I felt like a lamb led to the slaughter. I was going to a social event and I was aware that someone would be there who did not like me. I know that sounds very grade school-ish, but come on, girls, be real….we all want to be liked. But there are times when God will require us to go into situations where we are not accepted. It is a really hard thing to do, and it takes a lot of guts. Frankly, I was scared.
Many people make New Years resolutions at the start of a new year and I know many Christians who chose one word that will be their focus for that year. For me, “My One Word” for 2016 is “Believe.” The word comes from Romans 4, where Abraham believed God and he also grew in faith. I so want to grow in faith and pray faith-filled prayers! The verse that challenges my prayer life the most is Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”
The sanctuary was filled with people who had turned out to remember a friend. A dear member of our church, Phil Walls, had gone to be with Jesus a month ago, and a large crowd came to celebrate his life. As the pastor turned over the microphone for friends to share memories about Phil’s life, the people responded en masse. The service moved past the one hour mark, and still people lined up to share their moving tributes of the impact he had on their lives. We learned how Phil was generous and fearless and how he was willing to go and serve. He would drop everything to go and meet a need and went out of his way to minister to people.
I walked around my house chanting, “I am braver than I think. I am braver than I think.” I didn’t feel brave, but I was trying to convince myself that I was. My heart was in my throat, and I felt sure that I was going to have a panic attack. My 18 year old son wanted to drive to a friend’s house for the first time. The friend’s house was on a busy city street that was near “the projects” on the other side of the railroad tracks. And it was dark outside. I was desperately trying to be brave, but all I could envision was him being lost in the city in the dark in the projects. I was an emotional mess.
Two weeks ago I attended the IF:Wilmington women’s conference in my hometown of Wilmington, NC. There were around 800 women that attended with me. It was a beautiful picture of the body of Christ because we were young, old, and middle-aged (me!) as well as black, white, Hispanic and Asian. I was privileged to serve at the conference as a greeter so I was able to speak to many of the women who attended.
I was alone at Duke Children’s Hospital. My 4 year old son had been whisked off to a private room and I was left alone with the nurse. She delivered the devastating news that the colonoscopy had revealed that my son had Crohn’s Disease. And then, in a moment that I will never forget, she went on to describe to me what his life would be like with this ravaging disease. She described side effects of medications, how his appearance would be changed, and even how the hairs on his head would respond. And then she handed me a little pamphlet and left me alone in the room.
Duke Children’s Hospital
Tears flooded my eyes as the gravity of the diagnosis settled upon me. My precious son. My only son. A devastating disease and a precarious future.
I was crushed.
Sharing is caring. If this post encouraged you, will you share it on Facebook so that it could bless your friends,too? Thanks for helping me to reach more struggling women with encouragement, hope, and grace.I have a sweet elderly friend that I met when I used to deliver Meals-On-Wheels. Her name is Frances but the children and I lovingly dubbed her, “Miss Frances.” Over the past ten years I have watched Miss Frances age. She transitioned from using a walker to being bedridden to being moved to a nursing home. I no longer deliver Meals-On-Wheels to her home but I deliver cheerful happiness to her in her nursing home every month. And I gain so much in return.
Miss Frances is now 102 year old and she has two living sons and one who has gone to be with Jesus. She does not have any daughters to visit her, so when I visit, I dress to the hilt. I put on my flashiest shirt (sequins are great) and pile on my loudest jewelry. Sometimes I add extra jewelry in the parking lot before I go in. Miss Frances loves to see my outfit, touch my jewelry, and comment on my hair. She’s commented on other aspects of my body (including my bra size) and she’s given me sex advice. She is a hoot.
Sharing is caring. If this post encouraged you, will you share it on Facebook so that it could bless your friends,too? Thanks for helping me to reach more struggling women with encouragement, hope, and grace.This is a guest post by my college roommate and best friend, Nicole Holmes.
Confession: I’m a big, fat liar … to myself.
Last week, my kids were bickering in the other room. I heard my 7-year-old daughter, who is known for her flair for the dramatic, say to her 9-year-old brother, “that’s a big fat lie.” In this case, it was a misunderstanding about a LEGO battle. But it made me think about big, fat lies.
Here’s a big, fat lie I’ve been believing: “if I can fit it all in, I can do it all.”
Here’s its favorite companion, “I’m fine.”
And, another one of my ‘regulars’: “if I keep trying, I can make it work.”
Sharing is caring. If this post encouraged you, will you share it on Facebook so that it could bless your friends,too? Thanks for helping me to reach more struggling women with encouragement, hope, and grace.At the end of 2015, I asked you to complete a survey. I now have 80+ blog subscribers (which sounds like a small number, but to me it is a lot). You, dear women are my flock, and I want to write content that ministers to you. You very bravely shared with me your desires and your struggles. A month has passed and I have not been able to get that survey out of my mind and my prayers.
Sharing is caring. If this post encouraged you, will you share it on Facebook so that it could bless your friends,too? Thanks for helping me to reach more struggling women with encouragement, hope, and grace.In our society there is an obsession with weight. Check out the “new books” section at your local library and you will find scores of weight loss books. Most of them promise that it will be quick and painless, too. I have been at a stable body weight for about 20 years. Of course, I’ve traveled up and down the scale at times, but I usually bounce back to the same number. This is where my body likes to be.
A couple of years ago I developed some rather OCD behaviors related to my body weight. I would go into this cycle of going out of town, eating out, gaining weight, coming home, and then trying to lose the gained weight so I could return to my target, healthy weight. I think that all of us can agree that losing weight is not painless or quick! It can be sheer torture.
Sharing is caring. If this post encouraged you, will you share it on Facebook so that it could bless your friends,too? Thanks for helping me to reach more struggling women with encouragement, hope, and grace.