In the beginning. Fight for hope. Brave the stay. Even if not. Why I Sabbath.
Three little words, each hinting at a bigger story.
I’ve looked it up, the verse that introduces the entire Bible. I’ve clicked and searched and read and every version I look at, every single one, starts out the same way:
In the beginning.
Three little words that began a story read more than any other, one that has changed more lives that we’ll ever know on this side of heaven. I can’t help but wonder, though, what stories would spill out with other sets of three.
Last year was my first time joining the Write31Days challenge and my topic was Every Story Matters.
I believe it so fiercely. I am 100% convinced that the story of your days holds value. Your days have weight, no matter what page you find yourself on as you read these words. Our history is really His Story and there we are, circling right back around to In The Beginning.
Every day in October, I’ll begin with a title of three words – and only three words – and we’ll see what spills out. I think He’s got more to say, and just maybe it all begins with three little words.
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Three Little Words
Intro & Day One :: Congrats, you just read this post because it’s written above.
My Daily Bread :: I show up and God shows off. And in all of it, in every question and tear-filled look at my color-coded budget spreadsheet, in the doubts and fears and “have I made a mistake here?” moments… in all of it… I am finding that He is my daily bread. Always enough, sustaining and never lacking.
Grow In Grace :: What if all these things that we add to our plates, what if all the to-dos and expectations we pile on, were let go in grace so we could stop while the mess is still there and the rooms of our lives aren’t all in perfect order — and we could pile on grace, adding grace to the to-do list and erasing the rest?
Why I Sabbath :: Choosing Sabbath has changed everything. On the weeks when the list of all the things is long, when the weekend arrives and I have no time to slow down and rest in His presence, I know I need Sabbath even more.
It Is Well :: In every season, it is well. But sometimes, honestly? Those three little words are awfully hard to say. But then I remember. Then I hear the tune. And all at once, those three little words? They’re true.
Wear Love Everywhere :: I am obsessed with it. Write it on my wrist, please put it on my tombstone, obsessed with it. I’m so not a fan of “life verses” but here I go, telling you this one is mine.
Girl Meets Change :: Situations change but God remains the same. He is still God. He is still good. Nothing about our circumstances changes the faithfulness and goodness of our friend Jesus. On the days I get all worried about what might or might not be coming, I have to slow myself down and remember that I may not know what tomorrow will hold, but I know the One who holds my tomorrow.
He Still Is :: When everything crashed around me, I ran hard and fast to God and He proved to be everything I ever needed and everything I didn’t even know I needed.
In The Beginning :: Our history is His Story and I think He has more to say to you and to me, through you and through me. He started with “in the beginning” but He is so far from done.
Cast My Cares :: He is your anchor when the waters are high and deep and the storm isn’t just raging overhead but also inside. He is enough when the wallet is empty, the conversations stretched thin, your eyes weary from working dawn to dusk. He holds the world in His hands and that includes me and you and every worry we’ve got piled high. He holds all of it and says “I’ve got it.”
Every Story Matters :: The story of your life is yours alone and if you don’t live it, no one else will. But it’s really not about us. It isn’t about me, it isn’t about you, it isn’t about what chapter we’re in or how “big” our stories are. When we lay hold of the truth that every story matters, we’ll begin to see and believe that our story is included in the “every” story. And then we’ll have to realize that we haven’t done the writing, but it is our job to do the story-telling.
Set the Table :: We invite and we set the table and then we enjoy one another’s company. We dish out understanding and serve truth in love. We are honest and we are real. We ask for seconds. We linger at the table long after the meal is over, because at the core of it we aren’t just showing up for the meal.
The Beautiful Truth :: The truth about beautiful is that you are so much more than your thigh gap (or lack thereof). Beauty will drive an hour simply to sit with you on a bad day. Inner beauty sings along to the radio, smiles at strangers, and picks up the straw wrapper that fell onto the concrete.
Choosing the Living :: We can live in the memories later, but we need to live in the moment first. I don’t want to be so concernned about posing and lighting and angles that I miss the moment.
Brave the Stay :: More and more I’m convinced that bravery looks like one million small moments of simply showing up. It might mean packing up and going, but sometimes brave means choosing to stay.
Thicker Than Water :: Blood is thicker than water and when you discover no one is going anywhere, you might just find that if you’re going to pick up the hammer and nails again, the only thing you’re interested in building is a bridge straight to community.
Strength Will Rise :: God will be enough for every worry on our shoulders. He will lift us up when we fall and in His strength, we will rise again.
Planted in Faith :: It is not your responsibility to bring beauty from ashes or life from death. God is in charge of the growing. Don’t give up in doubt what you have planted in faith.
Even If Not :: If we believe that God could come through, and He can, and if we believe that He hears are prayers and knows our hearts, and He does, will we trust Him if His answer doesn’t look like ours and instead of saving the day, His plan is to draw us closer to Him in the midst of it all? If we trust that God can save us, will we say He is still God and still good even if He does not?
Fight for Hope :: There are a lot of reasons to fight right about now. You could fight injustice or fight for the last word. You can choose to fight until they say you were right or you can fight for your rights. But this is what I’ve chosen to fight for every day: hope.
Share Your Voice :: You have a voice. We need what you have to offer because only you can share it with the world. Your voice may be quiet but it’s yours and therefore it’s the only one this world has.
Permission to Grieve :: You have permission to grieve what has been and what feels a little bit lost, but you are not lost. You are right where He has placed you for such a time as this. Walk on. Lift your chin and fix your eyes. This is your remaking. You don’t have to explain it all, you don’t have to have any answers, and you don’t have to hold it together.
Run Your Race :: Whatever race you’re in right now, whether you’re limping or on the sidelines, doubled-over in pain or not even sure if you want to run at all, look up, keep going, fix your eyes.
The Good Life :: God is bigger and I don’t want to live in a passive state of waiting. I want to live in a chronic state of ‘this is the good life.’
You Are More :: You have worth. You have value. You are strong and your story is a treasure. No matter the broken places, the cracked spaces, the hurts and the tears and the fears, you are more than all of it. Believe it in the light and tell it to yourself in the dark. You are a new creation, made whole, holy and blameless in the eyes of He who is not concerned about a to-do list, your GPA, or how many likes you got on Facebook.
Holy, Holy, Holy :: All of creation is singing a song and we have the joy and the privilege of joining in.
The Water Source :: Sometimes God looks like a clear water bottle in the middle of Haiti. {My favorite story from my time in Haiti}
All the Books :: Giving away books sounded like fun… but giving away 10 books sounded even better.
Just Show Up :: Your people don’t need fancy, they need you. Just show up. Your presence – whether in person, on the phone, or in a personal email – is a gift greater than you know.
Walk in Wisdom :: Maybe it’s a lot less about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel than it is trusting the sun will rise and the Son is Light. Maybe it is simply saying that no matter what tomorrow holds, we know the One who holds our tomorrows, and so while all may not be whole, all is still well. We are but a mist, and so often it seems we live in a mist, but in the midst of our mist may we walk in wisdom and live in love.
Dare to Move :: When God tells you to move, move. When He shows you the path, walk. You might stumble, you may fall here or there, and you might be unsure. But when you trust the hand of the One writing your story, that ultimately means saying “yes” and following His lead.
