A Legacy for My Daughter.

 

I have been reading through a study which has been wrecking my life. I feel like if you talked with me on a regular basis you would probably tell me I say that about every book I read. Well honestly, in the past 6 or so months, it has been totally true. 
I feel like the Lord has just been speaking into my life from every direction through every book I have been reading, and it has been just incredible months of growth. Of seeing myself clearly, of seeing aspects of Him that I hadn't personally experienced even if I knew of them. 


While doing one of the latest one, we were given a question which I felt I just had so much to say, that I wanted to share some thoughts on here.
We were discussing insecurities, how to battle them and what kind of effect they have on others, specifically how we impact future generations. We were asked to share what kind of a legacy we would like to leave to women who come behind us. 
Oh friends, this topic stirs my heart like something else. I can't even describe. 
Maybe some day the Lord will give me a daughter to give this to. 



Sweet Girl,

I can even begin to explain how fast you are growing up, I'm sure you hear that so much from people older than you. But oh how I see how true it is, this world causes us to grow up so fast, to lose that child-like innocence so quickly. But with each passing day I pray that you are becoming as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. 

I have so many things I wish I could share with you. So many tears in your life I wish I could wipe away by sharing my short twenty-some limited years of wisdom through my own bad decisions and experiences that I pray you never have to walk through. 

I wish I could protect you sweet girl from a lot of things in this world, to wrap you up in my arms and tell you everything is really going to be ok even when you feel your entire world is crashing down and that no-one cares about you. Those moments when you feel as though life won't go on because of the loss of a friendship, or something that happened at school or a move in your life. You will be ok, Baby. 

Sweet one, it is so far from true that no-one cares about you! I pray that is a truth you really grasp at a young age, that you are never alone and that you are so loved by a Father who chose you to be in His family. He sees everything there is to know about you and still chooses your pretty little face. He wipes away all those smudges you have made and will continue to make as you figure out how to live life here on earth. All of us make mistakes sweetheart. 

If there's something I pray for you, it is this. I pray that you would be so completely head over heels in love with Jesus. Because girl, if you truly grasp that, you are further ahead than so many of those walking ahead of you. There is nothing He isn't capable of redeeming in your life. Those little things which seem so huge right now, those comments from those girls at school, those clothes or things that everyone has that you don't have, they aren't as big as you think they are. There will come a day after high school that you will wish you had spent more time on things that were of worth. Because there is nothing worse than seeing an adult still trying to live in junior high. And someday you will see just how silly it really is. 

I pray that you will be so encouraged and sure of your worth and value in the Lord, that you are a light to your generation. A one-in-a-million girl who is capable of doing big things for Jesus. A girl who others want to be around because of your joy and Christ-like spirit. I pray that you will be able to bring out the best in those around you and really love others for who they are. I pray that you will be the first to want to serve those around you, that you would be known for your love. I pray that you would shine radiantly because of your inner beauty and that will make you seem different baby. But that's really ok.  

Sweetheart, I know there will be things in your past that seem so huge that you question whether you will ever get past them. Baby, you will. With the help of our precious Jesus, you will! 
He will never leave you hanging girl, He is there for you whenever you cry out for Him. And know that He is in the business of redeeming your past. What was intended for evil can be used for such good! There are so many women who can testify to this truth. All of us are in need of His grace, none of us is perfect. Please don't ever forget that truth. Your mistakes and secrets are no bigger than anyone elses, even if you feel they are. 

Girl, I pray that you would know that God is ultimately in control of your life. And He won't let you down! Even when things feel like they are going far differently from the plan you set for your life when you graduate high school and start navigating life on your own, He is still in control. Thank Him for that, because we would make such a mess of it on our own. And often do when we try to do it our own way.

Every tear you shed, every broken heart you have to endure, He sees it all baby. And He will carry you through. I pray that you would know how precious you are to our Father. And that you know that every bad circumstance you have walked through, the pain inflicted through your choices or even through others, every unmet expectation you may have for yourself or for those around you, and every disappointment you have to experience in your life...I pray that you would throw yourself into the open arms of Jesus. He will use them to draw you to Him, and sweet girl there is no better picture of redemption than that. 

I love you so much! And I pray that you grow up to leave a better legacy that the broken one our culture has given to you. Remember that your value and security can only be found in our Father who gave you your identity in the first place. Never let anyone take it from you, and remember they can't without your permission. 


With all my love. 

[Letters on the Power of Words: Part I] Being an Encouragement.

Dear Younger Version of Myself,

I feel the need to share with you things I wish you knew already....things that I had hoped wouldn't take you so long to learn. 

Things that even at an older age, you feel you havn't grasped well-enough & can't learn fast enough.

I decided to organise my thoughts into a little mini-series of letters as there was too much content for one letter....

'Did you know that, on average, each of us speaks about twenty-five thousand words daily?' 

~ C.J. Mahaney, Humility

That is quite an interesting, thought-provoking quote. The Lord has been drawing my attention lately to how important my words are. He has really been working in my heart showing me how my words are capable of doing so much good when I encourage. But equally so harmful when I use them carelessly.

As you can probably tell from the quote, I have been reading through the book Humility by C.J.Mahaney again. I read it once before quite a while ago, however I picked it up again recently and since have read it another three times. There is just so much to take in, anyone else do that with good books?

One of his chapters is all about the power of words, conversation skills....whether our speech is really in line with God's intended purpose for it or reflecting pride within ourselves.

I have found this super challenging! I've been really thinking about how my words affect those around me.

You know that old English Nursery Rhyme you've known since you were little, L:

'Sticks and stones
May break my bones
But words will never hurt me.''

 

 Whoever wrote that phrase....totally got it wrong.

Because words totally hurt. They damage.

Some of the worst hurts in life so far have been the unkind words of another person.

'The tongue has the power of life and death,
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.' 

{Proverbs 18:21}

'Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear..'

{Ephesians 4:29}  

Isn't that challenging!!! 'Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth'

....no specific time and place mentioned. 

It doesn't say except when people frustrate you....

or except when the person you are talking about is not around! 

The Lord has been nudging me to really be careful with my words even in these situations.

Even when I am frustrated.

If I am talking with a friend about someone else (when an offense has happened),

 I have begun to ask myself how I would feel if that person could hear what I am saying.

Tearing someone down, even when they aren't there is far from edifying (encouraging)...

it shows my heart toward them is far from loving and could even taint my friend's opinion of the person. 

 

The Lord has just graciously been showing me that negative speech, which is so easy for all of us, is not in line with Ephesians 4:29. 

It is not edifying to the friend listening either to tear another person down.

This does not mean that the only words to ever come out of your mouth will be always polite or flattery. But also truth. 

I am learning you can talk truth without tearing someone down.

It requires a lot of heart checks and grace dispensing. 

(See later letter for further thoughts on this topic.)

 

As I drove to meet a dear friend last week for a lunch date

 (you havn't yet met this precious girl, L). 

I started to pray that the Lord would use me in our conversation. 

That He would show me what He longed for me to say or how to respond while talking. 

There was no previous conflict or anything.

 I just prayed that He would use that conversation to edify her and encourage her in her walk with Him. 

I have been learning to seek wisdom from the Lord in conversations on what the other person needs to hear.

 Do they need to be encouraged? 

Do they need me to just listen? (a skill I am desperately trying to be better at)  

Do they need to be helped practically? 

How would I best be able to do that? 

Do they need to be reminded of forgiveness?

I am still a novice at this. But I am so thankful the Lord has been teaching me how to be encouraging.

I have no idea if I was an encouragement in that situation with my precious friend over lunch. 

But I hope I allowed the Lord to work in some way.

Being an encouragement is something so close to my heart.

I long to encourage you with my words here also. 

My prayer for you is that these words would do just that.

Much Love,

L

P.S. Letter to come on venting next....

 

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