Tag: inspiration

About Life

Real Hope

by iamthelily3 Comments on Real Hope
Real Hope

Real hope comes as a result of truth spoken in love and shielded by faith.  It rides on the wings of anticipation, and it shifts atmospheres.  It can be seen in the eyes of a child or in the smiles of the old.  It is more delicate than a flower, but stronger than an army.  It is water to the soul and a lamp to the misguided.  It brings life wherever it goes. It’s the fuel of miracles and the foundation of dreams.  And, it is real.

The beauty of hope is that it cannot disappoint when it rides on the wings of anticipation.  Anticipation allows us to await eagerly what is to come.  It keeps offense from entering our hearts and minds as it sees every circumstance as an opportunity for a miracle.  It keeps our hearts humble and teachable all the while allowing us to enter into the thrill of the unknown.  It creates a pathway for creativity to spring forth and awaken our passions. Hope then takes those passions and sets them on fire.

Real hope has eyes to see past old ways of thinking and the ability to lock in with the truth.  It can see the gold in any situation no matter what appears to be on the outside, and it doesn’t get confused when the gold is being refined.  You see, the gold is sometimes buried so deeply inside of our circumstances that before it can come to the surface and grow, it needs to be cleaned.  Unfortunately, sometimes when the cleansing waters come, the dirt surrounding the gold turns to mud, and the gold looks even worse than it did before.  But, true hope knows and believes that the bleakness of the mud is a result of something beautiful that is being formed.  Real hope doesn’t get distracted by the ugliness of the outer appearance.  It doesn’t get overwhelmed or fearful that the gold will be stuck in mud forever.  It doesn’t give up and drop the gold back in the dirt.  Real hope has the ability to see that the gold is still there, and that these circumstances are only purifying the gold to bring about its true value regardless of its appearance.

Hope brings about the miraculous.  It is a forerunner for the impossible, and it heals the soul.  Give yourself permission to live in anticipation and rely on hope.  Allow yourself to awaken to new passions, to heal, and to come alive.  And if you get caught in some mud through the process, take the time to find the gold.  You won’t be disappointed.

Looking for Gold,

– The Lily

Proverbs 10:28

“The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.”

About Life

Lies + Truth = Lies

by iamthelilyLeave a Comment on Lies + Truth = Lies

I think that some of the most hurtful lies are not the ones that are blatant and outright, but they are the ones that are sprinkled with truth.  They are the zingers laced in sarcasm, the truth framed in fear, and/or the hope tied to negative expectations.  The most devastating part of these lies is that there is a nugget of truth to them; however, the way in which the truth is communicated sets people up for more pain and confusion than most blatant lies.  These types of lies are masked with a sense of care that appeal to the need of the human heart to be loved, but even though there are bits of truth they are drowned out in the package that they come in – a lie.

These lies not only influence the recipient, but they set the giver up for failure as well.  They produce a sense of genuine care and concern for the other person.  The lies take on the assumption that because there is a bit of truth, then the package in which they are coming in is wrapped in true love and concern for the recipient’s well-being.  Thus, both parties are left reeling in confusion all the while believing that every word and feeling behind the words are evidence of real truth and care.  But, that is not the case.

Real truth can only be given in love.  And, love always hopes, it never gives up, it always believes the best, it is never self-seeking, it doesn’t boast, and it is always given without strings attached.  To discern whether or not your truth is laced in lies, take a step back and evaluate the feelings behind what you are communicating.  Are you picking up old shields of self-protection?  Are you speaking truth to get something in return?  Are you believing the best?

Speaking the truth and loving well requires us to lay down those shields of self-protection.  It asks us to give our trust to Hope and allow Faith and Love to protect us and meet the needs within our hearts.  It requires strength beyond what is humanly possible.  And, it can only truly be done when you find your true Hope and Love from the One who created them.  It’s time to stop lying, to love fiercely, and to hope fervently.  It’s time to trust.

Taking A Risk,

– The Lily

Isaiah 26:3
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

 

 

About Identity

Finding Significance

by iamthelilyLeave a Comment on Finding Significance
Finding Significance

Life seems to be an endless scavenger hunt in the search for significance.  We look for clues everyday to tell us where our true significance lies.  We look for it in the expressions of the ones we love, in the numbers at the end of the day, in the smiles of content customers, in the giggles of children, in the praise of a boss, in the dreams of our future, and in the man in the mirror.  And yet, all of those glimpses of significance are only clues that will either lead us to true significance or send us on a never-ending wild goose chase.

I’ve done both, and I can tell you that the goose chase only leaves you empty inside.  The goose chase can bring you the highs that come with accolades from a great performance or with the approving gaze of a stranger.  These highs feel exhilarating, but the problem is that they are short-lived and addicting.  They actually condition us to seek out more attention and praise in order to get the next hit of euphoria, but what we don’t realize is that in our search for significance we actually give up our identity.  We become only as good as the next high-five or pat on the back.  The things we once loved seem to dim as they aren’t quite as appealing as they once were.  We need bigger and better words of praise, and our performance now feeds our significance thus causing us to miss out on the joy of who we are meant to be.  It is a vicious cycle with the allusion of importance, but in reality we are stripping ourselves of our very identity.

So, how do you avoid the endless goose chase?  Well, what I can tell you is that your true significance can only come from the God who created you.  He is the only one who can actually speak truth to you in a way that will cause your soul and spirit to awaken to who you really are created to be.  And, the only way to hear Him speak to you is to ask Him too.  It’s really that simple.  It most likely won’t be an audible voice, but the more you ask, the more you will start to see the truth of who you are meant to be – a man/woman of significance marked by LOVE.  And, the best part about this revelation is that it doesn’t have highs and lows.  It only has highs that get higher. PERIOD.  It doesn’t leave you in a funk always searching for the next bigger and better thing to tell you that you are worth something.  It has a finality to it that is eternal, and quite frankly it is the biggest and best thing that there is in this life.

Although this may be new, I challenge you to take a few minutes each day this week, and ask God to show you your significance.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.  You don’t even have to close your eyes.  Just ask Him, and listen to what He has to say.  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Asking and Listening,

– The Lily

Jeremiah 33:3

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

 

Uncategorized

Deciding to Stop Self-destructing

by iamthelilyLeave a Comment on Deciding to Stop Self-destructing

It’s easy to attempt to protect myself.  Life has thrown and will continue to throw plenty of opportunities for me to choose to pick up my handcrafted shields and attempt to protect myself from hurt.  Believe me, I have an assortment of shields for every occasion – rejection, fear, confusion, disappointment, loss, etc.  I’ve got them all, but let me tell you something.  They DON’T work.  Well I take that back, they work to keep me stifled, trapped in fear, discouraged, bitter, confused, etc.  They shield me from who I am created to be and from my creative potential to be confident and bold in the knowledge that I am free and loved.

In the past, I’ve held up those shields thinking they were working for me instead of against me.  I thought that by staying hidden, I was saving myself from being hurt by people.   I would awkwardly hide behind my outgoing husband, my job, other friends, and the list continues.  I wouldn’t allow myself to just be completely me.  Even with the people closest to me, I would pick up my shields and attempt to make everyone happy, but I paid a price…me.  I missed out on the opportunity to see my value.  I missed out on the opportunity to not only enjoy being me but to LOVE it.

So, what did I do?  I took someone else’s armor and shield.  It’s true.  I shamelessly decided that mine weren’t working out very well, and I traded them.  My new shield is called Faith.  It has been forged through fire, and it cannot be destroyed.  It does not cause me to cower and hide in fear.   It doesn’t buckle under pressure, and it doesn’t melt in the face of lies.  And the best part is that it not only protects me, but it empowers me to see my true value.  And as a result, I’m becoming stronger everyday.   It is bringing me into freedom.

I found my shield from the One with the Eyes of Love.  I didn’t realize how many gifts He has for me.  I had no idea how good He is, nor did I understand that He desires to love and protect me.  He wants me to walk in joy every day.  Before, I assumed that He was sending messages about how He thought of me through the pain of my circumstances.  But, I was so wrong.  I’m on HIS side, and He WANTS to protect me.  And, guess what…I’m going to let Him.

With My Shield,

– The Lily

Ephesians 6:16
“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one”
Uncategorized

Trading My Crown of Pity

by iamthelilyLeave a Comment on Trading My Crown of Pity

I’ve lived most of my life subconsciously thinking that the greatest act of glory I could bring myself was by proudly adorning my head with a crown of pity bejeweled with stones of false humility.  I walked around with my face downcast displaying the hardships of my life in a way that would hopefully cause others to notice the strength of my identity as I had faced more trials and pain than many would in a lifetime.  My tears and downtrodden countenance were a permanent tattoo for the world to see that my life had been marked in pain, and yet I was strong.  I believed there was a depth to me that was unparalleled because of the internal pain I suffered.  And the more pain I felt, the bigger my crown became and the larger my jewels.  I would never shout from a megaphone that I wanted the sympathy and empathy of others, but that is how I lived my life without saying a word.  And, what did I realize?

It is 100% a load of crap.  WHAT?!?!?!

Yes, it’s true.  The best way I can describe it is that I was living in a pile of dung thinking I was at a day spa.  I would rub the feces all over myself imagining that the warmth was comforting.  The wind would blow causing the stench to be drowned out by the smell of flowers down the field, and I would get lost in my pile of dung.  Those scents of floral ecstasy were the feelings of sentiment expressed by the ones I loved who would reach down grab a handful of dung and rub my back with it.  And, then there were the times where the wind would stop, and I would get a glimpse of reality.  Those were the times when the pain would become overwhelming and try to swallow me whole.  The highs and lows of my emotions were extreme, and they were controlling my life until recently.

I don’t have a magic formula for how to get out of a dung spa.  And, I wasn’t the one who got myself out of it.  There was a moment recently where while I was sitting in my pile of dung, I could see there were at least 5 more truck loads of feces backing up to add to my pile.  And, there was also a crown of pity at least 100x larger than the one I was wearing that was waiting for me if I chose to take it.  But for the first time in my life I had a moment of divine clarity in which I could see my mess for what it was, and I looked up and I saw the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.  I saw the Eyes of Love, and as I got lost in His eyes, His hand reached down, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of my mess.

When I stood before Him, the stench of my self-pity vanished.  He took my crown and tossed it to the side.  It had lost all of its previous glory and beauty.  In His presence, it looked dingy, tarnished, and cheap.  And, then I watched as He pulled from behind His back the most beautiful and simple crown I have ever seen.  It was the most delicate floral masterpiece covered in diamonds and reflecting the light of His eyes in a thousand directions.  He placed it on my head, and I began to spin.  As I twirled, I watched the light catch and send dancing sparkles in a thousand directions.  He put a smile on my face and love in my eyes where there had been pain and disappointment.  He gave me true beauty, and I will never be the same.

You won’t find me back in my old favorite spots because I’ve seen the truth.   You will never see me searching for that old crown because my life is now radiant, and I wear a crown of joy.  It’s not bejeweled with false humility but with hope.  And, I’ll keep spinning for as long as it takes for the world to catch the sparkles and trade their crowns for truth.  It’s only the beginning.

– The Lily

John 10:10

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”