I could not be more excited to go home to the family and just chill this weekend. Rest & downtime away from the hustle and bustle is exactly what I need.

Psalm 61:1 
“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.”

photo courtesy of tumblr.

she LAUGHS without fear of the future.

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. 

{Proverbs 31:25}

A commentary about this passage, I recently read says,


 "Her heart is full of another world even when her hands are most busy about this one."

This passage has been etched on my heart for the past couple weeks. Over and over, seeing it come to life in different ways, and what does it really mean to walk in this mindset. To live it out. The future, this stage in life, can be daunting. I feel a lot like Peter, as described in Matthew 14: 28-32.

“And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and begin- ning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when He got into the boat, the wind stopped.

I asked the Lord to tell me to "Come" and He did. Stepping out of the boat on to water can be quite the little feat, struggling against everything in and of ourselves that is saying, "You. Cannot. Walk. On. Water. Helllooooo. Wake up." Yet something bigger and deeper within us is fighting that "reality", fighting "this world" - calling us forward - saying, COME TO ME. Look at my face. There is risk absolutely, but peace overwhelms the fear in risk because we are familiar with and confident in the One who is beckoning us forward. So we step, however long it may take us, over the edge of the boat and put our feet on the water. However, even we get there, a whole other battle could begin. We could have a little freak out for a few reasons:

a). We realize we are indeed standing on water. Fear sets in.
b). The wind and the waves are swirling, daunting, and bigger than we imagined. No control.
c). We forget who HE IS who called us there in the first place, and are focused on our inadequacies. 

When this happens we, which I so often try to do, slowly start inching back towards the boat we left. Or we could be so paralyzed by fear that we neither go forward nor backwards, we just stand there. The thing is we have set out on the path of the impossible, a faith adventure. Not one thing where we are is of our own accord. Challenges and opposition from the enemy will undoubtedly come when we forgo our life in the boat. However, the safest place we can be is in the middle of the Lord's will even if that is on water.

I imagine that Proverbs 31 godly woman, confidently standing there looking at those waves and the wind- in strength, and dignity, and LAUGHING at them she knows who is before her. She knows who is calling her forward, and her hope is in Him. No sight of wind or wave could weaken what He has called unto her, and put so within her that caused her to step out in the first place. SHE KNOWS that He who promised is faithful and He will fulfill what He has spoken to her. Regardless of what is going on around her, her joy is not stolen, her peace is not stolen because her heart is FULL of another world, even though she is walking in this one.

I so desire to become more and more like this woman. 

{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...