ENCOURAGED IN HEART

My adorable ten year old niece, Cassie, wears two different colored socks, intentionally, every day. Not being “hip to the jive”, her Aunt Mo (as she calls me) asked, “Wassup?” (You know how I dig that question!) As she moved around, her Shirley Temple curls bounced in steady rhythm to her animated response, “That’s just what we (the girls her age) do (wear mismatched colorful socks)!”

Since I’m a trend-setter, in my own mind and no one else’s, I too, present unmatched feet daily, but in shoes. Like Cassie, my unmatched-ness is intentional, but not for the sake of fashion. I’m still healing from two broken foot bones.

That’s just what we (the broken footed), do (wear mismatched shoes)!

On the outside surface of my foot, you’ll see that my incision is healing beautifully. Textbook really. I’m very grateful to God for this healing and you too, for your prayers. But what you won’t see is that from the side of my foot, it’s still very swollen, because breaks take time to heal.

Something else you won’t see is that I’ve been watching the clock. I’m on a time table, people. A well intentioned time table. Pre-op, my surgeon said that I’d begin jogging again in 2-4 months. My two month vision and time table began ticking in the recovery room. (I know I sound loony, but I’m just being honest!)

I’m in week five and only have three more weeks to jog. Right? RIGHT?!?

I’ve seen a couple of common threads this past month in my life and in the lives of some of my precious friends.

Breaks take time to heal.

It is naive to think that once the outside is healed, that healing is finished. I have some friends that are healing some very serious breaks. And…

Once a bone has been broken, it takes time to heal.
Once a heart has been broken, it takes time to heal.
Once trust has been broken, it takes time to heal.
Once confidence has been broken, it takes time to heal.
Once a dream has been broken, it takes time to heal.
Once a relationship has been broken, it takes time to heal.

And like the swelling in my foot, it takes time and rest and tender attentive care to be restored from the injury that’s left me, that’s left us, with a slight gimp.

I told my physical therapist that I’ve been doing short walks, thinking that I would be praised. Oh, how I love me some praise! But my physical therapist did the opposite, he cautioned me to only walk when necessary because it takes time for the break to heal and swelling to go down.

So instead of watching the clock, I’m going to turn it around.

Stop watching the clock and be more focused on the Healer.

I’ve seen how friends and I both feel a bit mismatched, lopsided of sorts. But like my sweet Cassie, we can smile because, “The Lord is near the broken-hearted.” Psalm 34:18

That’s something to smile about today!

If you’re healing from a break, let’s turn it around and stop watching the clock and be more focused on the fact that God is near the broken footed and hearted!

Because after all, that’s just what we (believers) do (believe)!

Past or present, and in just one word, what’s something that’s been broken and is taking time to heal?

I’m always on the look out for a good book. And, if it’s a really, really good book, then you just never know where I might pop up… all because I’m a trained stalker investigator and want to thank the author personally.

Since I’m looking for a good read, I wanted to share what I felt were the best two books of 2011:

The Faith of Leap, The: Embracing a Theology of Risk, Adventure & Courage by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch.

If you’re looking to be inspired and equally challenged in your faith journey, than this book is a must read. If you want to be a couch potato for Jesus, then I guess you can just keep on munching the Pringles. Or, if you want to do something about eating Pringles on the couch may I suggest the other best book of 2012…

Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst.

The eating addiction is no joke. It’s not been just “a little problem” in my life. And I’ll most likely write about my recovery until I’m home in heaven. Until that time, I pray that other friends begin their God centered journey to freedom with me and we can grow in faith to let God increase so we can decrease. (I’m not just talking about our pants size!)

As a random sidenote, I’d like to point out that I’ve met two of the above three authors. I’m not sure if this is an official heads up for Michael Frost but I believe it is safe to say, I have my work cut out for me in 2012 craving deeper, more real faith!

What was the best read of 2012? WASSUP?

Have you ever wondered, “What’s the point?”

I know that I have about a bazillion times. Give or take zillion.

“I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”
~Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

I finally figured out the point.

The point is that God got me through for a reason.
The point is that my mess is my message.
The point is that we live in an injured world that’s weeping, weeping to know if people really care.
The point is that the if the injured world sees that people care, they might be persuaded to think that God cares.
The point is that God does care.
The point is that we need to tell them that God cares.
The point is that God gets the glory.

The point I really want to make today is that God is already using you and me as one of His little pencils.

I’m wondering if the grand-ness of that statement resonates?

Maybe God didn’t call you to be a writer, but He did call you to point others to Him. Sometimes I get down and compare myself to well-known writers, bloggers and speakers that are making a huge impact in the world. But #’s aren’t what are important. Hearts are. That’s the point.

God cares about the hearts…yours, mine and others. What story will the pencil of my life write? Well, that story is still being written.

What message is your pencil writing? What’s the point?

tags: mother teresa, what's the point?