Straight From The Heart…

Before I get going here, I just had to share how beautiful the snow looks falling this morning. There is something so peaceful about it. Looks like it’s time for me to start shoveling…

Anyway, guess what? I just had my 4 year blogging anniversary! Wow! I can’t believe it’s been 4 years since I took that scary step to join the world of blogging. I have learned so much. Some people don’t understand all that’s involved in having a blog. Some people don’t even know what a blog is. That’s okay. I still really love it, even if it can take hours to edit photos for one post. Even if projects don’t come out as well as I’d like them to. Even if sometimes I feel like no one reads it. I know I’m not a BIG blogger and I know I don’t have a huge fan base, but that isn’t what drives me. What drives me then? It’s that one email I receive, where a reader was encouraged to try something new. It’s that one comment on the blog, where a reader said that I inspired them. That encourages me and keeps me blogging. It’s sharing my experiences and creativity, believing I can inspire others.

Some of my close friends, tell me “you can do anything!” I tell them, no, I can’t…. I’m just willing to try.  There are a couple of things that make me want to try… One, I’m “thrifty”, well, let’s just call it what it is... I’m cheap. If there’s a project I want to do, I’m going to find the cheapest way to do it.  Second, I kind of like it when I’m forced to try new things, sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don’t. But at least I tried.

This isn’t only about trying a risky project… I want to live my life that way.  Try new things… new adventures.  I don’t want to get stuck in a rut.  I see change as a good thing, not something to fear.

Another thing that keeps me blogging, is I like to write. I felt The Lord pushing me to write for years.  That’s one reason I started this blog, to share my creativity and to share what The Lord puts on my heart. A couple of years ago I wrote “My Fashion Over 40” and shared snippets from the sermon our Pastor preached each week. But I felt that it ran it’s course, plus I’m not in my 40s any more….

Last year, I felt an another push to write, a different kind of push. I kind of ignored it for awhile. But then a few months ago, I attended a Women’s Conference. It was truly an inspiring event in my life. I experienced something so unique to me. It was during worship, when I was singing and praising God, it felt like The Lord zeroed in on me.  It was like a scene in a movie, where you see the big picture, then the camera zooms in on one person’s face. It was so intimate…. I felt like He was telling me that He sees me, He hears me, He knows me. Me….the real me, all of me. Amongst thousands of women at this conference, I felt like He was focusing all of His attention only on me. It was so humbling. It shook me to the core. It was like He saw through me…. The Bible says, “He alone examines the motives of our hearts” 1 Thessalonians 2:4b (NLT). He knows everything about us, even our motives. I just had never felt anything like this before.

Later on that evening…The Lord showed me how much He loves people. It was so surreal.  Every women I laid eyes on, He told me… “I know her, I love her so much. You don’t know what she’s been through, but I do.” Over and over and over again. He allowed me to see a glimpse of His heart for people. I was undone. Even as I’m writing this, I am overwhelmed by His love… All different kinds of women, in wheelchairs or crutches, from elegant to rough looking. Some looked unkept and some looked like they were right out of a fashion magazine. There was one lady that had moles all over her face. It made me uncomfortable. I felt sorry for her. The Lord, told me how much He loved her, that I don’t know one thing about her, but He loves her just the way she is and knows her so intimately. I have looked at the outside cover far more than I care to admit. The Lord is showing me to focus on who people are, to look more on the inside. You know… to stop judging a book by it’s cover…

That conference confirmed it for me, I need to write more….. More than just writing about projects, recipes and crafts. I’m talking about where the rubber meets the road…keepin’ it real…straight from the heart. To be…

Being transparent means A LOT to me! I appreciate it when people are transparent with me, when they open up and show that they are just like me, flaws and all. That’s real… the real deal.

I am not impressed with people trying to portray how “perfect” their lives are or their family or their job. Ya da ya da ya da . Blah, blah, blah. It seems like a cover up to me, because NO ONE has it all together!  I even struggle with perfect looking homes, and in my niche of blogging, that’s what everybody wants to portray. Don’t get me wrong, I get caught up into that all the time! There is a part of us that wants to hide all of the flaws, so that people only see the best in our lives. But believe me, my home is not perfect, my family is not perfect and my life is not perfect… and The Lord know it! He sees through it all, every single bit of it.

So, from time to time, I’m going to share something straight from the heart...my heart. You're probably going to learn a little more about me. I’d like to share my testimony sometime. It's kind of scary to put myself out there, to be transparent, but I keep reminding myself, I’m just like all of you. I have flaws, insecurities, quirks and a sink full of dirty dishes! But I’m growing…changing…learning…and yes, I’m going to wash all those dirty dishes. Christ doesn’t leave us the way we are, He sees what we can be and helps us get there.

So, I hope you’ll indulge me from time to time.

Have a blessed day!