Sunday, March 27, 2016

Truth Telling: Intro


Several weeks ago I asked for your input on promises you were having trouble believing. Here's the thing - I have been having trouble believing God's good promises for myself. Life is hard and after a while I start feeling cynical and numb.

Forty days from tomorrow, I'll be turning forty. And I'm going to steep myself in truth for the next forty days. Because here's another thing - if I'm having trouble believing God's promises for myself, then I'm listening to a bunch of lies. I want to take those thoughts captive, be grateful to be alive and thrive as a child of God.

This will not make my life easier or less hard - but it will be grounded in truth and gratitude. Long before we heard of making lists of 1000 gifts, my Mom suggested writing down a few things every day one time when I was struggling. I will write a post for each of the next forty days about something I'm grateful for that is a truth I want to claim and live out!

Here is a journal entry from recent days that encapsulates the need for truth telling:

Yesterday started hard and just kept up the pace making for a doozy of a day in the end. I entered the evening so drained and spent that it filtered through to other areas of myself. I was feeling particularly insecure about spreading the word slow.

There are so many things I am not, yet this message is real to me and so needed. As the evening lingered on, I realized I was listening to lies in my mind. Lies of not being __________ enough {fill in the blank with any possibility of word}

Doubt, fear and comparison - which by the way are just different words for lie! Then I began thinking how I need truth tellers in my life; a few good trusted friends I can call on when I need a dose of truth, I thought, "I can call/text and see who wants  to be a truth teller to me."

And those kind of friends are a gift! But then I realized I have the best Truth Teller of all time on my side and I need to listen up because He never speaks anything BUT truth. And it clicked for me - when I am having trouble believing God and His promises, I am not listening to the Truth Teller.

Here's another thing, in the process of writing a book - I've noticed that there are people who don't "get" my message, me, or even what this project is all about. It can be so easy to feel misunderstood or like a failure because it might not be what they expect.

It hit me hard that when I don't take God at His Word, I am doing that very same thing to Him.

I have been in a season of:

- I'm not smart enough
- I'm not patient enough
- I'm not good enough
- I'm not this enough
- I'm not that enough

It is time to spend time focusing on the truth, if I say I'm not ____________ enough then I am saying Jesus is not enough. Because if I have Him in my heart - God sees His enough-ness when He looks at me. It's time for some truth telling, friends.

In my weakness, He is strong.

He is enough.

I am His.

Therefore, I am enough through Him.

As we begin, I absolutely love this verse and am making it my theme for this year of forty!

Deuteronomy 2:7, "The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything."

It is important to note that in order to claim God's promises for ourselves, we must be children of His. Please read this if you are not sure you are His yet.

Each day in addition to sharing truth, I want to share a visual image that captures that idea too. 

Looking forward to this special series together and hope it is a blessing to you!

John 8:32, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."


8 comments:

Mom said...

Dear sweet daughter - what a perfect theme verse for this year of your life! And indeed He is enough! I love you very much and am very thankful for and proud of you. :)

Terri S said...

Monica,
This is something that I don't even realize I struggle with. I love the way you are planning to address this, and hope to see God's truth in my life as well. I am thankful for your transparency as I see how fun your blog seems, yet I know you are a mom who struggles with life the same as I do. May you be blessed and bless others with this series. I look forward to seeing how God will work in your life (and mine) as you address this! Thank God that Jesus is enough! Happy Easter!
Terri S.

Leanne said...

I can't wait for these posts! I am in a deep place of not feeling enough... My illness from late January has turned into a chronic situation that has forced s-l-o-w in my life.... I've had to make difficult decsions (one to send my boys to Christian School in the fall)...and how much pain and illness I'm I willing to live with... I hung up my running shoes...and replaced it with going to bed earlier...I have to guard sounds coming into my head so closely, that even church can just be too much... these were lessons a long time coming... God's knocked down idols only to have me set them back up... and now, I think he's just asking me to stop..rest..stop trying to dust them off and set them up again...and TRUST Him... these will be great messages! Happy Easter! He is Risen!!

Shelby said...

You are a blessing to so many through this blog. I get it, we often compare and think in our own heads she has it together or fill in the blank. You are honest about what ever your struggling with and that is what I LOVE about you. It is refreshing. Often Satan works on my mind at night when I am trying to sleep and it is a real struggle for me. Jesus loves Monica and he choose you to tell your story and minister to others. Don't believe Satan's lies, you are loved and enough friend. His Grace and Mercies are yours friend. Shelby xoxo

*carrie* said...

Wonderful, Monica!

That verse is perfect--I agree. Love you!

Elise said...

Ooh, Monica, I love this! Not because you're struggling, but because I know I have thought in the past that you have it all together. I heard that song this morning that the chorus goes something like, "I don't need my name in lights, I'm famous in my Father's eyes, make no mistakes, He knows my name." It is the second part of the song that I just love. He does know us, love us, we are enough! All the other junk is just lies from the enemy. I had to talk myself out of a pity party yesterday because a missionary family came in town for a funeral, and I am going to get to go and serve with them this summer, so I went up and tried to talk to them at church and so many other people kept coming up, so we got interrupted. Eventually, I walked off, because it felt uncomfortable just standing listening to others' conversations. I started feeling sorry for myself, but I had to console myself with the fact that they weren't there to see me, and that the people who kept coming up, they already had relationships with, etc. It helped me to see that it probably wasn't personal, but I did let it set my day up for frustrated feelings, and hurtfulness. I don't even know how I got sidetracked with all of this, other than to say I think it's good sometimes to share our struggles. You are not alone...
Elise

Wendi said...

Oh friend, you have really touched me with this post. When I read this part: "It is time to spend time focusing on the truth, if I say I'm not ____________ enough then I am saying Jesus is not enough. Because if I have Him in my heart - God sees His enough-ness when He looks at me. It's time for some truth telling, friends." I orginally read this last night and I had to stop, take a deep breath and have a long conversation with Chuck. I have a huge battle with the I am not good enoughs and the thought of telling Jesus he isn't enough stopped my in my tracks. I fell asleep pondering your words and am still pondering them this morning. Thanks for speaking the truth!!

angie said...

I'm looking forward to the truth that I will glean from these next forty days. I'm only three weeks away from turning 45, yet I wonder how much I have spiritually grown over the past five years. Thank you for your ardent research and pouring out your authentic self into this series.