Kerri’s Blog

So if we know where we are going, we need to know how we are going to get there, right? Having a vision of where we are going without a plan for getting there would be like me looking at pictures of the Destin shoreline, but never getting in the car. Or maybe I get in the car, but forget to secure the room I’m staying in. That’s a plan — but it’s one that’s poorly thought out. Or maybe I want to go to Destin, but instead of doing it on my own, look for someone else who’s going and hope they ask me to join them, hanging my vision on someone else’s efforts.

As silly as all those scenarios sound - - we would NEVER plan a vaction like that — we can easily approach some of the most imortant things in life in a much more haphazard manner. We may envision a life filled with friends, yet fail to make room in our lives to connect with others. We may envision having a peaceful, ordered home, yet fail to cut out demands on our time that prevent that. We may evision ourselves content and satisfied in God, yet neglect to make time in our day to spend with Him and in His word.

Incredible realtionships, peaceful homes, and dynamic spiritual lives don’t just happen to by accident. They are the fruit of someone who committed to a vision and intentionly made choices to build that vision into their lives. Of course we can make plans that don’t work out — even the Bible says in Proverbs that , “A man’s heart prepares his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” When I see this I am reminded that there is wisdom in making plans and submitting them to the Lord for His use. He usually changes what I have planned in some way, but He also works through my plans, inspiring me and giving me creative solutions for my everyday life.

My dream for the women in my world is that they would make a plan to move toward the dreams and vsions God has birthed in their hearts. Don’t let the fact that the plans may change along the way scare you, and don’t let fear hold you back. Just make the first steps and keep your ears open to God’s voice — He will direct your steps.

“The woman that I see knows who she is, where she is going, and how she is going to get there. She equips herself to finish strong on the journey of life.”

Maybe a better way to describe this woman is to say that she knows whose she is. A strong sense of identity is one of the most fundamental components of spiritual, mental and emotional health. In fact, a large part of our lives is spent asking ourselves the big question, “Who Am I?”

Different seasons of life come and go — and each season shakes up our identity (who we think we are) and adds dimension to it. For example, when I became a mother, it totally messed up my identity. I had to see myself in a whole new light. Before I had my oldest daughter, I had always perceived myself as emotionally stable. I was always serving, I was at every church event. I was the one helping other people — and you could always count on me to make sure the job was done. I got a lot of my identity from these aspects of my personality.

But when I had Kaylan, a lot of things changed all at once. I became what I had disdainfully refered to before as “a cryer.” I couldn’t hear the song “Butterfly Kisses” without a mountain of Kleenex nearby. I couldn’t serve at church all the time — I couldn’t even attend meetings if there was no childcare. I often felt left out and disconnected. Instead of helping others all the time, I was now the one asking for help when my world got unmanageable. I learned what it felt like to be out of control — it was hard.

What I learned in that time (and continue to learn in other seasons) is that my identity can’t be wholly dependent on what I do. My role, and my job description can change at any given moment. Right now I am in the happy days of a house full of lots of kids and their friends. It’s noisy, and tiring and fun! But a day will come when I will have an empty nest waiting to be filled with grandchildren. My role will shift, and with it a piece of my identity — that’s ineveitable and we would be silly to think we can escape it.

The one thing that will remain a constant in my life is not who I am, but whose I am. Who I am will change from time to time– it will necessarily be tweaked and shifted according to the seaon of life I find myself in. But Whose I am will never change. No matter where I find myself, I will always be first and foremost a daughter of God. When life gets crazy and I find myself in transition (which is almost all the time these days) this knowledge always centers me. Before I am anything else — mother, wife, pastor, writer, preacher — I am His daughter — immeasurably loved.

“The woman that I see is filled with joy and a passion for life. Even when life brings trials her way, she brings forth treasure from them.”

Ok — today is a funny day for me to be posting on this point, because it’s one of “those” days. It’s a day when I am not feeling particularly joyful, or passionate, for that matter. I am just coming back in town from an absolutley wonderful vacation (although my DH did sustain multiple injuries as he stated in his sermon on Sunday), and I have that feeling of re-entering the reality of daily life. 210 emails in my inbox, the kids’ acitivities, a couple of speaking enagements, behind on deadlines, two weeks worth of missed work to catch up on and school starting in just 3 weeks! All of that just does not combine into a gooey ball of joy and passion!

Looking at the list of things that need to be done could easily overwhlem me. So I have to remind myself to make the shift into thankfulness. I believe that one of the quickest ways to access joy is through thankfulness. I have so much to be thankful for — first, that I was even able to GO on a vacation! How many people in the world even get to do that? I am so thankful! The fact that all three of my children are healthy enough to participate in a mind-numbing array of activites — YES!!!! Thank God! The reality that I HAVE a job with crazy deadlines and projects, enough friends to fill my inbox with 210 emails — how awesome is that? Through the lense of thankfulness, the once daunting task list simply becomes evidence of a blessed and fruitful life. Not a perfect life — maybe a bit stressful and busy — but fruitful all the same. Who could ask for more?

It is a well-known maxim that true joy is not based on our circumstances, but upon the GOD who is bigger than any circumstance we face! Thankfulness in the face of trial is the most basic step toward walking in joy. When I look at the life of Paul, I see such an incredible example of this. He writes in II Cor. 4:8-9, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” Paul understood that what we see and feel rarely refelects spiritual reality. His motivating passion was the people he served and labored over for the kingdom. He says in verse 15, “For all things are for your sakes, so that the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God.”

 Paul had passion to see God glorified though His people. And this passion motivated him in the face of trial and tribulation to continue focusing on the eternal rather than the physical. (vs.17) He delighted in and drew strength from the fact that in the fcae of trial the nature of the his “inner man” was being revealed. (Vs. 16) It can be the same way with us when we choose to be thankful andremain passionate in the face of trial. I am certain that when we do so, we will be able to draw forth treasure from seemingly difficult circumstances.

“The woman that I see walks in kindness, strength, and dignity and confers worth on every person she encounters.”

I think this might be one of my favorite points so far. For one thing, I think kindness rocks! When I think of kindness, I usually think of helping the poor and needy. But it’s really more general than that. Kindness is just this very simple way that we can behave  — it’s friendliness, sympathy, generosity, considerateness, putting others first, good manners — all those things wrapped up into this gracious and beautiful way of being. And it is a fruit of the Spirit.

I think walking in kindness starts with having an inner sense of strength and dignity — a sense of quiet rest in God’s ability to care for us. Our trust in His love for us gives a sense of strength and dignity that we can then confer upon other people. I love the idea that when we are drawing from God’s strength and from His love for us, we can confer — or bestow — that value on others as a gift.

Throughout our lives we will encounter many people who do not have the sense of strength and dignity that knowing our amazing Father brings.  We have the capacity to bless the people we meet with the gift of value by showing them kindness. Kindness doesn’t have to be a grand getsure. It can be found in the small things:

• stopping to look at someone in the eye when they are talking to us
• letting another person get that perfect parking spot
• letting the mom with a screaming toddler go ahead of you in the check out line
• pulling in your neighbor’s garbage cans after the morning pick up
• taking the time to write a note and tell someone that you think they did a great job 

Small kindnesses, little by little and over time, have the potential to soften hearts and lift a person’s vision of what he or she can be. What opportunities for showing kindness await you today?

“The Woman that I see lives generously, opening her heart to ever-increasing capacity for the kingdom of God.”

This past Sunday, Stovall talked about being generous in the One Prayer series. (Which, by the way, is going great — check out their website @ oneprayer.com to keep up with devotionals, etc.) I love the idea of a generous life! I think sometimes we narrow down generosity to money, but generosity starts in the heart. It’s an attitude that overflows from being unselfish in our appraoch to life. Dictionary.com gives us a great picture of generosity:

“Liberal in giving or sharing; free from meanness or smallness of character;large, abundant, ample; rich or strong in flavor; fertile.”

What this means to me is that a generous-hearted person sees their life in terms of what they have rather than in terms of what they don’t have. They see it in terms of what they can offer rather than in terms of what they can take. I also love that one of the definitions of “generous” has to do with a strong flavor. Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. The Message Bible states it like this: we are to bring out the God-flavors in this life and in the world around us! (Ok, that’s a paraphrase, but it’s the basic idea.) 

I really believe that generosity is one of the things that sets us apart as Christians. It keeps us big-hearted towards others. It keeps us looking outward instead of being consumed with ourselves. It keeps us thankful for what we have. I’ve often said that I believe generosity is living with an open heart toward God and an open hand toward others. I will also add what Sovall said yesterday when he closed his message:

“You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.”