Friends | See the Shine * Be the Shine

I read somewhere recently that some of the most powerful words in the English language are, “Me, too!” ( I think it was in Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton). I must say I wholeheartedly agree! What other combination of words can make us feel like we are not totally abnormal and that someone has our back?

It’s like permission to breathe…

When we say, “Me, too,” the exhale seems to take a little longer and empty those lungs full of panic and fear and aloneness.

Just imagine that you’re talking to someone, and she says,” I struggle with (fill in the blank),” and your eyes light up, lock on hers and you say, “ME, too!!” ( did you feel ’em empty?) What a relief. Your heart leaps and your shoulders feel lighter and you feel soul-connected.

You + Me = Connection. (I don’t know about you, but THAT’S my kind of math!)

In order for us to build community we must be vulnerable. Oh, what a scary place to be – so exposed and raw – like an antelope with no escape from a lion:

… what if she laughs at me?

…what if she really does think I’m a weirdo?

…what if she tells my friends and they all look at me differently?

…what if they leave me?

I am learning that there is power in vulnerability. There is power in the shared hurts and soul-sinking feelings. There is power in the soul-connection. We are not alone. Each one of us has something that crushes our spirit, something that squeezes the joy from daily living, something that keeps us from being free.

Here’s the kicker – each one of us can change that. We can have a do-over at any point in the day. Yep – as I tell my daughter, you can turn it around right now.

If you feel alone, spirit-crushed, or even just a bit quirky , that’s ok. I urge you to take a chance in the next week and share it with someone -a close friend, a mentor, a pastor – or even with me. I promise I won’t laugh or criticize (cross my heart).

It takes guts to be vulnerable. I am convinced the most helpful encouragement comes from someone who has traveled that same path…..but we won’t find her if we don’t peel back a layer or two and expose our insecurities.

Our walls have served their purpose. They protected our hearts, or so we thought. It’s time for us to tear them down, brick by brick, layer by layer. Our soul-connections are out there. God will be with us as we learn to let go and let Him handle the details.

My go-to is The Serenity Prayer in times of confusion. It’s amazing what perspective it brings. I urge you to give it a try – you may have to say to several times, but I can assure you, it is a powerful meditation of acceptance and release. By the grace of God we go…

This is where the REAL changes happen, my friends

I’ll go first. My name is Kristin and I am a grateful member of Al-Anon, a mommy-tantrum thrower, uncertain mama of a kiddo with unique needs and anxiety-sufferer. I get overwhelmed easily and need my space and time to regroup or I am a wound up ball of tangled string – yet I always try to fill my schedule and I fell like I am always busy. I am trying to make more time for spiritual whitespace and let Him guide me because I can’t do this alone.

Care to join me?

Psst….Guess what y’all? “Me, too!”

I am so excited and filled with gratitude to be linking up with fellow writers (in)couraging writers today. Come check us out!

I decided to take a break from the telling of my story to write a little letter to y’all (yes, I love my “y’alls!”). I am technically a Southerner because I live below the Mason-Dixon Line – others will differ, because a Mid-Atlantic Southerner is not the same as a True Southerner (my relatives stem from North Carolina – and I have absorbed some stuff). I’m cool with that – hope you are, too.

Grab a warm cup of something delicious, and sit down in your favorite chair.

Hello friends, I am noticing a theme on these pages, and I am part of it, too. We are all broken people seeking to be made whole again – searching for the perfect healing, the perfect words, the perfect relationship or the perfect answer to prayer. Yet, I don’t think God wants us to be whole again. Yes, you heard me correctly. I think He wants us to stay broken (stay with me on this). I also think our brokenness happened in stages: …full out splashed on the floor in pieces, …still in pieces, but in a safe place to be put back together (waiting, preparation), … beginning stages of repair – we found WHO can best repair us (God), … middle stages of reconstruction – absorbing the good stuff (the WORD)from the WHO, and, …total reconstruction – not back to the way we were – but better – cracks and all – (salt & light). We would not be where we are today, on these pages, forming a community of hope, if we never experienced the death of a loved one, the devastating medical diagnosis, the horrible and unspeakable abuse, our own or a family member’s addiction, heart-breaking loneliness, the more-than-challenging child, the lost job, or the dwindling bank account.

God used these to show us where we need to place our trust – in HIM. And once we placed our trust in Him, we began to see the light (the shine) back in our lives, little by little – but we noticed it. And others started to, as well. It affected us so powerfully, that we had to learn more and delve into His Word. And when we read it, certain passages leapt from the pages as personal letters guiding us as to the next steps in our lives. But wait, “I’m still broken, “you say. You bet you are! How else can God shine His light to the rest of the world?