Live Life Out Loud

There is a part of me that still instinctively starts to cower to censorship, to the critic that points the finger in accusation. The voice that says I am over-sharing, that tries to shame me into silence. It is difficult some days to remember that I am not in a position to be corralled and condemned into submission, where my voice is free and protected.

I have struggled recently with the rising anxiety of being confronted with the presence of pure anger and intimidation. I cowered, I forgot to breathe... I became that me again. Smaller me, yielding to intimidation and fear. I have not had to face that me in quite a while. I remember her... the me that turns the other cheek to the point of stupidity, the secret keeper, the co-dependent but I didn't know she was still with me. There has been such a focus on forward momentum and reclamation and abundance of life in my life that I forgot that she was still with me.

I have a committee, a brain trust.. my posse of powerfully strong and insightful women that I bounce my stumblings off of. I depend on their bluntness and advice to help me gauge some of my reactions to things. I have this training wheel mentality, I need to relearn how to function in conflict. My sense of what is a safe and appropriate response has been skewed by years of dysfunction and secrecy. I still make my own decisions, but I am learning how to be less sensitive. Not everything in this world is my responsibility or my fault.

I have triumphs and successes that are continuing to overshadow the darkness. I get to make sweeping declarations of embracing myself as God has created me to be... vibrant and powerfully creative. I am not the diluted version of myself, seeking validation to complete me in a marriage that was failing. My prayers are not panic-laden desperate cries for transformation into the perfect wife... I get to lean in and just seek more abundance.

My mistakes are many and my life is as imperfect as any other. Unremarkable in all it's wrinkles and shortcomings... but in my victories God is great. Flourishing in the freedom of abundance, I am becoming more of who God is calling me to be. Baby-steps and all... I am leaping across boundaries and mountains to the places I never thought I would be able to claim as my own. I am more liberated everyday. Each conflict that arises does not need to be met with fear or regret. I am stronger than I knew myself to be. AND for that God is victorious and I am His joy, my life is truly blessed.

2 Chronicles 20:17

17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' "

Just remember we are supposed to SHINE!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

~ Marianne Williamson

Finding the life in my life

Through this season of transition and transformation, I have found so many realizations of how I want the path of my life to go. I grew up fearful that I would become my mother, more specifically, that her weaknesses would consume me. Once I stepped into adulthood and claimed autonomy, I realized that magically transforming into my mother was not likely to happen and I was so overjoyed that I forgot to look after my own shortcomings.

Having the dubious luxury of a dramatic life-change like divorce has really stripped my beliefs down to the core. There can be no more excuses, everything must be re-evaluated, inventory must be taken and the trash must be dumped. I have my own waste products that are a result of things that festered in my marriage, and those things need to go. The other stuff, the waste that belongs to another is not my responsibility. The strange revelation is that I am not responsible for anyone else's introspection or personal growth. Not that I ever truly was... but a part of me went to the places of self-righteous piety. If I could could just earnestly do IT right enough, then the multitude of sins would be covered and life would go on, hopefully for the better.

Life does go on, and it is better. I am trying to regain my spiritual gyroscope so that I can feel that firm grounding in Christ once again. I am looking forward, seeking Him in all of my relationships and in the moments of quiet where I can reclaim myself and who I am supposed to be. I am looking for the guidance and direction to find a new church home that will be a reflection of God on earth for my new family. I am still struggling with how to set down the sadness that I feel over the loss of my church community. It is difficult to know what the right way is, I feel like there is an unfinishedness about that community but I don't know how to resolve it.

So I keep railing at God... if anybody know what needs to be done it would be Him. I actually was yelling in the car, at God. Seriously, I can choose to set down my feelings of abandonment and try to pick up forgiveness... but there is an intervention needed, and I don't know what to do. I look up to my Father and say "HEY!! You see this mess down here??" These broken pieces of my heart where there was once a solid connection keep poking me until it hurts. This spiritual wound of disappointment feels at times a distraction from the moments of pure joy, like it is only coming out in my consciousness to dissuade me from moving forward into a fullness of being.

This ever-present God of mine has been busy distributing the blessings in my life and growing giftings in me that have been long neglected. Out of the ashes of my old life, I begin to flow into the abundance of His plan for me. Reclaiming my voice, His voice, to write again about the miracles of nothing and everything in between has been long overdue. There is a passion being unleashed to create something tangible about truth and His word... and all of the fingerprints He leaves behind.

I lived in the darkness, in a desert and convinced myself that I could truly see Him in all the barrenness. Now today I can see so much more, and the horizon is infinite. I limited God's ability to move in my life past a certain point because I couldn't see past the box that I put myself in. God can move mountains... but sometimes things have to be drastically altered before you can see that the landscape is changing. And so, out of the darkness I stand, moving forward towards a brighter day. In the little things there is life, and the big things just follow along.

I am finding the life in my life... every breath draws in the newness of recreation, and the old ways just fall away. There is a covering of protection around all the new seeds of change He has planted, and there is an abundance of peace, even in the moments where I feel the broken pieces of loss. His peace surpasses all understanding and endures when I think I cannot.

Psalm 138:3-8

3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. 8 The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever-- do not abandon the works of your hands.

My Life Redefined

It has been nearly a year since my last post, my life has become a liquid shifting place. Change and transformation have been my current path. Since I last posted, my marriage collapsed on itself. We were both to blame for how we got to the point of impasse, and then my ex-husband went too far and verbally attacked me. I tried to move past it, I tried to forgive it, I tried to set it down... and in the end it was too much. My safe harbor within the sanctity of marriage was shattered, and I was done.

My decision to divorce sent shock waves through my personal community of friends, family and church family. Everyone was shocked and some were horrified... in the end, I stood by my decisions and I lost many friends and my church home and those losses were heartbreaking to me.

I felt God's continual presence with me as I moved into the new chapter of my life. Where I felt the church abandoned and forsook me, God never left me. As I vented to my small group of friends, God stood by me and offered His everlasting support. For every friend that walked away, He replaced them with stronger more life-giving relationships. For every judgement that was cast on me, He offered me compassion and solace. He has been my rock... through this wilderness, He is my guide and I do not walk alone.

There have been several things that I have learned about myself through this process. I learned that I am the only one who gets to live my life, and if it isn't working for me, it doesn't matter what other people expect me to do, at the end of the day I have to do what I feel is right. I have learned to love completely those around me, I am learning to go with the flow, I am learning to let go of things that I cannot change and I am reconnecting with my inner artist. And that includes, reclaiming the writing of this blog... which I have missed terribly.

I am a daughter of God... He has called me out of creation and I am His beloved. There is nothing that I can do to make Him love me less. He is the original artist... from His hands he drew the heavens into being. I am so blessed with my walk with Him and I am grateful for His discernment and wisdom in my life.

SO.. I begin my new life. As a mother, sister, daughter, cousin, pseudo-auntie, and a friend. My identity is in process as I learn who I am as a person who is no longer a wife. My path has changed from small and narrow to being so wide I cannot see the edges in any direction... it if full of life and potential, discovery and healing, forgiveness and acceptance and mercy. I am finding that the person I am is strong and reliable, creative, vibrant and powerful... I have found my voice once again. And I am glad to be me.

2 Corinthians 3:12-18 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The Theory of Toothpaste

One of the things I love most about myself is my quick wit. I am usually the first to have that perfect crack, the one remark that has everyone laughing. From childhood, I was fed sarcasm until it became second nature; in my early twenties I took great delight in triumph in my ability to annihilate anyone with a few well-placed words. Over the years, I have learned, or started to learn, how to still be the smartass without inflicting damage. I am not always successful, but I try very hard… very very hard.

 

Despite my toughness, I really don’t want to hurt people… especially those that I love and apologizing is so hard when you know that the words that you speak never really go away. You may receive forgiveness… but nobody ever forgets, and trust can be forever shattered. I don’t want to be the raging bull in the china shop leaving a trail of broken relationships behind me… so I fight my nature, and try to be mindful of my words. Engage my brain before I open my mouth, it’s hard to get my foot in there if my mouth isn’t open.

 

BUT… I want to win, have the last word, and be the one left standing not be the one who is hurt and angry. It’s not fair that I watch my words when other people don’t. I don’t always want to be the one who is censoring myself… I want to win! My pastor has this remark about not being able to get toothpaste back into the tube after you squeeze it out. So here is my theory (borrowed theory at any rate) about toothpaste. We have all squeezed the tube too hard and tried to work at least some of the goo back in... it doesn’t really work, but we still try. Some people really like to use a lot of paste, others use very little. It’s a matter of preference I guess, but I can’t tell you how much toothpaste is right for you.

 

I can tell you that like toothpaste, words once said never go away. Once you say something good, bad or indifferent… you can’t really take it back. You can say that you do, but it’s out there and it doesn’t vanish from our hearts. Especially the bad, it really hangs on to our hearts and we always remember the wound. In a conflict, there are no winners. Even if I victoriously decimate you with my words, I don’t win. Oh, I so want to win, I have the words. I can lash out, and end this conversation, triumphantly put you in your place, show you that I am right and you, you are oh so wrong. At what cost? At what point does my righteous (ish) indignation supercede yours? In what world do we live in that this is the way that we interact with on another? It’s me against everybody, and I will take you out before you even have a chance to get close.

 

It is our fear of being vulnerable that makes us cling to the armor that we know, for me it’s words. I can build walls that even I can’t climb and keep myself removed from intimacy and authenticity. Fortunately, for all of us, God is greater than our worst downside. Not one of is a cosmic exception; we are all redeemable and called to be in relationship with our Father. I don’t have to get it right every time, but I do have to hand it over to Him. The rage, frustration, pain all of it… it is not mine any more than my joy. It is all from Him and for Him. Sometimes I feel like I am being turned inside out and all the yuckies are being shaken loose from corners of my soul that I didn’t even know existed. It is not always something that I am prepared for, nor is it always that pleasant. I don’t really want to know that those things were actually a part of me. Awkward and embarrassing, difficult to explain… like He caught me squeezing the toothpaste all over the bathroom counter. Uhh… it seemed like a good idea at the time? I wanted to be right. I didn’t want to hurt.

 

Oh, right… I am sorry Father. Please, please help me. Guard my words, let my words be Your words. When I open my mouth let me speak Your truth, let Your wisdom guide me in the darkness. Let your righteousness overrule my need to be right. Bind my words; hold my heart so that I am not afraid or angry. Heal my woundedness that causes me to strike first, last always. Forgive me my weakness and knee jerk reactions, show me Your hand. Abba, Daddy, Father... You are my all in all. Thank You, thank You, thank You. Amen… so be it.

 

Romans 8:26-28

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

 

Half Empty or Half Full?

Are we not all looking at the glass half full? We can be so easily fixated on the things that are going wrong around us that we fail to see the goodness of life. We succumb to our fears of what is unknown or what can go wrong if we don't have absolute control over our lives. Since, of course, we can't really control everything anyway, all we see is the flaws, what we are 'owed', not an accurate representation of reality... only a perceived reality. A reality where we are not putting God first.

There is a trickle down effect that happens as a result of our actions. It affects our immediate circle and then spreads out to other people. When we are casting our lines out in contact with other people we need to be conscious of what we are using for bait. Are we baiting our hooks with resentment, pain and deceit or are we using God's mercy, love and forgiveness? What we throw out into the world affects everyone, it passes from us to people we have never even met across the world. We are all connected somehow and when we value our relationship with God, that spreads... not like the plague, but like a rapid flow of blessing that can ultimately span the globe.

We are responsible for what mark we leave on the world. What do you want your mark to say about you? Did you love well? Did you learn to forgive? Did you find joy? Did you feel peace? Did you show these gifts to someone else so that they can learn to share it too? Or did you stay stuck in your generational sins, blaming the world for all that has gone wrong in your life?

My life is my example. I want who I am to be what I do. I want my words to brighten some one's day, or better yet be the turning point where they can experience a lightness of being that is not contingent on their circumstances. I want to be inclusive and warm. I want people to like me, and I want to like them more than I thought I could. I don't want to know the 'WHY'... I just want to know what 'IS". The is for me is HIS; His right to rule, His kingdom advanced. I am a passenger on this journey, not the captain. We are on this trip together... so what can I do to make your day easier today?


Proverbs 11:27 ~ "Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it."

Identity... unknown.

When I look at myself in the mirror, I have days when I barely recognize myself. Who is this woman that I see? Who am I to HIM? Physically, it is not that my features have changed. But when I look at myself, in my own eyes, I see a familiar stranger. Like, we have met before but I can't quite place it. I am a changed person. My identity feels like a liquid, intangible, changing element.

Things I know about myself like my past, no longer feels set in stone. I know the gifts that He has blessed me with in my walk, things that He is calling me to use in His name, but the things of my past? My wounds, my scars, my sins, my shame, my LIFE, something is shifting in my heart, coming undone. I don't feel like I have complete ownership over those things anymore.

The areas in my heart that He has healed, restored and released are transforming me. Who is this woman? I have always been the rebel, the strong one, the survivor. I protested against injustice, when things were askew I was unafraid to rock the boat to bring about balance. I have been the loud voice, the bull in the china shop... shoot first, ask questions later. I was the rule breaker, the non-conformist within my own family, the black sheep. Act first, think on it later.

Now however, I feel courageous because of Him, anticipating His right to rule and lead me to speak His heart. I have learned that submitting to Christ and waiting in obedience is not an act of weakness or of fear. These things are acts of freedom and of victory over ourselves. There is so much value to be gained in these acts, identity crisis notwithstanding. I am FREE. My actions are driven, led, and released to Him, Christ... first, last and always.

Who am I? It remains to be seen. What I do know is that I am transformed... or transforming before my very own eyes. The past year has revealed much to me. I have learned to wait and breathe, I don't need to rush around and find God's will. When I wait and am still... He speaks over the din of life. I lift you up in my prayers, may YOU be magnified in His Holy Name!!

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.