Choose Joy – an update

Back in May, I wrote about getting my Choose Joy tattoo.  As of last night, I’ve meet two incredible women who knew Sara’s story.  I wanted to share my experience with the both of them.

The first person I met was Jen.  She and her husband, Greg, came to our church a few months ago and I met them at when we all attended a marriage conference together.  When we broke for lunch, the four of us ate together.  Jen noticed my tattoo and we discovered that we had both read Sara’s blog and been deeply moved by her life.  Jen’s story is an amazing one, but it’s her’s to tell.  I just think that she’s a beautiful and amazing wife, mother, and woman.  I’m looking forward to getting to know her better as time goes by.

Then, last night my family and I were at church for the Matthew West “Into The Light” concert tour.  He was traveling with Mike’s Chair, Lindsay McCaul, and Everfound.  My dad, who’s head of security, placed my mom and I as Lindsay’s security.  We had to follow her everywhere, but we had a fun time doing it.  I found out some cool things about her and she was as gracious and as nice as could be.  As we were waiting to take her out to sign autographs after the concert, she handed her phone to one of the guys in Mike’s Chair and asked him to take a picture of her with mom and me.  Afterwards, I handed him my phone and asked him to take a picture for me as well.  When I did that, Lindsay noticed my Choose Joy tattoo.  I said that I had really been touched by Sara’s blog and that I had a friend that died of the same condition that she had.  Lindsay turned to me in shock and said that she had read Sara’s blog as well.  She explained that she had been working on a new song called “Choose Joy” with another artist and it was because of Sara’s blog that they had been inspired to write the new song.  Needless to say, I can’t wait to hear it!

I was thinking how cool it was that Sara didn’t know me or Jen or Lindsay, but that the ripples of her life were continuing to move forward just like a pebble in a pond, touching lives even after she’s been with our Lord for over a year.  And even today, Sara reminds us to continue to Choose Joy!

A Letter to the Younger Awkward Me

I was getting ready for my day one Saturday in February and I was thinking about how I was going to help do security at our church for a Secret Keeper Girl event that evening.  SKG is an event that’s for tween girls and their moms.  I was remembering my tween-aged years and just how awkward it was.  You see, I was a bit of an ugly duckling.  I had friends, but I had some enemies as well.  I was picked on because I was one of just a couple only children.  Like my son today, I was very confident in the fact that I was well-loved in my family circle.  I wasn’t prepared for the dog-eat-dog world of middle school.  All these thoughts came rushing back to me and I was running around the house trying to find a pen to write this letter to my tween-self.

Dear Sandy:

The first thing I want to tell you is that those kids who said you were too fat, had a big nose, were too loud, too talkative, selfish, spoiled, had hair that was too short, you looked like a boy, and whose breasts were too big, they don’t matter.  Unfortunately, they will help form who YOU think you are, but they will be wrong.

You will make many mistakes along the way and even do things that you know are wrong to try to get people to like you.  But they aren’t the people that will matter to you when you get older.  Say no to those things so that you don’t look back as an adult and shake your head, knowing that you didn’t need cave into the pressure.

No matter how awkward you feel now, how picked on, how beat down or discouraged, take heart that life WILL get better.  You find a marvelous man, who will marry you because he loves you and sees past all of the surface stuff.  He will be the light of you life and the reason for you to live such a happy life.  The two of you will have such a beautiful boy.  A child that makes your heart just overflow with love.  You’ll have the opportunity to bless others and be blessed on your job; to be God’s hands and feet.

One cool thing that will be that those people who said those things about you, they’ll become acquaintances and friends thanks to time healing those old wounds.  You’ll learn that they were hurting during those years too.  You’ll learn some dark ugly things that were going on in their lives.  The best part is, you’ll be able to forgive them.  You’ll be able to move on and live a great life.  You will grow into the beautiful woman of God that was His desire for you to be.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ~Jeremiah 29:11

Your Heart’s True Home

I wanted to share 2 things from church this morning.  The first was from our discipleship class on prayer.  The second was shown in our service.  It’s a description of Jesus, who really is indescribable.

The Lord is inviting you and me to come home, to come home to where we belong, to come home to that for which we were created.  His arms are stretched out wide to receive us. His heart is enlarged to take us in.  For too long we have been in a far country: a country of noise and hurry and crowds, a country of climb and push and shove, a country of frustration and fear and intimidation.  And He welcomes us home, home to serenity and peace and joy, home to friendship and fellowship and openness, home to intimacy and acceptance and affirmation.
-Richard Foster in his book, “Prayer:  Finding Your Heart’s True Home”