Five Minute Friday - Meet

Five Minute Friday - Meet

     Two months ago I would have insisted that to create and maintain a true friendship you would have to meet that person, in real life.  I would have told you that you couldn't know a person's heart through a screen.  There are very valid reasons for this position.  What that thought does not take into account is what happens when people, who are hungry for authenticity and realness, are brought together by God.  I have discussed #the4500 at length in several other posts.  I am aware that to the outside world it sounds just a wee bit crazy.  Okay, maybe a lot crazy.  Two months ago I would have agreed wholeheartedly.  But it's not.  Talking with these amazing women, reading their words, praying for them, being prayed for by them, sharing heartbreak and victory with them, has changed me.  It has made me more brave than I have been in years.  It has given me the courage to meet with two incredible women, in real life, who are willing to share life with me as well.  These women spread out all over the country have given me confidence, wisdom, and strength.  They have given me books to read, thoughts to ponder, and the encouragement to dream big.  The critical piece of this whole community is the real.  Not one woman has tried to be perfect.  Not one has shown themselves as having it all together.  Not one has made themselves better than another.  Each one of us has come just as we are and shared from our hearts.  We have crossed over the selfie boundary and shared videos so that we can hear and see each other.  We have texted, and messaged, and laughed and cried. All of this points to how needed this real version of life is to all of us.  All of to one extent or the other, is drowning in something.  Our hearts and minds long to hear that we are not alone, we are not crazy, and we might have ideas and thoughts that are worthy of being heard.  Every single person you meet - whether in real life - or on this whole new world of social media - has a struggle.  Every person has a need and a desire.  My hope is that we would start treating each other with more grace, more mercy, and more kindness.  Including ourselves.  

Remember and Trust

Remember and Trust. 

These are not the words I was seeking.  They were not the words I was praying for.  I wanted something more like – BAM!  Done! 

But my heart and my head clearly heard the other.  I was crying out to God.  God fix this – now.  Be You – show me You.  Do huge miracles so my eyes can see you and my heart can feel you.  Now.”  My greatest desire was a touch from Him.  To experience His in a way that was tangible and real.  So I begged.

He answered.  Remember.  Remember that I have answered your prayers in the past.  (Like, yesterday.)  Remember the times when you brought before me requests that were impossible in your own strength, and I made them happen.  Remember all the times I have gone before you and cleared a path, where before it was entirely impassable.   Remember all the prayers that felt unanswered until you saw I had a different plan, a plan that turned out to be in your best interest.    

   

Oh, yeah.  There are those answered prayers.  There are the answered prayers that stack up as tall as a mountain.  There are the ones I thought were so crazy I shouldn’t even think them. There are the ones so small in the grand scheme of things that it seemed to even ask.  There are big ones and small ones, huge ones and tiny ones.  But they are all a testimony His faithfulness.  

Gently, He touched my heart again.  Now, trust.  Trust that I know what I am doing.  Trust that I will answer, in the right way, at the right time.  Trust that my way is best.  Trust that I am enough.  Trust that I am with you and I will stay with you.  “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.” Psalm 125:1 (NIV -1984)

Yes, trust.  That is what my heart needs.  Trust brings me peace.  Trust lets me give it all back to God.  I still have to do my part, but He will take care of the rest.  Trust lets me hope.  So, I will trust out of obedience.  I will trust because He has proven Himself over, and over, and over again.  I will trust, and He will provide.