’re gonna go home again,
But You'll leave your spirit and flood the world with joy
You’ll be here, I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior,
King and Creator
You could’ve left me on my own,
But You’re here
You’re here
Hallelujah, You’re here
Hallelujah, You’re here
Jesus provides the refuge.
Yesterday in church we sang In Christ Alone which is an incredible song. It was absolutely incredible to feel freedom on Sunday as I was singing the words, and was truly an even more incredible feeling as I looked around the building and saw more arms up than I had ever seen before. Now that is freedom in Christ.
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
it was in this moment that it was as if our entire church took a deep breath of the ONE who made our breath
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
. . .
