messy, imperfect, beautiful [me & you]

Another e-mail blog. Please pardon any aesthetic and/or grammatical errors you may stumble upon. It is late and I'm in the car, somewhere in Ohio. Or is it Indiana?

Just saw a sign. It's still Ohio for 26 more miles. Don't worry, I'm not driving, I'm happily passenger-ing. I'll share trip highlights soon but tonight I just want to share what is on my heart. A little road-trip food for thought.

First, I want to encourage everyone to practice speaking words of life into and over your family & friends, acquaintances & strangers. Tell them what they mean to God and to you. Write them a note. Thank them for pouring into you. Buy them a little something that made you think of them from the moment you saw it. Send a piece of snail mail (my favorite!). You just might have a lasting impact. Your encouragement, your little bit of love may be enough to get them through a tough time. You may never know the impact you make on someone's life by a small, heartfelt gesture. Or one day they may tell you and it will just mess you up/make you cry/humble you/remind you how faithful God is.

Second, don't ever stop celebrating your freedom in Christ! If you've yielded your life to Him He's brought you out into a spacious place- and He's brought you there because He delights in you (Psalm 18). Yes, YOU!

You- who still makes mistakes.

You- who yelled at your spouse and/or kids today.

You- with the extra 20/35/50 pounds you can't seem to shed.

You- with the dreams that don't seem to be coming true right now (or ever).

You- who struggles to stop comparing yourself to anybody and everybody.

You- who doesn't always "feel" so free.

The Lord of all the earth, Almighty God... He DELIGHTS in messy, imperfect, beautiful me & you.

He loves you AND He likes you.

He's rescued you from sin and brought you into a spacious place.

And I feel like tonight He just wants somebody to get this:

"I have brought you into a spacious place. And I want you to utilize it."

*megan

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Encourage yourself!

My Dad was my rock my second year in Master's Commission. It was a rough year of ministry, and I often found myself overwhelmed with discouragement. Every Tuesday I'd call Dad on my lunch break, pouring out my heart and often quite a few tears. He usually just would listen then pray with me, but one particular Tuesday he gave me an unforgettable piece of wisdom. Years later, I still consider it to be some of the best advice I've ever been given.

He said: "Megan, you are not always going to have your Daddy or someone near you to encourage you. You have to learn to encourage yourself in the Lord."

God has blessed me with friends and family who believe in me and lift me up, but there truly are times when only God can bring comfort and strength.

There are times when no one will have the words to lift your spirit besides His Holy Spirit. His words will speak life.
There are dark hours, lonely seasons when we must look to Him alone for strength. He must become our joy, the One who causes us to smile.

I do not mean to diminish the role of the Church in any way! Fellowship is essential for believers, as we are relational beings through and through. But we must not go to others with our burdens before we've received the comfort and strength of God's Holy Spirit. We are not to place on someone the weight of our heavy burden. That being said, we ARE called to "share each other's burdens"(Gal. 6:2).

Share, not transfer.

And if we have first sought Christ to encourage, strengthen, and lift us, we are able to share our burden with a brother or sister without overwhelming them, and vice versa. God does the heavy lifting!

We must learn to encourage ourselves in the Lord. He is all-sufficient. He is. Don't doubt His ability to work on Your behalf.


*megan



"Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer."

-What a Friend We Have in Jesus

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