The “Such As”…
In yesterday’s blog, AbbyA described to us those “such as” moments: The very moment you decide to wear the inside on the outside. Such as, speak a word of encouragement to someone you don’t know that well by using your own embarrassing past to make the point. Such as, revealing you also sometimes feel isolated, alone and different. Such as, admitting that you rely more on chocolate than God. Such as . . . Think about what you are hiding because it reveals too much about the real you. That is the such as that I am talking about.
The very moment you open your mouth to share the such as. At the very moment, you decide to go-out-on-limb, The Map pauses the fire in your gut and flashes for you a nice, clean path from A to Z. That is, from the school pick up line, directly to your car. That is, pass her quickly on the way to office kitchen because you are too afraid to mention to her that you too had a recent miscarriage. That is, run like hell from the chance to wear your heart on your sleeve . . . even if to serve a greater purpose. –AbbyA
I had a friend a couple of years ago who had a miscarriage. It was in the early stages of her pregnancy, and she had just started showing. She hadn’t told everybody about the pregnancy, but after she lost the baby, she did open up about the miscarriage, her struggles with it, and how she overcame it. Not necessarily to everyone, but to key people whom she felt could be encouraged by her story. When she first told me about it, I listened to her in stunned silence, my heart going out to her, my mouth at a loss of what to say to comfort and encourage her. But as she continued her story from loss into victory, I realized she didn’t need my encouragement, I needed hers. No, I hadn’t suffered from a miscarriage, but I could learn by her example. I could be strengthened by her faith, by her perseverance to get past her own loss, and her desire to press onto victory and encourage others. By being honest, by being authentic, she took away the feelings of shame and failure that often accompany miscarriage and was able to help herself as well as others.
Think about your struggles and what you’ve overcome. At the time you’re dealing with it, it may seem that it’s all about you. But when you press onto victory, it’s not about you any more. It’s about God. It’s about giving Him and honor and praise through your personal life and victory. It’s about encouraging someone else who is now struggling like you once were.
Authenticity. In the end, it’s really not just about you.
FemmeFuel 