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We shared a week together at Bible camp, me a college counselor and she a high school camper. We prayed, drank hot chocolate, stayed up talking into the night, held our hands high in worship, sat in the cool canteen, and played field games. All our activities were threaded together with the love of Christ.

Our faith grew that week as we connected and shared pieces of our hearts. She took home a puzzle piece that I gave her, reminding her that she was one piece in a vast puzzle that – though we’d never see assembled – we knew we were an intrinsic part of. A part of a community bigger than we could literally see.

And without that one piece, there would be a hole. You’ve done a puzzle with a missing piece – the hole it leaves detracts from the bigger picture, right? She mattered to that community, to that puzzle.

Years and college degrees and weddings and children later, we re-connected through the (in)courage ‘unconference’, (in)RL. I was a co-host of her local meet-up, and she asked in a comment if I had worked at that Bible camp. When we met on the day of (in)RL, laughing and sharing pictures of our baby boys who have the same name, we felt our puzzle pieces coming together. God was giving us a glimpse of the bigger picture, of the whole that only He knew.

We both felt a tug towards encouraging women – specifically, working mothers of young children. When (in)courage announced their new (in)couragers community groups, we knew this was the place for us. And so she & I opened up a shiny new Facebook page, threw open the doors, poured the coffee, and invited women in to breathe.

Isn’t it lovely how God uses ordinary, simple things to do extraordinary work? To truly speak into our hearts and lives and fill up our souls? And isn’t it wonderful how He lives on the internet? We gather online, in pockets and corners, to encourage and be together when we can’t actually be together, and to share our hearts. (in)courage has truly become a ‘home for the hearts of women online’ where we can gather, and through (in)couragers groups we can take it one step deeper with women who share our circumstances.

Is it scary? Yes! To share our stories and ask for friendship with strangers is never easy. But let’s look at where we all gather right now, at incourage.me. The name says it all in courage. In courage, we join in. In courage, the group leaders and mentors have stepped up. In courage, we offer bits of our stories. In courage, we pray for one another. And only in courage can friendships be built.

Each of us holds a puzzle piece. Each of us has a place in this community. Without our individual piece, there is a prominent hole that our eyes are drawn to. You matter. There is a place for you here. And whether you join a group and talk every day, or quietly listen, or become a prayer warrior for others, or ask others to pray for you… no matter the level of your involvement, your presence has taken courage and it does not go unnoticed.

In our small yet mighty group, all working mothers of young children, we found community. Real, authentic, beautiful community. We laugh out loud and cry real tears. We lift each other up to the One who has gathered us there, and rest in His presence. And this spring several of us met outside the screen as she & I hosted a local (in)RL meet-up. Our puzzle came together – all because of a week at Bible camp, a shared passion for encouragement, and a God who wove it all together.

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ABOUT ANNA

Anna writes with simple honesty on the joys & struggles of faith, motherhood, & the everyday. She makes her home in Minnesota with her Husby & 18-month little Boy. Anna is thrilled to...

The dishes piled high in the sink.

The laundry basket is overflowing.

The careless word from his tongue.

The blog post that hasn’t been written.

The “what if” and “how am I going to” worries drowning out courage.

The fear that grips you when you are asked to serve.

The phone call from a friend that changes the course of your plans.

The important meeting you insist you are too tired to go to.

Every day it seems like I have to “let go, so I can let God.”

I say I fully trust God but yet, when I have a choice, I prefer to be the problem solver. I’ll handle this one, God. I like to be on top of things. I’ve got this day planned out, thank you. I prefer to be in control of my time and make the decisions that suit my personality, my schedule, my needs.

But sometimes He asks me to do the impossible.

The uncomfortable. The inconvenient. The frustrating. The exhausting.

He sends Divine Appointments to knock at my door or sends me a text when I had other plans.

He asks me to LET GO of MY PLANS and SHOW UP to HIS.

I have to let go and let God every.single.day.

When I’m crazy behind on work but I am asked to let it go so I can make it to church on time to greet someone new.

When my husband asks to spend the evening with me and I see the dishes are piled high in the sink and the blog post is still unwritten, I pray God will give me the grace to let the dishes stay for awhile longer.

When a friend calls asking to meet and I was about to crawl into bed for much needed sleep, I pray God would be like caffeine to my exhaustion so through my “yes” He can heal a wound and offer encouragement to a weary soul.

When a word that stings deep slips through to my heart, I pray I can model God’s grace and forgiveness.

When I’ve already given my fair share and God asks me to give or do a little more, I pray He’ll pry open my hand and remind me He can be trusted.

It’s not about me. There is so much more going on in God’s agenda for the day than what I had planned or what I can see.

I pray God can open my eyes a little wider to see what is unseen, make my stubborn heart a little more sensitive to His concerns, and make my weary feet arrive where He wants them to be.

So we fix our eyes on not what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

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ABOUT MELISSA MICHAELS

Melissa Michaels is the creator of The Inspired Room, a pastor’s wife at Voyage, and a mom of three. When...

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