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March 5, 2018

What Would Happen If We Slowed Down?

What would happen if we slowed down this week? If we took the time to really see the people around us? If we listened to the stories they were waiting to share with compassion and tenderness? If we took the time required to treat others with love and dignity?

 

What would happen if we slowed down?

 

Last week, I went to church downtown. I’ve been looking for my Indy church home since moving here last summer, and I may very well have found it in this little community that meets off one of my favorite downtown streets. I was running late; truthfully, I don’t think I’ve ever made it to church here on time. Yet. So I slid inside during singing and secured a seat toward the back at one of the round tables.

 

Time came to meet others and say good mornings, and I found myself still in rush mode. I hadn’t fully settled yet, and my interactions with those around me reflected it. I felt the awareness of it settle in my heart – a little Holy Spirit nudging. I need to slow down. So as we entered back into worship, I asked God to slow me down so I could engage with those around me well. And by group discussion time at the end of our gathering, I was feeling much more “with it.”

 

Pastor Aaron spoke on the Lord’s prayer and he gave us some questions to consider. One was this: Am I living in such a way that I’m following Jesus – going where He’d go, doing what He’d do?

 

I had plans downtown later that afternoon with about an hour in between it and church dispersing. I had planned to walk to Starbucks and grab an oatmeal – use a gift card, save some money. So I walked that way, stopping into a shop on my way down just to browse and fill my time. When I got to the Starbucks, I decided I wasn’t hungry enough yet and went to sit outside on the patio around the corner. A man sitting on the bench right outside the Starbucks called out to me after I’d passed by, and I stopped and turned to face him.

 

 

At first glance, I couldn’t quite tell he was homeless. But in my experience, if someone is stopping me on the street downtown, there’s a good chance that they are. Him asking me if I had any money so he could use his bus pass to pop over to the McDonald’s and eat lunch was confirmation.

 

I’m not a perfect person. I get awkward and uncomfortable in these kinds of interactions more times than not. This time was no exception. Do I give him some money? Do I want to give him the cash I have left? Do I turn away? Why’d he stop me after I’d already walked by him? Should I offer to buy him food here? God, what do I do? Tell me what to do.

 

I removed my backpack and moved off to the side so I could prop it up on the wall and fish out my wallet. I only had a few dollars left, and handed him two. He thanked me, and normally this is the part where we both move on and go our separate ways. Transaction complete. Good – or facsimile of good – deed done. Not today.

 

Today, I asked him for his name.

 

He told me with a grin, and I introduced myself in return. He let me know that I could call him JT. The seemingly simple question rolled off my tongue in response – “what’s the T stand for?” – and that’s when we dove straight into deeper waters.

 

JT told me his story.

 

He told me how he was named after his dad, about his home life growing up, and some of the deep pain and loss he’s experienced in his life. He told me about the struggle to find a job and the perseverance he has to keep trying. He told me about how he’s been going all over the city trying to find an apartment, the way he’s been hurt by others he thought he could trust in this journey, and the fight he has to do the work and wade through his pain through counseling.

 

When the tears came as he talked about a particular instance of grief, he apologized to me, and my own tears filled my eyes. I’m so sorry was on repeat in my mind as I listened – and finally echoed them with my voice before we parted ways. I told him that I had been in counseling myself, and it was really helpful for me, too. He seemed surprised and asked me why, so I shared a bit about that with him, too. Our lives are – and have been – so very different, but not so different that there isn’t common ground to be found in our humanity.

 

Eventually, I asked him if he was on this particular street often, and I pointed out the building I had just left half an hour earlier. I told him a church meets there on Sundays. That my experience with these people of God has been one of genuine love, compassion, and welcome – for myself and for others. I invited him to walk right in, any Sunday, and know that he would be welcomed in, too.

 

This man didn’t know me from any other person on Massachusetts Avenue, and yet there he was, trusting me with his life story on a Sunday afternoon, right there on a busy sidewalk. And it struck me as I processed the conversation in my car after we talked: this is what happens when you slow down.

 

When you slow down, you will truly see people. When you slow down, what might have been transaction or interruption turns into genuine interaction. When you slow down, you leave space for the Holy Spirit to fill with opportunity to be light in someone else’s day. When you slow down, you can impart kindness, love, truth and hope into those around you. But only when you slow down enough to see, to listen, to engage.

 

What would happen if we slowed down this week? What would happen?

I haven’t seen JT since that Sunday – so far. My hope for him, though, is that wherever he is and whatever he’s doing, the love of God would meet him there. My prayer is that he would find the deep healing and rest for his soul that comes in knowing, loving and trusting Jesus. And if our paths do cross again on a sidewalk outside of Starbucks, I pray that I’m slowed down enough to see him and engage the way the Spirit leads. 

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October 9, 2016

For We Continue

There comes a point in every waiting season where we face an internal struggle. Where there is faith living and breathing, there is a fight taking place. The fight is to believe, to keep our eyes open and looking to Jesus, to press on in what’s before us while we wait and hope for something marked for the future. And during these seasons of waiting, there are questions we start to ask in our heart – of ourselves and of God.

Do I believe He is who He says He is? Do I trust Him to do what He’s said He will do? Will I call Him good today, while I’m living in this season? Will I call Him good tomorrow and next month and a year from now, should the season continue?

How long will my wait be? Are you still moving and working in this thing? Do you see my struggle as clearly as you see the days I persevere? Did you change your mind? How do I know that you’re going to do this? When will I be on the other side of this?

These are the “how long, O Lord” moments.

These are the moments where you want to trust the Lord, but faith is wearing thin like fabric that’s been hit by the sun in the same place over time. Still there, but beginning to wear.

The beauty in these moments is that our questions draw us to Jesus. When we begin to ask things that only God can answer, it carries us straight back to Him. It ushers us into engaging in another conversation with Him, one that is needed for our faith to grow.

Abraham was no stranger to this. He was promised a child, among other things, as he set out on a holy adventure with God. His “how long, O Lord” moment happens in Genesis 15. He approaches the Lord with his questions and his doubt, engaging in a conversation about the waiting and the trusting: “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless…” The phrase, “for I continue childless” is also translated in this passage to “for I shall die childless.” At this point in his life, Abraham believed he wouldn’t have what He heard the Lord tell him he would have. He didn’t think the Lord would follow through with the promise.

For I continue.

God, I’m still waiting. I continue. I am still longing. I continue. Lord, what will you give me?

I love that God is big enough to shoulder our questions. His response to Abraham is both firm – reiterating the promise He made to him, correcting his doubt back over to belief – and gentle – engaging in the conversation with kindness. He guides Abraham to look up. He does the same for us.

We don’t look at what is missing. We don’t look at what’s not held in hand. We don’t look at our feet as we shuffle ahead. The Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want. We look up, to the God who sees us, knows us and cannot be anything less than faithful to His character and His Word.

We look up. We carry on those conversations with Him in our waiting. We ask the questions that lie heavy on our hearts in times of struggle. We confess where we’re lacking in faith, and let Him lead us back to truth and remind us of who He is. We remember what He has done for us in the past, keep our hope in Him for the future, and engage with what He sets before us in the present.

We trust the Lord – with our questions, with our desires, with the promises He’s given us and the things we’re believing Him for. We trust Him enough to turn to Him with all of it – our present and our future. We trust that our continuing doesn’t mean we’ll never see the other side.

We look up and we keep looking up, trusting Him all the while. For we continue, but we do not do so alone. For we continue, but we continue with help and with hope.

 

 

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April 30, 2016

Wild And Free | A Book Review

Written by The Influence Network co-founders, Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan, Wild and Free is a hope-filled anthem for the woman who feels she is both too much and never enough. That description resonates with my heart so well, and I know it resonates with many others. As I dove into my advanced copy of the book, I saw quickly that these pages are a reminder – of our identity, our purpose, our ability to live free and run wild in Jesus’ name. My heart was both encouraged and challenged by these pages of words of gospel truth, and I quickly began to mark up the pages with my own little scribbles of what was resonating with my heart and truth I need to keep close.

Wild and Fr

At first, I wasn’t sure how the book would read with Jess and Hayley alternating chapters; but as I read it, I realized that’s the best possible way this book could have been written. Jess and Hayley each offer their unique perspectives and personalities while sharing the same gospel truth to create the whole picture of what wild and free living looks like. I found myself having the most “me, too” moments while reading Hayley’s chapters, while Jess’ words stirred up a lot of excitement and courage in me. The conversational writing styles of both women made this book easy to read. It’s such a beautiful collaborative work!

Wherever you are, however mundane or broken or idyllic your life is– whatever path you find yourself on — the wild and free life is waiting for you. It’s been purchased on the cross, and the kingdom of God is waiting, heaving, groaning– ready for you to take your place. And it’s never too late to say yes. The story isn’t over. It’s just getting started. -Jess Connolly, p. 37

God is freedom. He freely gives to all of us. He gives of Himself most of all, and that is the prize. -Hayley Morgan, p. 91

As I read Wild and Free, I prayed bold prayers as I soaked in gentle yet challenging truths. My heart is lit up in passionate readiness to move with God. Freedom feels near and I lift my hands, ready to run wild in my day-to-day life. This is a book I see myself revisiting with other women. It’s a perfect book to read in a group, whether that be of friends, a church group, or neighbors.

Wild And Free by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan plus coffee cup

Tears filled my eyes as I read the last lines of the book. I feel like Jess and Hayley have taken my hand and led me on the freedom trail from start to finish. But the truly beautiful thing is that as I went, I almost forgot they were even there – I was talking to my Father and processing with Him. To me, that’s the mark of a good read. 🙂

If Christ is in you, you have access to wild and free living right now. You’re as holy as you’ll ever be, as wild as you’ll ever be, as free as you’ll ever be, and as loved by God as you’ll ever be. -Jess Connolly, p. 130

Wild and Free releases on May 3, 2016 and is available now for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Lifeway. See the Wild and Free website for details on pre-order goodies like the first six chapters of the book for immediate download, art prints by Jess and Hayley, and teaching videos to watch in your reading group!

I received this book for free from Zondervan as part of the Wild and Free Launch Team. I was not required to write a review, and all opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own. 

 

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following Jesus 2 Comments

April 20, 2016

Postmarked Prayers

It started last year.

I’d been thinking about prayer and interceding for others and what that looked like in my own life. I do a lot of prayer journaling, but it’s not as often that I take the time to intentionally and faithfully pray over others’ specific needs. Not as much as I’d like, anyway.

One day last Spring, I felt this stirring to write out prayers for people. It’s a habit I’d pick up and set aside— a prayer text to a friend here, an Instagram comment there, within Facebook groups or emails. But it had never been an intentional, regular part of my prayer life. This day, though, I felt like God was calling me to commit to praying for one person in particular. And not just to pray over her, but to write the prayers out and send them via email.

I wrote an email to her, and just told her what I felt the Lord was telling me. “I choose you,” I said. “I can’t explain why, but you’re the first one I thought of for this thing and I’m going to choose to believe that it’s a Holy Spirit thing and just go with it.”

And for about six months, I did. I’d sit with my laptop or phone and write up a prayer in an email composer once a month. Then I’d press send and my friend would have a prayer waiting for her in her inbox.

I know there’s power in any prayer. I wholeheartedly believe that to be the case. But I also believe there’s something so special, so powerful about receiving a prayer you can hold on to. When you can remember the words, re-reading them from time to time… I think that’s a beautiful picture of how prayer works— outside of time, because it’s heard by a God who knew it would be prayed, a God who is moving in those situations and people, a God who sees the victory before we’ve even thought to pray for it.

I know how much it’s meant to me to receive prayer over text, email, Skype, and in person. I know how much it means to hear the other person’s actual Spirit-led words over you.

Postmarked Prayers - a prayer challenge by And So We Are
The dawning of 2016 was an exciting new season for me. It felt like the best sort of fresh start. And as I sat, considering the year before and the people who walked through it with me, I began to make a list. It wasn’t anything fancy, just names as they popped into my head, written down on a small 4×6 notecard I had lying around. I thought I was going to send each of them a thank you card, to let them know how grateful I was for them and their friendship.

I felt a whisper in my spirit, though, that it would be more than that.

Don’t just write them cards, Kristin. Write them prayers.

So I did. I grabbed a stack of notebook paper and one-by-one, I started writing out a prayer for each of my people on this list. When I was finished writing the prayer, I’d write them a separate note on a card, and tuck the notebook paper with my prayer written on it inside of the card. Then I would set it aside until I could put it in the mail.

The reactions have been amazing – so humbling and so beautiful. I have been told that my prayer was received on the perfect day, that the prayer was going to be kept inside of their Bible, that they sobbed because the words were exactly what they needed to hear. I have been told that it is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for them, that I should never stop doing this project because it was such an encouragement to them and they want others to receive the same thing. And it was from those reactions, that I decided to share about this growing work God has been writing in me as I have been writing up prayers.

Postmarked Prayers - a prayer challenge from And So We Are

I call them “Postmarked Prayers.”

And now, four months into my own journey, I’m inviting you into it with me.

Imagine how powerful it would be if each of us wrote a prayer to even one other person and mailed it to them. Imagine that person, holding the envelope in their hand, delighted to have received some “happy mail.” Imagine their reaction as they see that you took the time to send them not only a note of encouragement, but also a bold prayer written out by hand.

If you’d like to join me in growing in prayer, in being intentional with your intercession, and in flooding the USPS with prayer-mail — I’d love to have you start to write your own postmarked prayers.

How To Get Involved

1. Sit with an empty piece of paper or notecard. Pray and ask the Lord to show you who should be on your list. I was surprised by a few of the names that popped up on my list at first! I know it was the Holy Spirit who chose them and it’s so amazing to see that play out!

2. Take a sheet of paper and write the date at the top. I like to write the start time (and come back to write the end time). I’ve had moments where I know that someone is praying for me, and I know how neat it is to find out who was praying over you at that exact time!

3. Start writing your prayer. I like to start with thanking the Lord for that person by name. I tend to write a whole thanksgiving paragraph, then move on to needs. Is this person single, engaged, married, have kids? I pray over those things. Does this person have a specific need right now? Are they waiting on something? Starting something new in life, family, or business? I pray over that. Is the Holy Spirit prompting you to pray for anything in particular? Pay attention to that and write it out!

4. Write up a little note card to tell the person that you’re thinking of them, that you love them, that you’re thankful for them. Whatever encouraging word is on your heart, share it!

5. Tuck the prayer inside the card. Seal it up, address it, put your stamp on it and send it out!

6. Pray and ask God to show you who to write to next!

Postmarked Prayers - a prayer challenge from And So We Are

One of the most beautiful things about this to me is that it’s all God. He gives the names and shows you when to write them a prayer. He guides you to put it in the mail at the right time and He makes sure it’s delivered exactly when it’s meant to arrive to each person. As I hear from my friends, I am so encouraged, so humbled, and so blessed by what God is doing. I know you will be, too.

If you do decide to be apart of the Postmarked Prayers project, I would love to hear about your experience! Send me a note, share on social media with #PostmarkedPrayers, or comment on this post. I’d love to praise the Lord with you over what He’s doing! 🙂

 


Looking for a little more encouragement these days? I’ll send you an email every now and then with a note to encourage you to press on in what you’re doing. You can join that community here.

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community, following Jesus 8 Comments

April 9, 2016

She’s Building Her House Podcast

I’m having a lot of fun being a guest on podcasts these days! My friend, Rebecca Pierce, began a podcast recently called She’s Building Her House.

Rebecca tells us that “the idea of She’s Building Her House began brewing in the summer of 2015 when the Lord had asked me to walk away from the photography business I owned for seven years. I simply thought he was directing me into a new season of writing where I could encourage women more fully through words, but slowly He unveiled an opportunity to start a podcast. My heart was to engage with the everyday woman as she sought to honor the Lord in her marriage, her parenting, her home and her work.”

rebecca-pierce-shes-building-her-house-family

And the podcast is just that – a conversation with a friend who wants to see you encouraged as you seek to honor the Lord in whatever your daily life looks like.  I was so excited when Rebecca invited me to be a guest on the podcast to talk about rest! Rest has been a huge area of growth for me over the last year, so we had a great conversation about the invitation the Lord has for us to enter into His rest and what that’s looked like in my life. You can listen to Episode 5 of Rebecca’s podcast here. I hope it encourages you in your own journey with rest. 🙂

 

 

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March 11, 2016

Surrender Stories: Surrendering Busy for Being Still

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I’ve always been a doer. I like to say that I have a Martha complex. I tend to be the woman moving about the room, serving and planning and making things come together. Sometimes it’s done with the smooth precision that comes from walking in your gifts… and other times I’m running around frazzled as I seek to accomplish each to-do.

I’ve been this way for as long as I can recall. I remember a time in high school that a friend told me that they admired how much I was doing at my age. I was the student on honor roll and the girl in volunteer clubs. I made websites for fun and poured my time and energy into them. In college, I was the girl who did her work and did it well, without fail. As an adult, that’s translated into being a woman who likes to be involved and can juggle quite a bit at one time.

This habit of mine to work hard wasn’t something I saw as a problem. I have a good work ethic. I get things done. I enjoy serving in volunteer positions, missions and ministry. I love the work that I’ve been called to do. I like the sense of purpose in my days that often comes through the things I find myself doing. The natural bent in me to do wasn’t – and isn’t – the problem.

The problem comes when the doing becomes the basis of who I am.

The problem comes when the doing overtakes all else.

The problem comes when I don’t stop doing.

The problem comes when my doing becomes busy.

You see, I tend to be a Martha.

As in, I’m not as easily a Mary, a woman who sits at the feet of Jesus – still and settled.

At least I wasn’t until recently…

—

Read my full story
on the Persimmon Prints blog.

I’m sharing my heart over at Persimmon Prints for the #SurrenderStories campaign. And be sure to check out the Persimmon Prints shop to snag your own Surrender poncho. A portion of proceeds go toward a really wonderful orphan care advocacy organization called The Archibald Project. They do great things!

Kristin Ungerecht - And So We Are for #SurrenderStories

 Keep up with the Surrender Stories campaign and read other testimonies of God’s calling His people to surrender here.

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February 11, 2016

985 Miles

I drove 985 miles last week.

Home to Nashville to Georgia to Nashville to home. It was just me, Jesus, and my little blue car. I spent three to four hour trips at a time in prayer, singing along to the radio, and processing. There was laughter when I completely botched the high notes in sing-a-long songs. There were tears when Jesus and worship lyrics got the best of me. There were moments of bold prayer and moments of ridiculous car dancing.

It was healing. It was life-giving.
It was beautiful.
I spent a few days sitting with my best friend, talking about nothing and everything – on her couch, in her car, on the floor of the guest bedroom, at the dining room table. We checked in on what’s been happening in our lives and what was happening within our hearts. We laughed, we got real, and we let ourselves be. I’ve never told her this, but at the end of two out of three trips to her home in the last six months, I’ve driven away fighting tears. Hers is a home that you don’t want to leave. She is a friend who makes it hard to say goodbye. Open space and understanding are hard to come by, and she consistently gives me both without hesitation.

 

Photo Feb 04, 2 55 42 PM

 

I spent three days at a place I believe God has sealed as sacred ground, and there a group of entrepreneurs studied the gospel and explored what it means for us.

 

I walked in with some jagged edges and fresh stitches on my heart, little pieces of me that weren’t quite healed after being wounded. Even still, I was expectant. I knew God led me to this retreat for a specific reason. Friends were praying – for healing and a sense that He was redeeming it, for Him to reveal Himself to me, and for my acceptance of His approval over my life.  He heard those prayers.

 

Through small groups, conversations, and speaker sessions, I was reminded of the gospel in such a deep way. I’ve heard Him tell me He loves me in this season – over and over. I’ve written it out in journals and online. I’ve made reminders of it and read it in Scripture time and again. And yet, there was a disconnect within me during this season of my life- until this retreat, where sitting in a chair and hearing a breakdown of my identity based on the gospel, everything shifted.

 

I finally heard it.

It ran deep to my soul and healed the jagged edges of my heart. He loves me and I have His approval. It’s not based on me and my efforts or on the approval or lack thereof from other people. It’s based solely and completely on God. He created me in His image. He gathered me up and said, “this one is Mine,” redeeming me on the cross and breathing new life into me. He delights in me and the relationship we have. He is continually working in me to make me a new creation, day by day. He’s not angry with me or searching to find fault in me the way I’ve so desperately searched myself. He isn’t speaking accusation over me; He is rejoicing over me with singing. He is gentle and kind, and His kindness leads to my repentance when I do fall short.

He loves me. He knows every bit of me.
And He approves of me.
I walked around campus a bit before leaving for Nashville, and I did it with a smile. I did it with peace in my heart. I did it with a greater depth of understanding and personal impact of Jesus Christ and the gospel in my heart. I did it with an image in my mind of my heart wrapped up in a brilliant band of His love that surrounds and covers. And there, securely encompassed and protected from all manner of enemy, I could see myself upheld – completely safe from accusation and abuse, able to heal fully as the love is absorbed, and excited to walk with Him into what’s next.

 

I drove 985 miles last week.
It was well worth each and every one.

 
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adventures, community, following Jesus, heart speak 4 Comments

January 19, 2016

Overture to Trust

Grief and growth. Heaviness and renewed hope. Learning to hold on and learning to let go. 2015 bore the story of it all, and I must admit that my heart rejoiced when I noticed the lines of it beginning to run out and the next chapter come calling.

2016 – a fresh set of pages handed to me for the new season I’d entered. Right on time.

Healing began before the flip of the calendar, but my eyes kept peeking forward to count down the days to a new year. My heart was expectant for the freshness 2016 would bring. The last year is one I will never forget; even if I wanted to try, it’s changed and grown me too much for that. Despite the hardships and heartaches housed inside the gates of 2015, I wouldn’t want to forget it all anyway.

It was undoubtedly messy,
but so full of grace.

Those were the days where He grew me. It was where He shed light, uprooted weeds, and poured healing water over my soul on repeat. This collection of days I have wrapped into the label of 2015 was a season of getting to the place where I could bloom. Because while I had heard so clearly that it was time to do so, my heart wasn’t quite ready. It had been naive of me to think that blooming would come without resistance. There was still some growing and accepting of what I needed before the petals could unfurl, inch by inch.

The cycle of growth will surely continue. Perennials welcome the spring and summer days of fuller bloom, but fall always comes home and carries them into winter again. And the work moves forward once more.

Grace upon grace, this work isn’t mine alone. He upholds. He empowers. He uses gentle hands to nurture and to prune, kind as ever in His ministrations. I can trust Him to care for me and complete the work. The Gardener will tend, and the flower will grow as it was designed to under His guidance. The flower doesn’t have to fret. It simply trusts its needs will be met and grows where it’s planted – rejoicing in sun, drinking in water, and rooting deep into soil.

Trust.

That’s the banner I’m carrying across my heart for 2016. To trust is to rest in who He is, in His care and love, in His heart for you. To trust, you must know the One you’re resting in. To trust, you must exercise faith. To trust, you must be mindful, aware.

Trust is the song my soul will learn the lyrics to over the course of the year.

I hope when the time comes to turn the page again, I’ll be able to sing it for you by heart.

overturetotrust-web

 

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December 1, 2015

Hide and Seek

I’ve been fighting the desire to hide.

Maybe it’s part of being a brave heart working to burst out of a shy shell, but lately I’ve wanted to curl up on my bed and raise my fuzzy blanket up to my chin. Hidden and warm. I’ve been fighting the desire to hide from the internet – from social media, from this space I was creating, from writing where it would be seen.

Of course this feeling came as I was working, slowly but surely, toward unveiling this space. It came as I was sure of a calling to share more, in writing and in speaking and in everyday life. I knew I was being drawn out into this space of open-hearted vulnerability, and I wanted nothing more than to hide from it all.

I wasn’t created to hide.
Neither were you.

There’s a distinct sort of bravery required when you’re moving into deeper waters – one that goes so far beyond your own ability to be courageous. It’s a bravery that is brought to life inside of you by the Holy Spirit of God. It’s a flame lit in His power, fanned in faith and obedient trust.

I’ve been fighting the desire to hide by seeking instead. There’s evidence of it each day, in a brown leather Bible with markings up and down the pages sitting by my bedroom window. In a journal filled with prayers written out line by line tucked nearby. In the passages of Scripture pinned above my desk to shake up my heart with faith. The desire to hide comes from staring at the wrong things, but with eyes fixed above and a heart that’s seeking? Fear is banished and faith is emboldened, all in the presence of Jesus.

HideAndSeek-CROP
Hiding doesn’t become us.

You and I, we’re made for more than that. We’re made to be light, reflecting the beauty of our God and shining into dark places. It’s a light that can’t be hidden once ignited. It’s a voice that can’t be silenced within you. It’s a stirring to do, to be that you cannot ignore. It’s more than us.

When you seek Him with all you are, you find Him. And in finding Him, you find peace and bravery, joy and the heart to move ahead. When you seek Him, He draws you out in gentle love in a way where that desire to hide fades away.

So when you feel like hiding,
I hope you turn around and seek instead.
Then let your light shine.

 

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and so we are, following Jesus, heart speak Leave a Comment

December 1, 2015

And So We Are

See what kind of love the Father has given to us,
that we should be called children of God;
and so we are.
-1 John 3:1a

I’ve been a Christian for a long time.

I grew up learning about this God-Man named Jesus in places like church, school, and home. I knew of His miracles, His teaching, His life story. I studied the Bible – for Awana, for homework, to know Him more personally, to talk about Him in small group settings.  I learned Him through felt figures and Sunday school lessons, books and movies, lectures and devotionals. I memorized Scripture for church programs, classes at school, and youth group challenges. I’ve led children in learning memory verses in vacation Bible schools in Kentucky and in gypsy villages in Romania. I’ve heard sermon after sermon after sermon – from church pews and high school gymnasiums, in concert venues and mess halls, via podcasts and retreats and conferences. I have been surrounded by Jesus, Christianity, and the Word of God my entire life. But it wasn’t until the Spring of 2015 that I finished reading through the entire Bible – cover to cover.

It took three years for me to complete the “read through the Bible in a year” plan, but high up in the clouds on an airplane last March, I journaled from the last section of Scripture on my little list. And just like that, I had read His every exhalation onto page.

This verse – 1 John 3:1 – is one that I had already read multiple times over. And yet, as is often the case with the living Word, I found myself drawn in to it. The Father has lavished his love on us, calling us His children – and so we are. Simply because He says it.

He says it, and so we are.

The world may shout that we’re one thing, but even His faintest whisper stands as truth over it. Lies and insecurities may run wild in our minds, but the truth doesn’t shift or change at those whispers. They’re crushed at His feet. Our identity rests in nothing other than the Lord. It is what He establishes that remains and rings true.

He calls us His beloved. His people. His children.

His, His, His.

And so we are.

He chooses to lavish His love on us, giving it freely, without a deserving action on our part.

And so it is.

He says we are fully seen, fully known, fully and freely forgiven and set free.

And so we are.

I want to claim this truth and live it out in every heartbeat and inhalation. I want to remember who He has said that I am and who He has said that you are. I want to remember and use every bit of that truth to run, run, run my race. And I want to remind those running in lanes nearby.

He says we are, collectively, the beloved children of a good and gracious Father who lavishes love on us in delight.

And so we are.

AndSoWeAre-Verse-CROP

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and so we are, following Jesus 3 Comments

I'm Kristin: a tea-drinking, Jesus-loving story-teller living life in Indianapolis. A brave heart bursting out of a shy shell, I believe in chasing after Jesus into bold adventures, even when it seems crazy. I recommend doing so while wearing bright lipstick.

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