{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.