Good Girls do.
Good Girls work hard.
Good Girls like verses in the Bible about doing and working hard.
Do you want to know, my Good Girl verse? My life verse? The one that I have found my Word for the Year for the past 3 years running?
Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
I’ve decide that this must be the ultimate Good Girl verse. I smiled when I saw Emily chose to highlight it in part 2 of the book. And then, I saw one word I had completely missed. It only has 3 letters, so it was easy to overlook it. The other words in this verse are so much more exciting.
I can do dwell.
I can do teach.
I can do admonish.
I can do sing.
But I can’t do this one tiny thing. I can’t let. Let. Let. Let. This one tiny word is now seared into my mind.
Let means to receive. Let means to remain. And to let means to trust. I am seeing over and over again through this book, that this is where my Good Girl breaks down. The invitation is clear.
Therefore, come now. The dreaded words of sacrifice. The bridge between how things were and how they will be. The call to move beyond perceived control into a cautious, holy trust. p. 145
Honestly, this makes me shake in my shoes. I see who I want to be. It looks a lot like that sweet yellow bird on the front of Emily’s book. I see who I am, a worn out Good Girl who is on a collision course of self-destruction. And the bridge from my current reality, to the women I want to be is a tiny 3 letter word called, let.
But guess who is standing on the other side, cheering me on?
The One who is the very Word of God. The One who already Dwells within me. The One who I have been pouring out my Thanksgiving to for a year and half of Mondays.
He doesn’t sit at your table feeble and frail, waiting for you to feed him by reading your Bible and praying. He stands strong at the head, graciously filling your plate with all that he is. He lavishes us with a godly inheritance. The riches of the fruit if His Spirit available to us in abundant supply. p. 150
I love Emily’s word picture – He stands strong. He graciously fills my plate. He lavishes. He. He. He. Let. Let. Let. And He is saying to my heart, Therefore, come now.
And truthfully, I realize that He isn’t only waiting on the other side for me. He is with me. He is behind me. He is ahead of me. My letting has more to do with Him, than it does me. I think, somewhere along the way, as my self got bigger, I made Him a little smaller and I forgot who He is.
What you believe about God and yourself becomes your hiding place. p . 166
I’ve been hiding in the wrong place.
I’m found.
And I’m ready, I think, to let.
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I’d love to know, if you are reading along with me, what word or words stood out in part 2 of Grace for Good Girl for you? Do you have every page dog-eared like me? Tell me, what God is speaking to you heart. Tell me, I am not the only one in a puddle on the floor!
{Next Tuesday, we will chat about part 3. I can’t wait!}
Did you miss part 1? You can read it here.
I can’t wait to get my hands on this book. Orderded it last week. I am coming to a point in my life where I am completly broken. Our marriage is in shambles. Not because of one thing, but of many things that have just piled on top of another and we built walls to protect us. I had prayed so long for our marriage of seven years to somehow be transformed. And I am certain that in order for God to change that marriage He had to completly demolish everything. Everything we did to protect ourselves, everything we thought we were. I have been humbled in the last few weeks. I realize that I have this need to feel in control. And when I feel out of control I struggle to regain some control, any, and sometimes at any cost. My words, they damage. And in my need for control I lose more. This need to feel good enough, stems from my past. Feeling the need to impress, fear of failing my parents. This fear it binds me, and in turn makes me crave some kind of control. And when I don’t feel I have control, I fake. Fake good. I fake, and make everyone think I have it all together, I have it all under control. Feeling like I am lost to myself. I am at the end of me. I need to let go. Let go of this fear that binds me. Let go, and let God. Let God take control. Because aren’t His ways for me good. All His ways are for my good to His glory. This grace. It’s an every day struggle for me. Receiving, letting Him take control.
Oh Ashley your words here are so transparent, “This fear it binds me, and in turn makes me crave some kind of control.” I am right here with you, in unchartered territory. I have no idea how this will all work out in my life. And that, for a Good Girl who likes to be in control, is one scary place to be.
I love that Emily says in her book “Fear drives, but love leads.” Praying right now, that Love leading you will be clear and God will do a work in your life that can only be because of His grace.
I truly appreciate you sharing your heart!
Ahh. The word “let.” It’s so freeing, isn’t it?! Let His Word dwell in us. Let this mind be in us. Receive. Be. Let. So beautiful.
Freeing like jumping off the high dive! But, yes, it is beautiful! Now let is going to JUMP off the page each time I read it!
Beautiful post Stacey. Our small group has been discussion how to you actually put action behind “surrender” and I think your little three letter word sums it up very nicely. We just need to “let” God in and be who He is in our lives: Lord, Savior, Helper, Friend, Refuge, Sanctuary.