“Oh God, chisel me.  I don’t want to be stuck in my hard places forever.”

~ Lysa TerKeurst

 

This statement was one of many that I found myself underlining in Lysa TerKeurst’s book: Unglued.   When I learned she had an accompanying study, I knew that my Lifegroup and I would be traveling into unglued territory.

This past Wednesday, I had the opportunity to present the second lesson to the class, and I want to continue the learning with you because it was so profound.

The DVD played and there it was —Michelangelo’s chiseled masterpiece

David

The sculptured beauty we all admire

 

We all sat and listened and marveled at the ability of this artist.  But we were not ready for what happened next.   She told us that although she was impressed with the magnificent sculpture of David, there were other sculptures that spoke about her life in a profound way…

She then moved over a few steps in the museum, and now she was standing before chunks of stone that had only been partially chiseled by Michelangelo.

The top of the sculpture was beautiful, but the bottom was still just a chunk of stone in raw form.   Yet others were complete on the bottom but untouched by the chisel at the top.

—Ironically, the works are called The Prisoners

The chunks of stone that dreamed of being complete masterpieces are now locked behind a label.  

 

Lysa was honest; she told us how labels had continuously played a big role in keeping her a prisoner in her own hard places.  She knew she was an inmate in the prision of her own design, and didn’t believe she could ever be free… well, that was until she allowed The Artist to begin chiseling.

I don’t know about you, but when I hear a national speaker say something like that, it is easy to think that they have arrived.  Stamped with the sign of approval.  But not this gal. Lysa was candid, and she shared how she has not arrived.   She is just busy taking a few more steps towards ‘imperfect progress’.

She reminded us that we have a choice to pick up the labels and slap them on each time we become unglued, or we can choose to refuse them.

She told us that unglued moments reveal that we just need a little more chiseling, that’s it!

Well, that was great news.  You see, I have to admit that I have had a few more meltdown/unglued moments in the past two weeks than I had planned on having.  Ugh!  This study is very timely…

Only Michelangelo knew what was planned for the stones that are now frozen in time, and only God the Master artist knows what is planned for each of us as we refuse to be found stuck in our hard places.

So the next time you fail, ask God to chisel and get busy moving toward another step of imperfect progress…

 

 “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  

Ephesians 2:10

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Although I can’t remember the details of the day, the truth I had just heard would ring true in my ears for years to come.

How many of you have heard of Marilyn Hickey?  As a young believer I went in search of a mentor, and unbeknownst to her, she became a spiritual big sis.

She shared and I listened…

I had never been exposed to such Biblical teaching.  She opened up the word of God over my thirsty soul, and I sat in amazement.

Then the day came when a million dollars worth of truth was delivered into my heart.  In her animated-Marilyn-style way, she told the story of how Jesus had given instructions to the disciples before they entered full-time ministry.

I LOVE INSTRUCTION!!!!!

If Jesus gave it to the disciples, I wanted to pay close attention to what was being said.  As I listened to what else Marilyn shared, I knew in the moment that I would never be the same.  The words dust, disappointment, offenses and forgiveness were being bunched together.

She shared from Luke 9:5…

AND JESUS SAID…”and whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them”

“Against them”…yikes!

If Marilyn had not explained the passage, I would have believed that Jesus was telling the disciples to make sure to get the message across that all those city-folk had just messed up —and now the disciples were going to shake their feet to prove it!

Sure seems as if that is the only thing being highlighted in that passage, but not according to Marilyn.

She recognized the divine wisdom that was tucked between the lines.  Jesus was also sending a warning to the disciples!

…………… “shake the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them”

(my ongoing interpretation) “that you will not carry them or this situation with you every where you go from here on out”

Okay, the last bit of that phrase was stretched a bit by me but I believe it works.

He was telling them not to make a scene 

—if people don’t welcome you, shake it off and move on.  Reminding them, that He sees it all and remembers, and assures them that He will deal with it — so they can release it and continue moving forward.  

Do you think the disciples got the full-truth of what was being spoken that day?  I hope so.  Thousands of years later, the truth still stands that the dust of yesterday must be dealt with.

You see, in life, we will all traverse the dusty path of offenses that will try to attach themselves to the soles of our feet.

That dust may seem harmless and weightless but always remember that its ultimate purpose is to turn into a mud cake around the SOUL of our heart.

I hope this amazing lesson will impact you as it did me.  If so, start shaking those feet AND start praying for God’s help to remove all the dust particles that are sitting on top of your beauty! SHAKING MAKES US STRONGER….

 

HAPPY EASTER, MY DEAR FRIENDS!

 

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2013 is upon us!

If only we could take a sneak preview of what the next 365 days will look like!

Can you imagine window-shopping for the things on our list of life-desires!  To be able to see things before they happen.  To make a decision and see the outcome of the decision before we dare commit to it.

To see the end from the beginning…

Of course, life is not designed that way.  We are all forced to take one day at a time.  We all know that decisions are made, and then they turn around to make us happy or unhappy.

364 days have passed, and today we officially close out 2012.  It’s the time of year where we all look through life’s rear view mirror and remember our values.  Many of us like what we see!  Many of us don’t!

 

What I wanted, and what I got instead has been one of our topics this month…and we all know by experience that life is filled with victories and disappointments.  What are we to do when others act like humans and disappoint us?  You know what I mean?  You’ve been there…we all have.

It doesn’t take long to realize that life doesn’t always give us what we want.    We all have received something less than what we wanted.

Maybe you entered into a relationship believing your want would work out, and now you find yourself dealing with a bitter divorce.

Maybe your want is to have peace among family members, but instead the division seems to be growing out of control.

Maybe your want as a parent is for your children to reflect upright values… not always a seamless process.

For some, their want is to win the lottery; meanwhile the accounts don’t add up.

For some, their want is a meaningful relationship; yet someone carelessly asks, “Are you still single?”

For some, their want is to receive a clean bill of health, yet it seems unattainable.

We know that life is complicated, and what is doesn’t always match up with what we want.

 

What I wanted compared to what I got when I started out in ministry was sobering.  I knew an individual who liked controlling others.  I happened to be in her crosshairs.  Before I knew it, I was dealing with strong feelings of resentment that I attempted to hide publicly.  Privately, I found myself watering the ugly-seed.  I would rehearse what she had done to me.  Each time, my feelings of resentment grew.  I knew I had to set a new boundary.  She didn’t deserve forgiveness!  I was wronged, and I wanted to hold on.

I had a choice to make in the ‘what I got instead’ scenario that was going on.  She was released, or shall I say I was released, when I made a choice to stop rehearsing the wrong she had caused me.  I am still learning that I always have control over my response—no matter what happens to me—and so do you!

Water the good seeds!

 

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I couldn’t believe I had done it again.

I hadn’t even had time to recover from the last time this happened.

Two times may not sound like much, but it was twice in less than 30 days.

Oh my dear tongue, how could you have failed me so miserably?

Most days, my tongue is very busy enjoying a lot of verbal exercise…chatting almost rates as high as reading.  Well, this particular day, I think my talking-motor was out to get me.   You see, it didn’t take me long to cram my verbal foot in my mouth.

 

As soon as I saw her reaction, I knew something was wrong.   I really got nervous, and so did she.   I could literally feel the little beads of perspiration making their way to the surface of my very red face.

I tried to recover, and I just made things worse.   Now, I was standing there wearing a second layer of shame.

 

So, I just stood there in complete disbelief… thinking to myself: 

                                                                             “Did I just say that out loud?” 

 

You know that feeling you get when you realize that you have been dreaming and none of what you just saw or said was reality?  —And you are so thankful.  

Well, unfortunately, this was not the case for me on both those days.  Reality was reminding me rather viciously that I had not only put my verbal foot in my mouth, I had actually crammed it in rather snug. 

Oh, I wished I had kept my mouth shut – why did I speak?  

 

I don’t know which is worse —being on the giving or receiving end of such a blunder?   Either way, two individuals are walking away feeling pretty awkward.

I know some of you out there are wondering why I told you this.  The rest of you are wondering what I said.  Let’s just say that I won’t repeat the what for the sake of all parties, but the why could be summed up in the word: identity!

You see, in my younger years, if I made a mistake, I would allow it to define my identity.   I guess you could say that my JOY was definitely seasonal.  It would go away for a long while.  Oh, I would hammer myself down over such little things, and my identity was lost most of the time.

Can you believe that?  Of course you can!  We are all guilty of being human more often than we like to admit.   We all find ourselves in the emotional briar patch over stuff that should be dismissed after 24 hours, or sooner…

 

We know that no one is perfect… 

…so why do we get down on ourselves when we fail to measure up?

 

These days, I am refusing to wear religious garments that leave me unchanged.

With a little help from God… well, actually, with a lot of help from God, I am proud to say that I am refusing to be put in emotional solitary confinement.

JOY, stay a little longer this time, please!

 

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I didn’t quite calculate everything in the moment.  My sweet friend asked the question and I didn’t say no.

Only because I had already been tossing the thought around.

I would have never guessed that our lunch would have gone in this direction.

Our conversation touched on everything from life, work, ministry, family and everything else in between.   All of a sudden, out of nowhere, she mentioned that her dog had just had puppies.  The next thing that came out of her mouth shocked me!

 

Would you like a puppy?  A baby…Maltese?

 

I looked at her intently and hesitated.   Which was strange…the Gloria I have known all my life would have immediately blurted out a very kind: no – thank you and I would have quickly moved the conversation along.

But not that day…

It’s amazing how many thoughts can fire through your brain in just a few seconds.

My mind and my mouth were in sync in that moment of time. 

I started to say something… and this is what came out!!

 

“I have been thinking of getting an INDOOR puppy!”

 

If you know me, you know that is just “strange-human-talk.”  Thinking about something and really doing it is quite different.

 

I love dogs!  Let me rephrase that, I love outdoor doggies.

Indoor dog-stuff is another story.  I am the kind of person that gets grossed out by things like slobber, fleas, ticks, potty training, and accidents on my floor.   I was the kind of mom that made my kids wash their hands twice if they had touched any outdoor animal.  Ha…

Her last words to me outside the restaurant were: “Be sure to let me know if you would like a puppy.”

I got in my car and started back to the office knowing that I had to give her a response.

The puppy would be ready in three weeks, and all I had to do was say YES or NO!

 

Well, as you can tell from the pictures, Zoe is the newest member of our family.  She has lived up to her name – which means life.   This puppy has us spoiling her rotten.

I never thought I would have an indoor dog.  What happened to me?

I am older — my boys are grown —and all I can say is that my need for nurturing is still very young.

 

I guess you could say that I HAD A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE.

 

 

Would I have ever imagined Carl studying/reading with a little white dog sitting next to him?   NOPE!!

Would I have imagined that my teenage sons would sit on the kitchen floor and play with a tiny puppy?  No.

Would I have imagined that I would take a field trip to Albuquerque (my mom’s birthday surprise) with my baby in tow?  No.

Would I have imagined that my Dad would come looking for my dog to help me out in the early morning?  Never.

 

 

My advice for everyone reading this blog today is:  Never say never!   You might have to eat your words one day… and love every bit of it.

 

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Blogger ID:

Would you consider having two puppies?  After having so much fun with her, I told Carl that I think she needs a playmate.  Two little dogs would be adorable.  He didn’t even consider it for a moment….

Who chose her name?  It was a toss up between, Destiny, Tiffany and Zoe.  We thought ZOE would look cool on a dog tag.  She is already responding to her name.

Can you tell I really like her…A LOT?

Do you like this season of change?   Most days.   Some days I think I am crazy for allowing myself to be stretched this way… she keeps me busy!  Who would have ever thought God would use a puppy to show me to remain flexible?

 

 

 

 

It was official; we were moving!   There was so much to be done.

We had just purchased a new home in Albuquerque, and now we would be selling it to move to Lubbock.  My mind was trying to take it all in.   The thought of leaving my parents behind was a bit overwhelming.   I knew they wouldn’t agree to join us, so I didn’t bother asking.

 

My emotions were riding high, and my mind was working overtime.  It kept reminding me that I would be entering a new role with different responsibilities, and I was extremely intimidated.

I was feeling overwhelmed by my insecurities.

 

At the new church, I would be referred to as the wife of the Senior Pastor.   How fair was this?  Carl was ready for this stuff, but was I?  There was nothing I could do . . .

The day came where we had to say goodbye to our church family, and in the same week we became part of a new church . . . where no one knew us, and we knew no one!

 

This was harder than I imagined it was going to be.

I missed my family.   I missed my routine.   I missed my friends.  I missed my life.

I was becoming reacquainted with loneliness, and I didn’t like it.

My former church surroundings were so natural . . . so comfortable . . . so predictable.

My responsibilities were relatively easy.

In no time I was dealing with LONELINESS, INSECURITY & FEAR —three new friends that seemed to tag along with me even though they hadn’t been invited.  They loved entertaining me with scenarios of how ill-equipped I was for my new role.

I used to be the type of person who resisted change with everything in me.

The stress of the unknown can cling to me rather quickly if I am not careful.

Ohhhh, I don’t like that any more than you do.

But if you are like me, you too have experienced the ups and downs of  life that place us on new paths.

Today, I can truly say that:   I am no longer lonely.

I am glad that I have been stretched beyond what I thought I was capable of.

I have so many new friends.

I continue to ask God to help me uncover the lies that I still believe about myself.

My identity continues to gain strength in who God says I am.

 

As I look back, I now wonder what would have happened if we had not moved.  Would I have ever volunteered to grow out of my comfort zone?  Of course not.

It was obvious that when change knocked at my door, I freaked out.   I allowed my shortcomings to overshadow my opportunities.

 

10 years later the voice of my past still speaks:

Don’t give up so easily.   

Don’t shy away from things that seem to overwhelm you.  

Don’t focus on the negative.  

Look for opportunities that will stretch you.

Be friendly and you will have friends.

Change is part of life.

Life has seasons of growth.

Stop the negative self-talk.

Use your gifts to serve others.

Depend on God for everything.

 

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