Fiercehearted Archives - Holley Gerth

It’s Time to Fight Back. You Are an Overcomer.

I settle into a comfy chair in a counselor’s office and begin to share the lies that sometimes swirl around in my mind. Like a tornado they threaten to destroy everything in their path. My peace. My joy. My belief that I’m loved.

I say to the counselor, “I know these words aren’t true. But in the hard moments, they feel true. And that’s where I’m stuck.” Can you relate? If you’ve ever felt that way, I want you to know you’re not the only one. I also want to reassure you it’s possible to beat those lies. Yes, it’s not only possible but also your right as a daughter of the King.

For years, when I heard lies my default response was “try harder.” But after months of counseling, conversations with friends, and time with Jesus, I’ve learned a new way. These days my response is no longer “try harder” but rather “fight back.”

The accusations toward our souls aren’t proof of our inadequacy; they’re proof that we have an adversary.

And the enemy is not ourselves. There’s a reason we use the phrase “beating ourselves up.” When we think the problem is us, we become harsh toward our own hearts. But our primary battle isn’t against any person — including ourselves. And the lies we hear have the same source as the first lie spoken to Eve in the Garden. If you are a woman in this world, you are at war. It is not optional. And while you may not go roaring into battle, at the very least you need to know basic spiritual self-defense.

That’s what I lacked. Even after writing books, even after encouraging thousands of women, I didn’t know how to defend my own heart. My husband and I recently watched a TV show in which the hero faces a powerful opponent. At one point the hero becomes weary and takes punch after punch. With tears in my eyes, I said over and over, “Fight back. Please fight back.”

It’s the same feeling I get when I look at my sisters in Christ. It’s the same one I get when I think about how I let my own soul be treated. And it makes me want to shout: ENOUGH. It’s time to fight back. It’s time to guard our hearts. It’s time to protect our minds. It’s time to stop taking the punches and instead take the victory in Jesus’s name.

Here’s the truth about us no matter what we may hear: We are overcomers. We are more than conquerors. We are stronger than we know, braver than we feel, and loved more than we can even imagine.

This post is the Day Three devotion from Strong, Brave, Loved: Empowering Reminders of Who You Really Are. My new devotional released earlier this month, and I’d love for you to join me as we walk through it each day — together. Information on the Online Bible Study is available here, and I hope you’ll sign up!

In this week’s episode of More than Small Talk, we’re giving listeners a behind-the-scenes look at counseling, talking through myths about it and sharing why some of us would rather go to a session than a spa. Listen to Episode 45: The Truth about Counseling here.

We Are Stronger and Braver Together

by Holley

Yesterday morning I sat across from a friend in a coffee shop. She ordered a cinnamon roll the size of my face and let me have part of it. Because this is what true friends do.

We’d both just come through weeks of turmoil and a few tears. We felt battle worn and a bit weary. But we also felt victorious. “Years ago we would have backed down,” we said to each other, “We would have let fear win.” But not now. Not anymore.

A few minutes ago I talked with another friend who is still right in the middle of the surge. She’s afraid and wants to quit but keeps saying, “I have to see this through because it’s about more than just me.” I know she will.

When I think of all three of our situations, and so many more I see in my real life and online, I realize we are a generation of warriors. We may not ever be recognized as such. Because we fight not with anger but with grace. We defend not with force but with kindness. And we know this secret—that God Himself is love and nothing is impossible with Him.

This doesn’t mean we need to have it all together. It doesn’t require a spotless life. We’re not supposed to have all the answers. I think it simply means that we speak the truth of our stories, the truth of the God we love, where we are right now and as best as we know how.

If we were face-to-face now I’d turn to you and say, “We’re here for such a time as this.” We’re in nurseries and board rooms. Homes and high rises. Schools and senior retirement centers. We’re a fiercehearted force to be reckoned with. We are strong, brave and loved.

This post is an excerpt from my new devotional Strong, Brave, Loved: Empowering Reminders of Who You Really Are. It released two days ago, and I’m so thankful for the ways you have cheered this message on. Thank you! If you preordered a copy, or choose to order a copy now that it’s available everywhere books are sold, please hang onto your email receipt. It will give you access to an Online Bible Study. Learn more about the Study here!

Don’t miss this important conversation. In Episode 43 of More than Small Talk, we’re talking about mental health and the church. Click here to listen in.

You’re not the only one…

by Holley

This week let’s remember we’re all broken. Beautiful. In need of grace. Glory reflectors. The paradox people. You’re not the only one…

Struggling with the same old issues.

Shattered by hard news.

Worried no one will like you.

Wondering if God is still listening.

In desperate need of a night away from dirty laundry and loud children.

“You’re not the only one” has another reassuring meaning too. “You’re not the Only One.” In other words, we’re not God. We don’t have to save the world. We don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to take care of everything and everyone all the time. The Only One who can do the impossible is with us and for us now.

Whew, maybe you needed that reminder today too?

Cheering you on,

Holley

MORE

– Find more encouragement like this post in Fiercehearted: Live Fully, Love Bravely.

– Listen to Episode 35 of More than Small Talk: What’s Next? If you’re facing a decision or transition Jennifer, Suzie and I will help you walk through it. Here’s a 30 second preview…

I’m Done Running Away from What Scares Me (You Can Be Too)

by Holley 24 Comments

I’m driving home from lunch with a new friend, replaying the conversation. Fear makes my breathing shallow, my heartbeat fast. What if she doesn’t like me? What if I came across all wrong? I often have moments like this when anxiety gets the best of me and I want to retreat from the whole world.

But this time I pray, “Jesus, help me. I don’t understand why I act this way. I want to be free.” A simple declaration comes to my heart: I am done running away. From now on, I am running toward.

{my graphics are free goodies for you}

I don’t even fully understand what this means but I put on my tennis shoes when I get home. I walk out the door and onto the trail behind our house. I turn on my favorite music and run like my life depends on it. No more, no more, no more, I say with every step.

I think of all I have run away from…how fear has chased me and people-pleasing has set my pace, how anxiety has nipped at my heels like a rogue chihuahua, how the lies have worn me out.

I am done.

I will no longer be a woman who’s defined by what she’s running from.

I am going to run toward grace. I am going to run toward love. I am going to run toward the wild dreams that beckon me in the distance. I am going to run toward boldness and freedom and holy confidence. I am going to run toward Jesus.

I finish, sweaty and spent on the outside, strong and roaring on the inside. I don’t know everything this new perspective means, what exactly I have done. But it feels like something dark and destructive challenged me to a race today.

And I won.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
{Hebrews 12:1}

XOXO
Holley Gerth

P.S. Will you join me in the journey of living as a fiercehearted woman? Let’s live fully and love bravely — together.

P.S.S. Just so you know, this post includes affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I only share what I believe will be truly helpful. Thanks for your support in this way!

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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!}

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Your Story Isn’t Over Yet

by Holley 32 Comments

Maybe real courage is simply bearing witness to the wild and mysterious story God has always been writing. Perhaps true success is finally believing our actual, everyday part in his story is good . . . and good enough. — Fiercehearted

We started our twenty-one days together talking about stories, about a friend of mine who shared hers on a black stool that swivels. And we are coming full circle because we, fiercehearted women, are all living a story today. A story crafted and told by the Author of heaven. The star-scatterer. The mountain-mover. The water-walker. It is a story of being brave and strong and true. A story of, most of all, love.

In the day-to-day, it doesn’t feel like a story. It feels like dishes in the sink. Reports on the desk. Another mile behind the steering wheel of the car. But this doesn’t change what’s real. Beneath the surface of all that ordinary still lurks the glory.

Sometimes the plot is confusing. Or strange. Or sad. Sometimes we want to cut a chapter out with sharp scissors. Sometimes we want to be the editors with the red ink. Sometimes we want to skip right to the end just to make sure it says, “And they lived happily ever after.”

But this is not our role. It is not for us to say, “This is what happens next” or “I’m changing the ending.” Instead, we are to trust, to wait, to be in the middle of the mystery. There is so much we do not know, that we will not know, but we can be certain of this: the Author is good and we are loved.

Yes, even when the unexpected sentence comes. When we face that dark-as-night period. When the syllables jumble together and we scratch our heads. Even in those places, between those lines, there is a God at work who has always been speaking, always been creating beauty out of the broken. “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25, NLT).

Jesus is still doing many other things. He is not done with history. He is not finished with the part of it that is our story either. Whatever scene we find ourselves in today, it is not the final page. Hold on, there is a turning coming. There is more than this, more than here and now. We have not yet seen the there and then.

We are overcomers. We are warriors. We are a force to be reckoned with in this world. And whatever the future brings, our God is still holding the pen. He is the only one who gets to write “The End.”

XOXO,
Holley

P.S. This post is an excerpt from my new ebook: Strong, Brave, Loved. We’re wrapping up the 21 Day Strong, Brave, Loved Challenge — but it’s not too late for you to join! If you missed it, just visit this post to learn more and then head to my Facebook or Instagram pages for each day’s challenge and encouragement. You can easily start at the beginning – Day One – because the Challenge will stay up on both Facebook and Instagram! If you’ve completed the Challenge and would like more encouragement, Fiercehearted would be a great next step for you!

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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}

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