Girl Talk Book Study: Week TWO

I am really enjoying reading Girl Talk by Jen Hatmaker.  This week touched my heart in so many ways. Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with kindergarten. Check back tomorrow for that!

Day One: It’s Always Best To Tell The Truth

There are no truer words than The Truth Will Set You Free!  I think I give the gift of honesty freely to everyone I meet, except myself. Real talk.  Sometimes it’s easier to live in the gray area, my make believe world.  The truth is that I can’t always hand the truth life throws my way.  “Truth is the front door to the warm, inviting home called GRACE.”  Lord knows I need grace. I don’t deserve it but I need it.  This was a great reminder that Jesus knows my struggles, the whole truth, nothing but the truth and loves me anyway. 

Day Two: Lies We Tell Ourselves

Oy. I’m a master at this.  I think I go back and forth with this one, one extreme to another. I tell myself that I am scared or I live in fear.  I wish I had more of a gray area here.  I’m confident or I’m a hot mess.  I feel beautiful or I loathe myself. I think some of the lies we tell ourselves are for our own protection.  I want to tell myself that they like me even though in my heart of hearts I know that is not true. Sometimes it’s easier to live that way but that’s surface living. There is no meat in that life. Another big lie is that “I can do this myself.” Um, have I met myself? Yes, I am a pretty strong, independent person BUT much of my life needs a support system. I don’t always have one but I need people.  I also need to be needed.

The “What if” game. Seriously, she is in my head. Ha! I have to slap myself around often because it is SO EASY to get sucked into the what if game. You are borrowing trouble here. You are borrowing fear. Most importantly you are allowing “what if” to steal today’s JOY.  God set aside JOY just for you today and guess what, “What If” just stole it right out from under you! You have to tell what if, NO! Don’t live in what can be but live in what is because guess what, whatever it can be or will be, God will be there!

Day Three: Lies We Tell God

Gulp. “I believe you.” I really do believe God when he tells me to wait or to stop but sometimes I do question..are you really there? I’ve been trying to have a baby for almost 14 years. I’ve been pregnant twice but never made it to the finish line. I stand on God’s promise daily but I would be lying if I didn’t say that there have been moments during those 14 years when I haven’t been honest with God when I told him that I believe him.

My favorite thing Jen said in this section was “It’s okay to be honest with God. We can tell him how we feel about this whole thing. Your silence may be better than your dishonesty, but your truthfulness is infinitely better than your silence.” Love. Love. Love this! If I can’t be real with God, than whom can I be real with? He knows me inside and out. He knows the ugly truth, he is just waiting for me to talk about it so he can rescue me from it!

God wants real talk too. Lay it out there.  Being honest with him is being honest with ourselves. I think the hardest part is saying things out loud.  Once you say it  out loud, it becomes more real. But really, we need to be honest with ourselves and God because we can’t be a great team if one of the players is hiding in darkness. 

Day Four: Zacchaeus Was A Wee Little Man

Jesus is close to the brokenhearted. This is the JOY that comes in the morning. It doesn’t matter how much a mess I am, Jesus is chasing after my heart. He knows. He knows the truth.  He knows what I can’t say out loud and the weight of the world I sometimes carry. He knows. Yet, he still loves the real me.  Who else really knows the real me? My husband knows me better than anyone but I bet if you asked him a hundred questions, he would still miss a good 20. But, God is in the details. He is in every tiny truth of my life. There is no need to hide behind my guilt or shame or pretend my sin doesn’t exist. He knows. And he comes running for my anyway. How cool is that?!

Jen said, “When our friendships mimic our relationship with Jesus there is delight unheard of.”  That’s what I’m talking about! I want real, honest, grace filled friendships that can love my ugly.

Day Five: Dig In: Restless Trust

Day five was full of scripture reading and real talk with myself.  There are several things that I embraced, accepted (even a little reluctantly) and other things I accept as my truth for my life.

I’ve been rescued.

I’ve been set free.

Even when broken, I am blessed.

I trust HIM.

My life is forever changed.

I hope you are enjoying our book study.  It’s honestly nothing that I expected (though I expected greatness because I am a big Jen Hatmaker fan) and everything I absolutely need! If you are blogging about your journey too, please link up.  

I realize that this type of post is bold and out there. Probably more than you ever want to know about me. Please don’t ever take me sharing my heart as throwing my faith in your face.  Just some real talk. I am a kindergarten teacher. I blog about my classroom adventures and struggles. I’m also a wife, mom and most importantly believer.  I'm being completely vulnerable here and wearing my heart on my sleeve. Praying that it helps you learn and grow too! 

Have a great week digging deep in Week Three. Love and virtual hugs!

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