Life is too short for Fear and Fluff!

More F Words! :)

I'm a Good Girl and I'm proud of it.

“You’re the Lord of all creation

And still you know my heart

The Author of Salvation

You’ve loved us from the start.”

These song lyrics are so beautiful to me. They compare the bigness of God to the fact that He still sees the smallness of me. They somehow help me grasp the infinite timelessness of Him while at the same time show me that He stakes a personal claim in my life.

Big yet Small

General yet Personal

World-Maker yet Me-Creator

It just makes my mouth drop open in awe that He is all those things at once.

Because He is.

And that’s seriously mind-boggling.

So, I’m here to ask you a simple question today:

Do you believe that the huge God of the Universe could care about little ol’ you?

Do you really believe that He loved you before you were even a speck on the map?

Because even though you weren't here all those billions of years ago when God created the earth,

God already knew you.

By. Name.

Yes, He knew the name your parents would give you.

But that’s not what I mean.

He knew (and still knows) you.

WHO YOU ARE.

Cause you’re more than just your given name.

Genesis 1 (msg) says it like this:

"God created human beings;

 He created them godlike,

   Reflecting God’s nature.

       He created them male and female.

God looked over everything He had made;

       it was so good, so very good!- v.27 and 31

God sees you.

God know you.

And He calls you “good.”

I looked up the definition of good in the Merriam Webster dictionary and this is what it says:

“Of high quality.”

It seriously says that.

So that means that before I was born and ever even had a chance to do anything of value or worth...God called me valuable and worthy.

He looked at me all pruny and tiny and said, “ Harmony, you are good.”

Here’s the catch!

Here’s what we almost always miss when we look at the vastness of creation in comparison to our smallness-

He calls us good because He created us.

He makes us good.

He makes us of high quality.

That’s it.

What did I do as a drooling infant to earn this name?

Nothing.

Nada.

He did it all.

By simply creating me good and fashioning me for His good life already prepared for me.

(Ephesians 2:10)

What a thought!

My finite life started before I was even a tiny seed in my mother’s womb.

Because God’s infinite love planned for me to be here.

His love literally gave me life.

2 Girls With a Dream in a Car

Joannie and Harmony are being real about what makes their friendship work!

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Last Sunday, my pastor preached a sermon on overcoming.....Discouragement, Defeat, Fear.

It was good. REALLY REALLY GOOD.

Check it out here:

http://www.harvestokc.com

One thing he said that really stuck with me was this phrase:

"I may be stressed, but I'm not stressed out!"

He challenged us to declare that phrase when we're going through hard times.

And I have been.

Literally every single day this week.

Because sometimes I feel like I'm on the losing end when it comes to this parenting-my-kids-right thing.

Some days I'm just on autopilot and the same phrase literally comes out of my mouth 10 times.

It starts out simple enough:

“Put your shoes in the closet.”

“Please remember to flush the toilet.”

“Don't ask me that again.”

Then it escalates a bit:

“Why am I tripping on your shoes??”

“Who forgot to flush the toilet again??”

“If you ask me one more time....”

Now, it's all hell breaking loose:

“WHOSE SHOES ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR?!!”

“GROSS! I DON"T NEED TO SEE THAT IN THE TOILET!!”

“I TOLD YOU DON'T ASK ME AGAIN OR I'LL... !!”

You know what I mean, right?

(Please tell me I’m not the only one!)

I liken those days to a pile of dirty laundry getting ready to go in the washer.

Wash.

Rinse.

Repeat.

That dirty pile of clothes needs to be washed.

If I leave it sitting there in it’s dirt, oil, and muck, it’s just going to stink.

I can try to ignore it.

But I’ll have to get to it….eventually.

I have to wash the clothes.

So I throw them in the washing machine.

Soap and water flow through the clothes until all the dirt is loosened from the fibers.

And the time to rinse them through begins.

Until all the brown water drains.

Until all the dirt is gone.

Then alas, I have to accept the fact that I will be doing this all over again in just a few days.

Because laundry is never done.

It’s an ongoing process. (Exhausting as it may be.)

Until we die.

Isn’t that just like parenting?

It’s never done.

It’s my job as a mom to never let the cycle get interrupted.

It’s my job as a mom to fix the washing machine when it breaks.

It’s my job as a mom to separate the whites from the darks.

And when I do, as exhausting and draining and trying as it is, the clothes come out clean.

Every. Single. Time.

Oh it’s not my own awesomeness that cleans my kids up.

No.

But my awesome God that is living inside of me is the One that gives me the grace to keep that cycle going.

Because God knows I can’t do it in my own strength.

I don’t want to even try to parent without His grace to empower me.

I would jack up my kids. :)

This week has been tiring because that endless, repetitive cycle has made me feel like my kids aren’t learning anything.

That they’re stuck in their muck of dirty, sticky behaviour.

But again, God reminds me that without my willingness to “repeat the cycle”, they would be stuck:

Not knowing how to make godly decisions.

Not knowing how to listen to His voice.

Not knowing what path to take in life.

And if God has to constantly remind me to remind my kids to pick up their shoes then it means I’m listening to the right source.

So, they will follow by example.

And EVENTUALLY I will begin to see the cycle play out in their own lives without my having to remind them.

Because isn’t that the goal?

To raise amazing God- focused kids chasing after God-sized dreams with a God-centered heart and God-fueled passion?

So I’ve decided to keep doing the laundry.

Because who doesn’t love the smell, look, and feel of clean clothes just out of the dryer?

Playthings and Childhood Memories

I had a soft and squishy toy full of red, curly hair called a Hugabunch when I was 5 or 6 years old. I took her with me everywhere. I even lost her clothes at some point and just carried her around naked. I got her very dirty! I’m pretty sure she was given to me because she was similar to the little orphan Annie. I couldn’t tell you what I named that doll but I can tell you that she made me feel very loved.

This childhood toy was a seed sown into my future. I was head over heels in love with the movie, "Annie", as a kid.  I even dressed up like her with eyeliner freckles and a curly red wig and sang Tomorrow on occasion. Yes, she had a huge impact on my life.

This plaything resembling an optimistic little orphan girl with an indomitable spirit symbolized a dream in my heart yet to be recognized.

A dream that would get worn out and soiled over the years.

A dream that would get stripped from me by my own choice to drag it in the dirt.

A dream that would not be named until I really believed that God loved me.

Like Annie,

I wanted to believe the best even when the odds were stacked against me

I longed to help others that couldn’t help themselves

I fought for my right to be heard, to be me, to be loved

But I didn't realize that I had the power to go after my dreams until much later in life.

I didn't know that I had everything in me to make them happen.

In the film, when Annie was adopted by the wealthy Daddy Warbucks, her life changed forever. She was loved and known. Her past as an orphan was forgotten. She had a new name.

Accepted.

I eventually lost my sacred Hugabunch doll.

And I honestly don’t even remember being sad about it.

It was time to let her go.

So I did... with determination and a brave spirit that only came after being down in the mud for a while.

I had to choose whether I was going to live in the past or make the most of the future.

Don't we all?

Through some trial and error, I finally let go of what I thought I had to be....of what I used to be.

I finally surrendered to the One who saw me....to the One who made me "me."

Oh, I was worn out and over-used.

Just like my sweet baby doll.

But, that's when Daddy God found me.

He picked me up, dusted me off and gave me a new name.

Enough.

Jesus was enough so I am enough.

He is all I'll ever need.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, 

who loved me and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

Now I know my worth and value is not in who I was (or even who I will ever be) but in Who adopted me as His own.

Thank God for His amazing grace!

I can sing this song from the depths of my heart and actually mean it!

Why don't you join me?

The sun'll come out tomorrow

Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow

there'll be sun

Just thinkin' about tomorrow

Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow till' there's none

When I'm stuck in the day that's gray and lonely

I just stick up my chin and grin and say oh

The sun'll come out tomorrow

So you got to hang on

till' tomorrow, come what may!

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow

You're only a day away!

What Have They Ever Done For You?

Condemnation.
Forgotten.
Unloved. 

Many women are wearing these labels today.
And I'm not just referring to women in the world.
I'm talking about those of us in the church.

Christian
God-fearing
Faith-filled women.

Let me address the issue that God constantly brings to my own attention.
Feelings are not supposed to rule the roost. 
They aren't meant to guide our actions or thought life. 
All feelings (whether good or bad) are meant to open our eyes to an underlying cause. 

I feel loved today because my hubby gave me a gift. 
But tomorrow I might not feel so loved when he doesn't call me all day long. 
That's ok. 
Because God says He loves me no matter what. 
Who am I going to believe?
My feelings or My God?

What is causing me to feel a certain way?
Because believe me, there is always a root cause.

I'll give you some examples:
Envy (She has it all together. I wish I was as capable as she is.)
Fear (My childhood was really rough. I can't move past what happened.)
Pride (Cleanliness is next to godliness. I won't risk dirtying my life with her problems.)
Exhaustion (My life is so busy that I can't even think about doing one more thing.)

These are signs that we are a little too comfortable in our ever changing feelings. 
Because, really, what have they ever done for you? 
They never stick around.
They are fickle.
Their effects are temporary.
Even when they're good, they don't last long.
Why?
Because God never created us to depend on feelings for our worth or joy. 
No. 

Jesus gives us our lasting worth.
Jesus is the giver of never-ending joy. 

Lysa Terkeurst said, "Feelings are indicators, not dictators." 

Are you combatting your emotions with the truth of what God says or letting them run all over you?
We can't let ourselves come to the fight unarmed.
Because the battle between our heart and our mind is always waging. 

We have to be so full of God's word that our head-knowledge draws our heart-cravings into agreement.
Don't misunderstand me.
I love how I feel when I'm totally immersed in God's presence.
I'm a believer in just having time to feel His arms and His heartbeat.
But, if we aren't also feasting on His word, then we will constantly be looking for that next feelings fix. 

God is unchanging.
His love is permanent.
Even when His beloved Israelites were wandering the desert for forty years and turning their backs on God, He still loved them. 
Their feelings lied to them and made them believe that God had forsaken them.
Their feelings lied to them and told them that they were better off in slavery back in Egypt.
Their feelings lied to them and clouded their vision so they could only see their problems. 
They forgot the promise. 
And many didn't enter into the Promised Land because of it.

Oh how feelings love to steal from us.
They're a tool of the devil by the way.
Euphoric feelings of love can lead me to have unprotected sex at the age of 16. 
My innocence is stolen because I believed my feelings.
Now I'm alone and abandoned with a baby on the way.
(I am by no means passing judgement!)
There is always hope....

What are we going to do about it?
We can't let feelings win.
We have to use them as a force for good.
Feel things.
Fully.
But make your home, your foundation, your resting place on the Rock.

The never changing

always good

fully satisfying

amazing love 

of Jesus 

is all you will ever need

to feel 100%.  

There is no condemnation in Christ.  (Romans 8:1)

So reject your feelings of guilt, your feelings of shame. 

Lay them down and embrace His love.

You have not been overlooked or forgotten. (2 Peter 3:9)

So reject your feelings of inadequacy, your feelings of neglect.

Lay them down and embrace His love.

God loves you so much He sent His son to die for you. (John 3:16)

So reject your feelings of unworthiness, your feelings of being unloved.

Lay them down and embrace His love.

F-words and the sweet life

I always do this to myself.
I sit and I wait.

"They should come to me.

I'm the new girl in town, after all.

I shouldn't have to do the scary work of introductions."

So I sit and I wait.


MY OWN inactivity breeds contempt inside of me.
MY OWN passivity plants seeds of bitterness in my soul.


How I long to be bold enough to walk over and say hi.
How I wish to be a social butterfly in this moment (and every moment!)

Sometimes noone notices me sitting and waiting.
And I go home just as lonely as when I first arrived.
Just as friend-less. 

Other times someone notices me sitting and waiting.
And they do the scary work of introductions.
And I just might make a new friend.

But I go home just as insecure as when I first arrived.
Just as fear-ful.

Friendless.
Fearful.
Two words that I don't want to define me.
Those darn F-words. 

I used to think life was so unfair.
Because, honestly, I'm always the "new girl."
(Being a military wife makes that status a given.)


And one would think that I would've learned how to do this dance called conversation by now.
One would think I would know just how to two-step my way into making a great first impression.


But, alas, I sit and I wait.
Friendless.
Fearful.

I think I'm ready for a change though.
No, I don't think I'm ready.
I know it.

I want another F-word to define me.
Yes. 
When you hear my name, I want you to say, "That's Harmony and she's FREE." 

Free from labels.
Free from fake.
Free from people pleasing.
Free from condemnation.
FREE TO BE ME

God recently showed me in His ever-so-gentle way that He never said life would be fair.
Fair. Another F-word that we need to toss out. 
He actually said that we would have trouble in this world. (John 16:33)
That we would have moments when we would have to choose ...


Will we succumb to this impossible expectation of fairness and perfect first impressions and flawless conversations or will we choose to be free?


From now on, I'm going to choose freedom.
It's way more fun and way more exciting and way more attractive.
People want to be around those that are free.
They are drawn to it...like a bee to honey- they know freedom makes for a sweet life.