Strength

This Moment

September 19, 2022by 4letsgetrealtogetherLeave a Comment

Because we arrive late (again), I scan the general area where we used to sit. “Used to” is important since our invisible “reserved” marker is no longer observed. Our sporadic attendance of late, due to a variety of reasons, brings momentary panic as we proceed forward.

What if there aren’t any available seats near the aisle? Would we be able to settle in somewhere with minimal disruption? How am I to navigate through without making a complete spectacle of myself on crutches? Thankfully, we find a “suitable” location and join in the service during one of the last worship songs before the sermon begins.

I look up at my husband, who jumps right in singing the words on the screen. He seems content and focused on worship. My lips join in, however, my mind requires a bit of acclimation. Taking in my surroundings, I begin noticing all the things.

The person behind us is coughing, which is equivalent to the plague these days. Are they directly behind me? Do they seem “sick” or just have a tickle? Movement catches my eye, and I see someone I recognize, though he’s not sitting where he usually does. I wonder why? Was his “assigned seat” taken? Then the lighting bounces off the lead guitar with a flash, and I’m redirected toward the front by the beautiful melody offered in praise.

Pleadingly, I will my mind to focus on the purpose of our attendance: worship. Forgive me, Lord. I am a waif, easily distracted. My noticings should be of your glory and goodness, yet I find myself easily flustered by all that vies for my attention. Misled by meaningless noise.

Whom shall I follow? Let it be YOU Lord. Draw all of me to you. Remove all that fruitlessly clamors. Fashion an unbreakable strand upon my heart that only you control.

“Do not forget the agreement I made with you. And do not worship other gods. Instead worship the Lord your God. He will save you from all your enemies.”
2 Kings 17:38-39 ICB

I sat ashamed with the realization I had allowed the world governance over me. I deeply valued my ability to “notice things,” prided myself as an observer, placed undo importance on this; meanwhile, all this internal commotion caused confused misdirection away from things that truly matter. I’d relinquished power over my mind to the enemy, who rapidly fired flares beaconing for more attention, luring me further away from the most sovereign God.

I repent, and plead for forgiveness, knowing all the while it is already mine.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 NIV

Friends, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a daily battle weeding out the false gods in my life. Things that I give pointless priority. And like most weeds, plucking does nothing when the roots remain intact—simply a temporary reprieve. Only complete removal, digging deep to eradicate all traces, will allow something more delightful to take up residence.

“We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect.”
Hebrews 12:1c-2a NCV

*sigh*

Maybe one day I’ll be strong enough to stop this battle once and for all, giving Him total dominion over me. There I go again, thinking this is about me—my strength, my ability. I can only offer this moment, fortified with the power of His Spirit, and rest with certainty that He will bridge the gap to the next on my journey closer to Him.

Let’s get REA/L together.

FIGHT

September 23, 2021September 24, 2021by 4letsgetrealtogetherLeave a Comment

In a recent conversation with someone whom I dearly love, she asked how my recovery was going. Here’s the exchange that followed:

I’m ok. Just need to remember how to be a patient again. You’d think with all the times I’ve been in the “patient” situation it would be easier.

Nah, I get it. Every time you fight your way back to feeling good again, it’s even harder to sit still and work back up to fully functional again. It makes sense. ❤️ But you come back better each time. 😉

This. I so needed to hear this today. Maybe you need it as well. You come back better. Again, and again. I’m not sure if she intentionally used that word twice in one sentence, but it stood out to me.

We all go through stuff, have trauma, and it’s ok to feel an obesity of emotions. Then afterwards, we gotta stand up again (and again). Choose to fight—not in a violent, rather overcomer way. FIGHT!

Find

Incredible

Goodness

tHrough

Trauma

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”
Jane (Nightbirdie) Marczewski

It’s the in spite of, not the trauma, that should steal our focus. The wildflower growing out of the sidewalk. The rainbow in the storm. The unavoidable laughter through tears. THAT kind of joy, an impregnable goodness, is infectious in the best possible way.

The world needs more of this. See, share, spread this. FIGHT, my friends.

Just in Case

August 15, 2020August 16, 2020by 4letsgetrealtogether1 Comment

My dad used to always say, “it’s better to have it and not need it, instead of need it and not have it.” Usually, this was in reference to having a coat, umbrella, or roll of quarters tucked away “just in case.” A version of the old Boy Scout “be prepared” motto. And it has served me well, on many occasions. But there are certain things, events, or circumstances in life that you cannot ever really prepare for…

A loved one suddenly passing.

A debilitating injury.

An auto accident.

Unemployment.

A pandemic.

Loss of self.

2020.

In any of these, even the most prepared Eagle Scout would be left dumbfounded. How do you proceed? What’s the next step? Where do you go from here? Why did this happen? Who will you be if you survive this? (The hardest question of all.)

It isn’t until you are thrown into the unpredictable that you become supernaturally armed with the strength for surviving the unknown…you just don’t realize it until after you actually get through it. Onto the other side. Where the pain has dulled enough for you to truly breath again. Friends, if you find yourself in one of those difficult situations, where no amount of “just in case” planning is helpful, you can always turn to your just in time God.

Now I know what you are thinking, “oh boy, here she goes goes again! I wonder what scripture, what Biblical nugget of wisdom this chick thinks she’s gonna pull out to ‘make it all better.’” I gotta admit, I actually smirked a little as I wrote that…because I’ve been there. I’ve had the same thought. Probably even put on my best earnest face while I listened. But as soon as the advice was presented, it was as if I’d been transported into Charlie Brown’s classroom. All I heard was “wah wah wah wah.”

We usually don’t want scripture OR wisdom in those seemingly most desperate of circumstances. We want Morpheous’ blue pill, returning us back to the way things were, blissfully ignorant. The quick, painless fix. Because if God were truly real, He wouldn’t have allow this to happen (right?). Period. The end.

NOT “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.” NOT “God turns all things into good.” NOT “God’s plans are always best.” While all of these are absolutely true, NONE of them are helpful when you feel as though you are all alone, drowning in the middle of an ocean during a Cat 5 hurricane.

But here’s the thing, sometimes, in the worst of times, what we really need is God to send someone to just listen. Someone to silently sit with us. Someone to hold our hand. Someone to say “I’m sorry.” Someone to allow us cry, scream, cuss…whatever!

I pray you have that “someone” in your life. And if your arms are burning right now from treading water while trying to think who that “someone” could be, it would be my privilege to be your “just in case” safe place. That’s my Let’s Get REAL Together mission. That’s why God has watched over me through the unfathomable, so I could be here with you today…just in case.

Strong Feels Good

June 1, 2020by 4letsgetrealtogetherLeave a Comment

>Giving instead of receiving

>Worth instead of a measure

>Stretching instead of breaking

>Work instead of entitlement

>Talking instead of stewing

>Agreement instead of argument

>Pausing instead of continuing

What do these have in common? Strength. This does not necessarily mean the “instead of” is the polar opposite and therefore weakness. But that is exactly how our minds work, doesn’t it? According to a cursory Google search, thinking in opposites can make you a genius, help with anxiety, or bring awareness to our often fickle thoughts. Sometimes it’s helpful, other times it’s not (how’s that for an opposition argument?). Today, I want to focus on the feeling strength evokes.

Strong feels good.

Strong portfolio, good. Mentally strong, good. Strong coffee, good. Unless of course you do not feel the same way I do about coffee.

Strong /strôNG/ (adjective) defined:

1. having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.
2. able to withstand great force or pressure.
3. very intense.
4. used after a number to indicate the size of a group.

Strong can not only be defined in many ways, it also looks different for each of us. And how things look, rather how we perceive things, has a direct correlation with how we feel about them. Bottom line, strong may look AND feel different for each of us because, simply put, WE are different. Which brings me back to the opposite mentality…

There’s so much of our world that’s polarized. And we all have strong opinions. Feelings, if you will. That doesn’t make one side right and the other wrong. I think that’s precisely where we get hung up. Just because we feel a certain way does not make it right. It also doesn’t make it wrong. It simply makes it a feeling.

Here’s my DREAM (Dramatically Radical Edifying Action in Motion): let’s spend our time building ourselves and others up, AT THE SAME TIME! While I realize this may not always be possible concurrently, it can definitely happen individually. With practice in one, the other will also vicariously benefit. That, my friends, doesn’t just feel good…in my humble opinion, it IS good. It makes us strong. And strong feels good.

Faith

December 8, 2019December 8, 2019by 4letsgetrealtogether2 Comments

December 8, 2019

I know a man who is battling cancer, though on a good day, his smile and infectious laughter will illuminate the room brighter than a Christmas tree.

I know a woman, who is battling real-flesh demons, in the form of family, though she will stop and fiercely pray for you as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

I know a child, who is battling through mental health issues, though you’d never know as she grabs your hand and invites you to join her game.

I bet you also know someone battling something…it may even be you. But let me share this truth with you: courage can be found in the midst of every battle. Suffering cannot snuff out hope, belief in a better life. Assurance in something more, bigger than the battle. It’s called faith.

Faith is so much more than religion. Faith is confidence. “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1 CEV). Faith is the bridge that allows us passage through our battles. Faith, though not tangible, is what we must cling to as it carries us onto a place of courage.

Courage for the next breath.

Courage for the next step.

Courage for the smile we wear, even and especially when we feel there’s nothing joyous about what we are battling.

Through faith, we can still call ourselves courageous instead of victims. We still have something we can offer. We still have worth. We still can contribute. We simply need to hold faith as our evidence.

What are you holding onto, my friend?

If it’s not faith, release it so you will receive this gift. It will not only change your life, but in the receiving, you will be given the opportunity to share. You will experience unspeakable joy, within the heart of your battle, as you share your faith. You will give another the gift of hope. And that, my friend, is worth holding on to…

October 1, 2019October 1, 2019by 4letsgetrealtogetherLeave a Comment

Strength: the capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure.

There are numerous types of strength. Physical strength. Mental strength. Emotional strength. Courageous strength. Strength assessments. Strength in numbers. Strength of Faith.

Strength’s antonym is weakness. Instead of having the capacity to withstand great pressure, when you are weak, you are simply overcome by it. The tremendous force applied “takes over,” often with a crippling blow. While we are differently strong, there’s one common weakness-denominator that has the capacity to completely negate any strength we possess: doubt.

Doubt is terrifyingly powerful. It has water-like qualities, finding its way into the cracks. It forcefully tears down and uproots any strength stability we’ve developed within our lives. Doubt is evil. Period.

We, however, have the ability to harness infinite strength through our faith:

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29 NIV).

“In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don’t know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays through groans too deep for words” (Romans 8:26 NIRV).

“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

You ARE strong, my friend, because He is strong. Stronger than you realize. Ready to intercede. Willing to shoulder the weight. Question is, are you strong enough to relinquish your weakness unto Him, so He can to do the heavy-lifting for you? #LetsGetREALTogether #Faith #Strength #Inspiration #TuesdayMotivation