Category: Link-Ups

Link-Ups, Soul Relationships

Do You Measure Yourself?

Michelle

This post was originally published on April 25, 2014…

A journalist visited a town famous for its rampant unhappiness to see if he could understand its origin. Walking down the street, he noticed a man ahead of him. 

Suddenly, a little man, no more than a few inches high, appeared and ran up the man’s leg. He started sticking pins into the man and sewing things to him. 

Instantly, the man was covered by these tiny tailors, all sticking him with pins. He looked completely miserable as he shuffled off.

The journalist saw this happen to one person after another, until he was ready to give up and go home. The town was completely infested with tiny tailors; no wonder everyone was unhappy.

Then the journalist noticed one woman covered with tiny tailors who apparently said something, and the tiny tailors just melted away. 

The journalist ran over to her. “What did you say to get free of them?!” he exclaimed.

“Oh,” she answered, “it was nothing. I just told them I’ve decided to stop measuring myself.”

–Guy Finley

How many of us allow tiny tailors to attach themselves to us? To our outsides…to our insides…

How many of us walk through life feeling defeated, because we feel like we don’t measure up to some impossible standard of living?

Whether it’s the way you feel you should be talking to your spouse, or the way you feel you shouldbe interacting with your children, or the way you feel you should lose weight, or the way you feel youshould treat yourself.

In all of these examples, we should ourselves. We should ourselves almost to the point of exhaustion and defeat.

Surely, I’m not the only one?!

This year was supposed to be the year I came to accept myself and who I am. Not that I was content to just remain stagnant where I was when the year started, but to just accept ME. for ME.

I’m not sure I’m progressing in this goal.

And it makes me kind of sad.

What example am I setting for my children if I walk around with LOADS of negative self-talk going on? That does nothing for the environment in my home.

Just this morning, I felt like I was failing at life. And then my daughter, my beautiful daughter, wrapped her arms around my neck and said the sweetest words to me, “I Love You, Momma.”

WOAH! It was like a ton of bricks were lifted off my shoulders.

Then, my son echoed her sentiments. He said, “It’s OK, Momma.”

And I knew I was right where I was meant to be…being ‘measured’ by the ones who love me most. Who see me at my best…and at my worst…

We are our own worst critics. Let’s band together and silence the inner voice which tells us that we’ll never measure up…

Link-Ups, Series, Soul Relationships

Friend

Michelle

This post was originally published on April 25, 2014…

Hey Friends! Here we are, at another Friday (already?). So, I’ve been doing some thinking…scary, I know. I’m going to start writing more frequently. There for a while, I was writing almost daily and it has slowly trickled off. But, as I’ve said before…I need to write like I need to breathe. And sometimes, it’s not much…but just taking the time to sit down and get all of the thoughts out of my head and onto paper (21st Century translation = computer screen).

Today, as with all Fridays, I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday writing challenge. Today’s prompt is Friend…ready? GO!

It’s funny to think of the word friend. Sometimes, I think that I haven’t got a friend in the world, and then other times, when I take a long-hard look around, I realize I’m blessed with an overwhelming supply of friends.

Those who encourage me with the things they say or do.

Those who lift me up when I’m having trouble lifting myself up.

Those who pray for me when I feel I don’t have the strength or stamina to pray for myself.

Those who remind me of the song of my life and sing it back to me when I forget it’s chorus or the verses.

Those who let me know that it’s okay (and perfectly normal) to yell at my children on occasion. (Side note: thank God for His grace and mercy that I don’t stay in ‘that place.’)

Those who push me to do more. To be more. To love more. To forgive more – even when I feel I. Just. Can’t. Forgive. Again.

Those who love me when I feel I’m at my most unlovable.

Those who have care and compassion for me when I’m hurting.

I have several girlfriends who fit some or all of the above. And I’m so grateful for each and every one of them.

I know that you, my dear reader, have this person or people in your life that do these things for you. Oftentimes, it’s the person we would least expect it to be. In my case, it’s my children.

I know that I can’t share all of my personal woes and life struggles in detail with my children, but they have been my best friends lately.

They remind me that I’m their superhero. I’m their mom. I’m their first friend. And I hope to be their best and last friend they have.

Link-Ups, Series

#write31days – Day 1

Michelle

Espresso 2

Brave – there are songs and movies and quotes about it. To some degree, everyone wants to be it. And yet, do we really know what it takes to develop that sought after characteristic?

I had a planner recently. For any of you who know me, you know I love all things ‘office-supply.’ I love planners, pens, post-its, markers, etc. On this planner, the cover said, “I Wanna See You Be Brave.” I would often look at that cover and think about what makes one brave.

Merriam-Webster defines brave as: feeling or showing no fear – not afraid – having or showing courage. Courage is defined by Merriam-Webster as: the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous; mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

I think we can learn a lot about bravery and courage from these two definitions.

One of my favorite songs these days is by Sara Bareilles called ‘Brave.’ I’ve included some of the lyrics below.

You can be amazing; you can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug. You can be the outcast, or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love. Or you can start speaking up.

Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do when they settle beneath your skin. Kept on the inside and no sunlight, sometimes a shadow wins. But I wonder what would happen if you say what you wanna say. And the let words fall out; honestly, I wanna see you be brave…

Everybody’s been there, everybody’s been stared down by the enemy; fallen for the fear; and done some disappearing, bow down to the mighty. Don’t run, just stop holding your tongue.

Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live. Maybe one of these days you can let the light in; show me how big your brave is.

And since your history of silence won’t do you any good, did you think it would? Let your words be anything but empty. Why don’t you tell them the truth?

Say what you wanna say, and let the words fall out. Honestly, I wanna see you be brave with what you wanna say, and let the words fall out. Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.

Clearly from reading these lyrics, we know that she is talking about being brave and telling others the truth. Of course we always want to tell the truth, in love. But I think sometimes, we get so caught up in being politically correct, that we forget the truth needs to be shared. This requires bravery, courage, fearlessness.

So today, if you have words that need to be said, in love, say them. Show me how big your brave is. Tell that person you love them. Say ‘I’m sorry’ to the one that deserves to hear it. Don’t let another day go by without saying the words that need to be said.

Link-Ups, Series

#write31days – Brave

Michelle

Espresso 2

So, as is with every October, hundreds, no THOUSANDS of wonderful writers from all over join together for a writing challenge – to write every day for the month of October. 31 days…

Now, for those of you who don’t write on the regular, this may seem like no big deal. But when you choose a topic to cover to write on EVERYDAY for 31 days, it can seem overwhelming.

Take me, for instance…I came up with a fantastic idea for this year’s challenge. To write for 31 days on brave women. And here I am, two days late, just now posting my intro…

Alas, it’s better late than never.

I hope you’ll join me here every day for October for #write31days, covering 31 Days of Brave Women.

Have a great day, my friends.

 

His Word, Link-Ups

Sunrise Abounding

Michelle

How funny that as I republish the post below, I find the same theme…my schedule doesn’t allow me the time to write as I would like to. Even though Jen Hatmaker posted this writing on her blog months ago, I just read it the other day. In it she says,

“You will not miraculously become a writer by carrying on exactly like you are. It’s a whole thing and you have to make room for it. Maybe that is in the earliest wee hours, which is when legions of writers make the magic happen…You don’t get to keep everything as is and also add writing. That is not how the time/space continuum works.“

Oh…so that’s my problem. I’m going to have to give up sleep. I was just having this conversation with my BFF today about how much I. LOVE. SLEEP. I do, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. So, having said all of that…here is the original post from April 6, 2014.

It seems my schedule hasn’t allowed for me to write in abundance lately. As I’ve discovered during this drought, writing is therapeutic for me…and I need it. So, yesterday morning, despite the fact that Elijah and six of his friends were slumbering in the basement and any one of them could have awoken at any time, I decided to sit and enjoy the gorgeous sunrise…and write about it…

I’m sitting on my bed – listening to “Hallelujah, Salvation, and Glory” and watching the sunrise as I drink my coffee. When I first looked out, the night sky was a shade of midnight blue and where the sun was beginning to come upon the horizon, there was a shade of magenta. Now, as I look out – only a few short minutes later – it’s a blazing orange with depth and shades of pink. The blue backdrop of the night sky is beginning to lighten up. I could see the silhouette of a bird in the tree branch.

The blue is really getting lighter despite the fact that the depth of the actual sunlight isn’t increasing. The words of the song strike me deep – ‘THE King of kings and Lord of lords.’

Everything is slowly growing more visible and the light is giving the trees more definition. I hear Jesus Culture singing to me now…’Your Glory surrounds me – and I’m overwhelmed.’

The sky is now a beautiful shade of sky blue – but still not what it will be during the day. Where the sun is rising – the color is a shade between orange and pink and yellow. The colors are rich with new beginnings and yet…the depth and width of the color has not overtaken the sky.

God's glory and splendor
God’s glory and splendor

Where the colors were so strictly defined before, they are now beginning to bleed into one another. The sky is now a very pale blue – almost greyish white.

The clouds in the distance are now becoming illuminated with the deep pink of the sun. It’s so awesome to see the contrast in the clouds. On the top, they are the shade of the sky, but their shape and the outline of the bottom is defined by the color of the rising sun. While I watch the beauty unfold before me, I think about how me and my shape would be defined by the rising ‘SON.’

Jesus Culture serenades me with the glorious truth that is occurring before me: ‘the winter has passed and the springtime as come.’

The sunrise that is blocked by the trees reveals a sky that is almost translucent. And now – the colors of the sunrise are so narrow and thin – it’s just a sliver of orange across the horizon – barely visible. As if all of the glory that was just seen is preparing me for what is to come.

I can see things in the distance that I couldn’t before. There’s a farm and factory that are illuminated by the light peeking through.

In my headphones, I hear Kim Walker describing exactly what I’m witnessing: ‘Heaven meets earth like a sloppy, wet kiss.’

The sky is now a dusty light blue – with white streaking across like an artist carelessly casting his brush across his canvas. But THE artist is far from careless. Every detail of this sunrise was orchestrated and meant for me this morning. And I’m basking in the awesomeness of it all. My God is the artist…and the world is His canvas.

It’s an oddity – complex and yet so simple – that the sky and the earth would be lit up – but the actual sun is still not yet visible. I suppose it’s the same in life – we can’t see the actual SON, but we can see His light in those around us.

As I hear children beginning to stir under me, I take a moment to thank God for this time that is coming to an end. I thank Him for these revelations. For these illustrations and demonstrations of His character.