Finding Faith in the Mess
How I broke free from the American Church and found my faith. themessymingling.com I never realized how much the Church had a hold on my faith. Not a particular church. Just the church in general. The ways, the rules, the traditions all seemed to lead …
679. That’s my number. In the Instagram and social media world, that number is minute, miniscule, unworthy of attention. For me, it signifies freedom. When you try to step into the business of a writing ministry, numbers (unfortunately) matter. We don’t want to succumb to, …
Have you ever had that one friend that won’t celebrate you? You work so hard on something, yet she acts like it doesn’t exist. All you want is for your friend to notice. She sees others doing similar things, but she doesn’t notice you.
We all want to be seen. We want people to notice. It helps us feel like we matter. As an enneagram one, people noticing my perfectly thought out, orchestrated, completed tasks gives me life. But, I am finding that the adventure, all the good & crazy that actually matters, is found in the unseen moments of life.
Jesus lived in the unseen. He arrived in a lowly dwelling. Some translations say, “Jesus moved into the neighborhood.” I love that. He is identified as a king but his only attendants at birth were his mom and dad who were first time parents. Can you even imagine? He told his disciples on multiple occasions not to go rushing off telling people of the things He just did.
Jesus was a man who lived in the unseen. Yet, He is the most seen figure of all time.
Hmmmmmm…
I really truly believe the real adventure, y’all, is found in the unseen.
That friend that doesn’t notice you; that isn’t celebrating what you’re doing? She doesn’t have to celebrate you. She deosnt’ have to notice. Because you are already noticed and celebrated. By God. He sees. He notices. He’s celebrating. He gave you that passion; that dream. He’s stoked when He sees you walk into it.
So, what are you waiting for? What adventure can you go on and no one notices? There is more fulfillment in the unseen then the popular. Go for it. Take the adventure. Life resides in this space.
A surrendered yes to where ever you are leading.” Ellie Holcomb Calling. Purpose. Life. These are words we contemplate to give ourselves meaning. We need to matter; have an impact on this planet greater than ourselves. We long to have purpose. But man, that can …
Peter. Let’s talk about this guy. Peter was in the inner circle with Jesus. He hung with the crew that eventually changed the world. A group of misfits bound together by a king; a king that looked nothing like royalty. Can I be honest? Peter …
bout three years ago, I latched onto a phrase with a vengeance. I wrote it on a chalkboard I kept in my office, scribbled it on a 3×5 card and kept it in my Bible. I wrote about it and talked about it all the time.
I wanted women across the globe to find their confidence in the only One that matters and not look to those empty spaces like media, other women, and the like. We are so much more than we give ourselves credit for, and I wanted ladies to begin believing in themselves; seeing themselves for their true value and worth.
I preached this expression any chance I got. It became my passion. Yet, it has taken me years since grasping this saying to find my own confidence.
“Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:4-6
I don’t know if it is because I am in my forties and I just don’t care anymore, or, I am actually finally coming into my own, but I think I may have finally found my confidence in the last couple of years.
People may be shocked to hear this since I tend to be an extroverted individual. I don’t mind getting up and speaking in front of people. I tend to speak the truth to friends when most would shy away and let things slide. I take on roles that don’t fit someone who is questioning her self-confidence, yet I struggled in this space.
Confidence is hard to come by. You want to be humble and not known as the snobby one. I tend to downplay any compliment that comes my way. I like to veer the attention off of myself and onto others. I want to be comfortable in my own skin but sometimes it feels tight and uncomfortable.
I think part of what has helped me embrace my confidence is finally going after a dream. I lived for permission and acceptance from others for too long. I am done with worrying about the world’s opinion and ready to venture into some uncomfortable places in order to chase a vision I honestly believe the Lord gave me years ago. And you know what? If chasing and fulfilling this dream is solely for me, than I succeeded because I remained faithful to the calling God has given me.
My husband can’t give me my confidence. Neither can my friends. Social media sure as heck won’t fill that confidence bucket. If anything, it will completely deplete it instead.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
When we lack confidence, we do so primarily out of fear. We are afraid of what others think of us (or will think of us). Or, someone told us once how bad we were at something or how unattractive we are, or how unintelligent we are, or that we are not good enough. Our self-skepticism is rooted in fear and God calls us out of fear. He tells us that we are filled with power, love, and a sound mind. If we allow fear to intimidate our confidence, we are not of sound mind.
We are built to be confident in our calling. It is how the Creator created us. He had a unique design in mind when he created you and me. It is our responsibility to walk boldly in our calling.
Honestly, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what other people think. The number of likes, followers, or readers does not equal your value. As long as you remain true to God and to yourself, your confidence is steadfast.
So go. Lead with exuberance because you are called to be exactly who you are, exactly where you are, at this exact moment in time. Own your space in this world. Claim it and live it out boldly. I dare you!
Love & Blessings,
Meg
Are you searching for something in your life fully convinced that it has to be BIG? Do you feel like you aren’t valuable because you aren’t on a stage? Your life is meaningless because you don’t have a huge impact?
“For you formed me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139: 14 The new year brings a desire for a new you. Whether that be a new body, mind, or spiritual thing, we all tend …
We all have a word. Maybe you don’t have a word. Instead, you have a thought, a goal, or a dream. You might not be a New Year’s resolution type, but we all want more for our lives. My word for 2018 is expectant. I walked into the year fully expecting God to do big things in my life. I launched a ministry on a prayer and a dream. I knew God would show up and He did. However, as the year progressed I realized my expectations got wrapped up in my vision and not His story leading to some disappointment.
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14
My dreams swirled around in my expectations. I know that God has placed this desire in my heart. I know I stepped into what He was calling me to do. What I don’t know, however, is how it all will unfold. And, quite frankly, that freaks me out a bit. I keep showing up day-after-day doing the next thing He is calling me to do. But, there is an emptiness, a longing, deep within. My daily journey wasn’t matching up with my expectations. I was expectant of the Lord but my expectations were all mine.
Lay down your expectations so He may fill you with more.
As 2018 comes to a close, I realized that while I started the year expectant of God, I became more expectant of me instead. I thought I knew best: that I knew how fast things needed to move and which direction they needed to travel. I know how this story plays out so let’s get to it. God doesn’t work that way. Thankfully.
It took me until December to awaken to my confusion; to see that my expectant vision was blinded. At the end of this year (literally, at the beginning of December) I clearly heard the Lord tell me to lay it down. Lay down the dream.
Let’s have a little chat. Laying down what I hold dear, what I have worked so hard for, what I have dreamed about, what wakes me up in the middle of the night is much more difficult than I think. Sure, I’m a strong Christian girl. I trust God. I know He has great plans for me. I know he delights in giving me the desires of my heart. I know He wants to exceed my expectations. But lay my dreams down? Ha. Are you crazy, God?
He’s calling me to lay it down to make room for Him to fill my life with more. The more tightly I grip, the less space He has. He wants to fill our lives. He wants to give us more than our little hearts desire. But, when we hold too tightly to the dream, when we put our spin on it and add our narrative, we don’t make room for miracles.
It’s taken me a few days to write this. If I am being honest, I have not fully laid down my dreams for The Messy Mingling. I still have my grip. I sat down to finish this post and noticed something. Next to the computer on the coffee table was my mug. On it read, “Get Your Hopes Up.” Isn’t it just like God to ask us to sacrifice but not lose hope? And not only hold onto hope, but get your hopes up.
Laying it down, laying it ALL down, when God calls makes room for the miraculous to happen.
Laying down that dream can be rough. We often lose hope when God asks us to lay something down; especially something we hold near and dear to our hearts. But, what if laying it down doesn’t equal hopelessness? What if laying it down equals hopefulness instead? Laying it down, laying it ALL down, when God calls makes room for the miraculous to happen. Don’t fear laying it down. Don’t be burden by the sacrifice. Don’t lose hope. Fill your heart with anticipation for what He’s about to do.
I am not laying down The Messy Mingling. I will still work it wholly and completely. I am laying down the chase and replacing it with an active pursuit of God. My focus is no longer whether or not this dream will succeed; whether it will come true. My center of attention is actively pursuing God. There’s been a shift. Laying it down reignites the hope within. Journey with me, and I with you, as we all lay it down and pick up hope: hope in our active pursuit of God.
Love & Blessings,
Meg
Ever been in a funk? Everything in life is fine. You are chugging along nicely. Kids are doing well. Family is in good standings. Your job is moving in the right direction. But, something doesn’t feel right. You can’t pinpoint exactly what is going on. …