{photo cred: agirlchangingtheworld.tumblr}

Truth: I am a girl.

Sistas --

How many times before we start speaking what's on our heart that's slightly "girly" do we say make an entrance like so... "Okay, let me just be a girl for a second..." or when we want another girl to open up we say "Okay, be a girl for a second, tell me..." Over the weekend I had one of those "ah-ha" moments. Why do we feel it necessary to give ourselves permission to be who we are? It's like we need an excuse, warning or something that we're about to be real, and I don't know something crazy like... ourselves. It's really funny though because once you realize it, you see how MUCH we all do it.

I got to thinking about it and.... We are subconsciously being fed lie after lie, that we buy into all the time, that our woman-ness is weakness. Therefore, anytime we are about to be first honest with ourselves and therefore secondly honest with others, we need to introduce it with an explanation why.

After discussing this little revelation with my sweet dear friend Ashlyn, which is more like my daily soundboard, it's clear what is trying to be taken, or rather stolen. Lucifer... (stinks)... I mean... was known as LIGHT, beauty; he was after all cloaked in jewels... then he fell, was cast out. Shift... we, women, were made with representation of the Lord's beauty, mercy, and grace, and satan lost that. Why on earth would he not try to attack that, he doesn't want us to have it. He wants to think ourselves into a tail spin, or neglect our very nature and security in the Lord because the last thing he wants is for us to embody beauty, he wants to steal, kill, and destroy. He is out for us. But we are on the winning side. It's finished.

photo courtesy: Pintrest

Of course he wants us to apologize or make excuses of what we were created to be. Instead we should embrace our nature with full assurance of whose we are, walking confidently in that we have a great capability for care and compassion, and that comes with being emotional creatures. Does that mean let our emotions drive us/ get the best of us? Absolutely not. When we deny them is when they come toppling over the edge in a not-so-wonderful kind of way, that we all may be way too familiar with. That is not what the Lord intends for us either. However, learning how to embrace and orchestrate them into good is fascinating and beautiful. Sisters, we can pierce the darkness with the Lord in us. We were made for kindness. compassion. genuine care (yes, even being sensitive, which is not necessarily a bad thing). to have the great ability to love and love many. DO NOT let the enemy steal that away from you! Welcome with open arms your nature, which is so beautiful before the Lord. You bring LIGHT to this dark world. Depend on Him to be your fortress where you will not be shaken, but let the sweet Lord be the fortress, FULLY rest in and accept who your Father so creatively, lovingly, carefully, and without any flaw, made you to be.

Shine. Radiate.

I wish...

But seek first...

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." 

{Matthew 6:33}

Because He ought to engross us entirely.

Our desires, cares, questions, doubts, plans they fall into place in the light of His glory. And the thing is they not only "fall" into place, they are ADDED to us out of the goodness and free extravagant love of the sweet Lord, and without our thought or care. Us girls, we're funny. We think we have to think thoughts towards something constantly for it to reach a solution. And that we do, we think it into the ground, or 'til it resembles the like of a bowl of spaghetti in our head, which then directly affects our heart. Then there we have, chaos and confusion - that started and ended with us, alone. 

Goodness how beautiful it is when the Lord blesses us by telling us exactly what we need to hear through someone else. and right when we need it. My sweet sister friend told me this wonderful example of the Lord and His timing today. She described to me this illustration of a play and God as the director. She went on to say how we are sitting in the audience and thinking we know exactly how the play is going to and pan out, but the curtain is still closed. However, behind the curtain the Lord is carefully and meticulously putting things into place, working things out in our heart, and very deliberately planning His timing of scenes. And at just the right time... He will open the curtain.

If we seek first His kingdom, our heart will be aligned with Him, and what His is about. Everything else will give way to this.

Sometimes we need to just get alone with our Maker. Worship Him. Tell Him who He is. And Receive what He has for us. Trusting, Knowing, and Declaring He is good. He is holy. He is enough.

tea time.

My roommates and I have taken it upon ourselves to incorporate tea time in the day. Why we have waited this long is beyond me, but it's wonderful. To sit down in the middle of the afternoon and just have a cup o coffee or tea and just chat with each other. It's pretty near perfect.

'Cause that's what He does...

Wow,  where in the world did the last month go? I feel like just in a blink Christmas was here and gone. It was such a wonderful time with friends and family. To go home, and just rest for a month was so glorious and just what I needed. Blessed time it was.

Shortly after Christmas was over, we took off to Atlanta, GA for Passion 2012, and what an INCREDIBLE & BLESSED time it was. The speakers and musicians that were gathered in that place was like a spiritual combustion -- but bigger and more astounding than that was the name of JESUS was lifted HIGH in that place like no other. Freedom, was the cause. And freedom came for many. Chains were not only broken, but obliterated. To say it left me humbly on my knees is I feel an understatement.

Christy Nockels said something that struck such a cord with me that I will cherish forever when describing her song "We'll Sing Along"...

She said,

"'Cause that's what He does. He takes little songs, little lullabies and turns them into anthems. His eyes are roaming throughout the earth, seeking to show himself to those whose hearts would be fully committed to Him."

wow. Yes, Lord.

That's what He does, turns little lullabies into anthems. Little cries that you have in your heart, little desires that are tucked into the corner of your mind that you think about right before you go to sleep, or find yourself randomly thinking about that you quickly determine could never happen --- He morphs, transforms, blooms, blossoms, cultivates, springs forth them --- into ANTHEMS. 'Cause that's what He does. 

And in that we surrender. Why? Because He has WON, and because in no way of our own could we ever take these little songs in our hearts and make something out of them. We raise our white flag, saying YES LORD, walking in the way of your truth, we wait for you, we declare you, and we stand on you, because that is where freedom resides... and that is where, lullabies becomes anthems.