to put something in front of (something) in order to protect or conceal it.
Acts 20:7-12 The Message (MSG)
Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas
7-9
We met on Sunday to worship and celebrate the Master’s Supper. Paul addressed the congregation. Our plan was to leave first thing in the morning, but Paul talked on, way past midnight. We were meeting in a well-lighted upper room. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in an open window. As Paul went on and on, Eutychus fell sound asleep and toppled out the third-story window. When they picked him up, he was dead.
10-12
Paul went down, stretched himself on him, and hugged him hard. “No more crying,” he said. “There’s life in him yet.” Then Paul got up and served the Master’s Supper. And went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! On that note, they left—Paul going one way, the congregation another, leading the boy off alive, and full of life themselves.
Okay, so I’m convinced that anyone who thinks the Bible is boring, has not yet read the Bible, because DANG this is quite an interesting situation we have here. You’re at Bible study and then boom someone falls out of a window, dies, and gets brought back to life…that’s definitely not nothing. Try to put yourself there, it’s late, you are listening to Paul preach… I mean this is THE Paul speaking. Like, the damascus road Paul… wrote 13 books in the Bible Paul. What would you be doing? Would you be leaning in, taking notes? Or would you fall asleep too?
I think that this story is really easy to read really fast. It has a quick little takeaway, we often take-away, and run with. The DON’T BE A EUTYCHUS message! Don’t fall asleep, pay attention, be better than him, so you don’t fall out a window and die message. Not sure if that’s what you got from this, but for the longest time that’s ALL I got from this.
Ah, did I miss the beauty in this. The irony. THE GRACE.
I am Eutychus!
I’m the one who does stupid things. I sit on the edge sometimes. Even in the light I fall asleep. I topple. I need revived. I need to be COVERED in a life or death kind of way.
As lame as it sounds to be a Eutychus… I promise it’s not that bad. You see, yes, he fell three stories down and died, but that’s not all that’s written down for us. The story doesn’t end there, thank God! Verses 10-12, that’s what matters. “Paul went down, stretched himself on him, and hugged him hard. “No more crying,” he said. “There’s life in him yet.” Then Paul got up and served the Master’s Supper. And went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! On that note, they left—Paul going one way, the congregation another, leading the boy off alive, and full of life themselves.”
Eutychus fell. Paul covered.
We fall. Jesus covers.
What Paul did that night, is just a taste of what God does for us, each and every day. When we fall, God doesn’t point and say bad. No way! He runs three stories down, at midnight, through all sorts of people, just to get to us. Just to get to you. He runs, he gets down on the ground, he stretches himself over us, and he hugs us hard. He looks to the crowd and yells, “No more crying,” “There’s life in him yet!” Yes, He covers us completely!
In Jesus, under the covering of His blood, when you fall, your covered, and when your covered, what was supposed to kill you God works for His glory!
The focus didn’t end on Eutychus’s fall, but rather on the miracle God had done.
That night people didn’t just leave after Eutychus died, or after he came back alive, they stayed! It says Paul went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! And On that note, they left— and they left full of life. On that note! On the note of what God did! Not on the note of the fall. Because when we let God be God it matters less what we did, and more who he is.That’s what gets remembered, that’s the note we leave on, that’s what gives life! God is so much better than I even think He is. So much kinder, so much gentler, so much more powerful, and so much more gracious. To think about how he works even my mis-steps, even my mistakes for His glory, I will never understand. This story inspires me to live my life always leaving on notes like that. To live my life looking and dwelling on what God has done. To live as a lover of God who isn’t falling out of windows on purpose, but who knows that even in the midst of the most hopeless situation that I am covered and that God can empower me to walk out of the darkest situation. A lover of God who knows that even death is not the end of hope.
No one is too far gone. There is more than enough hope. Let’s dwell on who God is, and what He can do! Let’s let God be God.
These are confusing times and there is a sea of contradictory voices all striving for our attention and devotion. Everyone says they have the right answer and many claim a new understanding. Confused about whether God is real? Is God listening? Bullied at school? Parents getting divorced? How does a God of love allow people to go to hell? Evolution? Is God mean? Why do bad things happen to good people? Who does God vote for? Where do we go for answers? This leads me to the main question: “Is Jesus really enough?”
This is becoming a complicated question that deserves a simple answer. Let me state it plainly and then expound on some things that I see everyday and that I believe are causing confusion in our lives. Is Jesus really enough? The simple answer is a resounding “YES! Absolutely 100%!” That is, if you are talking about the Jesus of the Bible who is “the way, the truth and the life,” (John 14:6) and whose word never changes. His Word is the absolute authority! “The grass withers and the flowers fade but the Word of our God stands forever.”(Isaiah 40:8). On the other hand, however, the Jesus that I see represented in some of our “influencer” culture such as musicians, singers, celebrities, modern worship songs, etc, seems to be a Jesus that in fact is most definitely, “not enough.” I say this not to be mean or shocking. I say this because if the Jesus we know does not jive with the Jesus of the Bible, then we are in fact not worshipping the one true God, but instead we are worshipping an idol. An idea crafted by our own imaginations of a god that we would prefer, who gives us everything we want, and a god that allows his morality to be defined by us.
First of all, I am not against “influencers”. I am one! But I AM suggesting that influencers should have a proper place of influence in our lives, and that place should be firmly way WAY below the teaching of Scripture and its applications. Christian influencers should point people towards the Jesus of the Bible, and be a source of encouragement etc. We influencers should NOT be a replacement for the teaching of truth.
Secondly, and this is the reason this is becoming complicated, we need to recognize why influencers even exist. Before the existence of YouTube and blogging and the internet, Christian leaders, speakers, pastors and teachers used to be trained PRIOR to performing most serious teaching roles. This may include bible school, discipleship classes, mentoring relationships etc. There is a level of training and discipline required so that we do not thrust leaders in to the spotlight before they are ready. This is for their own protection as well as for the protection of God’s people from unorthodox teaching. Even well-intentioned unorthodox teaching. With the rise of the internet and social media platforms, anyone can be an influencer. With or without training, at any age, with or without understanding of the Bible. This is becoming a real problem because many of the modern Christian influencers do not have a grounding in the word of God and shockingly some do not even believe in the authoritative word of God.
This leads me to my point about Jesus “being enough.” We are being tossed to and fro in our lives because everyone tells us what to do and all of the answers conflict with one another! As a follower of Jesus, we should not treat the Bible, psychology, celebrity twitter feeds, and gossip from our friends all with equal weight. The Bible is THE source of truth. If science or psychology disagree with the Bible, then our decision on what to believe or what to do should be simple. Follow the Bible! Science changes constantly. Psychology changes constantly. Popular opinion on morality changes constantly. The point is that everything changes. We are living in a world that does not believe in absolute truth. Therefore, our culture does not believe in absolute morality. Unfortunately, morality is being defined on a day by day basis, depending on the loudest voices and the agenda of the powerful. Nothing is sure. You cannot count on anything because every single thing in this life will crash and burn except for the solid firm foundation of the unchanging Word of God and the Lordship of King Jesus.
Why is all of this important? There is a movement happening in Christianity that I call the “I’m into Jesus but not into the Bible” people. This is bizarre because Jesus IS the word of God. Literally. If the Bible isn’t true, then how would we possibly know who Jesus is? One may admire Jesus, or agree with some of his principles…but one cannot LOVE Jesus and not believe his word. This movement I speak of doesn’t worship Jesus. Instead, they worship a god that is their own version of light and love, who cares for us so deeply that his world is consumed with chasing us all the while pleading and unsure if we will indeed love him back…a god that lets everything be about me and what I need and gives me everything I want because I am so important…a god that is always “for me” no matter what I choose, and loves and accepts and forgives me even if I forever reject him and die in rebellion against him. If this is our definition of Jesus, then we are in fact not worshipping the Jesus of the Bible, but rather an idol of our own creation! A human idea of benevolence and goodness that is bereft of power, justice, sovereignty, and a jealousy for the holiness of His great name. How many times do I hear people say “all that matters is love and loving and accepting people.” How accepting was Jesus when he saw the money changers buying and selling in the temple? We Christians are very comfortable with Jesus the lamb. We are not so comfortable with Jesus the Lion. Yes, Jesus loves us and yes Jesus cares for us and yes Jesus is with us! But his first and foremost passion is for the authority and fame of HIS OWN GREAT NAME. He doesn’t apologize for his actions. He answers to no one. He defines what is good and right and holy. We should rest affirmed in the knowledge that our God is good and there is no morality higher or superior. We don’t have to defend Him. His honor and supremacy defends Himself. All hail, King Jesus!
So where do we go from here? My advice to all Christians is go to church and experience the family of God. Secondly, let’s begin to have an appetite for truth over our appetite for entertainment. Listening to bible teaching is not as fun as watching influencer YouTube vids. Sooo???? Stop making decisions based on what is fun and start making them based on what is ultimately soul-satisfying. Thirdly, we Influencers need to realize that we are in fact “influencing” people. And I am asking all of us to consider this dire warning: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6). Should we be serious about what we say? About what we post on social media? And finally I would conclude with this piece of advice: if you don’t know where to start in the Bible, then pick up a copy of “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer. Or “The knowledge of the holy” by A.W. Tozer. Spend 10 minutes reading about God’s attributes and read the corresponding scripture references provided. 10 minutes a day and you will fall so deeply, madly, satisfyingly in love with the God of the Bible, that His love will taste so sweet that you will not want to drink from any other well. I dare say that all of the confusing questions that weigh you down will fade in the light of your adoration for the King of Kings. You will experience a spectrum ranging from love, hope, awe, and fear as you are awakened to a God that is both too high to imagine and so humble that he calls you a friend. Jesus is our savior, our hope, our God, our friend, our ALL. Yes. Jesus is indeed enough.
John Cooper is the lead vocalist, bassist and songwriter/producer for Skillet, one of the best-selling rock bands of the 21st century. The two-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated 12x platinum band was recently invited into Pandora’s Billionaire club after garnering 2 billion streams, received a pair of GRAMMY® Award nods, sold over 12 million albums worldwide, taken home a Billboard Music Award and more. Their tenth full-length project, Victorious released via Atlantic Records on August 2nd.
I’ve always wanted to experience the ocean. To feel the sand beneath my feet and to listen as the waves crash on the shoreline. The only memory I have of a moment like this is a picture taken when I was just a little girl, standing in front of a sunset sky with blue tossed waves soaking my feet. This picture, held tight by a blue and green turtle picture frame from Florida held much more than a memory I vaguely remember. It was the very essence of being a little kid, care free, with a childlike faith. A time of being hopeful and willing to chase big dreams and seek new adventures, to truly say no dream is too big for my God. As we get older, this feeling starts to vanish and replace itself with anxious thoughts, fearful minds, and wondering hearts pointed towards the future.
At what age do we start to feel timid to the idea of chasing our dreams? My dream is to be a songwriter and to create worship music that empowers hearts and brings people closer to Christ. My prayer life consists of fervent prayers asking for God to make this happen. I have to truly believe that He hears this prayer and believe that He will make a way. Matthew 7:7 that says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” With this promise, we should hold true to our childlike faith, a faith that believes the Lord will reveal Himself for all that is good.
After I graduated from high school and began planning for the future, my ideal lifestyle wasn’t matching up with reality. Everything I had thought I wanted for myself slowly fell out of my hands. Here’s what I’ve learned the about planning for the future: Don’t hold onto what you think you have to have, because God may have another plan for you. Here’s my story.
The place I wanted to go to college didn’t work out so I found myself in a college I didn’t dream about. But, there were blessings. I attended a two-year college that allowed me to end up debt free for my general education classes. That’s a blessing in itself, but it also led me to some of my best friends with whom I experienced so many things I would have never gotten to experience.
After those two years, I had another plan for my life. It was now time to attend the college of my dreams. I felt God pulling me there, but once again, I tried to make it in my own timing. (Unfortunately, I have a bit of a problem with patience.) I did everything I could to be there. I even had my bags packed by the door. But, the door shut and I was told “possibly next semester.” I was crushed. I had quit my job, told all my friends goodbye, and even said goodbye to my church family. I wasn’t ready to explain why I still remained in the same place. Even to myself. I was angry with both God and my own self-seeking, big-dreaming heart. Then I began to see blessings unfold before me.
That same month, I started attending a new church that opened my heart up to a new way of worship and to a renewed faith. I built new relationships. It even led me back to being a camp counselor for a second summer. Little did I know that summer would impact my life more than I could fathom. God would use me in more ways than one to reach the hearts of His precious, beloved children. I was able to lead worship and create music with other staff and campers. I was able to create friendships that I truly believe will last forever.
All of this led me to now—this very moment. I find myself walking on the sand, looking out into the ocean. While writing this blog, feeling the salty air blow against my face, I have finally made it. I’m surrounded by hearts that fill me with truth and radiate God’s love. It feels as though I can breathe again.
My heart is at peace. I’m no longer afraid of the future. I’m no longer afraid of the hard times, because they are what got me to this very moment. Without knowing the struggles in life, we will never be able to fully appreciate the blessings that follow. Oh, and by the way, in just about a week, that dream school of mine will no longer be a dream, but a part of my present. God is so good.
I say all of this to tell you this. If you are in a waiting season of life where you feel confined to the same identity; if you feel called, but you have no idea where to begin; if you had all these plans mapped out for your own life, but the doors keep shutting—trust in the Lord’s timing. Trust that He has a plan for your life. That His plan is good, because it is. Count your blessings, chase your dreams and believe that no dream is too big for our God.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
Moving right along with our Proverbs study, we are diving into chapter 9. There is so much in this chapter that is relatable and practical to our everyday living. Proverbs 9 contrasts the ways of wisdom with the ways of foolishness. We are given good guidelines to help us see the differences in the two paths. In these verses “wisdom” and “foolishness” are given human characteristics so we can easily understand them and what they can do for us.
Proverbs 9 (TPT) begins with these words about wisdom saying wisdom is (3) “inviting everyone to come and eat until they’re full.” This is a simple sentence and one you might not think holds much meaning, but think about inviting people into your space. There is something about this simple act that breathes confidence. It takes confidence to be an “inviter.” “Inviter” might not be a real word, but, for today, it means the one who does the inviting. Wisdom is a confident inviter. Think about that. If I invite someone into my home I have to feel confident that I can receive them and give them something meaningful to do in the time they are in my house. I want my house to be clean and the food to be good and the entertainment is valuable. Wisdom offers everyone something of value. It is confident in what it offers. When you hang out with wisdom, you can be confident that you have something valuable surrounding you.
I love how it says everyone can eat “until they’re full” in this house of wisdom. One of the things I always think about when I throw a party is what food I am going to serve and how much food I need so everyone is full. My go-to is pancakes with toppings like chocolate chips, blueberries, etc. I get so excited and feel quite confident in my menu because I know I have something to offer my friends that is good, fun, and filling. Plus, I know they can eat until they are full because I have prepared well. That confident feeling I have when I know I have plenty of chocolate chip pancakes is the some confident feeling I should have when I think about the wisdom God offers me.
Verses 4-6 says,“Whoever wants to know me and receive my wisdom, come and dine at my table and drink of my wine. Lay aside your simple thoughts and leave your paths behind. Agree with my ways, live in my truth, and righteousness you will find.”
Notice again the confidence spirit wisdom has as it calls for people to come and lay aside the simple thoughts they have had, because wisdom has something better to offer. And the invitation is open to whoever wants to come.
Verse 10 tells us, “The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship Jehovah-God.” Other versions of the Bible say, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Either way it is clear that fearing God, being consumed in awe and wonder for Him and His ways, is the beginning point to being wise.
Lastly, in verse 12, “So it is to your advantage to be wise. But to ignore the counsel of wisdom is to invite trouble into your life.” This puts it pretty plan to us–wisdom is a wildly huge advantage in your life. Take its invitation! Don’t let it pass you by.
Now, let’s look at the foolish ways. For the most part, I think foolishness and the trouble it causes is pretty obvious. If I am being real with you, 99.9% of the foolish things I have done were done knowing it was not a smart idea. Like all the signs pointed to it being a bad idea, but I went ahead and did the foolish thing.
One time a friend and I thought it would be super cool to stay in a rental cabin in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. We thought we were being adventurous. While it sounded fun, there was a ring of crazy to the idea. Well, we proceeded to go to this cabin at 10:00 at night. I had spoken at an event so we couldn’t go any earlier. The drive up was sketchy, but we continued on!
When we got in the cabin there was pictures of bears all over the walls; there were bear blankets, bear lamp shades, bear wallpaper, and, for crying out loud, I think there were bear shower curtains. Everywhere we looked there were signs telling us there might be a bear in the area, still we decided to stay. Sure enough at 3:00 a.m. we both woke up to a BEAR scratching and growling on the outside of the cabin! Like a good pastor, I’m just going to ask someone to say, “THE SIGNS OF FOOLISHNESS ARE LOUD!”
Remember Proverbs gives human characteristics so we can understand the word better. One translations describes foolishness as a woman named Folly who is ignorant and doesn’t even know she is ignorant. Another translation says the woman folly is LOUD. Well, foolishness can definitely be loud, but we just push ahead because it also sounds fun. Right?
Let’s look at the TPT versions together because it really explains itself so well.
Proverbs 9:13-18
There is a spirit named Foolish, who is boisterous and brash; she’s seductive and restless.And there she sits at the gateway to the high places, on her throne overlooking the city. She preaches to all who walk by her who are clueless as to what is happening.
“Come home with me.” She invites those who are easily led astray, saying,
“Illicit sex is the best sex of all. Our secret affair will be sweeter than all others.”
Little do they know when they answer her call that she dwells among the spirits of the dead,
and all her guests soon become citizens of hell!
Like my fun adventure to the woods, foolishness calls us in with things that sound fun, good and pleasing, but notice that only those who are clueless listen to her foolish ways. If I would have listened to the wisdom that was trying to warn me, I probably would have turned around that night.
Wisdom and foolishness both offers sign. When we are faced with life choices, if we would just stop for a second to open our eyes so we can see the signs and let our ears to hear what the invitation is really saying, then we will be able to discern whether it is wisdom or foolishness knocking at our door.
Here are some things you can ask yourself:
When you walk into the door, will you leave full or will you face a bear scratching at your door?
“What did the signs say?”
“Am I really paying attention or am I just looking for fun?”
And finally…
Keep your focus on the Lord and the path to wisdom will open up to you.
I recently had the absolute honor of speaking to the girls rushing at the University of Alabama. I considered it a great joy to be asked to do that. If you don’t know what rushing is, it is a series of social events to connect sorority groups with the freshman girls on campus who want to pledge their group. It was a little crazy to be in a room full of excited, beautiful girls whose nerves you could feel, the day before they would find out if they made it in a sorority or not.
Due to respecting the rules of recruitment, I was not allowed to speak on or mention my faith. You may be thinking… how are you going to speak to college sorority girls when you don’t even go to college and have never been in a sorority and how would you give a message where faith is not mentioned?!?! Valid. If you weren’t thinking that, trust me, it IS what I was thinking! I thought and I thought and I thought about what I could say and then, it hit me – the thing I literally talk about most and can totally relate to is…sisterhood. Isn’t that what a sorority is? Well, it turns out, not always. BUT that is what it can be at its best. Let me explain…
I decided that, since I cannot use my bible and I do not know all the right terms, I would get my definitions and lingo from none other than our, us millennials, very own, Urban Dictionary. So, I looked up the “Urban Dictionary” definition of sisterhood and there were three very nice definitions. This is what the top definition with 197 likes says–
Sisterhood: A bond between two or more girls, not always related by blood. They always tell the truth, honor each other, and love each other like sisters.
Sweet huh?
Okay, now let’s look up the definition of sorority…
Let me start by saying I took one for the team and highly suggest no one look this word up. Let’s just say it was not friendly. Out of the seven explicit definitions listed with thousands of likes, this was the top one –
Sorority: A group of girls who have come together because they look similar, and are now kind of friends.
BUT WAIT! I thought sorority was sisterhood and these could not be more different… Who’s confused? ?♀️
The draw for people to join a sorority is a desire for sisterhood, yet these definitions are so opposite. I looked at both definitions, studied them, and thought to myself, “There are some core differences here.”
Here is what you need to know… sisters and sisterhood have different definitions as well. You can have a room full of sisters and see no sisterhood – that goes for sorority girls, friends who call themselves sisters, and even real family sisters. There is one stand-out difference that I see in the definitions and that is what I want to focus on. It is this: the foundation of one is built on identity and the foundation of the other is built on image. What we all have to understand is it is our identity that makes us qualify for sisterhood, not our image. And that goes for your own physical sisters too.
One time when I was in about fifth grade, my best friend and I were playing a game that basically went something like this, we owned the castle and Bella was our servant. (I know I know… not the best big sister move.) After one of the many requests we had made of Bella, our servant, she came storming into my grandma’s bathroom (the home of our castle) with the cutest, yet sassy as can be (with kindergarten girl voice whose r’s sounded like w’s) and said, “I’m not your sewrvant.” As she stared me down, you could almost hear the old western music in the background as we both thought of what was going to be our next move. Bella famously won the battle with these words, “I AM A GIWRL AND I AM OUT OF THIS WOWRLD.” She closed the scene with a power walk.
The thing is sisters do not like to be and should not be treated by sisters for anything less than a sister. True sisterhood is not a system to tell you what you have to do – it’s a source to remind you of who you are.
Here is a pic of me and my little sister, Bella. Much like a group of sorority girls, we live in the same house. We also share the same last name. We even we look alike. We are Robertsons, born from the same parents. She is my sister. While that is what make us sisters, it is not what makes up our sisterhood. Our sisterhood comes from our genuine friendship. It comes from her love, honesty, and loyalty to me and mine to her.
This is my other sister, Rebecca. Our background is very different. It’s not the same as the one I share with Bella. We do not look alike. While some of it was, not all of our childhood was spent in the same house. We don’t live in the same house now. We don’t have the same last name. We didn’t grow up with the same set of rules. Our parents decided that Rebecca would be a part of our family. She is my sister. But, just because she is identified as my sister by my family and others, our sisterhood is made of the friendship we have built. Rebecca, Bella, and I have an amazing sisterhood that is not built on an image. It is built on the individual identity of who we all are and the friendship we have all built.
I want us to look at the differences between the words identity and image.
By definition – Identity: the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.
By definition – Image: the general impression that a person, organization, or product presents to the public.
Identity is how you were created. Image is what you have created.
Identity is who you were, are, and always will be. Image is what you want people to see.
Identity allows you to rest. Image causes you to strive.
Identity is unique to an individual. Image can be shared.
Identity is forever. Image is temporary.
There is a clear winnerin the wrestle of identity and image.
I know you hear all the time that your image will fade and maybe some of you are thinking, “Yes, in about 30 years or so,” but I am not referring to years down the road. I am thinking about tonight… when the makeup come off, there is no filter, you log off the app, and you can’t create your real life caption.
Here’s the problem. Many people try to base their confidence, their friendship and sisterhood, in something that is always changing. Do you know that the definition of confidence is the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something, a firm trust? So why do we try to lay down a foundation of sisterhood on something that we cannot keep up with, something we can’t rely on?
Building a foundation of sisterhood on an image is about as long-lasting and effective as the foundation in your make-up drawer. You use it and you do look great for a while. It even covers your flaws and you seem to shine with it on. But, soon it starts to break down, wear off, and ultimately it comes off completely. This type of foundation covers things, but it does not change things. It is only capable of changing the APPEARANCE of your skin; it does not change the actual color or clarity of your skin. When you take your makeup off at night, the only thing that should change is the color and clarity of your skins; it should not affect the true colors of who you are. If you only work at letting your image change your identity, ultimately your true colors will soon shine through. The image you project to others should only serve to enhance who you really are, not change it.
When I was sharing with the girls in Alabama, I took off my makeup as I was speaking. I asked them, “Does seeing me with no make-up change the way that you see me?” They all said no. Even though removing my make-up changed WHAT the girls saw, it did not change WHO they saw. I went on to tell the girls that the good news is I didn’t come for them to only see a part of me; I wanted them to really see me.
You see, if I went to speak that night with a face full of a makeup and cute clothes and I just stared at these girls without saying a word for 45 minutes they would of left thinking it was the weirdest 45 minutes. It would have been wasted time just looking at each other with no lasting impact. I did not come to give them my image. By just giving them my image I was giving them no relationship, but when I shared with them my identity, my heart, my words, that is what created a bond. Our image is not only temporary for us to see but is temporary for those who see, but a word to the heart can last forever. You want to create impact, friendship, sisterhood? Give them world more than your image.
When I give the analogy of the foundation it seems cute and relatable because us girls relate to the feeling of our foundation cracking, wearing, smudging, and coming off. The reality of life though is that those cracks, wears and smudges are not so funny; when we try to make our image our identity and we feel it start to fade, that is when the anxiety rises, the eating disorders start, the perfectionism is unattainable, the comparison is out the roof, and mental illness begins to become a phrase we are all too used to hearing because we can not sustain what we have created. The truth is I have talked to many girls, friends, sisters, and sorority girls who relate to these words and this pain and it breaks my heart.
So how do we redeem sisterhood? Not just in sororities, but all over – in friendships, schools, churches, work and families?
I was watching sisterhood of the traveling pants the other night, and leave it to that movie to bring a little hope. It is a popular movie so you might have seen it. I will share with you the opening part that jumped out at me. These four girls are all best friends, practically sisters who have formed a sisterhood. They are about to split ways after school, so during their last days together they go thrift-store shopping. One of them tries on a pair of jeans and all of the girls freak out at how awesome she looks in them and how perfectly they fit. Another one of the friends decides to try them on too, and once again, they all freak out because they look great on her too. How weird it is that both girls fit perfectly in the same pair of jeans? All four of the girls end up trying on the same pair of jeans and GUESS WHAT ??? THEY LOOK AMAZING AND FIT EACH ONE PERFECTLY?!?! MAGIC!
Ultimately, they get the jeans and decide to share them and build a sisterhood around the magic of the jeans. “Since every sisterhood has rules,” they state, they all sat in a circle and made rules. Here are some of the rules:
You must never use the word fat while wearing the pants.
You must never let a boy take off the pants.
You must not pick your nose while wearing the pants. You may, however, scratch casually at your nostril.
You must document the best things that happened while wearing these pants. On the left leg write the most exciting places you have been while wearing the pants. On the right leg, write the most important thing that happened to you while wearing the pants.
You must write your sisters no matter how much fun you’re having without them.
Love your sisters. Love yourself.
*if you do not follow these rules then they lose their magic*
I want you to see that sisterhood is meant to be like those jeans. It is not something people have to strive for or work to fit into; it is something that fits perfectly because of who they are. These girls were not in competition with each other over these jeans. They celebrated each other over the jeans because they fit everyone perfectly. We all fit sisterhood.Look back at the original definition I shared with you about sisterhood: Abond between two or more girls, not always related by blood that tell the truth, honor each other, and love each other like sisters. Individual girls choosing TRUTH – HONOR – LOVE. If you take any of this away, the power of sisterhood loses its magic.
All of us sisters who crave sisterhood and look for it in all of these places are just girls who want to be accepted, included, celebrated, loved, and just need a friend we can count on. And, we cannot forget, although we all look for this and desire this, we actually can create this! Notice the rules they made were FOR ONE ANOTHER. They were things to form bonds, build each other up, and deepen relationship. We create the sisterhood around us and bring the magic by the rules we create and follow. Let’s bring the magic of sisterhood back. We all want it – let’s create it.
Ever since Clayton and I started dating, I had always imagined this moment of “sharing the story”. The story of how we met, the story of how we fell in love, and all the little healing, redeeming, freeing, eye opening, peaceful, joy-filled moments in between. There are so many things about Clayton and our relationship that I can’t wait to write about. Our relationship has become the easiest thing for me to talk about, because it is one of the greatest ways I’ve seen God’s faithfulness in my life. I’m SO excited to write about all the things in the last ten months, but today I’m going to narrow it down to the story of our engagement day!
On June 28th (my birthday) and also the day I was getting engaged, (but didn’t know it) I woke up to a house decorated with streamers, cake, my favorite coffee mug on the counter, balloons everywhere, and flowers on the back porch that Clayton had dropped off on his way to work. That morning I sat with my friends in our living room while we talked and dreamed about the future. We talked about what we thought our weddings would be like, where they would be, how many kids we hope to have one day and what it will be like to push strollers and be “mom friends” one day. As we talked and dreamed I thought that would be a good time to just go ahead and ask the question… “Will y’all be my bridesmaids??!” Without any ring on my finger and honestly no idea when that would be, I was confident and fully at peace that I had met my husband. In fact, I was positive I had met my husband about 3 weeks after Clayton and I started dating.
*God detail* On January 25, 2017, in my heart I heard God say that He was bringing me my bridesmaids. At the time, this did not makes sense. I didn’t have a boyfriend, nor anyone I could see on the horizon, but these words and His promise brought such peace. Nothing on the outside looked like I needed bridesmaids anytime soon, considering I was single as a Pringle! But God was preparing ahead of time what He had for me, just like He does for ALL of us. I had absolutely NO IDEA Clayton was going to propose on my birthday when I asked the girls to stand by me! What a sweet gift to be reminded of what He said over two years ago, before there was any evidence of the promise. God brought the best friends and bridesmaids I could have ever prayed for and I’m so thankful and honored to have them stand by me on our special day.
So, after I asked the girls to be my bridesmaids (and they said YES, praises!) I asked them if they knew when Clayton was thinking about proposing. My friend Sarah said, “well I asked him about a week ago and he said for sure by Christmas”…. All the while, they KNEW he was planning to propose that night! The rest of the day I was in a dream world and couldn’t get over the fact that he was going to propose before Christmas!!!! I couldn’t stop talking about it… I kept saying, “YALL, I can’t believe before Christmas!”
I was in shock and so excited!
That night Clayton had asked if he could take me to dinner for “my birthday”. When he picked me up he was playing the song “Big Big Plans” by Chris Lane. Right when I sat down the song said, “I’m gonna ask her to marry me”. I’m pretty sure in the span of one second I thought, “he planned it, he definitely didn’t plan it”, and I told myself not to get my hopes up that he was going to propose.
Clayton had me convinced that it was going to be awhile before he was able to do that. And although I’m excited to marry him as soon as possible, I would wait for forever if I needed to.
So, we go to dinner, and he honestly seemed perfectly normal… until I asked him why my mom stopped sharing her location with me!
He immediately tried to get me to open gifts and then again in a matter of one second I thought… “What if she’s here because he’s going to propose… Yeah right, he doesn’t have the money for that right now, remember?… Laney, it’s going to be a while… chill.”
After dinner we got in the car and he asked if he could give me one more gift.
Then I remembered what request I had made months ago when I knew Clayton was the person I wanted to spend my life with. *God detail*
I asked God for my birthday to have Clayton propose. This may sound funny, but there was nothing I wanted more, and I knew there was no one else who could make that happen.
My heart started to race a bit with excitement, but I tried to calm it down again with a big “don’t even let yourself go there Laney”…
We got back to the house and before I got out of the car, Clayton asked me to take my shoes off. When he said that, I immediately remembered what God had spoken to me June 4, 2018… “Take your shoes off and feel the new ground. You have no shoes to fill.”
1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love casts out fear.”
From the first day that I met Clayton, he has loved me with a love that has taken away all my fear. He has made me feel safe and completely secure. Daily he has reminded me of who I am, and never made me feel like I need to be anything that I am not.
I used to think that the love I felt from God would be a different love than what I could receive from another person, but Clayton has shown me that God IS love and there is no love outside of Him.
*God detail* A couple of weeks before I met Clayton, I was driving down the road and I remember saying to God that I basically didn’t feel like we had room in our relationship for anyone else. I was so thankful and so content with where I was at in life. I had found such peace and joy in my relationship with Jesus. As I was driving, I remember hearing God so sweetly say that I didn’t need to worry about being divided, because the love that my husband would love me with one day, would be the SAME love that He loved me with.
This is why I believe I had SO much peace with Clayton. The love that I receive from Clayton every day, is the same love that I have known from the time I was a little girl. Love is love through and through, never changing, always the same. Love is consistent with Who love has always been. This is why Clayton has always felt like home. I have never felt divided, but just LOVED even more.
Ok, so once we got out of the car, I noticed the whole back porch was lit up with beautiful lights… flowers… LOTS of flowers… and a pitcher of water. Clayton asked me to sit down, and then he handed me a letter.
By this point you’d really think I would’ve gotten the hint that he was about to pop that little question, but the only thing that was popping in my mind was the “possibility” of that. I honestly was telling myself, “what a sweet birthday gift this is for him to wash my feet”.
*God detail* I had actually forgotten this detail. Then a couple of friends reminded me that I had said I wanted my guy to wash my feet whenever he proposed… not even knowing who it would be at the time.
As Clayton began to wash my feet, I began to read the letter that he had written. The letter started with how excited and anxious he had been for that night. Then I read, “I hope as you sit here, this washing of your feet represents accurately, the stance and position I try to take in our life together.” I think this is where I looked up, and for the first time began to really notice how many flowers there were! Although Clayton hasn’t stopped spoiling me from the beginning, I did have the thought, “Clayton wouldn’t buy this many flowers and do all of this twice… I actually think he’s about to propose!” As I continued reading, he continued to wash my feet. Oddly enough, when most people would probably cry, this realization of what was (possibly) about to happen made me laugh!!! And I’m not talking about a little giggle…. I BURST into laughter!!! I felt like joy was bubbling from the very bottom of my stomach. The realization of a dream fulfilled and lifelong prayer was becoming something tangible and I couldn’t contain what I was feeling.
He then handed me another letter that read, “Lane, the ways of Jesus are not always the first instincts of my mind. My thought was to commit to a field of work, not a person… And He brought me to you. He carried me in all my flaws and failures. Even this is a clearer picture of His love… on September 10, 2018 I met my wife.”
And this my friends is where I got the big C-L-U-E. *Clayton, on my back porch, with the engagement ring* (okay if you’ve never played the game “clue” you might not get that).
But short and simple, I finally realized and let myself think that he was about to propose.
When I looked up from reading the second letter, Clayton got on one knee and said those 4 little words “Will you marry me?” To which I of course said a big absolute “YES!”… as I continued to laugh!
Like I think most young girls or women do, I had dreamed of this day all my life… who it would be, when it would be, and how it would be.
To be honest, I even imagined it being a little scary! But from one girl to another, or maybe one girl to another boy, let me tell you… this day was MORE and better than I could have ever dreamed or imagined and the furthest thing from scary. Saying “yes” to Clayton was one of the easiest decisions I had ever made, because I was confident I had let go of control of my life 3 years ago and fully put my trust in what Jesus has for me.
I could have never imagined a man as amazing as Clayton or the peace that far surpassed my understanding when I said “yes”. I’ve never been more at peace and excited for the future in my entire life. Although there are still many things that are unknown of the future, my soul is at rest in the arms of my savior. I’ve put my life fully in His hands and He continues to blow me away.
There was a time when this story seemed too good to be true. I wanted to believe that THIS was what God had for me, but nothing in my life looked like this was possible. My heart had been broken, and I couldn’t even recognize who I was anymore. BUT God. But, His goodness. But, His faithfulness. It is beyond what you can imagine and it’s often beyond what you pray.
Ephesians 3:20 (tpt) says, “Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.”
Friend, let me tell you and please believe me… God knows what you want and what you need better than you do. He has your very very best in mind. His heart is ALWAYS for you.
Trust Him. Let go… and trust Him.
He is faithful to bring your heart’s desire in His perfect timing. You will not be disappointed.
Your friend, and sis,
Laney
Ps: Clayton is sharing His heart and His side of the story on the blog on Monday and I promise you, YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT! Xoxo
Laney Redmon is a lover of Jesus who loves sharing about what He has done in her life. Whether it’s through writing blogs, music, or designing clothes, Laney’s prayer is that it would always remind people of how loved they are by HIM.
Check out Laney’s brand new song, Speak Your Name, available now!
We have merged the LO Shop and the Words by Sadie Shop to make a better shopping experience for you all. If you have any questions with your orders or shipping info, please visit the Contact page. Hope you enjoy!
Sadie Robertson Huff is well known for her engaging smile and energetic personality, but there is a lot more to the 25-year-old star of A&E’s Duck Dynasty and runner up on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars season 19
We’re all about championing women to live out their purpose. Inside our app you’ll find prayer, workshops, book clubs and community. Join today for FREE!
Sisters and friends from all over the world share their stories, advice, and encouramgent on our blog. Topics feature college advice, sisterhood, sadie’s messages and more.
Here is a pic of me and my little sister, Bella. Much like a group of sorority girls, we live in the same house. We also share the same last name. We even we look alike. We are Robertsons, born from the same parents. She is my sister. While that is what make us sisters, it is not what makes up our sisterhood. Our sisterhood comes from our genuine friendship. It comes from her love, honesty, and loyalty to me and mine to her.
