I see you sitting there. You’re wondering what do to with yourself aren’t you?
You’re thinking – again – that you’re not enough.
You can’t remember the last time the laundry was caught up or the last time your brain worked at full capacity.
That stain on the couch? The one from the spilled juice? It’s still there. Those dust bunnies have now had babies.
You aren’t happy with your hair, or your house, and definitely not your attitude.
You know that these things are like this – these areas you’ve “failed” – because you’ve been sacrificing lately.
But it doesn’t make you feel better does it?
You wonder what it all was for. You wonder what you were thinking.
Except.
Don’t you remember? You had to sacrifice right now. This is the season for upheaval, and God’s plans weren’t your plans, but you obeyed and trekked on and it is well.
God loves you so much, you conquering woman, you. You victorious daughter. You princess. You warrior.
And then.
I saw that look in your eye. That spark of recognition. That knowing of God’s grace and precious sovereignty.
You’re reminded that sometimes sacrifices are right – necessary.
That they don’t always look like the sacrifices others make, but they’re yours and they’re good. Yes, hard even.
Especially that.
But
with every victory step you take towards truth, there are those voices. They try to reel you backwards.
They try so hard.
They want you to believe they love you. It’s only for your good, they say. It’s so you can be holy, they say.
They tell you your choices aren’t right. Aren’t up to snuff. Aren’t pleasing.
They bring out the rule book and prove your faults.
And you don’t know what to do with yourself.
But Jesus whispers sweet nothings. He calls you by your real name.
Good.
You shake off the lies and dress to the nines in truth and love and know that you
are
enough.
By Arianne, To Think Is To Create
ABOUT ARIANNE
Arianne is a freelance writer and mom of three boys and a baby girl, living in Charleston, South Carolina. She sifts through the dinosaurs and trains and fluffy cloth diapers to find her inner steel...
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
This is precious. “Jesus whispering sweet nothings.” I love that picture because without His sweet nothings of grace we’d be nowhere and nothing. It’s how I make it through each day. Thank you Arianne.
I love the image of “dressing to the nines in truth”. I have a friend who used to say that, “Truth is slippery,” and isn’t it the truth? Truth IS slippery. It’s hard to hang on to in the midst of kids and failures and bills to be paid and schedules to keep . . .
Thanks for the reminder that what Jesus says to us and about us is always, always,
the most important thing.
Thanks for this piece.
Yes, so slippery! We have to be so intentional to hang on to it…
Arianne,
You saw me when you wrote this?
sitting here
fighting to stay sane, to hang on, to believe?
Yes those voices….
I am on an enforced rest because I got burned out.
from doing the really hard thing that God gave to do
that some people don’t understand
not only burn out
but the thing ‘looks’ like it failed
and the lives that need to be safe don’t appear to be
and now I am shut out
don’t know whats happening
have to let go and trust Him that He knows
The voices…
the voices are my inner voices
they assume what others will say….
-you always screw up in the end
-How do you know it was God?
-you said the wrong thing
-you should have tried harder
-you did not love enough
-was that major decison you and husband made really the right one?
So this is one more day of getting out of bed with pain in my heart,
wondering what is happening,
if they are safe…
and fighting to trust and turn to Him
fighting to remember that yes, I did what He called me to do and it is all up to Him fighting to shut out the voices…
One more day of seeing the work that has not been done
and accepting, it is okay….
The Voice…
He welcomes me to Him all the time
He is gentle, yet I see Him fighting for me too
Interceding before the Father in all this
and when I call …
I have seen how …
He interrupts the prayers to run to me and care about me.
Still, even knowing this, it has been hard to hang on.
I know that you did not see me when you wrote this,
but He did
and He knew that I needed
another encouragement to:
shake off the lies and dress to the nines in Truth and His Love and to know that I am enough.
Thank-you so much
Jill
Sweet Jill…
Yes He saw you. He holds you through this, wants you to remember His promises.
Surrender. That is the key to endurance.
xoxo
Ari
Thank you for writing this. It makes me feel better about the choices in my life.
Hi Arianne
that is beautiful and so much the truth! thank you for sharing and the reminder that we are enough!
xoTiffany
Thank you.
I’m struggling right now with not knowing if I am in the midst of sacrificing or being selfish? Hiding behind what I am doing now when it’s really a fear-comfort, what might be out there? Truth? Exposure of my ugly parts? Or afraid my intentions will be mis-read and I might be accused of only showing off the beauty parts? Is there a chance to fail? Or even more scary- a chance I might succeed? I can not find my footing.
Those are my crazy thoughts. But yes, thank you.
Steph
I think so often when we are wondering something like you describe – we really do know the answer. You know the answer deep in your heart gut. You do. Dealing with the fear is the tricky part.
<3
Oh, I love this! Conquering woman, victorious daughter, princess, warrior. What a powerful image. I will carry this with me today!
What is it in our culture that fosters such self-criticism? When the Dalai Lama was asked about self-hatred, he did not even understand the concept. He went around to all the Westerners in the room, asking if they experienced this. Most said yes. Having lived and traveled in other cultures, I can attest to the fact that this is not universal. How sad that it is so ingrained in our culture, and especially so deeply ingrained in women.
It doesn’t come from the Bible. Isaiah 43 says “I have called you by name, you are mine…. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you.”
If we are enough for God, why aren’t we enough for ourselves? Let’s go forth today as beloved daughters of the covenant, children of God, blessed beyond belief.
Thank you so much, Arianne, for this rousing call to joy!
You bring up such a great point – where does our self-hatred come from, if this isn’t a universal issue w/humanity? Why is it worse here? I’ll be thinking on this!
We have this inability to accept love, too. Some of us are better at it, but I think most of us are often forgetting, pushing away, or diminishing the epic power of Jesus’ love.
I have been needing to hear that for the past year.. needing desperatly to just see words written just for me, its like i know this stuff but when i see it infront of me, speaking to my heart i actually KNOW it, you know?
Thank you again, arianne, for moving me deeply with your beautiful ways.
Grace x
Grace, God speaks to us through so many things, and I’m humbled He used me for you with this piece. Tucking you in my heart…
Isn’t it true that Grace is Sufficient? We ought to be walking around in such gratitude. I think those who do are the ones who emanate undeniable light. Nobody cares about dust bunnies, and everybody’s looking for the light.
Walking around in gratitude – YES!! We ultimately are so selfish. We (I) pout because the here, now, is never enough. I’m not enough. But He draws me into the nook of his side, spirit-hearts beating as one and reminds me that He sees Jesus when He looks at me. And that’s more than enough.
I was just praying about the “I am enough” but really “I am not enough” thing today. Thank you for the reminder that God sees Jesus when he looks at me and that’s more than enough.
All is can is thank you. So very, very much. I needed this.
Thanks you so much…
“Dress to the nines in the truth…”
Love that, Ari. Sigh. I want to see you…
So sweet…this reminder, these words of truth.
Thank you.
Oh. my. goodness….this is EXACTLY what I needed to read, right this very moment…
THANK YOU so very, very much!!!
God Bless you!
I got chills reading this comment. Love!
Not only what I needed to hear today…everyday…but I know many others who needed to and I shared your words (His Words) with them.
This is a reminder that pierces throught the thick yuck of this world…thank you.
Jen
Thank you so much for passing this on…the body caring for the body. Love!
Many years ago, my mother told me that when I’m feeling down, when I don’t feel God’s love, when I feel alone and forgotten and not redeemed, to repeat a simple phrase to myself: I am the daughter of the King. She told me to put it on a Post-It note on my mirror, on a card in my wallet, wherever I would see it often and remember that simple phrase’s truth. I’m struggling with believing my sacrifices are enough, that they’re even seen. That I AM the daughter of the King. But your post reminded me of what I am in Him, what I am called to do in His name. Thank you, Arianne. Again. You are lovely and light and a conduit of His love…and you give me hope.
I am goofy…because I tell myself, remind myself, I am the daughter of the King. His princess. What would I do if I was a medieval type princess? How did they hold themselves? Back when monarchy was a Big Deal. What did they know about their own personal royalty? I literally picture the heaven-kingdom and try to be heart-behaving the right way. I see the beauty in my mind and then can no longer feel gray and battered.
What a beautiful Sunday morning read! Your powerful words minister deep, sweet girl. I *am* enough because He said so, and He is more than enough.
Love you so much. Your grace is flow-y when you walk, like a beautiful gown billowing behind you after you pass by. Seriously.
Thank you Jesus for speaking through my Sister Arianne. Such beatiful words, and SUCH a needed reminder.
Ari, I loved seeing you at Relevant. You are one of the best hug-givers in the whole universe. Thanks for being beautiful you.
I had just posted this (http://bit.ly/a6apyx) & this (http://bit.ly/9nHfss) on Twitter, then read this post. Just finished sobbing. God is using you. Thank you.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Yes, Yes, Yes…standing on the chair shouting right alongside you…YES! We ARE precious and beautiful and lovely and redeemed and loved and approved and so much more…simply because we are HIS!
Exactly! xoxo
Dressing to the Nines in Truth is something that I need to do more often.
I need to stop listening to all of ‘them’ and focus on Him.
thanks for the reminder because as of late I was filling my mind with so much that I didn’t have the ability to listen even if He was shouting right in my ear.
yes yes yes – tune out the lies! sometimes they can walk so closely to the truth that they seem real…until we see they’re really just cheap knock offs.
Wow. This was wildly encouraging. Thank you for boldly writing such life-giving Truth.
This is absolutely beautifully written. I have felt so overwhelmed the last few weeks with all that I haven’t gotten done, and this has made me feel better. Thank you for sharing your wise words.
This was beautiful, it was exactly what I needed today!
Thanks so much!
This was beautifully written, Arianne.
xo,
Darcy
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