Promise me you won't laugh?
Promise?
I listen to "Let It Go" EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
I haven't even seen the movie.
But I listen to the song and something breaks open inside of me and I cry.
My husband, my son?
They don't get it. Nico groans openly each time he hears it blasting through the house.
My girls?
They love it.
They grab blankets or scarves or robes and place them over their head and when it's time to let it go they THROW those coverings off and stand tall. They stomp their feet and raise their hands and start to run.
They get it.
Oh my.........as women how many of us are weighed down by things that are not of God? Things that push and pull and weigh us down until we are too heavy to even move, weighed down by the burden of perfection, the burden of unrealistic expectations, the burden of who we THINK we should be, the burden of what we perceive to be the perfection of others, the burden of everything WE ARE NOT.
LET IT GO, MY BELOVEDS.
LET IT GO.
This life of burden is not what you were meant for.
"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:28-29
You are meant for so much more. I watch that video and I see the heroine gain confidence and freedom with each note, each step. I see what she can build, what appears when she unleashes who she was meant to be, what she was created for. I see her come alive and throw off what she once was and something in me cries out with JOY.
Because I have been that girl. I have been that woman. I have been weighed down and covered and still I am susceptible to that burden. But this past week I read through Matthew 10 and I read......
"The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters." - Matthew 10:24-25
These were some of the words spoken by Jesus as he was sending out the twelve. The student is not above the teacher........was Jesus expecting perfection? Was He expecting them to do it all.....alone?
"At the time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." - Matthew 10:19-20
Was He expecting them to do BIG things always? HUGE things? EARTH SHATTERING things?
"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, who is my disciple, truly I tell you that person will certainly not lose their reward." - Matthew 10:42
Why do we strive for perfection before doing anything? Is something only worth doing if we can do it better than anyone else? If only we can do it so it's PERFECT?
NO.
It is ENOUGH for us to be LIKE Jesus. No one should BE Jesus.
Women.
Throw off the weight of unrealistic expectations.
Throw off the weight of perfection.
Throw off the weight of other's accomplishments.
Throw off the weight of needless preparation to the point of becoming paralyzed by fear.
Throw off the schemes of the devil and put on the armor of God.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefor put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."
- Ephesians 6:10-14
When you think that you have to be the good girl and fade from sight......that is not from God.
When you think that you are NOT ENOUGH.............that is not from God.
When you think that you have to do it all alone...............that is not from God.
When you think that you aren't DOING enough............that is not from God.
When you think that you have to be SOMEONE else.............that is not from God.
And make no mistake about it, women, we are in a battle. These are the battles that we wage and they are not against flesh and blood. And we must, we must battle these thoughts and these feelings that come so easily to us as women. We battle not just for ourselves but for our daughters and for our nieces, for our friends and for their daughters. My heart breaks to think of any, any little one not receiving the gift of knowing that THEY ARE LOVED.
They are loved beyond measure and without comparison by a GOD that is BIGGER AND MIGHTIER than we could ever imagine.
And so let us plant the words........the words that come from GOD.
YOU ARE ENOUGH.
YOU ARE LOVED.
YOU ARE BRAVE.
YOU ARE STRONG.
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.
YOU ARE A GIFT.
YOU CAN DO GREAT THINGS.
YOU ARE A DAUGHTER OF THE KING.
Yes.
Let's throw off the devil's schemes and put on the armor of God.
Let us reclaim the hearts and the minds of women around us.
Let us reclaim our own heart, our own mind and not give in to the temptation of thinking we are not enough, that we can't.
LET IT GO.
