When Your Way of Practicing Christianity Gets "ALL SHOOK UP"- by @ShelleyHendrix

Free to be ME 

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 TNIV

For most of my life I seemed to be doing quite well in my Christian life and journey, even through some really tough bumps in the road. I didn’t realize how much or how often I was relying on my own strength, my own wisdom, or my own abilities to get through tough times. 

I prayed. 

I read my Bible. 

I attended and volunteered at my church. 

I was very good at “doing.” 

I thought that since it was my responsibility to “die to self,” and “live for Christ,” that I was doing my utmost to make that happen with utmost sincerity. 

Can I be completely honest? Without truly realizing this about myself, the truth was that I wanted to impress God with how much I could love Him and how good I could make Him look to others—I thought this was the way He wanted me to live my life. 

But there was a problem with this way of living: Striving with all my might to be as close to perfect as humanly possible, to check off "the list," to perform well enough for God, others, & even myself, kept my relationships completely guarded. I wore a different mask for different people and different settings--but I wasn't even aware of it! Allowing God to remove the masks, one by one, started out with unrelenting pain. Actually, my willingness to even allow this was as a result of God showing me how I COULD NOT handle life on my own, nor did He ever expect me to even attempt to do this. 

It was torturous to my mind and emotions that had been stuck in the same patterns for so long. Those masks are usually glued on tightly enough that we don't even see them in the mirror or feel them hiding our faces, and we have NO clue how much they are impacting our own vision and perception of the world and others, much like the masks we don for costume parties . I thought I was the most sincere and ‘real’ person I knew. For most of us who have learned this way of living—especially as Believers in Jesus—it can be the shock of our lives to find out we aren’t as “authentic” as we’ve perceived ourselves to be. 

Okay, with this in mind, take a DEEP BREATH with me here… “Until the pain is greater than the payoff, there will be no change.”

God loved me enough to confront me with truth. Learning to trust His skillful hands to do the kind of surgery only He can do, opened my life up in countless ways and has given me opportunities to be truly known...and deeply loved. To be free—indeed! 

The masks may have looked more appealing than the real me, but it definitely wasn’t worth the relational isolation it required to maintain. Knowing Christ intimately, and knowing Christ IN Shelley has made every single ounce of discomfort and pain MORE than worth it. 

His Grace still amazes me! 
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"All Shook UP" is the theme of this year's AWAKEN 1-Day Conference hosted by Church 4 Chicks on November 8. Deadline to register is October 31st and you can do that here on the blog (right hand column) or www.church4chicks.ticketbud.com ~ We would love to see you there!

 Shelley Hendrix is the founder of Church 4 Chicks and the brand new Heart Smart- Counseling, Coaching and Consulting practice with her best friend and husband, Stephen Hendrix. 

You can find Shelley's website, social media links and more at www.ShelleyHendrix.com but you'll typically find her sipping coffee, taking pics of sunrises and sunsets in her new coastal hometown or wrestling with her crazy Beaglador named Annie. 

The Lowly Things

Photo Credit La Melodie (creative commons)

The Lowly Things 

By

Emily Walters Laney

²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”” – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like a loser. I messed up again, I didn’t do something right, I can’t find a good job. I’m not smart enough, pretty enough, or perfect enough to actually be used by God to make a difference in the world. Mind you, I don’t always feel this way, but I definitely have my moments where I don’t feel like I measure up. Sometimes it comes from other people, like that one friend who always makes me feel bad about myself. But most of the time, it comes from me. It comes from that seed of insecurity that I keep buried inside, just waiting to rear its ugly head when something mildly frustrating happens. And sometimes it comes from the images and the ideals the world puts forth that seem to bombard us from every side.

Take away those wrinkles! Shrink those love handles! Make yourself look sexier, more desirable! Lose 15 pounds in two weeks….. the list of messages could go on and on, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who has seen these messages plastered everywhere. We are obsessed with perfection, even if that perfection is fake. And it doesn’t have to be physical either. It could be that voice that says that you are never supposed to show weakness, especially to your friends at church. Or how you are supposed to have a perfectly clean house and happy, well-rested children along with a from scratch, organic home cooked meal waiting when your husband gets home from work. Or maybe you’re supposed to do all of the above while holding down a full time job (or two!) just to make ends meet. The possibilities are endless, and the stress we put on ourselves is ridiculous. And at the end of the day, if we mess up one time or feel like we don’t measure up in anyway, a small voice in the back of our heads tells us that we aren’t good enough, that God could never use us.

But guess what? None of that really matters. God doesn’t expect perfection from us. He doesn’t expect us to have it all together. I really needed to read the passage at the beginning of this post the other day. I needed to be reminded that God chooses the lowly, the weak, he wants to use us, even if we aren’t perfect by the standards of the world. God wants our strength to come from Him; he wants our boasting to be in Him, not in our own strength.  All throughout history you can see the thread of this truth. God uses people from all walks of life to change the world. On those days where you feel like you can’t continue for much longer, you can rely on His strength. When someone in your life makes you feel like you don’t measure up, remember that in the eyes of God, you are his precious child. And on the good days, when you’ve accomplished something great, remember that your boasting is in the Lord, because He held you up on those days where you didn’t think you could go on.

Christ is our cornerstone, our foundation. God uses us even if we feel like we aren’t “good enough”. Rejoice in HIS strength sister! He’s got this, and He’s got you.

 



Emily Laney is a social worker, educator and justice seeker. She has worked with vulnerable populations in the United States and abroad and loves to help startup nonprofits reach their goals. She is a Passion City Church door holder and leads a team of abolitionists at Not for Sale Georgia.  She loves her husband Brent and their rescue pup Biscuit. Sunsets and Sushi make her happy.
  
You can connect with Emily on twitter @emilylaney or on her blog www.emilylaney.com

I Will Boast Sing Along from zapdogyo on GodTube.

Completely Loved - by Melissa Haas @RestoreLifeUs

Photo by Melissa Haas

         Completely Loved  

                                    By

                          Melissa Haas

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, northings present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39 

I am completely loved and accepted by God. 

It had been a bad day. Back then, Troy and I were missionaries in Kenya, and we were getting ready to leave Nairobi to head back to the bush. I had done all of my shopping except my meats, and I intended to go by the butcher on the way out of town. Buying supplies was always a big deal because if we forgot anything we needed, we would have to do without until we made the twelve-hour drive back to town two months later. On this particular day, we were heading back to the bush on a Saturday, and I had under-estimated the time it would take us to pack the vehicle and get on the road. We were getting away later than I had promised—a big deal since it is dangerous to drive at night in Africa. Troy was irritated, and I was apologetic. We drove up to the butcher only to discover that they were closed. It was Saturday, and they only stayed open until noon.  

Troy was angry, I was in tears, and both of us were in a quandary about what to do. Did we stay an extra night in Nairobi—and have to unpack the truck and repack again the next day—or did we choose to go without beef or chicken for the next three months?  

We drove back to the mission office, and one of our fellow missionaries invited us to come in and have a cold drink. We were both obviously upset, and I felt like I had totally failed. Explaining the situation to Jack and lamenting about my mistake and the resulting consequences, he looked straight into my eyes and said, “Melissa, you are forgiven.” 

My breath caught in my throat, and it was if the Lord Himself had spoken those words into my heart. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and relief. Tears sprang to my eyes, and all I could do was whisper a quiet, “Thank you.” In that moment I felt completely loved and accepted in spite of my failures—not by my missionary colleague, but by my Lord. Jack embodied Christ to me that day. 

How about you?  Have you experienced God’s love in spite of your failures?    

One of the things God has told me over and over in my personal times with Him is that He loves me. Let me share some of my favorite love notes with you. 

Psalm 18:16-19 (NIV)            He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. 

Lamentations 3:19-23 (NIV)  I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet, this I call to mind and therefore I have hope; because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 

Zephaniah 3:15-17 (NIV)      The Lord has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you; He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.” 

I am always in awe when I read that He delights in me. He loves me. He finds pleasure in me.  His heart longs for me and rejoices when I come to Him. He accepts me completely and loves me unconditionally.

He loves you and me more than we can even imagine. A look at the cross only begins to explain the depths of His love.  

Are you resting in His love today?  Say it out loud, write in on sticky notes and post them everywhere, put it on your Facebook: I am completely loved and accepted by God.

Melissa Haas currently serves as the Director of Restoration Groups for HopeQuest, a ministry group in Woodstock, Georgia, which helps people struggling with life-dominating issues.  Melissa began her service in ministry in 1993 as an international missionary to Kenya, East Africa, where she and her husband Troy worked as church planters among the Turkana people.  When a significant marital crisis ended their missionary service, Melissa and Troy began a journey of healing and restoration that now serves as the foundation of their ministry to others.  Passionate about spiritual community, healthy marriages, and intimacy with God, Melissa regularly facilitates small groups and teaches and speaks on these topics in order to help the Body of Christ grow relationally with God and each other.  Melissa and Troy and their three children reside in Woodstock, Georgia.

Click here or on the picture below to see a music video for David Crowder's "How He Loves"