Sit and Listen.

Verses:

• Luke 9:35
• John 10:4-5, 27
• Psalm 46:1-3

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If you are like me, talking is your favorite past time and not just talking but laughing and joking around in general. I am the happiest when the people I am around are smiling and laughing. You know how Buddy the Elf says, “Smiling is my favorite!” Well, I converted that and made the, Sydney the Elf version, which is, “Joy is my favorite!”

Back on subject here. When it comes to talking, I am really good at it. I should be good at it considering I have spent the last 4 years of my life studying the art of communication. But I used my gift of communicating as a crutch. I grew to hate silence. My quiet time was not necessarily quiet. When I prayed I would fill the moments up with my own ramblings and never take a moment and truly breathe and listen. If no one at small group answered a question I quickly became the person to interject and answer so the silence would be a little less awkward.

And then my thoughts on silence shifted.

I love that sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come out of the most uncommon places or people. A couple semesters back I had two classes on news reporting and interviewing. As a reporter or interviewer you have to be okay with silence. There is a technique that famous reporters and interviewers use to get answers out of the interviewee. Y’all you seriously just have a stare-down with your interviewee (in the most polite/yet stern way of course).

What my professor said next, wrecked my world. She said, “People are so afraid of silence and awkward moments that if you just quietly wait for them, they have to fill the silence with their voice. They can’t stand it.”

That was me. I was the person that was so afraid of silence that I had to interject my voice into anything and everything, even in my QUIET time with Jesus. I slowly began letting go, and listening.

And it changed my relationship with Jesus. Praying didn’t seem like a one way conversation, where I flooded the throne room with my voice and requests. I imagine Jesus was patiently whispering, “Sydney. Hey Sydney. I love you.”

Listening enveloped my entire lifestyle. In situations where I don’t know what to say, I take a step back, and I listen. No, in Sydney’s world, his voice is not an audible voice. It is more like an intuition, a feeling, and I know it is Him because it isn’t what I would normally do.

Right now it can be hard to know what to say.

Do I address this tragedy of people dying on Facebook? What can I say that will actually help the situation? Will it just add fuel to the fire? How can I do anything?

These are the honest thoughts I had. I stepped back and I listened and I prayed and prayed. Father, give me the words to say.

And do you want to know the answer?

It was simple, and perfect. “Love. I have called you to love. Love them, don’t judge them. Love both sides. They matter to me, so they matter to you. Spread the joy I have given you.”

We have the ability to sit and listen to the creator of the universe. He has your answers, He knows what is best. Not that girl’s video on Facebook, not that post on Instagram and not the hashtags on Twitter.

Listen and pray, because He is ever present and near to you.

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1. Do you refrain from sitting and listening because you worry the voice in your head is not God speaking to you?
2. How often, in a week, do you interject because you hate silence?
3. What steps do you plan to take to make yourself a better listener to God and for your peers?

Exhausted.

Resting Points:

• Psalm 61:2-3
• Exodus 14:14
• Matthew 11:28-30
• Psalm 55:22
• Isaiah 46:4
  

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 Feeling spiritually, physically, and mentally exhausted? Worn out? Overwhelmed? Worried? Maybe even a little defeated? Wondering how it is even possible to be a Proverbs 31 woman, tell yourself you are a masterpiece, think you have a purpose, talk about how he is more than enough, all while praising him for everything?  I’m exhausted just reading that. If you answered YES to any of these questions, sister YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Let me start by saying most of these emotions are a result of burdens we were never meant to carry- anxiety, worry, fear, unbelief, exhaustion, unworthiness. This was all made perfect through the cross- we pick them up during times of full schedules, insecurities, tricks of the enemy. We begin to see ourselves as a tired crazy haired gal and we forsake our quiet time with the Lord because, honestly, we are too tired to drag ourselves out of bed in the morning and we are not allowing our spirits to be restored.

| Psalm 23:2-3 |

The good news is there is a solution and his name is Jesus.Before we dive deeper just take a few seconds and whisper his name, even in the stillness of a whisper he is there. And he longs for you to pour out everything that is overwhelming you to him.

“From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”                                                                          | Psalm 61:2 |

You might be thinking okay I have been trying this “Christian Lifestyle” for a while and it’s just to much for me, I’m exhausted. Running/Giving Up/Pulling Back is always easier, but it is time to lay our exhaustion at the foot of the cross and exalt our King. We have to push through to get more of Jesus or we will always be exhausted. When we are so consumed in Jesus and who he says we are, we always measure up… We never fall short… Because that sports team we didn’t make doesn’t define us, that load of laundry we didn’t have time to do doesn’t define us, that boy we dated but know we shouldn’t have doesn’t define us. Jesus defines us, and when he looks at us, he sees himself! Wow, we serve such a gracious God!  I think its so easy as a ladies to feel this constant burden to “do everything”, “keep everything up”, “be all he wants us to be” which leaves us exhausted and we completely forget that Jesus just wants us to “be”, be satisfied in him.

At this point you may be trying to come up with an excuse as to why this lifestyle isn’t for you? Or maybe you have been pursuing the Lord for a while now and have grown comfortable and honestly you are okay with that? Just give me a chance to guess some of the excuses you may have used before or are trying to use now:

There isn’t enough time?

I don’t have what she has?

I just cant?

Just to busy?

Where would I even start?

I am not fixable?

I’ve messed up to much?

I am scared?

How many books are even in the bible?

Majority of ladies are task oriented, we plan months out, we know who’s going where at what time before they even know it; but somehow we are always frantic for time and rest.  Life is FULL , I do not want to belittle that, BUT we have to be fully saturated in Christ or we will drown. We are like a dry sponge that hits a spot of water, we will try to “suck life” out of any area that seems to spare an inch. Which will not feed us, it will only satisfy a corner for a little while. We soon will dry out again, but if we are fully saturated in Christ we have no room to suck up anything of the world… only pour out Jesus.

Now you’re probably thinking who is this girl and why is she going on and on about being exhausted? Exodus 14:14 says, “The Lord HIMSELF will FIGHT for YOU, you need only to BE STILL.” So don’t GIVE UP because you’re spiritually, physically, and mentally exhausted it is time to GIVE IN to him. Stop fighting. You might be saying well I don’t even know where to start or yeah I am that girl that has gotten comfortable. Start with truly falling in love with Christ all over again or maybe even for the first time, seek him and he will do the rest. We spend so much time pondering the do’s and don’ts to Christianity that we miss out on the relationship that the Lord wants to have with us. When we choose Jesus he begins to make us more like him and mold us into these beautiful young ladies we’ve longed to be right before our very eyes. So my challenge to you is to fall in love with the creator of the universe all over again… Do you remember the very first time you encountered his presence? Did you know his presence could manifest in your life like that everyday? Falling in love with Jesus is the answer to any question that’s running through your head right now. It is simple, choose to fall in love with Jesus and he will sustain you. And when you choose to fall in love with Jesus everyday becoming a Proverbs 31 woman is POSSIBLE, being saturated in Christ is POSSIBLE, believing you have a purpose is POSSIBLE.

So frazzled one, fall in love with Jesus.

– Lynlee

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 1. What are some things keeping you from fully falling in love with Jesus? Write them down. Tear out the page. And rip it up.

2. Now write down what Jesus defines you as. Read the verses listed. Pray over them. And believe them.

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Lord, pick me!

Scripture References:

• Jeremiah 29: 11-13
• Esther 4: 14
• Psalms 139: 13-16
  

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This blog was created, truthfully, almost one year ago…and my first blog post was only two days ago. That’s a big difference in time, and I could tell you that I created the blog and then just forgot about it the next day, but that would be a lie. Every week I felt a need to write; even in college my professor asked me if I had a blog because I wrote as if I was having a conversation with a group of people- which in literature class is not a good thing might I add. It is kind of like saying, “Your writing is good but not good enough for literature.” …So my ego was bruised.

I have friends that will tell you how many times I would get aggravated because I didn’t know what to write or I felt like no one would take me seriously. From a young age I loved writing, but I hated to write book reports or essays for school. I felt like I was drowning in a pile of words that I didn’t believe in or I was forced to say. But anyone who knows me knows that I have a lot to say and I say it loudly…with strange accents.

Then two of my friends looked me IN THE EYE and asked me, “Do you think what you have to say is important? Does it point to what you believe in? Does is point back to Jesus? Or is it just a fad that will go away?” At first I wasn’t sure at all and then I began to questioned myself. “Can I even write well? Would I annoy people? I’m sure someone has already said what I have to say. No one would take me seriously. I’m just the funny girl who likes to make people laugh. Everyone would think I’m a joke. They’re going to think I’m just doing it because everyone does it.”

I was speaking death over the gifts that God had given me. I let the roots of doubt, worry, anxiety, and panic creep in to something beautiful God had designed JUST for me. A perfect gift that I was drowning because of fear.

Then I went to Italy. Everything changed. I realized I don’t have to worry about anything. God has my back. The Creator of the universe, He who hung the stars, and knows my inmost being. He gave me a gift and this gift has the power to change the world.
My friends and I just started a Move group called Unfiltered. We want it to be a group for girls to ask questions and dig deeper into their faith- to truly fall in love with Jesus. Because Jesus wants every piece of you, every facet of your being… the good, the bad, AND the ugly. We WANT you too! We want to do life with you, to grow with you, to be vulnerable with you, and we want to rejoice with you. We want our girls to be able to step away from the world of social media, Instagram filters, vscocam, and “140 characters or less” and truly become what the Lord intends them to be. Weird accents and all. So we named this group Unfiltered. So likewise, we named this blog Unfiltered.

I guess to sum up my ramblings: God gave YOU gifts. Whether that be acting, singing, writing, speaking, drawing, filming, or dancing. Fall in love with Jesus, dive into the Bible, learn to pray relentlessly, and make the most of what God has given you. The most powerful statement I have heard was when someone told me, “God gave everyone gifts and He equipped you with the power to use them, but if you just avoid it and push it away and drown your gift in fear He WILL find someone else to use that gift to glorify His great, glorious, gorgeous, wonderful, amazing name.”
So, embrace your gift.

Make a difference in the Kingdom: one word at a time, one speech at a time, one dance at a time, one film at a time.

“Go at once” and do it!

– Sydney

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Go journal about this:

1. What is your gift and how can you use it to glorify Jesus?

2. What is holding you back from pursuing the dreams that God has put into you?

3. Write down everything that YOU want to do. Off of that list, how much of points back to Jesus?

4. Journal your prayers. Uses the Scriptures given to help shape your prayers.

5. Show some love to one person this week that you wouldn’t normally speak to. Write down his or her name. Pray for them. Hang out with them. Text them. Something!