Coffee for Your Heart Archives

If You’ve Ever Asked, “What’s My Purpose?”

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

I stand at the sink, dirty pan in hand. I smell citrus in the soap, hear the warm water flow, move the brush in circles over the last bits of burnt cheese. I feel small in this space, ordinary and rooted to the ground. I have been here for a long while now, in this kitchen, on this earth, and I silently ask, What’s my purpose?

Across the street a mama or grandma might be asking the same as she changes the tenth diaper of the day. Maybe in the center of town someone is leaning her head on her desk with the door closed, just resting for a moment on that stack of spreadsheets and wondering this too.

When we ask this question and silence seems to be the answer, we often go searching. We’ll say yes to another opportunity or perhaps run away from it all. We’ll join that cool play group or volunteer at the soup kitchen on Fridays. We might jockey for the promotion or put in the long hours. My purpose is out there somewhere, we think, and one day I’ll find it.

But then the opportunity doesn’t go as planned, the giving leaves us empty, and our souls grow pale in the fluorescent light. “Something else will do it,” we say, “Surely it will be the next thing.” And on we go with our gypsy hearts.

It’s understandable, this great migration. We live in a culture that tells us the purpose of life is about us. We must find that one thing we are here to do and then all will be well; we will be whole. But when I look closer at how “purpose” is used in Scripture, there’s a different story.

The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (Ps. 33:11)

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Prov. 19:21)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28)

The purposes of his heart, the Lord’s purpose, his purpose—over and over when purpose is described, it comes from God and belongs to Him. Also, purpose isn’t talked about much in terms of just individual people. It is more often spoken of as an ongoing thread that stretches through all of history and eternity. It is so much bigger than us. So when we go looking only for “our” purpose, we are disappointed. What changes everything is when we understand that a meaningful life is not just about finding our purpose but joining God’s.

If we want to be part of God’s purposes today, then we simply love Him, others, and ourselves. That means standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes can be worship. It means that another diaper changed can be an act of sacred service. It means the work project done well can be an offering. It means we don’t have to find purpose only “out there.” It can also be “right here.”

The square of earth you are standing on is the only place in all of history and the entire universe where both you and God are right now. It’s where His purposes and you, a person created by Him, come together. This is not small or inconsequential. It is beautiful and powerful. It is holy, meaningful ground.

XOXO
Holley Gerth

This post is an excerpt from my new devotional, Hope Your Heart Needs: 52 Encouraging Reminders of How God Cares for You. Look for it today at your favorite place for books, or sponsor a child through this link and Compassion will send you a free copy!

P.S. If you serve in ministry, I’d love to send you a free book as a thank-you gift! Find all the details here.

And, if you’re in the Arkansas/Oklahoma/Missouri area, I’d love to see you at the She Found Joy event on October 26th! It’s going to be a one-night mini retreat. More details here.

*****

You’re invited to join the “Let’s Have Coffee” link-up! Simply write a post that has the kind of encouragement you’d share with a friend over coffee (the link-up goes live at 5:30am CT every Wednesday, and you can view the Link-Up Guidelines here). Don’t have a blog? You can still write an encouraging comment. If you’re reading this by email, go to holleygerth.com to see all the fun and join in too.

After you link-up your post, take a moment to leave an encouraging comment on the one that’s linked just before yours. Thanks, friends!

{Want to share a word of encouragement on Twitter? Click this link and then tweet!}

Loading InLinkz ...

Let’s Love Our Women’s Ministry Leaders

by Holley 15 Comments

October is Ministry Appreciation Month and I’ve especially been thinking of Women’s Ministry Leaders. I’ve personally been impacted by women in this role and I imagine you have too! Let’s take time to celebrate women’s ministry leaders this month. One way you can do so is by sharing the letter below on social media and tagging your women’s ministry leader…

*****

Dear Women’s Ministry Leader,

October is Ministry Appreciation Month and we’re thinking of you. When you come to mind, we picture a smile that welcomes others. We imagine your head nodding and tilted to the side as you listen. We hear your laugh and the way you say “amen” at the end of a prayer. We can feel the warmth of your hugs.

What you do isn’t easy, especially in today’s world. It’s a brave thing to keep your heart open, to come alongside other women, to show us what it looks like to love like Jesus. Having a soft heart in a hard world is an act of courage. Choosing connection over competition and authenticity over isolation are the kind of choices warriors make. You’re sweet, yes, and also strong—a woman who is here for such a time as this. You’re a light in the dark, a hope-bringer to the hurting, a woman who doesn’t give in or give up.

Even the mightiest among us can use encouragement now and then. So hear this from our hearts: You’re making a difference. What you do matters. You help change lives. We’re better, braver and more in love with Jesus because you said “yes” to His invitation to lead us.

We feel this way all through the year but right now seemed like the right moment to pause and put it into words you can read and remember, that you can tuck away and pull out again any time you need a reminder of what’s true.

You are loved. You are a gift. We’re so grateful for you.

XOXO
Holley Gerth

*****

Thank You Gift: If you’re looking for a Ministry Appreciation gift for your Women’s Ministry Leader (or any other woman who’s making a difference in your life) my new devotional Hope Your Heart Needs would be a great fit.

And if you’re a Women’s Ministry Leader at your church I’d like to personally send you a copy of Hope Your Heart Needs: 52 Encouraging Reminders of How God Cares for You, as appreciation for how you’re serving. Books will be given to the first 150 Women’s Ministry Leaders to complete this form.

*****

After you link-up your post, take a moment to leave an encouraging comment on the one that’s linked just before yours. Thanks, friends!

{Want to share a word of encouragement on Twitter? Click this link and then tweet!}

Loading InLinkz ...

God’s Mercies Are New This Morning

by Holley 18 Comments

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

The rough wooden boardwalk is cool beneath my feet as I make my way to the sand. The sky is still the thick, deep blue of night, and gray shadows sway in the salty wind. I sleepily take my husband’s hand. I’m not a morning person, but we’re on vacation and I’m determined to see the sun climb like a rising warrior above the waves at least once.

I am greeted by diamonds thrown out on velvet. One star in particular winks brilliantly back at me. I find out later it’s actually the planet Venus, otherwise known as the Morning Star. Here is its mystery and beauty: Venus is known for rising in the darkest part of the night, just before dawn.

Jesus said, “I am the . . . bright Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16). This means, among other things, He is not afraid of the deepest dark. He is not frightened by the secret places in our hearts. The ones that haven’t seen daylight for years. The kind with the locks on the doors. The sort we don’t say out loud or even fully admit to ourselves. He is not running scared from the tragedies in our lives. He is not backing away from the brokenness and the bitterness and the shattered dreams. He is not intimidated by the monsters under our beds or inside our minds. He is not avoiding the struggles or the addictions. He is not waving His hands in surrender to the enemies of our souls. He is not saying, “This is too much for me.”

He is not afraid to step right into the night. Not afraid to even dwell in the middle of it. Because He is light, and in Him there is not darkness at all. This means darkness can surround Him and He cannot be defeated or diminished by it. He came as a baby into a midnight world and announced His arrival with a shining star. He conquered death in a dark tomb and rolled the stone away, making a way into the brightness for all of us. In the thickest gloom, the Morning Star rose.

“God’s mercies are new every morning” (Lam. 3:22–23). As I watch the sun slip into the morning sky and fill it with gold and flame, I bear witness that these words are true. Venus, the Morning Star that foreshadowed all this light and blazing glory, seems to be more than just a planet; it suddenly also seems to be a promise. A daily reminder from the heart of our Creator that even the deepest night will lead to dawn. The dark cannot win; the light will never be overcome.

XOXO
Holley Gerth

This post is adapted from my new devotional, Hope Your Heart Needs: 52 Encouraging Reminders of How God Cares for You. Get it now or read a free excerpt. Compassion is kindly offering to send a signed copy to anyone who sponsors a child through this link.

P.S. When you get Hope Your Heart Needs you can get the ebook of You’re Going to Be Okay for $1.99 too – this month only!

*****

After you link-up your post, take a moment to leave an encouraging comment on the one that’s linked just before yours. Thanks, friends!

{Want to share a word of encouragement on Twitter? Click this link and then tweet!}

Loading InLinkz ...

Hope Your Heart Needs Today

by Holley 16 Comments

“How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

It’s the answer we all give. Often what we really mean is, “I’m a little tired. A bit overwhelmed. Longing for something more.” In this world, our hearts grow weary. We want hope, joy, peace, and purpose. Surely all of this is around the next corner, we tell ourselves. If we hurry, if we try hard enough, then we’ll find it.

One morning I curled up under a cream-colored blanket that felt like the edge of a cloud. I turned on the lamp by my bed and sipped tea from a red cup with a little chip in the rim. I didn’t want this day to be like so many before. I wanted to know the answer to the restlessness in my heart. I needed a real solution.

I did an internet search. I texted a friend. But on this occasion, neither of those would do. I reached for my Bible then and flipped through the pages. I began to notice verses about who God is and how He loves us. And suddenly I came to a turning point: I realized what my heart needed wasn’t a simple answer to a problem. No, I was looking for, longing for, a Person.

We all are.

Someone bigger than us. Stronger. Able to handle everything. Someone who will care for us, fight on our behalf, and extend grace to us always. Someone limitless and loving, beyond our imagination, and right there in the intimate details of our lives—always the same and yet forever doing a new thing in and through us….

The God who scattered stars like diamonds across the velvet of the universe, the keeper of every sparrow, the maker of us all is inviting us to draw closer to Him. He is the place where our hearts can go on the hard days and the happy ones, in the highs and lows, when we are sad or frustrated or downright giddy. He is what we have been searching for all along.

No amount of words could ever even begin to contain all of who God is. But understanding more of God’s character and how He loves us changed my life in beautiful, powerful ways. We don’t have to settle for “I’m fine.” Someone is whispering to us, inviting us, showing us in every moment, “I am God. I love you. You are mine.”

XOXO
Holley Gerth

*****

Exciting News: This post is an excerpt from Hope Your Heart Needs: 52 Encouraging Reminders of How God Cares for You (releasing this week!). God used the truths in this book to bring new hope and strength to my weary, discouraged heart and now I’m sharing them with you.

Get your copies now or read another free excerpt.

*****

After you link-up your post, take a moment to leave an encouraging comment on the one that’s linked just before yours. Thanks, friends!

{Want to share a word of encouragement on Twitter? Click this link and then tweet!}

Loading InLinkz ...

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

Big or Small, God Cares About It All in Your Life

by Holley 15 Comments

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

The farmers market is crowded this morning. Vegetables in every color are laid out across tables like squares on patchwork quilts. Dogs on leashes strain toward each other or the enticing hydrant on the corner. Babies bask in strollers with dribbles down their chubby chins. Toddlers place one hand in Mama’s and wrap the other around organic all-fruit Popsicles.

Oh dear, there it is. The weekly tragedy. A grip loosened in a moment of forgetfulness or exuberance and that Popsicle falling down, down, down to land with a splat on the sizzling pavement.

Then the tears come, an instant river, followed by the snot and the hollering. Mama leans down, and of course, she says, “Knock it off, kid. You want to know about loss? Yesterday the stock market dropped a bazillion points. An earthquake wiped out a city. The manager at your Dad’s office just ran off with the intern. Again. Let’s put this in perspective.”

No? You don’t like that version of the story? Then how about this one: Mama leans in and speaks soothing words until that river dries up, the nose is not so pink, and the only sounds are a slight sniffling. She speaks until the little head nods and the smile returns and the hand is taken again. Then the two go off in search of another Popsicle, or perhaps something even better.

Sometimes it is more complicated than this. Sometimes it is harder and takes longer. But this is the actual plotline I’ve been audience to again and again. This makes sense to us, and even if it’s not what we’ve personally experienced, it’s what seems right to us—that a parent would comfort a child even over the little things.

Yet I will confess I’ve often not expected God to treat me this way. Sometimes I’ve been hurt or faced a loss or found fear catching me by surprise and I’ve told myself, “This is too insignificant to bother God about. It’s nothing compared to what other people face.” Then I think of the news headline, the social media post, or the prayer request, and I tell myself I’m selfish for even thinking I have a right to mourn.

But God says He will comfort us “in all our troubles” (2 Cor. 1:3, emphasis added). There is no size limit. No height requirement. No difficulty level assigned. It’s unequivocal, universal, all-encompassing. The other day my daughter called and shared a hard thing. Then she said, “I’m sorry for bothering you with something so small.” And I said, “If it matters to you, it matters to me.”

I thought afterward, with a bit of surprise, that this must be how the heart of our God is toward us. He is not waiting for us to get over it, to snap out of it and put on a brave face. He is instead coming for us with outstretched arms to wipe the tears from our cheeks, to pull us close, to whisper loving words until we are ready to take His hand again.

Yes, we need to know nothing is too big for our God to handle. But we also need to know nothing is too small for Him to reach out His hands to us and hold us close.

Comforter, it means so much to know You care about every detail of my life. Today I’m struggling with _____________. Thank You for listening, responding, and walking through this with me. Amen.

XOXO
Holley

*****

Exciting News: This post is an excerpt from Hope Your Heart Needs: 52 Encouraging Reminders of How God Cares for You (releasing next week!). God used the truths in this book to bring new hope and strength to my weary, discouraged heart and now I’m sharing them with you.

Preorder your copies now or read another free excerpt. Compassion is kindly offering to send a signed copy to anyone who sponsors a child through this link.

P.S. When you get Hope Your Heart Needs you can get the ebook of You’re Going to Be Okay for $1.99 too – this month only!

*****

After you link-up your post, take a moment to leave an encouraging comment on the one that’s linked just before yours. Thanks, friends!

{Want to share a word of encouragement on Twitter? Click this link and then tweet!}

Loading InLinkz ...