Overwhelmed

I love the rain. I love my church. I love my brothers. God has been so good to me and I am overwhelmed. There is so much overflowing from my heart and I want to share it all.

In The War of Art, Pressfield talks about honing our skills so that we are ready to communicate those precious moments of inspiration. I wish that I would have spent more time writing in the past so that I could communicate more clearly now. I don't feel very honed yet, but I don’t want to forget any of the things that I learned tonight and I certainly feel inspired. I will attempt to express some of this excitement (I suppose this is the honing process).

I think the first, and maybe the greatest, revelation that I experienced tonight was a reminder of the power of camaraderie. When you are surrounded by fellow believers who are working towards the same goals that you are, there is inevitable encouragement, conviction, hope and joy. My small group met tonight and I was so blessed by the interaction of my brothers. It stirred me and recharged me and provoked me to action in some areas where I have been resistant to obey.

The man who led tonight prepared a simple devotional that ended with some great questions that helped engage our hearts with the truths in scripture. I was so blessed by his willingness and commitment to engage God’s word and his effort to make it personal for all of us.

I was also blessed as each man was willing to share and be open and honest about real struggles in their lives. The honesty of my brothers really encouraged me and reminded me that we are all in this together. We may have different specific struggles, but we all have struggles, and we don’t have to deal with them alone. We all need to be encouraged and maybe poked a little at times to keep us moving in the right direction.

The last question our leader asked was concerning the ways that God has blessed us. It was a joy to hear each man share about the things that God has done in his life and how God has revealed His love to each one of us. I was reminded of the stark contrast between my life before God got a hold of me and now, and how much I am able to experience His love and grace today. I have so much to thank God for!

I praise God that I am loved. I am accepted and enjoyed. Not only are these things true for me, I have experienced them in real ways. I have an amazing family surrounding me. I have faithful leaders directing me and encouraging me. I have an awesome sister who is steadfast and so loving and encouraging. My friends are amazing. My church is more than I could have ever asked for. I have a great job. God continues to provide amazing opportunities for me. God is SO good! I can't wait to see what He does next.