Everyday Faith Archives

Two Words that Change Everything

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

I’ve been given a hard task—write down the lies/condemnation my heart hears and the truth that will set me free.

I approach this assignment on an ordinary weekday morning over a cup of coffee. I pull out my favorite journal and write Lies/Condemnation on one side and Truth on the other, and then I draw a black line right down the middle.

The first lie/condemnation comes easily, like a strong wind blowing through me…

I’m not good enough.

It’s my signature struggle, the phrase that echoes through my mind most often. When I’ve addressed it in the past I’ve tried a simple counter argument: I am good enough. This never seems to work. I can say the words but I don’t feel them in my guts and bones. They ring untrue.

On this particular morning I realize suddenly that’s because they are untrue. For me to be “good enough” by my own standards I would have to be perfect. I am not perfect. I never have been. I never will be on this side of eternity.

Shoot. I may need more coffee.

I decide to go digging around in the Word for what else I might write in the Truth column. I find this:

“When I tried to keep the law [[be good enough]], it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless.” Galatians 2:19-21

Paul is writing these words to people who have been trying to be good enough, too. He is telling them what I’ve come to see: that I will never meet the impossible standard of perfection. His answer is not to pat them on the back and tell them they’re nice people anyway. No, his response really comes down to two words…

But Jesus.

It seems in that moment the table on which my coffee mug is sitting shakes, the earth tilts sideways, my old perspective shatters. This is the truth that overcomes every word of condemnation I hear inside my heart…

I’m not good enough. But Jesus.

I fall and fail and make mistakes. But Jesus.

I didn’t get everything right today. But Jesus.

What we need is not more “self-esteem”; it’s to fully understand that our hope and identity and security rest only in our Savior, in what He did for us on the cross and through His resurrection, in who He says we are as a new creation.

I fill the lies/condemnation column of my journal. Half the page is covered in black ink by the time I’m done. Yet when I finish there are still only two words on the Truth side: But Jesus.

I know I will go back to this place in my journal. Because as long as I am on this earth storms will come and the lies and condemnation will try to swirl through my mind like tiny tornadoes. Only truth can still them. As my friend and fellow writer Sharon Jaynes says in Enough: Silencing the Lies that Steal Your Confidence, “The enemy tries to get us to focus on our flaws rather than on our faith.”

Maybe your life could use a little more peace today too. What our hearts struggle with may be different but what rescues us is the same. We are the beloved and this is our hope, our anthem, our heart-shout that rises above the wind within…

But Jesus.

XOXO
Holley Gerth

*****

Right now, we’re doing a special link-up series to celebrate Fiercehearted: Live Fully, Love Bravely. You’re a fiercehearted woman so I’m asking you to pour out a little love and courage with your words every Wednesday {the link-up goes live at 5:30am CST}. Simply write an encouraging blog post, especially if it’s about living fully and loving bravely, and then share it 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.

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

I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth!

{click to tweet that you’re joining me here today}

Loading InLinkz ...

SaveSave

Secrets, Struggles and the Scandalous Love of God

by Holley 19 Comments

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

On a recent evening my daughter and I met for a writing date. We spread our laptops out on a wood-topped table in a corner booth of our favorite place. We ate delicious soup and clicked on our keyboards.

In between paragraphs we’d talk and at some point our conversation drifted to an area in which I’ve personally struggled. I’d never shared this with her and I felt afraid about doing so.

I’m supposed to be her Mama after all. What if this made her feel unsure of me, unsafe in some way? But it seemed God kept nudging so I cleared my throat and said, “There have been times in my life when this thing we’re talking about has been a struggle for me.”

She looked at me and said, without hesitation, “It helps to know you have struggles too.” It felt like she handed me a piece of freedom my heart hungered for, like passing a bite of crusty bread across the table. Because don’t we all do this? We tell ourselves that to be a helpful example we must be a flawless one. But this has never been the way, what our people really need.

Then I said, “We don’t have secrets in our family. I want you to know that there is nothing you could ever tell me that would make me love you less. You can come to me with anything and there will never be any judgment. And if you feel like anything in your life is ever coming after you, I will stand with you and we will fight it together.”

As those words came out of my mouth it suddenly seemed that corner booth became holy ground. Because I understood in a way I never had before what this means: “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1) and “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).

What I said to my daughter our Heavenly Father says to us today, right here and now: “We don’t have secrets in our family. I want you to know that there is nothing you could ever tell Me that would make Me love you less. You can come to Me with anything and there will never be judgment. And if you feel like anything in your life is ever coming after you, I will stand with you and we will fight it together.”

This is what I know is true in a deeper way than ever before and I hope my daughter and my granddaughter and all my sisters like you know it too: Whatever we did yesterday, whatever we’re battling today, whatever we may face tomorrow, the love of God for us and the grace of God toward us will never, ever change.

XOXO
Holley Gerth

*****

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

I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth!

{click to tweet that you’re joining me here today}

Loading InLinkz ...

Hope and Truth for Life’s Battles

by Holley 16 Comments

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

A friend of mine and I talked about hard times in our lives. We traded battle stories over salads, forks in our hands like weapons. We pondered how when things get tough in our lives the enemy seems to look for chances to do even more damage—to divide, bring discouragement, whisper lies.

Have you ever experienced this too?

In other words, the enemy of our heart is an opportunist. “He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pt. 5:8). We need to know this so we can be on guard, so we can fight for our own hearts and each other rather than against.

As my friend and I talked more we realized something else too, something that felt ancient and yet new. God is also an opportunist. “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them” (Rom. 8:28).

When things get tough in our lives, God looks for a chance to do even more good to and for us—to unite, bring hope, whisper truth. We need to know this so we can look for what He wants to offer our hearts, the treasures hidden in the darkness, the unexpected spoils of war.

As many of you know, my Mom recently had heart surgery. As I paced the halls of a hospital for three weeks it sometimes seemed I could feel the breath of the enemy on my neck, ready to devour. But, even more, I could sense the presence of Jesus, the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5) walking with me, roaring for our family, giving us what we needed most in that hard place.

We are humans on a broken, spinning earth. We are warriors disguised in tennis shoes and yoga pants. We bleed and cry and drink bitter cups of hospital coffee. We are small and yet part of a bigger, wilder story than we can even imagine, one that’s been unfolding since the beginning of time.

Today the enemy of our hearts is working in our lives.

Today the God of all eternity is working in our lives.

I don’t think I have to tell you which one is going to win, which one has already won. That’s why we’ll celebrate Easter this weekend. Amen?

XOXO
Holley Gerth

P.S. This post is inspired by my devotional What Your Heart Needs for the Hard Days. If you need truths you can hold onto, this devotional is for you, friend.

P.P.S. Right now through midnight on March 31st, the ebook version of my newest book is on sale for $1.99! If you haven’t read Fiercehearted: Live Fully, Love Bravely yet — or if you’d like to gift the ebook to a friend via Amazon — now would be a great time.

*****

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

I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth!

{click to tweet that you’re joining me here today}

Loading InLinkz ...

When Fear Makes Us Want to Hide

by Holley 32 Comments

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

I hold a list in my hand. The words are written in black sharpie on cream paper in a square, unlined journal. The page looks so small but the sentences scrawled on it feel big, more than I could ever handle.

I’m going through a process of healing and my assignment for this week is to write down my fears. The wise, strong, encouraging friend to my right says, “Okay, read your fears out loud.” I panic for a moment. Read them out loud? Where people can hear? For a second I consider running out the door. But then I think, “No, I want to be free. Whatever it takes.”

I clear my throat and begin…

I’m afraid of not being good enough.
I’m afraid of disappointing God and others.
I’m afraid of rejection, failure, conflict, disapproval, inadequacy.

What fears would be on your list?

When we’re afraid, our natural tendency is to hide. We physically or emotionally retreat to where it feels safer. I’ve done this by literally diving under the covers in my bedroom. Or I’ve hidden my heart by putting on a smiling face when I felt broken inside.

God knows of this tendency we have as humans and He doesn’t tell us not to hide. We aren’t in trouble for this instinct. What God does want to change is where and how we hide. God Himself wants to be our “hiding place.”

“For You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.” {Psalm 32:7}

I used to think I had to get rid of my fears before I came to God–that He wanted me to be strong all the time. But when God says “do not fear” in Scripture it’s almost always to someone who’s already afraid. It’s not a rebuke but a reassurance, much like a scared child finding comfort and security in the arms of a loving parent.

When I looked at my list of fears I wanted to run from them. But instead, perhaps fully for the first time, I realized I can run to God with them. I got on my knees and told Him what scares me most.

“I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” {Psalm 34:4}

Yes, I will face fears again in this life but that moment felt like a breakthrough. Because I know now whatever I’m facing, I can come to God with it. He is our strength and security. He gives us courage and makes us brave. His love and truth are bigger and stronger than anything we fear.

XOXO

Holley Gerth

*****

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

I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth!

{click to tweet that you’re joining me here today}

Loading InLinkz ...

Our Worst Tendencies Are Not Our Destinies

by Holley 17 Comments

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

I have a tendency to be anxious. It runs like a red thread through the fabric of my life. It’s been sewn in through genetics and experiences, my temperament and various temptations. It’s almost always present in some form or another.

On my worst days I can believe this lie: I am an anxious woman and I will never change. {You can sub in your own lie: I am _________________. I will never change.} Maybe you’ve been told by a parent or spouse, the bully on the middle school playground, a boss at work or a preacher at church.

But whatever lie we’ve heard isn’t true–for me or for you.

Here’s the reality: Because of Jesus our worst tendency is not our destiny.

This is the truth: I am a beloved, strong, cherished daughter of God who struggles with anxiety.

Will I likely struggle with anxiety in some form until I am home with Jesus? Yes. But here’s the distinction we all need to make: My worst tendency may be my biggest battle but it’s not the basis of my identity.

What did you think of when you filled in the blank above? You are not whatever tendency came to mind either. You, too, are a beloved, strong, cherished daughter of God.

So let’s not define ourselves by our weaknesses but by Who loves us. Let’s not see ourselves in light of our worst moments but through the eyes of grace. Let’s not label our hearts with lies but instead lean into the truth of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

“I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” {Php. 1:6} Whatever we’ve been told or believed, God alone gets to have the final word on who we are. Only He gets to finish our story.

XOXO

Holley Gerth

P.S. This post is inspired by my devotional What Your Heart Needs for the Hard Days. If you need truths you can hold onto, this devotional is for you, friend.

*****

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

I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth!

{click to tweet that you’re joining me here today}

Loading InLinkz ...