When Your Work is an Act of Faith

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I’m sitting in a coffee shop. Conversations swirl around me along with the scent of espresso. I can overhear words from students, mothers, employees. They talk of their days. Some laugh. Others have faces full of seriousness. And yet they all seem to have this in common: they want what they’re doing to matter and sometimes they’re not sure it does.

I look to the opposite wall of the cafe and I see it’s lined with jewelry, purses, scarves and other lovingly handmade art by women who live far away. Women who want what they do to make a difference too. Women who are finding their way out of poverty and who have placed the work of their hands and hearts in boxes to send it here to us.

{here’s a little video about the coffee shop where I’m writing. If you can’t see it below, click this link.}

And it strikes me that what these women have done is a brave thing: they have released their work into the world and trusted that it will be received. They’ve believed without seeing that someone will find value in it. They have offered what they have to contribute without any expectation of seeing the result.

What they do is a beautiful act of faith.

I can learn from it. Every person in this coffee shop can too. And maybe so can you. Because we all come to that point in our daily lives when it’s time to hit “publish” on the post, or send the child off to college, or turn in the project. And we don’t know what will happen next. We can hope and pray but ultimately we can’t control. It’s easy at that point to hold fast to what we’ve created. Isn’t it safer with us? What if no one receives it, loves it, cherishes it like we do?

Yet if we wait for proof that what we’ve done is worthwhile then the world will never receive what God intends to give through us. First comes faith, then comes sight. And sometimes that doesn’t even happen in our lifetime. Can we let go anyway?

Yep.

Thank you for not holding on too tightly.

Thank you for opening your hands and heart.

Thank you for believing what you do matters and that we need it.

Because we do.

XOXO

Holley Gerth

33 Comments · Filed Under: Courage, Uncategorized

How You Can Beat Guilt and Shame

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photo by seasonswithsoul

photo by seasonswithsoul

We all have especially vulnerable places. Tender spots in our heart. Lies we’re more likely to believe. It can take a long time to even recognize them. Lately I’ve been catching glimpses of mine. Guilt and shame can get to me quickly. I make one mistake or fall short of one expectation and suddenly I decide…

I’m a terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad wife/friend/daughter-in-law, etc.

And what do I do? I try harder, of course. Until I’m weary. And then that just proves the guilt and shame are deserved. Phhht. Such nonsense. And I know it. Just like I knew Twinkies did not really count as a quality baked good. But I ate them for years anyway.

So the other night I prayed, “Lord, what replaces guilt and shame?”

The answer that slipped into my heart, “Gratitude and praise.” Huh.

So here’s the process I’ve started going through when guilt and shame try to tackle me:

What am I telling myself?

I’m bad because the dust bunnies in my house are now the size of jack rabbits.

What’s the reality?

Yes, the house could use vacuuming. It’s been a really busy week. I’ll be able to do it next week.

What’s the real truth {this is a bridge statement between guilt/shame and gratitude/praise}?

My worth is not based on the size of my dust bunnies. It’s based on who Jesus says I am. And the reason my house is a bit dirty is because he’s had other things for me to focus on the last few days.

What do I have to be grateful for and praise God about?

God, thank you that I have a house to live in with my husband. I praise you because you’re my ultimate Home and you’re building me a mansion in heaven with no dust bunnies. Help me remember what matters most in light of eternity. Woo-hoo!

Now it’s your turn to try it…

What’s a lie you’ve been telling yourself?

What’s reality?

What’s the real truth?

What do you have to be grateful for and praise God about?

{Note: I’ve found that the “reality” and “truth” statements are essential. If I try to jump straight to gratitude and praise then I bury the guilt and shame rather than healing it. We’re human and we need to acknowledge that what we’re feeling and experience before we can really change our perspective.}

I know I need to go through this process when I feel the muscles in my tummy tightening up, my heart beating harder and my breath becoming shallow. We respond physically when someone lies to us–and we do the same when we’re lying to ourselves. How does your body tell you that something isn’t quite right? Learn to be aware of that and when you experience it, pause and take a deep breath. Then go through the process above. If you get distracted along the way, it’s okay. Just start again until you get all the way to the end.

If guilt and shame aren’t where you’re most vulnerable, then adapt what’s above to fit your greatest struggle. What matters most is identifying the lie, replacing it with what’s true and then responding to God from that new perspective.

Lies and dust bunnies have this in common: they aren’t as scary as they seem. And they’re not going to get the best of you.

XOXO

Holley Gerth

22 Comments · Filed Under: Everyday Faith/Devotionals

Waiting for Your Dream

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God-sized Dream = A desire in your heart for more of what God has for you.

photo by khrawlings

photo by khrawlings

We’re opening the door to God-sized dreams in 2013. So every week we get together to encourage each other {because don’t we all need it? yes, ma’am.}. This week Mary DeMuth is here to share about God-sized dreams with you…

*****

From Mary DeMuth…

When God first gave me the vision, I was in my twenties, raising little people, longing to write, speaking here and there. The vision involved me speaking to men and women, encouraging them, speaking about Jesus.

It’s been over twenty years.

And I’ve tasted bits and pieces of the dream, but not taken a full bite.

During my early thirties, I shelved the dream, felt it unreachable. But I felt that longing ache, that desire to see the whole body of Christ gathered together. I had things to say to men and women. But I didn’t let my words out. Not yet.

In my late thirties, I spoke at a staff conference for Christian Associates, our church planting organization, when we pioneered a church in France. I felt the energy of a male/female audience, felt it way down deep. And longed for more. My pastor asked me to speak about my book Building the Christian Family You Never Had from the podium, but they’d removed the podium, put me on a couch, and had the pastor ask me questions. I loved it, but I still had that longing for something more. This year, I had the privilege this year of keynoting at the Exodus conference and I felt that same thrill. Yes. This is what I was meant to do.

When I tell others of this crazy dream, most smile. Few affirm. My husband does, is fully behind me. My literary agent sees it and cheers. A few friends gather around this dream. But there are few models out there for women speaking to the church. There are pockets, yes, but not much precedent in your average Bible belt churches. Sometimes I feel like a pioneer, an interloper.

I don’t know when or how this crazy dream will be fulfilled, but I look forward to it. Like Joseph, I was very young when it was birthed, and a lot of life, trial, pain, and grit have happened in the in between times. I’m grateful the dream didn’t instantly come my way. I’m sure Joseph was thankful too. His pride, my pride, would’ve gotten in the way of God’s redemptive plan. God needs humbled, settled, broken folks to carry out His God-sized dreams.

So don’t despair if decades pass between the dream and its fulfillment. This is God’s economy, and it’s perfect. I’ll wait alongside you and cheer.

*****
Mary DeMuth is the author of 14 books including Everything: What You Give and What You Gain to Become Like Jesus (Thomas Nelson). She loves to write and speak about living an uncaged life. She lives in Texas with her teens and husband of 22 years. You can find her on twitter @MaryDeMuth or Facebook.

*****

Now it’s your turn!

Take this “do what you can” step for your God-sized dream: Share about your favorite nonprofit organization. They are all God-sized dreams in action. How have they inspired you? For example, mine is the Leadership Development Program from Compassion International because they’re releasing new God-sized dreamers into the world.

God-Sized ButtonSo we can all find each other, please include this God-sized Dreams button in your post. Also, love on your fellow God-sized dreamin’ sisters by leaving a comment on the post before yours.

For next week take this “do what you can” step for your God-sized dream: What part of your dream feels the riskiest? Have you ever had people misunderstand or disagree with your dream? What do you do when your dream is scary or when others don’t support you? Share about your answers to those questions in a post and link up here next week. {If you don’t have a blog, you can share in the comments.}

 

p.s. The winner of last Tuesday’s $100 Heart to Heart with Holley collection gift certificate from DaySpring.com is Kelsey Gillespy . Congratulations Kelsey! Email hearttoheart@holleygerth.com You can still get anything and everything from that collection for 20% off with my friends and family code, holley20. It’s a great spot to look for graduation gifts!



54 Comments · Filed Under: God-sized Dreams
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