The Strong Tree Who You May Choose To Be

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Dear friends,

I have been writing my whole life. I discovered in sixth grade English class, after submitting a compilation of poems and essays, that expressing thoughts through words is something I could naturally do. This event was meaningful because, at the start of middle school, I had a hard time processing who I was in the world outside my home. Within my family, I had unconditional love and praise. The middle school boxing ring caused me to feel different, and sometimes less than. So, having the top compilation in English class translated as value and talent in this new public space. It’s a good memory to this day.

Since then, I’ve written decades of letters and cards to my loved ones. Tons of papers and essays through high school, college and law school. Once, in my thirties, a book. I’ve written speeches and a handful of eulogies. I’ve blogged for fifteen years with other girls and on my own. Recently, I spent a summer writing poems. After being very sick several years ago, I thought I may choose to never write again. But, I couldn’t actually permanently stop.

Sometimes when I can’t write words, I bake, read, color, plan get togethers or make gifts. This is almost the same as writing because it’s making and sharing. But, it’s not the same as writing. Namely, because I know I was made to write in a more meaningful way than the other ways I can make and share.

What stops us from doing the thing we were made to do?

The relevant question here is – – why don’t we do the thing we know we were knitted together to do? In my case, why haven’t I written much in the last year? My first real excuse is that godaddy tried to eat my blog content a few months ago. They could not explain why they could not find my blog – like it’s gone and we don’t know why so we will call you back tomorrow (and they never did). I then hired a very efficient young man from Fiverr who brought it back in about fifteen minutes. Woohoo! Other than this panicky event that happened in the first quarter of the year, I have a few other thoughts on what stops us from the thing we were knitted together to do.

When Daily Practices Fall Away . . .

I had a really hard time reading in 2024. If you know my reading rhythm, I read about 12 books a year plus my Spring and Fall bible studies. Some of you think that’s a lot. Others of you who read a lot more than me think it’s sort of cute to read a book a month. In any case, I had a hard time reading. I didn’t like a lot of what I choose to read. I tried to move into different genres with some success but not a lot of success. I also became too attached to my phone as a first thing, last thing daily event. The fact is that writers have to read into order to write. In losing the practice of reading daily, I lost my thoughts for writing.

When Big Things Come Up and Other Things Get Smaller

In 2024, I poured most of my self into caring for someone I love very much. I spent a lot of time walking and praying and learning how to know God as the God of Hope. On the other end of my 2024 candle stick, I was poured into and refueled by key women who revived me daily. They built me up with wisdom and stood by me every.single.day. What does all of this mean for following one’s calling? During that time, I was fully using my resources for the work at hand. Sometimes big things sweep in for a season and other things get smaller, including our God given calling.

May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:13

Overwhelm is Overwhelming

The themes that I normally write about are dreams, time and friendship. With dreams there are disappointments. With time, there is an end and a beginning which can be painful. With friendships, we build and sometimes lose what we build. Because of the nature of my soul and personality, I can be overwhelmed by disappointments, ends of things and losing what’s been built. In that overwhelm, I lose words. When I lose words, I let go of the time that I used to use to write them.

There is no shame here. When output isn’t balanced by input, we put parts of ourselves on hold until the balance returns. Sometimes the hold is an intentional choice. In other instances, it’s a limit that just is. In thinking about seasons, limits and what may bear us down, God showed me the trunk of a very strong tree. Here is her story.

The Strong Tree

There is a tree with a very strong trunk. She has branches and twigs, leaves and an anchoring root system. This tree grows stronger over time and in every season. You can choose to be like her by following her patterns. She finds strength even when seasons ask her to live, breathe and move differently. She doesn’t feel shame over her limits, but embraces God’s goodness to see her through to even more strength. 

As the sun rays pour down on her leaves, branches, trunk and root system, she takes in His glory and grows even stronger then.

When the wind blows and she stands through the gusts, she is not weakened. She is made even stronger by the One who holds all things together.

When the rains come and her trunk and root system are saturated and soaked, she is not weakened. She remains still and trusts that the saturation will hydrate her and not harm her. 

When this tree bears fruit, she is made stronger in her bearing. Even in the output, she is not diminished but grows in stature.

We are made Stronger by the Things that Build Us Up & Also the Things That We Weather

The Good Weather

Surely, we are made stronger by the things that build us up. We have good, good days where His glory is as clear as the sun’s rays. In some seasons, all is well and he builds our roots of confidence. We are braver. We remember to believe in His promises and believe the best in others. He expands the coverage of our shade to comfort and love others. We are able to focus and give space to growing, the work of our hands and pursuit of new and exciting adventures.

Blessed is the person who trusts in the Lord . . . She is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of the drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17: 7-8

The Winds

We are also made stronger by what we weather. In some seasons, we stand in powerful gusts of wind where we are taught long suffering. We didn’t choose the gust that aims to take us or our loved ones out. God teaches us stamina as he give us his supernatural strength. This is possible because we have an available, healthy root system where he can share with us his gifts and power through his love.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then . .

Ephesians 6:13-14

The Monsoon

We find strength through rains. Life can feel like a monsoon where the rain starts to fall fast, almost out of nowhere. The floods make way quickly. The rushing water flows fast and hard suggesting it’s a good time to give in the current. But no! Our root system and trunk are strong. We can choose to believe that the saturation won’t weaken us. We hold onto our hope and with expectancy, look forward to the strength of the hydration. We have all that we need in him.

You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.

2 Chronicles 20:17

The Fruit

We also gain strength as we bear fruit. It takes a lot of output to birth beautiful red apples or gorgeous blooms. Outpouring sometimes takes everything we have within us. But the fruit is worth the sacrifice and there is deep gain in contributing to beauty to share with others.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you so that you will love one another.

John 15: 16

Remember the Wisdom of the Strong Tree

I pray you hold onto the wisdom of the strong tree. She is an old soul who reminds herself to reframe the storms in her life. Yes, there are hard, hard things that we all weather in our earthly lives. Our memory of our experiences is meant to make us braver and stronger in the current moment. Our memory is meant to bring us to recall our prior strength as we walk forward in His light.

It may be easier to remember the fear of the monsoon or hurricane. But it is wiser to remember that you were hydrated and not harmed. You can choose to think of the relentless wind that blew hard against you, but you can also choose to recall that you were held by your Father who was holding all things together.

As life goes on, we weather more storms. We stand in the wind, take in the sunrays and bear fruit. In other words, we have the privilege of living to see more seasons of life which give way to his faithfulness. The more there is to see, the more strength there is to gain from a Father who is always on watch for his children. It is good to grow into a strong tree.

Questions for Thought:

What season are you in now? Basking in the sun (rest), standing in the storm or bearing fruit?

Whatever your season, what can you learn from the Strong Tree?

What verse did you most relate to in this post?

How can you follow your God given calling in this season?

Meditation Verse:

I have been sent to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61: 3

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How to Find Your Passion Again

Summer Devotion

Week 4 of my Summer Devotion is titled Go Where God Is. I didn’t need a ton inspiration to write this post. I am writing about what is most familiar to me: The pursuit of my calling and yours.

I am somewhat narrow minded when it comes to this topic. I deeply believe every woman has a passion and a calling. However, that’s not the narrow-minded part of my belief. I have the additional belief that every woman has a very special part of her life set apart to pursue with God  – – outside of her many roles of mother, wife, bread earner and/or caretaker.

For Example

If you tell me your kids are you passion, I would say, yes, me too! But what’s hidden in your heart to discover between you and God?

If you tell me your work is your passion, I would say, yes, I get it! But what’s the thing you are called to do that doesn’t center upon your responsibility to earn money? Make sense?

Your Life Points the Way

Knowing the thing that is set in your heart by God isn’t an easy endeavor. Life, life and more life gets in the way. At the same time, life, life and more life is the key to pinpointing the sometimes hidden work of your soul.

July’s Week 4 devotion is a reminder of how to identify your passion by looking at your life. Below are my answers to the Discovery Questions & Exercise below.

This is as hard for me as it is for you! My brain spends a lot of time being afraid of failing, getting it wrong, wasting time and questioning whether the outcome will be worth the endeavor. I get going with this so quickly that I sometimes shy away from digging into the very things God has put in my heart.

I am going to answer despite myself. If some of my responses sound like conclusions, know that I have had a long time to think about these questions. Explore from whatever stage of self-discovery you are in.

Tears

I occasionally cry in the dark of my room. Sometimes in the dark of the yoga room. At times, I cry in the daylight when I walk at the beach. In those places, my tears are most often for the knowledge of God’s compassion toward us. My tears are full of compassion for the hard space between the burdens we bear and the relief of His presence.

Questions

I sometimes have questions about my dad’s life and early death. When those questions rile up, I remember to focus on my dad not as he was on earth, but as he is living life to the fullest in heaven. I think the hardest questions are those of unfairness in life and death.

Heartbreak

My heartbreak took me through about five years of anxiety, depression and panic. Frankly, I didn’t expect so much fruit to be on the other side of tremendous pain. Although I was a hopeful person before the pain, I now understand what it means to have hope in the pain. Currently, I wish to pass that on to someone who needs to know more about hope.

Ordinary Life

Ordinary life can be a series of crazy ideas (see below). We don’t need permission to live an exciting life. It’s right here in front of us to live out with our friends and family.

Crazy Ideas

I get so excited by my friend Melissa’s idea to launch a nonprofit out of our bible study that has been doing good in the community for the last decade. Similarly, I get crazy excited for writing/blogging projects and choosing books for our bible study. I love to plan get togethers. I love to deliver love baskets to anyone under the weather or in need of encouragement.

There you have it my friends. I shared my stuff, now you share yours.

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The Four Categories of Calling

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Calling is one of those ambiguous words. The idea starts when we are very small with What do you want to be when you grow up? As the time ticks along, we include more introspective questions like Who do you want to be in the course of your life? If you keep on this course of growth and questioning, you will also ask How (and who) do I want to serve in my lifetime?

So, what really is calling?

Calling is the standing God gave you as his child with a purpose and mission to live out in the service of others.

You are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10

Despite the many opinions you may have of yourself, yes, that’s you. A Masterpiece. Just in case you are figuratively trying to hide from the mirror right now, the word “you” doesn’t refer to humans collectively or mankind in general. You [Insert your name] are a work of art, masterfully and perfectly made.

Not only are you an outstanding work of art, but you were also made to do good things that were planned for you before time began. This is the moment where calling arrives. You have an undeniable passion and a purpose to live out in a way that blesses others.

In order to break down the mystical side of calling, it’s important to note its practical side. Calling isn’t just how you were created or who you were meant to be or serve. Your passion and purpose comes with a roadmap and action steps.

The word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

Psalm 119:105

Practically speaking, we can see just far enough ahead to take intentional, daily action steps (that’s the lamp by your feet). We can also see the larger vision of the path (that’s the flashlight in your hand). With God, you have the ability to walk with the knowledge of your next steps and have the greater vision of the path ahead of you. Calling is in fact practical.

For that reason, calling can be organized into four categories. As you consider your passion and purpose, you can filter your calling through this framework. That way, you can intelligently organize your thoughts and, eventually, design the action steps to follow your calling.

Category One: INWARD > OUTWARD PROJECTS

Calling often begins inward. When we are led to start on the inside, we usually don’t consider it calling. However, inward projects have great potential to become outward projects. Let me give you an example.

About two years ago, my friend Susan recognized that she was behind and disorganized in some major areas of her personal and family life. She also realized that this was, in part, due to the overexertion she was directing towards her very needy and dysfunctional extended family.

She began by taking stock of her time, setting goals of prioritizing and simplifying her home and work life. She closed a twelve year running business. She opted out of her bible study for a time. She set healthy boundaries with her direct and extended family. Not once did she take action with bitterness or scarcity. She narrowed her path and tasks with love and kindness, especially towards those who were most impacted by her personal or inward project.

As she comes upon her third year of seeking God to minimize the baggage in her life and maximize her impact within her family and work life, a very inward project has the potential of becoming outward. Susan can take what she’s learned, spend some time refining the good work God has done and design a plan to share it with others with the same needs.

With personal projects, the inward has great potential to become outward. Both are worthy and fall squarely into the definition of calling.

Category Two: NONPROFIT CORPORATIONS

Nonprofits are often a spring board to growing your project and pursuing your calling. A nonprofit is an entity that is formed to benefit others. The organization is tax exempt and offers tax benefits to its contributors and donors.

So, what’s the connection between calling and nonprofit entities? Let me give you an example.

My friend Ashely collects and delivers special needs equipment to families in third world countries that don’t have the same access or resources that she does. Ashely does the good things that God prepared for her in a very casual way. She’s a busy mom with passion for her own special needs son. She may balk at the idea of taking the time and spending the money to establish a nonprofit.

But here’s what I know. Ashely is a passionate woman loved by many. As her access to special needs equipment grows, the need for donors to help with shipping costs will grow. Eventually, she may need someone to deliver the equipment and train the family to use it. As others grow a passion for Ashely’s calling, she may find it beneficial to offer tax exempt receipts for gifts to her donors. The growth potential is endless.

The bottom line is: Don’t be intimidated by your dreams. Don’t be intimidated by the idea of formalizing your project and creating a nonprofit. Do the work you are called to do at the pace you are called to do it. You will know your next step as the doors open and close in the path of pursuing your calling.

Category Three: COMMUNITY ORIENTED BUSINESS

If you are reading this, you probably fall into one of the following three categories:

  1. You are a business owner.
  2. You have a role in your current position where you could or do have a voice.
  3. You are the spouse of #1 or #2 above.  

There is a huge opportunity for service projects rolled out of your current business or position. The example closest to my heart is my law firm.

My central legal work is to help people buy, sell and refinance residential and commercial properties. Ten years ago, 4KIDS of South Florida gave me the idea to give a one time charitable gift at the time of each real estate closing. I liked that idea and began giving a gift at each closing. God worked with that concept. Let me tell you about our advocate program at the firm now.

Each quarter our firm supports one nonprofit that centers around empowering women and girls at home and around the world. My clients are aware of the giving and some of them get excited and give too. Not only that, but my office gets involved in the service projects of the four organizations. We’ve cooked dinner for foster kids who were just removed from their homes. We’ve bought and collected from our clients and vendors holiday gifts for teenage foster kids. We bring our colleagues and friends to events to raise awareness for at risk women and girls. For a time, we employed a young foster woman who needed job experience.

When you roll community projects out of your current business, your workplace lights up as you add a layer of service to everyday tasks and responsibilities. Don’t underestimate how you can impact your community through your current business or role. And, if you are the spouse, you just may be the catalyst for bringing the good things prepared before time to the business.

Category Four: FOR PROFIT (Yes, I said For Profit)

In my view, for profit projects are also ministry. Just because a project is profitable to your family, it is not disqualified from calling or ministry. Let me give you an example.

My friend Monica and her girlfriend started a new project out of a heart cry that modern women are just too busy. As they defined their passion for busy women, they identified the need for women to pause. As a result, they created exclusive, small group trips to Colombia to personally minister to each woman on the trip. Their project is a Christian based business that seeks to infiltrate our too busy culture by bringing women to healthy pauses in their lives.

That sounds like ministry to me.

Putting It All Together

Now that you have a framework in which to consider your calling, here is how the analysis works.

My friend Sage has been exploring the idea of a mentoring program for women who need practical help moving their lives in a positive direction. Sage currently has a successful financial firm where she has decision making power. In her case, Sage could decide to roll out the mentoring program as a service project within her business. On the other hand, she could start first with mentoring on her own time to get a better idea of whether this really is a God calling over her life. Or, if Sage already sees available resources and donors on board with this project, she could decide to create a nonprofit corporation. Finally, she could decide to start a second mentoring business that is for profit.

It is worthwhile to understand these four categories so that as you hear the whispers of God in your own life, you can organize your next steps in a very practical way. As long as Susan, Ashely, Monica and Sage are following God’s call over their lives, I believe they are engaging in ministry. Each woman recognizes her position as a child of God with a purpose and mission to live out in the service of others. She is following God’s call over her life.

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How To Be Who You Were Made To Be

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Hey girlfriends, today I’m sharing an excerpt from a draft of my very first book. The style is poetic, deep and full of storytelling based on biblical truths. I wrote it during a season of suffering and transition in my own life. My hope is for women to be inspired to follow God’s call over their lives.

Belinda, The Image Bearer

There is another sister I want to be like. Belinda was a candle maker for the temple. Candles were more like torches in her time. Her hands originated the light for the daily worship and teachings in the temple. I imagine she created some candles that glowed warm, low ambient light; and others that fired up and convicted the temple worshipers. Belinda was so good at creating light that some say her husband was nicknamed Torch as a compliment to her handiwork.  

I want to be like Belinda because I think she understood mindfulness. I see her melting wax over a fire, pouring in essential oils, taking in the warmth and smell as the wax became liquid. I imagine she laid the wick into the mold and poured. I think she prayed and meditated on the Word as she melted and poured and waited. She waited in stillness for the wax to cool. She did not check her texts or respond to email. She didn’t chuck another load in the laundry because she had a moment. Be still and know that I am God.  Belinda knew how important it was to be still. I admire Belinda for this.

Father, as the candle brings light in the temple, please let it bring about a spirit of conviction that leads to repentance. God, it is your kindness that leads us to repentance. Let Your Light shine among men so that they will see again your good works and glorify you in heaven. 

We know from experience that God doesn’t usually move when we are behaving frantically or running from rest. He usually moves when we are still. He usually moves when we make time for our friend and master Jesus. Belinda understood the importance of still. Daily, she met her God in the stillness of her handiwork. In the stillness, she could hear the voice of God moving in her heart. The Potter does not forget the destiny of any of His children. In His faithfulness, He began to whisper Belinda’s deep side destiny to her. 

Belinda’s destiny was to minister to her people, save her people from their enemies and to lead them home to the God that loves them so. Belinda reminds me of the cousin of Jesus. She was burdened by the evil taking place in her generation, by her brothers and sisters. God led Belinda into nature where her people would be outside of their comfort zones, with hearts a little more open than closed. God made her a voice crying out under the palm tree.  

Belinda, I know you are a woman and you may feel limited in your culture. But, I have heard you as you melted wax and prayed for the repentance of your people. I have heard your prayers as you breathed in the oils and tossed up your faith to me. Belinda, to the Palm Tree. Your people will come.

Belinda began her public ministry at the palm tree. It was under the palm tree that her brothers and sisters came to her for wisdom, for the settlement of disputes and for a word from God. She would go on to far surpass the expectations of women of her time. She would eventually be so burdened by the oppression of her people that she would successfully lead her region to battle for its freedom. Belinda’s still spirit – – our modern day understanding of mindfulness – – led her from candle making in quiet places; to ministry under to palm tree; to leader in a battle that freed her people from two decades of enemy oppression.     

Be Honest

If we are honest with ourselves, Belinda’s linear life should not have lent itself to leader, judge and prophet.  Belinda created handiwork that was delivered by her life partner Torch. My soul sister created light for a temple she was not able to enter. Her husband’s nickname tells us that Belinda’s reputation was well known at the city gates. I suspect that her culture honored her for living out Proverbs 31. Frankly, Belinda didn’t really need to do anything else according to her culture and time. But. The Potter does not forget the destiny of any of His children.

God is not concerned about cultural norms or labels. He is not convinced to stay within the lines of humanly possible by conflicting voices in your head or in your community. He doesn’t worry about what you were not able to do yesterday or get held hostage by the memory of repeated failures. He did not create you or Belinda with limitations in mind. He created Belinda to be a leader, judge and prophet.  He created you to be something too.

God formed Belinda to do the work of her hands in the candle shop, the work of her heart under the palm tree and the work of freedom on the battlefield. He planned for her to be a catalyst for change. She obediently did the work she was given to do. In the candle shop. Under the Palm Tree. On the battlefield. At just the right time. In the fullness of who she was. At just the right time. Under the wings of the shadow of who He is. God led Belinda in the stillness that she offered Him on a daily basis. Belinda gave what she had until it was time to give in another role. Faithful Belinda.  Faithful God.

You go where you’re sent and you stay where you’re put and you give what you’ve got.  -Jill Briscoe.

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The No Pressure Path to Following Your Call

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Women don’t need more on their plate. They usually need less. So, why even consider following your call? 

The truth is that the inner peace and freedom that women desire is very much wrapped in the gift of our calling. Receiving the gift and acting upon its treasure opens the door to what we want most.

The path of calling isn’t more pressure, burden or a distraction. It is setting out to be the woman you were made to be in a way that blesses others on your path. As you live and breathe and move in the center of who you are, inner peace and freedom enters your heart and flows into the lives of others.

If that description feels too vague or hard to put your finger on, here are a few guideposts that will take the pressure off.

Our calling doesn’t depend on us.

You don’t have to think it up or create it. Calling is a revelation from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will lead and direct you to exactly where peace and freedom reign. Calling will roll itself out as you listen and take your next steps with intention.

Calling doesn’t pull you away from your current life.

Following your calling empowers you to live your current life with more excitement, energy and joy than you had before you followed God in this way. In fact, the roles and responsibilities that you may be frustrated with or grumbling about just might lighten up when you are following your calling.

Following your call allows the people you love the most to see more of the treasure inside of you.

Living out your calling invites your friends, kids and husband (if you have one) to see Christ active and alive in you. Not only that, calling empowers your loved ones to take brave steps to live out the best that God has for them too.

Calling sets your imagination free to do the good work you were made to do.

There is no greater way to put your mind to work for good than designing a plan to follow your call. Our minds were made to think, create and connect ideas to action. Calling engages our mind for good.

Calling doesn’t blow up your schedule.

Knowing your calling helps you make life giving decisions with your time. Calling helps you revisit in a positive way your current schedule, commitments and responsibilities. The journey of calling doesn’t lead you to exhaustion and burn out. It empowers you to be the woman God intended you to be.

Following your call is not another pressure or problem for you to tackle. Calling brings energy and new wisdom into to all areas of your life. It is the path to bring you the inner peace and freedom that so many women deeply desire.

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Wisdom for the Secret Desires of Women – Part One

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Some of us think we know what we want and we pursue it. We set out to accomplish it, and whether we fail or succeed, surprisingly we discover it does not bring us what we most desire.

Some of us can’t decide what we want. We are stuck in the wanting of something, nothing, and everything. We stay stagnant or very, very busy, but we still don’t get what we most desire.

Some of us, however, land right in our sweet spot. We experience value, fulfillment, and strength, and get what we desire most. If all women have desires deep within them, then why are so many of us missing our mark, landing somewhere else or stuck? When it comes to our true desires, how do we know when we are on the path to our sweet spot or when the winds have directed our path?

In a recent survey of creative, resourceful women, I found that almost all the women had groundbreaking six-month goals. Here are just a few:

Get a blog accepted to an online magazine

Get a blog accepted to an online magazine

Begin free diving

Influence my generation to give to the next

Grow my company so I can hire other women

Start a mom’s prayer group in my city

Apply to Bible college and get a degree

Travel to a place I’ve never been

Blend our families in my new marriage

Create a voice for singles in my church

Whether or not you have a six-month goal, let’s consider the nine listed above. If each woman accomplished the goal she verbalized and memorialized, would she experience value, fulfillment, and strength? Would she have what she desired most? Would she experience inner peace?

Inner peace may sound like an elusive notion. It may even sound monkish, new age or self-indulging, but, in my experiences with women, it is what we desire most. Whether it’s parenting, personal calling, marriage, community involvement or friendship, women have a deep desire for an inner peace which flows into key areas of their lives.

When we are setting out to accomplish our secret desires; when we are venturing to our sweet spot, the key question is: Will this bring peace to my soul? If Godly peace is the center of your pursuit, you can be confident you are setting out on a path that will bring you what you desire most.

So, then, how do we get to our sweet spot? The wisdom that will lead you to the peace and fulfillment you desire begins with your calling. The statements below embody the fourfold wisdom for the secret desires of women.

You Are Gifted

You Are Valuable and Valued

You Are Fulfilled by Living Out Your Gifts

In Living Out Who You Are, You Find Strength

Wisdom begins with the knowledge of what your gifts are. Syncing your God-given gifts with your daily practices leads to realizing your value. Putting your gifts into practice exhibits your value to yourself and others. The eventual result of practicing your gifts and talents in a valuable way lends itself to personal fulfillment. As you live who you were made to be in the season that you are in, strength appears in ways it never has before. You are gifted. You are valuable. You are fulfilled. You are strong. Your soul is at peace. This is the fourfold wisdom for the secret desires of women.

You Are Gifted

Look to the Past to Find Your Future

Women, in order to know your gifts, you will have to know yourself. You will have to take quiet time to look into your past so that you can see your future. As you look back in the silence of the moment, you will remember what made you smile at six. You will dream of impossible and bold adventures like you did when you were twelve. You will love with all the passion and fearlessness you had when you were twenty. You will remember coming into your person and claiming who you are. All of these thoughts, feelings, and memories will point you to who you are and then to your future path.

When you remember, like I did, that I love wise owls and shimmery butterflies, you will know that it is time to incorporate creative gifts back into your life. When I recalled the years I didn’t shave and marched for my causes, I realized that my business could be used as a force for good in my community. When I pondered the years of babies and being broke, I remembered that I can do anything new or hard in my life’s path. My memories brought me to my gifts. My gifts brought me to my future.

When you take the quiet time to look back, you will see into your future. The space that was once empty, blank or bleak will come into focus. Your vision for your future in your current season will become clear. Suddenly, you can see where the lamp at your feet and the light on your path are leading. You can walk down this path in boldness because you have a vision.

Pain Is a Part of Your Gifting

Sister, you are unfinished. There is a future path you can walk because of the past and present pain you have weathered. The best part of unfinished is that there is so much more to come. As undesirable as a season of pain really is, it carves out wisdom, compassion, and grace in a unique way. Pain and suffering are not the end of you, nor do they define you. Personal pain is simply evidence of the unfinished work and the great journey ahead.

I have a trusted sister Kay who barely relates to pain because she has embraced it so well. Her journey began when her husband’s business partnership went bad. Resulting litigation, great financial loss, multiple moves away from the town they called home, uprooted kids, church changes, homeschool experiments, school transfers, and more professional changes brought painful challenges. Kay’s nature is to be rooted, well planned and under control, but she was uprooted in almost every way a person can be uprooted. Kay worked through her pain. She made it a point to make home wherever home was. The best part is that a very finished person remains unfinished.

You will find some of your giftings from your seasons of pain. My friend has learned that home is not a city or a town or a church or a Bible study or a ministry. Home is with her family. She has a definition of home that belongs to her. What will my friend do with her gift? Who will she impact? What will she dream up as a result of her pain? If we can understand that pain makes us an unfinished work, we can be filled with hope that there is so much more to come.

Your Heart’s Call

All of us were made with a heart call. You may not know what yours is yet. You may have more than one. My heart call can be summed up in the words uninvited or excluded. It bothers me when a person is left out or ridiculed because they are different, unusual or perceived as not good enough. I noticed when someone is laughed at, treated unfairly or attacked for no good reason, compassion and action would rise up in me. I may not have always consciously known that about myself, but I discovered my desire for compassion and action towards injustice when I listened to my heart call.

Once you pinpoint at least one of your heart calls, you can take intentional steps towards your calling. For me, I began to take my time to listen to a lost, lonely or hurting person. I could see it in their eyes. I learned that when my heart string was activated, I needed to take time, whether I thought I had it or not, to listen. I eventually realized that taking my time to listen to others lead to freedom in them and freedom in me. When I am living out one of my gifts in a positive, intentional way, God moves and fruit appears. When you listen for your heart’s call, you will find your bend and what type of injustice you were made for.

You Are Valuable and Valued

There are many good things a woman can choose to be and do in her lifetime. Something magical happens when her choices are derived from the calling over her life. A powerful layer of self-worth begins to form when she’s living out her calling. Why is that? The reason is that she is living and breathing what she was made to do.

When a woman follows her calling, she sees the value of who she is. It’s not that following the call brings the value, it’s that living out her gifts and talents brings the knowledge of her worth to herself. As she is engaging in a way that brings forth awareness of her worth, she experiences the beginning of inner peace.

The best example I can give you is my dear friend Madeline. Madeline has been through extraordinary pain in relationships. Pain has a way of putting a question mark right through our sense of worth. Madeline intentionally processed her pain instead of hiding or running from it. In her season of pain, she spent her time reading life-giving books, engaging in her community of sisters and devoting hours to quiet time in the Word. She often shared transparently about her pain with trusted sisters and brothers. In a season where it would have been easier to hurt alone, Madeline welcomed others into her world even though it was broken with sharp edges and open-ended problems.

As the pain transformed her heart, her gifts and talents began to surface. Madeline undoubtedly learned a few things about herself in this season. She learned that there is nothing wrong with being the spiritual leader of her home. There is nothing missing from her life as an unmarried woman. Her family is not incomplete or less than. If she ends up meeting a lifelong partner, it won’t be someone to complete her family or replace who she is, but a partner to love and lead with.

As she healed over time, Madeline began to take a few cues from her life. She is regularly asked to take on leadership positions. She may have already known that she is patient, methodical and inclusive, but she did not know how well she was suited for leadership roles. Madeline has learned that she has the ability to create practice and order from vision in order to serve a greater purpose. The work she did during her deepest pain brought her gifts and talents to the surface.

Although Madeline suffered greatly in a few key relationships, she was able to realize her worth when she began to live out the gifts and talents that were already in her. As she recognized her value in living out her gifts and talents, she became a licensed business life coach and went back to school to get her master’s in counseling. Madeline’s personal calling is underway and much of her journey began with recognizing her worth and value all over again.

The pain we experience causes us to question our value and worth. When we process through the pain and begin to find ourselves, we are filled with motivation to live out of our gifts and talents.  This is the sacred place where we recognize our worth and run after our call. Nothing can stop the faith-filled pursuit of a woman who knows her worth. This is the key to finding inner peace which flows within her and then to the people she values most.

*Join me next week where I’ll share Part Two of Wisdom for the Secret Desires of Women

 

 

 

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