Good Wednesday to you all! I hope the past week has found you blessed and walking through life with eyes wide open, seeing where He is working.
My What If’s this week:
I don’t have a whole lot to write about this week. I took more treats to the teachers (I’m aiming for every other Monday). But my heart is still wrestling with the idea of What If-ing my family. Ok, not struggling with the idea of it, but struggling with the doing of it. For some reason my sense of entitlement, need for recognition, and my sense of fairness/justice is so much “sharper” within my own home. I extend grace far more easily to the outside world, and with far less expectation of reciprocation, than I do my own flesh and blood. So, as I enter into this next week, I will continue to commit to act upon the opportunities to demonstrate real Love to them through my words, actions and – dare I say – attitude. (yikes!)
How did you week go? How can we encourage you? How can we celebrate with you?
My dream for this space is that it would a conversation – a dialogue. I know it takes time to build rapport with one another, trust, relationship. But let’s build!
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m seeing examples of What Ifs all over the place! And not only do I enjoy, and find encouragement, from reading about how other people have stepped out in What If, but I also love to hear stories of people who have been What Iffed.
When I read this post by Amanda at Life.Edited., I was in tears. My heart was jumping up and down screaming, “YES!!” Amanda was What Iffed hard core. And it inspires me. In those moments of “will I? won’t I?”, “should I? shouldn’t I?” I think of stories like Amanda’s and it encourages me to take action. It lessens the fear, just a tad enough, to remind me that if the thought strikes me, it is most likely needed.
Then I read this post by Sonny Lemmons in a guest post he wrote for Tarama Out Loud. I didn’t expect to find a What If at the end. I don’t know if he intended it to be a “What If” type story, but I saw that moment at the end and once again was reminded that people need What If’s!!
I hope these stories encourage you to continue to look, pray, and act as we work to Love like Him in order to bring His peace to a hurting people.
Speaking of encouragement, pop back over to last week’s post and read what Spring had to say in the comments about her What If’s. Let’s encourage her as she takes a huge step of faith into a scary What If!
Thank you all for your support, encouragement, and willingness to act upon that tugging in your heart to really let go and Love.
Comments 4
Hey, Jen! I love your blog. You always make me think. Ya know, a couple months ago I applied for a job at the fitness center I regularly go to. I had a list of qualifications and was confident I was going to get the job. Stunned, and still in shock, I didn’t get it. But something inside me realized that even though I’m not getting paid, I’m still going to be there 6 days a week. “what if”….what if I got the job, and hated it. What if I got tired of being there and stopped working out. What if…i get over the hurt of “rejection” and continued being myself, and seeking out people who are there regularly and became friends with them and give them encouragement and support. I don’t need to be paid to do that. I’ve been blessed with the gift of encouragement. What if I use that gift to lift someone else up who may be struggling with exercise or weight loss….what if…someone was blessed with an encouraging word from me and blessed someone else they knew… What if I got out of God’s way and let him work. I think I will.
Author
Jill, this makes my heart smile!! I’m so excited and KNOW God has plans for you. Big ones. To prosper you, and give you a future and hope. 🙂 I can’t wait to see/hear how Hemis using you in that gym, even if I don’t get to until Heaven. Blessings as you continue to walk with Him in obedience!!!
I find “what ifs” really hard. I try not to dwell on them, because whatever my future holds, I shape it. What ifs throw me off.
Author
Hi, Maren! I was hoping to hear from you! 🙂 I agree, if I dwell on what if’s as far as thinking about could have beens, or fears for the future (ex., what if the test shows cancer?) it is not helpful or productive. But I find asking what if in this capacity (What If I started asking the widow on my street over for dinner once a week) helps focus me and give me more purpose to my day.