Sometimes our hearts get flat-out tired. Sometimes it feels like the whole world is hollering or hiding. Sometimes we just want to know where our joy and peace and purpose wandered off to and how to get them to come home. Ever been there? I found myself in such a place almost two years ago.
I knew then I had a choice. I could lock the door of my heart for good. I could settle for surviving. I could let hurt and fear win. Or I could let Jesus show me another way of living and loving.
During that season, I sat in the dark on a flight and sniffled into my too-small napkin as I scratched out the words below while passengers opened their crackly packages of peanuts.
A Fiercehearted Woman . . .
Looks life in the face and says, “You can’t beat me.”
Knows love is risk but reaches out anyway.
Understands kindness takes real courage.
Believes the impossible.
Fights like she’s unstoppable.
Dares to find beauty in a ragged soul.
Scandalously picks warm over cool.
Tastes life as a brief, salty-sweet miracle.
Skins her knees, has scars that bear witness.
Defends like a warrior and weeps like a girl.
Makes gentle the new strong, small the new big,
ordinary the new extraordinary.
Sees wrinkles on a face as lines in a victory story.
Never gives in, never gives up, never lets go.
Chases Jesus with a tender, world-changing wildness.
Lives in your neighborhood or not even on your continent.
Looked back at you from the mirror this morning . . .
And has yet to fully see the force her star-scattering,
mountain-moving, water-walking God created her to be.
When the plane touched down I knew I would never be the same. Quite unexpectedly, I had begun a new journey. And a new book. Both have changed me forever.
Fiercehearted: Live Fully, Love Bravely, will come into this world October 3rd {although you can preorder it now}. It’s the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever written. It’s wild and true and as I wrote it I thought so often of you. If you watch the video you’ll be the very first to see the cover and hear more of the story.
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If your heart has ever felt tired, if you’ve ever wanted to live more fully and love more bravely, will you come with me on this journey? Whether you know it yet or not, I believe you are one of the fiercehearted too. We are a mighty, beautiful tribe.
XOXO
Holley
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Welcome to the Coffee for Your Heart weekly link-up! {This week, for Valentine’s Day, we’re linking up a day early!} You’re an encourager so I’m asking you to pour out a little love with your words every Wednesday {link-up goes live at 5:30am CST}. Simply write an encouraging blog post 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.
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I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth
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