{w.o.r.d.s.}

{w.o.r.d.s.} have so much power . . . . 

{w.o.r.d.s.}

"Excellent!  Great job!  Well done!  You Rock!  I love you!  You're amazing!  You can do it!  Thank you!"

These words build up the hearer, and the speaker!  When you are the recipient of these words, a smile comes to your face.  Your step is just a little lighter!  Life feels good! Yesterday when I was doing my exercise challenge, the plank {all 3 minutes and 10 seconds of it} was killing me!  Rick was sitting nearby and encouraged me with "You can do it!  Focus!  The temptation to quit only lasts 7 seconds!  C'mon, you can do this!"  And I did!  His encouraging words helped me focus on the goal and I completed the plank!  By the same token, when I am able to deliver words like this to someone, I feel better too!  Knowing that I may have been an encouragement to someone brightens my day!

{w.o.r.d.s.}

"Shut Up!   That was dumb! What were you thinking?  Can't you do anything right?  I hate you!" 

These words tear down the hearer and the speaker!  When you are the recipient of these words, you question who you are, what you are, and if you really matter.  As a mom, I know that I've spoken some of these words, and caused some major hurt to the hearts of my girls.  "What were you thinking?"  You know what, they probably weren't "thinking"!  They are kids and sometimes kids {and adults} do things impulsively, without thought.  That does not diminish their worth, yet, my hastily spoken words does.  As the speaker of these words, I'm figuratively trying to grab them out of the air and shove them back into my mouth, which unfortunately is impossible.  If only I would have prayed Psalm 141:3 before speaking: "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!"

{w.o.r.d.s.}

"I wish I weighed 10 pounds less!   I'm not good at anything!  Nobody loves me!  I can't do anything right!  What's the difference if I live or die?"

These words, spoken to ourselves defy what God says we are!  When you "self talk" these words, you question who you are, what you are, and if you really matter.  Psalm 139:14 says: "for I am fearfully and wonderfully made"!  And our maker is the God of the universe!  If He has fearfully and wonderfully made us, and He says so, then it is truth!  These words cause hurt and doubt and cause us to question the awesomeness of God's creation!

Psalm 19:14 says:  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."  As I strive to continually be filled with God's sweetness and to spill that out on others, I must pray {often} "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!"  How about you?

Reality check:

How have you spilled {or will you spill} out God's sweetness and sweet {w.o.r.d.s.} today?

... but G O D !!

The conversation started simply, "I wonder where we can get Arnica?"  Since we had just been talking about the 10-day sugar detox that we are going to do, I assumed that Arnica must be a natural supplement that was suggested for the detox.  When I asked what it was for, Rick replied "It's a homeopathic treatment for injuries."  Still thinking of the detox, I asked why we needed Arnica {cutting out sugar was already scary enough, now I was going to need a homeopathic injury treatment??}.  Keeping with the time honored saying "ask a stupid question and you'll get a stupid answer", he replied, "Because I'm gonna push you down the stairs." {He would NEVER push me down the stairs . . . it was his "stupid" answer to my "stupid" question!!}.  Then came the real answer, "Your dad fell down, he is in pain and wants to go to the game tonight.  We need to get him some Arnica so he feels better."  ♥

"For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted."  

Well Rick's "wise guy" answer about pushing me down the stairs may not have been filled with sweetness, but the rest of the conversation sure was!  The sweetness Rick displayed in his concern for my dad reminded me of the reason for this blog . . . my desire to be so filled with HIS sweetness, that I don't spill out bitter on those I love.  For me, that "bitter" often comes out all too quickly. 

Being newly married, with 3 children each {him 3 boys, me 3 girls - cue the "Brady Bunch" music!}, my step children and grandchildren, his granddaughter, as well as each of our families has been an adjustment!  His family {mom, step-mom, siblings} is spread from here to Florida, my brother & sister in law live 3 miles away and my parents live next door!  We have different opinions on how things should be done, where things should be kept, and how life should be lived.  He has learned that if something isn't nailed down, it may not be where he left it.  I have learned that when he needs time to himself, it doesn't mean he doesn't love me, but I'd best let him have some time to himself!  Blending families and lives and finding a middle ground when we don't agree is a challenge at times!  I'm thankful that we both agree that God is first, and the Cornerstone of our marriage.  We committed ourselves to each other before God and our kids to stick it out, in the good and the bad.  That marriage covenant is forever and only with God's help can we honor it!  We live in a "disposable" world, and only God can hold a marriage together!

Sometimes, my cup {heart} is not filled with sweetness, and anything but sweet water spills out.  Frustrations, anger, mis-understandings, they all become part of the mix and I allow Satan to add his bitter to the mix.  No matter how hard I may try to justify it, there is nothing pretty about that bitter water!  It hurts me, it alienates those I love and it works to destroy relationships.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I love "but God" statements!

 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."  

Ephesians 2:4-9

But God, made us alive together with Christ!

But God, allows me to spill all that yucky, dirty water on Him and He refills and refreshes me with sweet water!

But God, uses others to remind me of that sweetness that I want to be filled with!

But God . . . 

Ah, "but God"!  If it weren't for Him, there would be no sweetness.  There would be nothing to refresh and refill and refuel with.  There would be no rich mercy, no great love, and no being made alive in Him!  For by grace are we saved through faith, it is the gift of God, not of works, so that none of us can boast.  If there is goodness {sweetness} in me, it is only through Him.  My hope for an eternity in Heaven is not because of anything that I have done {or didn't do}, it is only through Him.  The works mentioned in the last part of that passage is the work that I can do through His grace in me.  That is the sweetness that I can spill out on others, only by His grace!

Today, through Rick's "spilling" of sweet water through his love and concern for my dad, God reminded me yet again of His immeasurable love for me!

Reality check:

What have you spilled today?

Do you want your {spills} to look like this:

or this:

Let HIM fill you!

Give me YOUR eyes . . .

"Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Satan is in the business of devouring our

pretty homes . . .

Satan is in the business of devouring our

pretty marriages . . . 

Satan is in the business of devouring our

pretty children . . .

Satan is in the business of devouring our

pretty lives . . .

Satan knows just where to "hit" us.  He knows where each and every one of us has a weakness, or weaknesses {food, gossip, addictions, need for self worth, anger, bitterness, grudges . . . }.  When he sees a crack, in the workings of your home, in the covenant of your marriage, in the relationship with your children, in the tapestry of your life, the subtle prowl becomes an all out attack.  A war on all that you hold dear.  Satan does not play fair and Satan wants to win.  

It is so sad.  I have seen so many pretty homes destroyed.  I have seen pretty marriages that seemed to be "matches made in Heaven" crumble.  I've seen pretty children raised in pretty Christian homes, loved dearly by their parents wander.  I've seen pretty lives fall apart, being given over to fears, insecurities, addictions . . . all things Satan has used to lure us away from the riches of God's grace.

There are times when it seems there is nothing we can do, but pray, and often times, that is all that we can do, I understand that.  But, can we, as the body of Christ do more?  

Can we come alongside our brothers and sisters in the good, the bad and the ugly and "be there for them"?  I mean, really "be there for them"?

When I think on this question, it makes me wonder, how many times has there been someone in my life who was just {hanging on} and I did nothing more than offer my prayers for them?  I am not questioning the power of prayer by writing this.  I am just reflecting upon times when I was {hanging on} and what my heart longed for!

Way too often, we hide behind the masks of our pretty homes, pretty marriages, pretty children and pretty lives and don't let others in to see our pain.  Sometimes this is a learned behavior because on those few, rare occasions that we have allowed ourselves to be vulnerable, we felt rejected, judged, or worse yet, made out to be a "bad" Christian.  We have been made to feel that if we just trusted God more, realized that He was the only one we could count on, leaned on Him more, we'd be o.k.  I, for one, know those things to be true.  I was born to two amazing Christian parents, I grew up in the church.  I had a loving, safe home.  I was your typical mid-western "good girl".    I know that I need to trust God more, I need to realize that He's the only one I can really count on, I know I need to lean on Him fully.  I KNOW all of the "right" church answers, really I do!  And I believe them.  But, I'm still human.  And I know that God created us for "community"!  Genesis 2:18 says, "It is not good for man to be alone" and Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ".  God knew that we needed human companionship! 

Even though I know the right "church girl" answers, there are still times where I want {need} more.  So, the question becomes, If I KNOW the right answers, what is the more that I want when I'm just barely {hanging on}?  What do I want {need} instead of putting on my mask and pretending that everything is o.k.?  If I'm honest, I want {need} to be able to run to someone. I need to be held by someone who will let me scream or rant or cry.  I need to be loved without judgement and to be "heard" not just "listened" to.  I need them to {be there}.  I need the one who is handing me a tissue to dry my tears.  The one that says, call me, any time, day or night, I LOVE YOU!  I am not saying that this person has to justify my actions, reactions, anger and rant.  I'm more happy actually if they will bring me back in line with right thinking.  I'm {needing} them to point me back to my first true love, Jesus.  I need their accountability, but the point is, I need them to physically be there.

Therein lies MY dilemma . . . how often have I NOT been that kind of friend {or wife, daughter, mama}?  How often do I flippantly say "I'm praying for you".  "Oh, honey, God knows your hurt".  "Oh, I've got this really good book you could read".  "I just heard this amazing song and it spoke to my heart, here listen to it".  "If you need anything, just call" {Seriously the WORST statement ever in my opinion.}  "God gives the toughest battles to His strongest warriors".  "God won't give you more than you can handle". {Oh how I dislike that one . . . God DOES give us more than we can handle because it's only in those times that we learn to lean completely on HIM!}  I need to remember that just as I "can't.do.it.all.by.myself." neither can my husband, parents, children, friends.  I need to remember that it is o.k. to be weak. To make mistakes {even BIG ones}.  To have a "safe place" to run to where NO MATTER WHAT sins have taken over, there is LOVE.   I need to remember that there aren't always easy answers.

As I look to be filled on the {in}side, so I can spill {out} God's love, this is an area that I need to work on.  

I need to be able to be available, anytime, day or night.  I need to be those arms that will hold during the screaming, ranting, crying.  I need to love without judgement and not just "listen" to what is being said, but I need to "hear" the deeper, heart issues.  I want to "be there".  I want to be the "hander" of tissues and the one who says call me anytime, and means it!  I want to listen and offer wise counsel, love, prayer and Godly advice.  I want to be there.

Oh Lord, I am so caught up in my own world.  I'm so committed to my own commitments and busyness that way too often I overlook the needs of others.  Please help me to slow down and not just listen, but to hear.  "Give me Your eyes for just one second, give me Your eyes so I can see, everything that I keep missing.  Give me your love for humanity.  Give me your arms for the broken-hearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach.  Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten, give me Your eyes so I can see!"**  Amen.

**Brandon Heath "Give Me Your Eyes"

{locked in} part 3 . . . and I DID have a choice . . .

{disclaimer . . . the following statements are all things that I did think, say, believe after Rickey died.  Please do not take them personally!  I am only sharing them because God has shown me how I allowed them to {lock me in} to Satan's lies!}

When Rickey died, I was instantly {locked in} to some new, scary realities.  I was {locked in} to the title of widow and single mom.  I was {locked in} to the fact that my best friend was not ever coming home again. I had no choice in being {locked in} to these realities, they just "were".  Thankfully, I was also {locked in} to the peace that passed understanding that he was in Heaven and those things were in God's hands.  

Unfortunately, there were other areas in my life that I became {locked in} to that I did have a choice about.  Sadly, I chose to let myself be {locked in} to lies from Satan and they held me hostage until I emptied me of me, and let God fill me with His sweetness {...and this is an "every day" emptying that has to happen, I certainly have not "arrived" and will not, until I reach Heaven!}.

"I can't believe she didn't call me today."  {locked in}

"I can't believe nobody came to help us shovel."  {locked in}

"I can't believe he asked me to read a scripture that talks about grief."  {locked in}

"They said they'd come and help, I saved things for them to do.  I can't believe they didn't show up."  {locked in}

"I'm just fine, I don't need them, I.can.do.it.all.by.myself."  {locked in}

"Fine, if this is the 'church', I don't need it anymore."  {locked in}

"I'm not good enough."  {locked in}

The list could go on and on.  And yes, I did think all of these things.  Yes, I was ready to quit church - not just "my" church but church in general {I'm thankful that I met Rick when I did!}  In every one of these statements, I now realize that I allowed Satan to {lock me in} to his lies.  I allowed him to {lock me in} and be trapped in selfishness.  In allowing him this "power" over me, I was not able to grieve well or move forward productively.

Thankfully, God used some very special people {Rick, my girls and a few really good friends} to speak to me and open my eyes to these lies.  I share them here because I think we can all find ways in our lives that we allow wrong thoughts to {lock us in}.  If our thinking is not corrected, we just continue to be {locked in} and isolated.  Even when there is a ray of sunlight, we don't bound out into our Master's arms like that sweaty 160# dog did.  Rather, we stomp our foot and maintain that we are right and we have a perfectly legit reason to stay {locked in}.  But do we?  Though any of the above statements could be justified, it is still MY choice how to respond!  We cannot correct our thoughts by ourselves.  We have to let Him have control of them!

"I can't believe she didn't call me today."

{Reality} . . .  Who needs encouragement from me today?  Who can I call, text, e-mail or message today to tell them I love them and am praying for them?  How about sending a note or picking up a little gift - just because?!

"I can't believe nobody came to help us shovel."  

{Reality} . . . Everyone is busy.  I always turned away help when it was offered {I.can.do.it.all.by.myself!}.  How many people said call anytime?  They did mean it, it's hard to "intrude" on someone's life.  I needed to give them a break.  When help was needed, I needed to put my pride aside and pick up the phone!

"I can't believe he asked me to read a scripture that talks about grief." 

{Reality} . . . Maybe this situation was allowed into my life life {well, of course it was, God doesn't make mistakes!} so I could be a blessing to someone else.  Maybe my pain will allow me to minister to someone else's hurting heart.  Anyone can have "sympathy" {feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune} with someone, "empathy" {the ability to understand and share the feelings of another} is really only possible when you've "been there, done that".

"They said they'd come and help, I saved things for them to do.  I can't believe they didn't show up."  

{Reality} . . . Everyone is human.  Maybe they forgot.  Maybe I was not clear in the fact that I really could use their help.  Maybe I should have clarified the situation before just assuming that they didn't care.  {Very true story - I was very mad at someone for quite awhile for not coming and helping before Tessa's grad party until I asked them about it.  Come to find out, they didn't even know that their services had been "offered"!  I harbored much bitterness for quite a long time towards someone who had NO IDEA they had "wronged" me.}

"I'm just fine, I don't need them, I.can.do.it.all.by.myself." 

{Reality} . . . I am human.  God created us for companionship.  I can't "do it myself".  It's not a weakness for me to admit that.  It's o.k. to say "I need you", to my husband, my children, my parents, my friends or my church family.  Which is the perfect segue to the following statement!

"Fine, if this is the 'church', I don't need it anymore." 

{Reality} . . . God gave us the "church" for companionship.  The church is my extended family.  Will they fail me?  Yes.  Will I fail them?  Yes.  Will we learn and grow through these failures.  I pray we will!  I do need the "church", I do need the body of Christ.  

"I'm not good enough."

{Reality} . . . Not good enough for what?  If I were the only person on earth, Jesus would have died on the cross for me.  God would have sent His only Son to this world to suffer and bleed and die for ME.  I'm good enough for that.  I'll never be "good enough" on my own, but in Him, I am exactly what He created me to be.  All He asks is that I walk with Him, and turn it ALL over to His tender loving hands!

Oh, so many lies that {lock me in}.  So many things that I allow to control my thought pattern that pull me away from the truth and peace in Him.

I desire to turn my focus from me to Him.  I desire to empty myself of me and not be {locked in} to these lies.  I desire to let Him fill me with His truth and to let Him {un}lock me!!

Reality Check:

How have you spilled {or how will you spill} out God's sweetness today?

What do you need to let Him {un}lock for you? 

"locked in" {part 2}. . . and I didn't have a choice . . .

Sometimes when we find ourselves {locked in} we know that we are somewhat, if not completely, to blame.  

Other times, we find ourselves {locked in} to situations that have us spiraling out of control and we can do nothing but hang on and pray.

Death is one of those times.

When I sat in a hospital room and heard a Dr. say, "I'm sorry, Rickey didn't make it", I was immediately {locked in}.

I was {locked in} to the suddenly new, unknown title of "widow".

I was {locked in} to the completely unwanted title of "single mom".

I was {locked in} to losing my best friend of almost 20 years.

I was {locked in} to a fear of the unknown.

I was {locked in} to a new life that I didn't want and certainly didn't ask for.

I was {locked in}.

Up until that moment I thought that I was a pretty good Christian.  I thought I had a pretty good walk with the Lord.  I never really had to lean completely on Him.  I didn't know what it felt like to completely trust Him, even for my next breath.  

In that moment, I was {locked in} to a "different" than I had ever believed I'd experience, at least not at the age of 45.  Even in that moment of being {locked in} to this "different", I had a peace that did pass understanding, a peace that to this day, I can't explain.

In that moment, after the doctor spoke, 

I knew, 

that I knew, 

that I knew, 

the truth of the first words that I spoke to the girls, 

"Daddy is in HEAVEN"!

I was {locked in} to a strange new world, but I did have an assurance that whatever that meant, God was still in control.  It is a peace that I cannot explain. Had you told me the day before Rickey's accident that this was the way I would respond, I'm sure I would have laughed in your face.  I remember having thought that losing my spouse would be the greatest tragedy that I could endure here on earth, and I did not know how I'd move forward if it were to happen to me.  Now I was about to find out!

Amazingly, in that moment, when I stared death in the face, though I was definitely {locked in} to something new and unknown, I was not {locked in} to questioning God.  I know that many others do when faced with this situation, I {thankfully} did not.

In all the days that have followed, I have not questioned God.  Yes, there have been days when I wished Rickey back {and realized that is selfishness on my part because no matter how much he loved us, he would never want to leave Heaven to come back to earth!}!  There have been days when I have wondered why?  There have been days when I have wondered why life seemed so unfair.  But, I never questioned that God was in control and that He had a bigger plan for my life than I could {or can} see at any given moment.

I believe that my faith as a mustard seed that was planted in my life as a young child carried me when I was {locked in} to this new season in my life.

I did not have time to think how I was supposed to react.  I did not have time to decide if I was going to follow God or not.  I am so thankful to my parents and all of the other Godly influences in my life who made my response to trust God as logical as taking my next breath {and maybe even more-so because there were moments when I had to ask Him to help me take that next breath}!

I was {locked in} to a situation that was certainly spiraling out of control, and over which I had no control.  

I'm very thankful that despite the changes that I was {locked in} to in that moment, I was able to look to Jesus as "the author and finisher of my faith" {Hebrews 12:2} and trust that "in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me {Rickey} when as yet there were none of them" {Psalm 139:16}.  My faith in the fact that our days are numbered by the Lord never faltered.  

I was {locked in} but by the Grace of God, I was able to keep my eyes focused on Him in the worst of circumstances.  

This was a case of being {locked in} where I can say that I ran to my Master, just as that 160 pound mass of sweaty fur ran to his master after being let out of the trunk.  I ran with arms open wide, and was so thankful to see my Savior there for me!

I wish this story of how I was {locked in} after losing Rickey could end right here, seemingly kind of "warm and fuzzy", but unfortunately it cannot.  For, even though I allowed God to control my initial reaction to Rickey's death and even though I completely trusted God's sovereignty in His timing in taking Rickey "Home", I could not give others that same grace . . . .

"locked in"

{Read the preface to this story on my Facebook page HERE! . . . look for the post titled "Locked In" Part 1.  And while you are there "like" it so you get updates!}

. . . I'd never been so happy to see sunlight!  My 160# furry friend was just as happy as I was as he bounded out of that trunk like an old-fashioned jack-in-the box springing out when the lid popped open. 

That big, sweaty mass of fur sprang out of that trunk and nearly knocked our rescuer over.  He was jumping all over him.  Wagging his tail, smiling that dog smile, jumping, licking, almost turning himself inside out.  He was happy to see our rescuer.  Happy to be out of the trunk.  He acted like nothing had ever happened!  What?  How?  Why?

As I slowly climbed out of the trunk, my eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight, I looked around for some water.  As my eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, my attention was riveted on the reunion of dog and master.  We had just spent an hour locked in the trunk.  It had been HOT.  We were thirsty.  We were abandoned.  And all that dog could do was love on his rescuer.  I can imagine if he could speak, he would have been saying, "I'm so glad to see you!  I'm so happy!  Thank you for coming to get me!  I'm so happy!  Can I have some water, huh, huh?  I'm so happy!  Can I have a treat?  I'm so happy!  Can we go home?  I'm so happy!"

"See who loves you more, your wife or your dog.  Lock them in the trunk for an hour and see which one is happy to see you when you let them out!" 

... Mark Gungor

{disclaimer} ... I've not ever been locked in a trunk by my husband {or anyone else} with our 160# Shiloh Shepherd!  This story is an illustration of the joke told by Mark Gungor at an event we attended last weekend.

I painted the picture of being locked in that trunk because for me it illustrated the many times in life I have been {locked in a trunk}.  Sometimes it has has been of my own making, and sometimes because of circumstances beyond my control.  For me, the joke, though funny on the surface, made me look inside and do some soul searching to determine how I respond to being {locked in the trunk}.  How do I respond when life {squeezes} me? 

I'll share some personal experiences this week and my {sometimes not so great} reactions to being {locked in}.  

Reality Check:

How have you spilled {or how will you spill} out God's sweetness today?

And . . . how do you respond when life {locks} you in?

... bRoKeN ... into ... b E a U T i F u l ! ! ! ♥

Did you listen to the song in the last post?  If you did, I hope it spoke to you as it has to me!  As we look at the second verse, it again addresses areas that I face every day and have to relinquish to Him in order to remember that only by His grace have I been changed from "Broken into Beautiful"!

 "We live with accusations"

"You're too fat {or skinny}."

"You're not smart enough."

"You aren't pretty enough."

"You're not a good cook."

"Why can't you ____________?"

"Sometimes heavy expectations"

I've read the romance novels, I {expect} him to bring me flowers.  I've listened to my friends, I {expect} my kids to always do well in school.  I've read the newspaper, if I excel I {expect} to be recognized.  I look at the magazines, I {expect} I'll be happy if I get my house in order, get in shape,  visit the right salon or wear the right make up.  These heavy {expectations} assault me at every turn, and the more of them I hear, the more I believe them.

"That tell us we can never measure up"

If he doesn't bring me flowers or my kids don't get straight A's in school, there must be something wrong with me.  If I do something well, and nobody notices it then it didn't count. If I get my house in order, get in shape, visit the right salon and wear the right make up, I should be happy.  None of these things are wrong in themselves.  It's nice to get flowers.  It's o.k. to cheer when my kids do well.  It's right to do my work with excellence.  Taking care of the home God has blessed us with is the right thing to do.  Eating well and exercising are admirable and will bring me good health.  Fixing my hair and wearing makeup aren't wrong.  But none of those things measure my worth.  When I stand before the Lord, none of them will matter!  Why then, do I let these things {or lack of these things} and so many more tell me that I don't measure up?

"And yet You repeat with mercy"

Dictionary.com defines mercy as "something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing."  Divine favor, oh doesn't that sound even better than the hollow praise of man?  God Himself repeats with mercy ...

"That in Your eyes we are worthy"

We are worthy, worthy in HIS eyes.  So much more to be desired than measuring up to any other standard.  So much more to be desired than measuring up to the unattainable standards that I often set for myself!

"At last we see how much we're loved"

When I empty me of me, when I let HIM fill those empty spaces, when I stop trying to "achieve" and to earn love, from my spouse, my family, my friends, my co-workers, and seek only HIM to fill my empty places, then I can see how much I'm loved . . .

"'Cause . . . "

"Though we can't see how we can stand before you Lord and feel

VALUED,

PRICELESS

and ADORED . . .

You change worthless into precious.

Guilty to forgiven.

Hungry into satisfied.

Empty into full.

All the lies are shattered.

And we believe we matter.

When you change broken into beautiful!"

I have taken the liberty to translate this beautiful song into what it means to me.  If you are feeling broken in any way, I hope my ramblings can speak to you as well!  I pray that as you read my words and then link to the song HERE {2nd video on the page} you will be able to identify some of your broken areas.  I pray that you will be able to let them go and give them to your Heavenly Father.  No matter how worthless you may feel, how abused, trampled upon, and worn you think you are, in His eyes, you ARE

VALUED,

PRICELESS

and ADORED . . ."

Because . . . 

"He changes worthless into precious.

Guilty to forgiven.

Hungry into satisfied.

Empty into full.

All the lies are shattered.

And we believe we matter.

When He changes broken into beautiful!"

And once you have let Him fill you, and change your broken into beautiful, don't keep it to yourself!  Let that sweetness that He will fill you with fill you to overflowing so that you can spill it out on others!

Reality check:

How have you spilled {or will you spill} out God's sweetness today?