“It Marked My Heart”

Awhile back I read a book to my children by Max Lucado, titled “You are Special”.  The story is sweet and talks about how life, and what people say to us and about us, can put “marks” on us…how the Maker wants to remove those marks so that we can live as we were created to live.

It reminded me of a little girl I knew…

They were dropping her older brother off at summer camp…her parents were helping him get settled in.  She was 8 years old, slightly chubby with short brown hair.  She was sitting on a swing and noticed a beautiful petite blonde girl on the swing next to
her.  One of the camp counselors was walking towards them, he smiled at the blonde girl, told her his name and asked her if she’d like him to push her on the swing…he never acknowledged the first little girl…she remembers feeling invisible at that moment, and somehow, defective…

… it made a mark on her heart…

As the years went by, she was surrounded by friends…she was the “funny one” who kept people laughing.  She always battled her weight…she watched her “skinny friends” begin to date…she would listen to their stories, smile and be interested and even give advice…

…but it made a mark on her heart…

She had a great family…none of the searing childhood traumas that so many young girls have endured.  Yet, there was always this underlying sense of “defective” written on her heart…

She had many “guy friends”…they considered her “safe”.  She was the one they could talk to.  She was the one that they would ask advice from about the “pretty girls” that they liked.  One time, her best friend’s boyfriend asked if she would go with them on their date, because she was “so funny”!

…it made a mark on her heart…

She remembers a time that a guy friend of hers, grabbed her and said, “I have to show you my new fiance!  She is so hot!  She is beautiful!”  He led her to a group and pointed out his
prize…

…it made a mark on her heart…

She was on a Mission Trip to Mexico…On the team was a young man who all the girls found completely “dreamy”.  She and he became friends…once again she was the “safe” girl…Once in Mexico, this young guy got a severe case of…well, you know, of the thing you
get when you go to Mexico and drink the water! She will never forget what he said to her as they were getting in the van to head to their next ministry stop…”Hey, can I lay in your lap?  You are the only girl on the team that doesn’t turn me on.”

…it made a mark on her heart…

There were many other little incidents…words said…things implied that subtly marked her heart…

BUT, she knew so many women who had endured so much more…she tucked those things away as unimportant…she just needed to be thankful for all she had…

Years later, married, those marks ignored and buried, (but still there), she was watching TV with her husband and some beautiful model flashed up on the screen. She said to
him, jokingly, “I feel like I am not even the same species as she is…”  And when she said it out loud…it occurred to her that that was not a joke, that is what her heart had come to believe about herself.

So why even share this little story?  A couple of verses jump to the top of my heart…

The first one is 1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

We have an enemy…and he is not limited to the horrific, and the traumatic schemes we often look at, to “take us out”!  Just as often, he subtly plants his lies, through a lifetime to tangle us up…

Often when the “marks” are so subtle, it can be like wheat and tares growing side by side in
our hearts…Down the road, as we are running our race, we find ourselves tripping and hindered and can’t even understand why!

Hebrews 12:1-3 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

SO, for the past year, I have been on a mission…I want to run “unhindered”!  I have been asking my Father to sit with me and to gently sift through my heart, showing  me “the lies that I’ve believed”.  I want to see the things that keep me from running well.  I want to understand the things that keep my heart small, rather than a “broad place” where an abundant harvest can spring from!

It has been a humbling process…but a precious, intimate time as He has one by one, taken those lies and spoken truth right into the middle of them!

Marriage, Waffles and Spaghetti!

This is kind of a personal post, nothing deep…but it’s been rolling around in my heart the past week. Random thoughts about what makes marriage sweet…what makes it good!

Todd and I do not have a “perfect marriage” (whatever that might be!) We are two very strong-willed people with deep, and sometimes differing convictions..and, we are both “big fat sinners in desperate need of grace” and can react at times out of our yucky ol’ flesh.

Yet 18 years into this thing, I love him so much more than I did at the beginning, and even more than that - I really, really like him!  He is “my person” and I love doing life with him.  Even the hard parts of life!  The past couple of years our life has been full of some rather huge challenges, and I have become increasingly aware of the great gift it is, to walk through tough times with someone your heart is knit to.

I remember when I was single, my older brother told me, regarding marriage, ”Moonlight and roses gives way to daylight and dishes very fast…”  He was right.  There is a lot of daily stuff in life!  A 1700 sq. ft house with 2 adults, 5 kids and 2 dogs does not lend itself to alot of “moonlight and roses”!

I think back to when Todd and I started dating…

So. much. FUN!!

First date: Dinner at Macaroni Grill and then an evening at Elitch Gardens Amusement Park.  Dates that followed: Walks downtown, cappucinos in a lovely hotel restaurant/piano bar…(loved that place…little twinkly lights on the indoor trees and great piano music), and many walks in the park in the fall.  We played chess (he always beat me!), went bowling, walked in the snow, went to movies…FUN!!!

Our wedding, (8 months after our first date!) was a blast!  I think the whole thing (dress included) cost only about $3,000.  It was simple, we were surrounded by family and friends and we were just so excited to start out on this new life together!

Our first year was, like most first years…passionate!  We both think back on that year and grin…alot.  But it was also tough.  We were two very independent adults who had been single for 30 plus years.  I had my way of doing things, he had his way.  We had so many silly spats that first year! (Well, now they seem silly…then, not so much.)    A HUGE one, was over the proper way to hang a wet dish rag after washing the dishes…his feelings on the subject were just as strong as mine!

I remember times,  lacing up my tennies, heading out for a walk and telling myself, “I did just FINE for 31 years on my own…” (…very mature!!)

Amazingly, 18 years later, here we are…God is good…His grace is huge…

During the first year, at one point, I remember telling Todd, “It just seems like we’ve had so many arguements…” and his response to me was, “You see them as this pile of arguements, I see them as this pile of things we have talked through, worked through and moved past…”  Whew!  What a great perspective! It changed the way I viewed the times we disagreed on things.

And we do still disagree on things…we have passionate discussions on politics, doctrine, and which direction is north when standing in the dining room of our house. (I am directionally challenged and he finds that amusing!)  But our goal is to stay on the same team…the “us” team!

So…just for fun, I thought I’d share a couple of things that have helped in our journey so far. I know I have so much more to learn…but these are just a few things I’ve gleaned.

Waffles and Spaghetti…you’ve heard this one: Men are like waffles…they have their squares and they are focused on whichever square they are in at the moment, sometimes tuning out all other surrounding squares.  Ever feel like you are jumping up and down in your square saying “Over here…look! Over here!!!!!!”?

Women, are like spaghetti…when we process things, it is all connected…our hearts and minds fly through various thoughts and feelings…even as I write this post my mind is jumping to what needs to happen today, a meeting I have tonight, the birthday party I need to plan, and, along with each thought comes the accompanying emotions.  I don’t just think a thought, I feel a thought!

This is probably not new information to any of you…but here is the little piece the Lord has taught me…(wait for it….this is SO deep! )

I need to honor my man’s waffle! (We may need to put that on a t-shirt!)

…I talk with alot of women and often when this issue of the singlemindedness of their husbands come up there is eye-rolling and heavy sighing. (I’m sure some men do the same thing when they talk about our spaghetti tendencies!)

But I have been learning what a great gift it is that God designed men and women to function exactly in the ways that He has created us. It is a gift…it is a good gift…NOT a “factory malfunction”… it is a gift we each bring into the relationship and it keeps it balanced and interesting and fun!

I’ve learned that it can be exhilarating to dive into his waffle square and focus with him on whatever it is that he is processing!  Whether it’s an issue about our business, something to do with our family finances, or some interesting thing he heard on the radio that day that has captured his attention…interesting stuff happens in waffle squares!

Lesson Learned by Eager Waffle Square Jumper:  It is also important to recognize that there will be times he needs to be alone in his waffle square!

I was thinking too, that I want the “Sharon Waffle Square” to be a fun and interesting place for him to hang out in!

And, can I say, that there are times when Todd hops on the “spaghetti train” with me and goes along for that wild ride! Interesting stuff also happens on the spaghetti train!

Waffles and spaghetti really do make life good!

“Let me love him well.”  One of the things that I often pray, is that the Lord will help me to “love Todd well”.   I want to love him in ways that he needs me to love him.

When we first got married, I bought Todd lots of cards and wrote him lots of little notes…thinking that would bless his heart, because that’s what tends to bless my heart! (“Words of Affirmation Girl”, that’s me! ha ha!) Along the way, I learned that cards aren’t really what “float his boat”!

As well as I know my man, I recognize that the Lord knows the intricate places of Todd’s heart so much better. It is such an awesome thing to be able to pray to the Author of his heart and ask “How can I best love him today…”  God is full of great ideas!

I want to honor Todd’s heart, I want to encourage him in the things that matter to him…I want to give him whatever strength I can give him, so that he can continue to carry the great load that he carries for our family.

Sometimes in the night when he is sleeping and I’m awake, I look at the back of his broad shoulders and think of how hard he works for our family, every single day…painting house after house after house in 90 plus degrees, 10-12 hr days…I want to love this dear man well.

I have 2 sons and 3 daughters…I pray for them, that when they grow up, if marriage is in the picture, that their spouses will love them well. And then I think of Todd’s mom…I loved her to pieces (she passed away right after Aimee was born)…I know that she prayed that prayer for her son and I want to honor that prayer daily…to love her son well!

Things I’ve learned that strengthen him…

…when we laugh together about the tough stuff of life, it lightens his load.  Laughter really does do “good like a medicine”.  His countenance changes, even if his body is still tired!

…when he sees that I am content and happy.

…when I keep the spontaneity and fun in our love life!   ’nuff said!

…when I sit on the steps in our garage and talk with him while he works out there.  (Yes…He invites me into his “man cave”!)

…when I do the little things that show he’s important to me…those “newlywed” things that should never go away!  i.e. bringing him coffee in the morning, surprising him on the job with something special for lunch, picking up a good black and white WWII movie-( he is a history buff), or a great action flick!  Back rubs and hand rubs (painters have all kinds of aching joints but YOU try holding a paintbrush for 10 hrs a day…ouch!) Sometimes it is taking the kids out so that he can be in a quiet house and rest when he does have some rare time off… However I can bless him, I want to do it.

…And I will add in here, that he loves me well too!  But that’s a whole different post!!

I have so many other little thoughts…but alas, my kids are waking up…daylight and dishes await!

One last thought…it is so good to pay attention to other marriages that are good…older couples that have come through time and still have that “twinkle in their eyes”.  I’m blessed to have parents that have been married for 53 years and my mom will still grin and say, “Your dad is so handsome!”  Dad calls my mom his “sweet bride”…  I have asked them LOTS of questions!

So, nothing deep…I just know that when my marriage is healthy, I feel like I can take on the other hard stuff of life.

The Beauty of Wrinkles…the Story of a Life!

Just want to share a couple of thoughts about wrinkles…those things we are told to fight, to moisturize, to conceal, to irradicate, to inject, to hide…hmmmmm!!

I do believe the cosmetic industry has come up with a great little plan! Shame women for having them, then offer hope for ridding themselves of them…for ONLY $39.95 plus S/H!

Yep, as I came into my mid 40′s, without realizing it, I had slipped right into that mindset…(well, no injecting…but all the other good stuff!)

As much as I would say with my lips, “I want to grow old realistically!”,  with each new wrinkle discovery, my heart would be just a little bit sad and my femininity feel just a little bit shaken.  Not alot…but a little…and I didn’t like that feeling!  I would stand in the cosmetic department staring at all the potions that were supposed to rid me of this “problem”…trying to decide which one, within my budget, would do the trick!

I remember in my 20′s, sometimes looking at older women, and, being very young and a bit into outward appearance, I would notice an excess of wrinkles, and think to myself “Bless their hearts!” (as if they had some sort of illness that we just needed to pray about together…or at the very least, help find them a better wrinkle cream!) It wasn’t really all that conscious of a thought…but the underlying sense was there.

Awhile back, I got bold and flipped my mirror to the magnified side, not something I usually do…and got a really good look at my….(gulp) wrinkles!  I believe the first thought I had was “Bless my heart!”  

There they were…the “mommy wrinkle” in the middle of my forehead…you know the one (I try to hide mine with my bangs!)…it’s vertical and it’s from when you furrow your brow and say things like, ‘You put WHAT down the toilet!?!?!”  or “Who spray painted the inside of the refrigerator!!!!!????” (it was silver paint, and the fumes hit me like an 18-wheeler when I opened the refrigerator door!)  Yes, that wrinkle!

There are the ones around and under the eyes…hmmmmm!

…and then, there are the hands!  When I was younger, that was one thing people would compliment (go figure!) “You have such lovely hands!”   Now, 18 years into mothering 5 kids, changing approximately 20,000 diapers, washing dishes, scrubbing stuff etc…they are not quite as “lovely”! 

So, I’ve been talking to the Lord about the “wrinkle issue” in recent years…about the fact that I am becoming the “older generation”…sitting across the table from younger women, wrinkles and all!  I have been asking Him for a “redemptive perspective” on it all!

A verse I have come to love is:

2 Corinthians 4:16 – “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

(I know, decaying…ha!  No mincing of words here!!)

Then 2 Corinthians 3:18 goes on to talk about how we are daily being transformed into His image from “glory to glory”!  LOVE IT!!!  HOPE!!!

So, I’ve begun to see my wrinkles a bit differently!  They show a bit of the story of my life…a forehead that has been AMAZED over and over at the challenge of raising 5 kids (ha! Isn’t that a great slant to put on it!?)  Eyes that have smiled and laughed, and cried and cared!  Hands that have served a family…

Through my life, I have had the privelege of having several amazing older women as mentors.  Precious women who deeply loved the Lord!  I remember sitting with them, gleaning so much good stuff from their authentic, mature, ignited hearts…seeing the twinkle in their eyes and LOVING their beautiful, glowing, wrinkled faces!!

I think of those dear women that impacted my life so deeply…some up close and personal, like a precious aunt, 2 amazing grandmas and my own sweet mom…As well as those who impacted me from a distance, Elisabeth Elliot, Corrie ten Boom, etc… Women that poured out their lives to love others…felt deeply, invested whole-heartedly…lovely wrinkled women!

I also have thought about how, we don’t have much say over the fact that we WILL wrinkle, but we do get to choose HOW we wrinkle!  I want my wrinkles to be ones that show that I loved, that I served, that I felt, that I laughed…even a few that show that I trusted and clung to Him through some incredibly tough times (I have a few of those already!)

I love beautiful candles…I really love them…the scent, the look…BUT, I have a real “issue”…it is hard for me to burn them, because I don’t want to wreck them!  Hmmmmm!  Candles were meant to give off light, heat, and a lovely scent…if we don’t burn them, they won’t do what they were intended to do…they remain lovely looking cold wax! 

I have decided I do NOT want to do that with my life…holding back, preserving myself, for what?  SO that I look wonderful in my coffin!?!?!  No!  I want to finish this life like a little puddle of wax and a black wick on a plate…used up for His Name Sake!!

Oh, and trust me, I still stop at the cosmetic counter and buy my little bottle of cream…I want to keep “the story of my life” well moisturized!

A Family Affair…

In my first post, I hope I was clear, that my aim is not for this to be a “Menopause blog”…but rather, a blog about us encouraging one another in all areas of our femininity that tend to pose a challenge for us! 

We need to talk about these things…it takes away that isolated feeling…we can give one another hope, and resources, and ideas on how to manage! 

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man (woman!) sharpens another.”

Last week I was with a group of about 8 women, and the “menopause stories” started…We laughed so hard I was in tears, and I felt great hope when one woman shared, “I have always loved to read, but during menopause, I could NOT concentrate and focus on a book…now I can focus again!”  I had been experiencing the exact same thing, but hadn’t tied it in to that stage in life!  HOPE!!!

Hormones just happen to be a huge part of our lives…whether its that “PMS thang”, or those pregnancy hormones (another whole type of “ride”)…or this lovely phase that hits most of us somewhere in our 40′s!  I guess, officially I’m in the “peri-menopause” stage…it feels a bit like staring down the barrel of a shotgun, heart squinting, waiting for the trigger to be pulled…

Regardless of what “hormonal season” you are in, whether you are single or married…it really is a family affair!  We all have circles of influence…at home, at work, within ministries…  It challenges my heart and is so true…no woman is an island!

When I realized something was changing, and because I am who I am (“Sharon”…my parents named me well because in all things I tend to just “share-on”!!) and because I happen to homeschool my 5 children and we are together about 12 hrs a day,  and because I cherish my husband and love how we relate to one another and want to protect that, I decided that if “mama’s going to go through menopause, the whole family’s gonna go through menopause!”

Can you say “Science Experiment”!?!  Open discussions, humbling myself when I let it get the best of me, asking for them to give me grace…and occassionally a salty snack and a fan!

It struck me that because I had my children later, rather than my kids being in their late teens and early 20′s, I’ve got some kiddos in their young formative years and I didn’t want them to not understand when I was exhausted, or a bit weepy, etc…or for them to have to share with some counselor 15 years from now, “I remember my mom’s ‘crazy years’…”

SO, we were driving in the car one day…myself and the kids…and I started kind of joking around about how mom’s hormones were kicking in to this “new thing” and that I’d been reading about it and this is what we might expect…(insert list here! ha!)  I just asked the kids to give me some grace, and told them I was wanting to rise above it, but some days were a bit tougher than others…one item on the list (my vanity is kicking in here and wanting to make it VERY clear, this one has NOT happened to me…yet?!!) was “random hair growth”…there was alot of “Ewwwwww!!!!” responses in the car!!  I looked at one of my teenage sons, who had some random hair growth of his own and teased him that maybe he too…  : )   (Insert teenage son eye-rolling, here!)

(Now insert two of my all-time favorite words here…)

…But God…

…I love that He promises us GREAT grace in the midst of all of the stuff of life!  That means more to me with each passing year! James 4:6 tells us “But He gives a greater grace!” (Stand up and do the wave with me!! Yay for HUGE, GREAT grace!)

Sitcoms have done so many “PMS” episodes…the woman is usually freaking out, or angry or sobbing (or all 3!) while eating non-stop junk food.  The man is usually tip-toeing around on egg shells, in fear and anxiety…Believe me, I get it!  I have freaked out a time or two…I have consumed my share of “comfort food” during certain times of the month…I have raised my voice at my kids, and cried about stuff that truly is NOT a big deal…I have felt that blue feeling where all I wanted to do was curl up in a fetal position in bed with an intravenous chocolate drip… Truly…I get it!!

BUT, I guess through the years I’ve just felt challenged to not let these hormones rule my life or rule my home, or set the schedule for what I can or can’t accomplish for His Name Sake…I do not want my man or my children to have to tip-toe around me for fear of “setting her off!”  

Several years ago, I just kind of set my heart to view these hormones as any other challenge…a part of life that I get to learn how to “run well” with!  And YES, there are days when I have to say, “Today is going to be a quieter day…I can’t do as much…” but, by His great grace, it is not that frantic “ride” that it was in my younger years!

Some practical advice that one of my treasured friends gave me recently was, “Try EVERYTHING, til you find what works for you!”  There are so many things out there that are helpful and every woman’s body is different.  After my first post, several of you shared what works for you. Thank you!!!  Talk to your docs, do research, talk to one another,  change your diet, get that much needed exercise…whatever it takes…we need to be “grown ups” and be smart about our own bodies!  If someone tells you, “Oh, that didn’t work for me..” don’t assume it won’t work for you. Your body is unique! Be wise, do your research, but don’t give up!

My husband came home from work a few weeks ago, and he jumped on the computer, “Honey, I heard about this stuff on the radio today that is supposed to be GREAT for menopause!!” (Can I just tell you that this is NOT a normal thing for my husband to do! Does this give you a bit of an idea how much he was seeing a need, and how much he wanted “Normal Sharon” back!?) 

We looked at the research, it looked worth a try…the kids were all excited (yes…it’s a family affair!) we placed the order, and waited! 

Days later it arrived in the mail (we opted for Priority Express Mail!).  My son had gone to the mailbox that day…the package was there…he brought it to me, followed shortly by a glass of water, “Mom it’s here!!!! Take one…do you feel any different!!?!”  (Can you tell how much my kids saw a need and wanted “Normal Mom” back!?) 

…it is helping!!!  I feel more like myself again…and the brain fuzz is gone…and when I want to say the word “middle”, I don’t say the word “kitchen”!! 

Let’s keep talking to one another!!!

So….Here we are!!!

I love Facebook! Those of you that know me know that! BUT, there are so many times when I find myself wanting to address “chick stuff” in life, but hold back because I know I also have guy friends on there that might just slap their hands over their eyes with the thought “TOO MUCH INFORMATION!”

“Holy Hormones, Batgirl!!” flashed through my mind the other day! I had just reread a quote from a favorite book of mine “Holy Sweat” by Tim Hansel (highly recommend it…it is NOT about hot flashes!) This is what it said: “Holy sweat … the active melding of the spiritual and the earthy, the holy and the physical, a profound paradox that lies at the very heart of this life we call Christian.” I love that…that we live in the midst of very earthy stuff, and yet Christ in us, the hope of glory, can make it holy as we yield ourselves to Him…

…even our hormones!!!!

Here is my heart in this…I want to run well…I want to FINISH WELL…I have a deep love for JESUS and a deep love for my sisters that I am running alongside in this race! I wanted to create a place that we could share about “all things feminine”!

I remember in my late 30′s, attending a Beth Moore Conference in Memphis…she was in her 40′s and menopause was staring her in the face…she shared that she went to Barnes and Noble, grabbed a bunch of books on that topic, sat on the floor and began to read…she looked at the thousands of women in that arena, through the “big screen” and said “Ladies, there was NO GOOD NEWS!” I laughed along with all the other women…but now, as I am in my 40′s…and menopause is staring ME in the face…I’m finding…well, I’m not always laughing! : )

I have found myself in a mental fog sometimes for days at a time, which frustrates the fire out of me, because I have always felt like I was a level-headed, quick thinker! I find myself grasping for words that should be RIGHT THERE!!

I don’t trust my own reasoning, because I find that my emotions, on some days, seem to have purchased an “All Day Pass” on the “Mind Eraser”! (Roller coaster at Elitch Gardens…named so appropriately!!)

***Lesson learned…do NOT make any major decisions or have any important life altering conversations when you are in this place!!!

There are days that I wake up, and although not ONE THING has changed from the day before, I feel a sense of hopelessness…completely overwhelmed with what is before me…I question my adequacy, feel like a failure…HORMONES!!!

Then there is that thing where little things, that are no big deal, feel like a HUGE deal…everything seems exaggerated…my daughter will poke me, trying to get my attention, and I feel like I’m being prodded by javelins! HORMONES!!

Don’t get me started on the Hot Flashes…I have NEVER been a “hot” person in my life! I lived in Texas for about 10 years, and I still would have a blanket wrapped around me (the AC would make me too cold!) This is a new thing for me….this crazy hormonal thermostat.

…and then…as quickly as it comes…it lifts…and I feel like “Normal Sharon” again.

SO, as I’ve thought through this “new season”…my heart’s cry has become “Lord, let me navigate this with grace and maturity!” A dear friend of mine who HAS come through it with grace said to me, “Sharon, it’s a great time to walk in the Spirit!” her other advice, “There is always time to pray!” 

Simple…but so very wise!!

No matter WHAT season of life we might be in as women, that is GREAT advice! PMS hormones, pregnant hormones, menopause hormones…LIFE stuff! I want to run well…I do NOT  want to let this stuff rule me and distract me!!

A thought I had…PMS can be a monthly “thang” for 30 plus years…pregnancy is your basic 40 weeks, not to mention the hormone stuff that can happen post partum…Menopause…well, that CAN be a good 10 year process for some women…that is a BIG chunk of our lives!!! 

I’m thinking it would be a good thing, to have a place where we find encouragement to run well…to fix our eyes on His face and press on, even when everything in our bodies might be screaming “JUST EAT CHOCOLATE AND CRY IN A CORNER!”
(I am NOT opposed to eating chocolate! Let’s just eat chocolate and press on for His Name sake, instead!)

SO, that is where we begin…I think it will be fun…I think it will strengthen us…I think we will laugh alot, and maybe, just maybe, the men in our lives will go “Hmmmmm!!! She just seems to have something different going on these days!!!”

I love “Braveheart”…the story, the valor, the imagery of fighting for a worthy cause, bruised, sweaty, weary, but pressing on because he was so convinced of the worth of his cause!

I feel that way about this short breath that God has entrusted to each one of us on this earth…this one moment in time, where I get to hold His name up, to be His hands and feet…I want to represent Him well!!!