SHE - who is SHE anyway? "That's not me" you might say! "I didn't say yes to ANYTHING yet!" Well, maybe - maybe not. But slow down - don't write me off.
You see, I am not talking about the 'squeaky-clean', 'afraid to risk', 'won't get her hands dirty' kinda woman. Why do you think God made fake nails anyway? He knew us female fight the good fight club gritty girls would be breakin' them all the time anyway!
At the same time, I am not talking about the self-centered, the Tik Tok Drama Mama, or the Bridezilla either. I am talking about the woman who has a mind and heart for genuinely good, gracious, unpretentious, and generous living - but is willing to FIGHT for that kinda living. Women who say yes to peace, and no to drama...yes to bringing heaven to earth, and no to creating hell on earth. Know what I mean?
Is this 'YES to Life' woman starting to sound maybe a little like you? If you're still holdin' out and that doesn't sound like you just yet, but it's at least it's who you ASPIRE to be on your better days, then hang with me.
Now, if you're the curious type and you wanna know who am I to be inviting you on this 5-day SHE Series - or what my credentials are, I am gonna dodge that bullet for a moment and do a little 'blame-throw' on God.
In the book of Deuteronomy (going Old School, Old Testament on you for a few), God has some things to say to His people, that I am using as a basis for today's post. So if you don't like it, well, I suppose you and God may want to have a talk. (crickets)
Okay - here we go:
“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life." - Deuteronomy 30:15-20
So - don't shoot the messenger, but one of the first things I am gonna touch on is one of the last things He said - which contains one of our least favorite words - obey. Obeying God, specifically. Now, for those of you who may not have read the Bible or don't know God that well, I am gonna give you a pass on that - at least for the duration of this post lol.
But - let me give you a little relief by going New Testament on you with Jesus. Jesus, agreeing with God - His Father, yet - simplifying things GREATLY for us all, sums up all the Old Testament law and prophets (this includes the 10 commandments by the way), and He says (paraphrasing here), Love God with all your heart, mind and soul - and oh yeah, love your neighbor as you love yourself.
If you're at all like me, it seems as though that summary would have been good when the 10 commandments were issued. In essence, if you are living a life motivated by genuine, unadulterated and selfless love for God, yourself, and others - that pretty much takes care of you. So for those of you that struggle with God or church or Christians, hopefully, that'll let your guard down a little. Who wouldn't want to say YES to love? Now, I'm gonna ignore the fact that Jesus tells us to love our enemies at this time, and save that for later. Well, let's get back to God and choosing life and 'all that' - look at all the benefits of choosing life - His words: prosperity (He said it, not me), multiplication, blessing of your land, you and your kids and grandkids will LIVE - a good, long life. I don't know about you, but to me, that sounds pretty straightforward - sounds like a life of flourishing if you ask me. Isn't that what we all want? Isn't that what we often fear we won't have? And yet, doesn't 'that life' feel somewhat elusive? Well, let me tell you - the power is not in our expectations my friends - the power is in our choosing.
God is not in the business of blessing our expectations - He IS in the business of blessing choices. Specifically, choices that bring life. And I think we can all handle that, YES?
Just so you know, I am not expecting one little blog post to get us all on the same page. It can take years for that. Which I believe Jesus had in mind when he prayed that we would all be unified. But what I do hope, is that some of these words, or perhaps just one thought from this read, will stick. That you will find it in your heart, to say YES to life. Life inside yourself. Life with God. Life with friends, family, strangers, and YES, even your enemies.
Over these next 5 days, I will touch on choices that we all have the power to make, every hour, of every day.
I hope you can all make the journey with us - and become the SHE God has destined you to be. Just say YES.
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PS - Feel free to leave a comment in our comment section. I look forward to connecting with you!