I forget stuff all the time. I forget where I sat my coffee cup down in the morning. I forget what day it is most days, and I always forget to grab the one thing at the grocery store I needed most. I do this even when I have a grocery list on my smart phone. Sigh.
Sometimes, in the middle of my most fresh-out-of-amazing moments I forget that God is never out of amazing. He isn’t stressed or forgetful. And he certainly doesn’t need a smart phone to remember milk. But, in the middle of my most difficult days I even forget that. I’m finding I need to purposefully look for God’s amazing(ness) in my less than moments.
- Press pause (even if for only 5 minutes): You could describe my life in one word—Busy. Add “taxi driver” to that and you get an idea of where I spend most of my daylight hours and a good bit of my nighttime hours. My busy can’t be quit. Yours probably can’t be either as a whole. But I’m finding if I want to transfer God’s amazing(ness) into my busy life I need to pause and invite him into those moments. I need to think about him. I need to breathe in and out. Do you have to remind yourself of that too? Sometimes I dream of a whole day in bed (okay I dream of that a lot) but my reality is different. But, I can take small breaks here and there. I don’t have to believe the lie that my breathers need to be hours. Sometime just taking 5 minutes to close my eyes, drink a cup of tea in the afternoon, or read an encouraging word can reset my heart to the beat of my Amazing Savior. Sometimes I find those minutes in my van parked in my driveway before I walk into the house. Those minutes add up. Take a few today.
- Live Loved: Girls, we get beat up and beat down every day. Sometimes it is by our own thoughts. Much of the time we feel fresh out of amazing because we are busy looking sideways at our sisters and we miss God’s amazingness all around us.
“The curse of comparison is fueled by our insecurity and our fear that we will never measure up to others. When we live rooted in the knowledge that we are loved unconditionally, the Bible tells us, our fear is driven away. The Message puts this truth in the most beautiful and heart-resonating way:
“God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgement Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life— fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love (1 John 4:17-18 msg).” (Fresh Out of Amazing, p 62)
Start believing you are a girl radically loved and watch how God’s amazing(ness) comes alive all around you.
3. Tell Jesus About It: I know on my most fresh-out-of-amazing days I’m really good at sending a message to a friend to tell her how I’m doing. I’m also really good at stomping around my kitchen and letting my family know my world is not okay. This jut makes me feel worse. Doesn’t it make you feel worse when you simply complain and whine but you don’t really tell anyone who can truly help you at a heart level? One of the best ways to be in a place to see God in all of his amazing(ness) is to pour out all that is in your heart to Him in the first place. Prayer doesn’t necessarily change my circumstances right away, but it does begin the process of changing me. If you are struggling to get the words out of your heart, I have written 5 prayers for when you are fresh out of amazing. I’d love to send them to you. See, I get it I really do. You can borrow my words if it helps. Click here to sign up for free.
4. Memorize Scripture: Get a verse in your heart – stick with it until it lives and breathes in your life without even a thought. Don’t just memorize words, let it become part of your life. I have to admit, I go through spurts where I’m really aware of committing God’s Word to memory. Other times I’m better at forgetting it. (See the opening paragraph and you’ll notice a trend.) But the truth is I need it in my heart and on my lips. I need God’s Word ready for my fresh-out-of-amazing times.
Lately, I’ve let myself focus on 1 verse for a really long time. I used to try to memorize a verse a week. Now, I know that if I really want a verse to dig deep and reveal the amazingness of the God who wrote it, I need it to be my focus for weeks, months, maybe even a year. Last year my verse was Romans 15:13. This year Hebrews 12:1-3 has risen up. Oh, and don’t get me started on Romans 5:3-5. These are markers in my life, and the richness they bring out in my days has given me so much hope. So, maybe you can grab one verse for the rest of the year. Make it your BFF and don’t let it go until it is part of the fabric of your days. Don’t be one bit surprised if THAT verse begins to pop up everywhere you go. God’s Word is amazing. It is living and active. But of course you probably know that already.
5. Worship: When you are fresh out of amazing one of the last things you might be thinking of doing is worshiping God. But you know what I’ve learned recently? It is actually one of the best ways to start. It also draws the heart of your Father towards you in the most amazing way. If you don’t believe me look at 2 Chronicles 2:20-21 for the story.
Consider this today:
“Our worship is like a battle cry for the Beloved to move on your behalf—and he delights in doing so. Are you encouraged by that truth today? So know that your worship is both calling on the Lord to move and act on your behalf, and reminding people around you who is on their side. Our worship is a powerful testimony to others when they see us choose worship over worry. This choice to declare praise instead of our problems also helps those around us to renew their commitment to God.” Fresh Out of Amazing, p.170.
Do you know what each of these 5 things does? It shifts our focus. It takes our eyes off of ourselves and gives us a chance to consider Jesus. When we do that, we can’t help but see Him in all His amazingness. And our hearts are lifted. I know this is not easy to do, especially when your fresh-out-of-amazing days string together like the silly bands on my seven year olds wrists today. But the invitation for us to see God big is ever present.
You can be sure He lingers with us even when we are broken and fresh out of amazing.
Because that is what He does.
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