A bit of my heart in the open today…ÂÂ
I’m celebrating Today in honor of the fabulous crop of young women I am privileged to know in a hundred different venues.
You make me so wish I had a daughter. I have had such an amazing relationship with my mother my whole life and I really wanted that for myself.
Couple this deep desire with this fabulous crop of the next generation of women who I’ve come to know and love, many of you here only through blogging, and the knowledge of what I’m missing without having a daughter sometimes becomes weighty.
So…to those of you who are in the thick of it, in the trenches of the battles between your heart and head during that space of time when you are trying to sort out what the future will bring–a degree…marriage…kids…job…(and if your head asks the question “is she talking to me?” the answer is yes, I’m speaking directly to you.) I just want to say how proud of you I am. Even if your mother never tells you, please allow me.
I see who you are only because you allow it, living out loud, authentically sharing your lives, linking arms with other women so you can encourage each other instead of envy each other. Whether in victory, pain, the agony of the struggle or the dreaded “wait” place, your Essence is the same. Pure, strong, courageous, valiant, full of character, passion and commitment.
To get through it, may offer a bit of advice? The only question that begs asking every single day of your life is “what’s First in my Heart?” who or what will I worship today? and we ALL choose…will it be money? power? fame? beauty? romance? or God? Choose with wisdom through each struggle and you will find the path that He created for you, one seemingly insignificant decision at a time. They all add up to the Plan.
Congratulations to each of you who find yourself in this space of time. You are coming along beautifully whether you see it or not. In the midst of pain or a mud puddle, and we all play in the mud at some point, you are God’s shining creation and I am near giddy at your reflection, You are beautiful.
I can’t help but wish you were mine! 
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April 27, 2007 at 10:47 am
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April 25, 2007 at 9:51 am
billclark
G.
This is an interesting tension that I’m not sure I’m ever going to fully understand. Practice is important (”train unto godliness”), performance is important (otherwise what’s all this talk from Paul about running races?) but transformation is what its all about (too many versus to mention) - but what’s cause? what’s effect? what’s the means? what’s the end?
Sometimes it seems like a gestalt test - the more you look at it, the more the images flip back and forth!
April 25, 2007 at 11:22 am
obahsomah
bill clark you are always thinking!
I think the performing part is to perform before one and only one…God. When we set out to proclaim and perform our deeds as something WE are doing, not something God is doing through us, then it is showing off.
Gwen…always getting me thinking way to early! Love you!
April 25, 2007 at 12:01 pm
awarriorprincess
maybe its where the energy is coming from to begin with? maybe when we expect nothing in return? Maybe when we project the shekina shine away from ourselves? maybe when we walk away without having flown our banner at all and make people want to ask “why”?
April 25, 2007 at 1:43 pm
parke
In some unhealthy situations there really is a sense of performance. I think that it’s worthwhile noting that sometimes we mistake things for performance that are healthy. For example, non-profits frequently tout what they are doing. There is a wrong way to do this, but they know that by touting what is being done (via the power of the supporters and with the energy of the receivers) encourages even more people to jump in. And there is a certain amount of that which you’ll see Paul doing in his letters. He praises what some people over here are doing in a letter that will go around so that others will be jealous to do good things.
There’s also an element of praising God. One of my roles in life is to praise God in my writing. Part of that is pointing out miraculous moments that are clearly all God. I think another part of that though is pointing out God at work in the community around me and in the lives of those serving.
It certainly does make for a complex situation to dive into.
April 27, 2007 at 9:11 am
Gwen
True Parke, I think when there is performance but it’s not for self, that there is a bigger picture for the good of others, that’s transformance.
When I think of Performance I think ritualistic and empty, just going through the motions because we were taught that Christians live a certain way or perform kind deeds. There doesn’t appear to be any life behind it.
April 27, 2007 at 10:19 am
parke
That’s fair.
April 27, 2007 at 10:23 am
Gwen
but sad…