Pain birthed my ministry to hurting Christian women and to the leaders who serve them. For you I write. I understand, I’ve been there.
My ministry to hurting Christian women and to the leaders who serve them had an unwelcome beginning.
Pain.
Who likes pain? Not me. I’m a comfort girl, big sweat shirts and blue jeans. No pain, no gain? Jane Fonda had it all wrong.
Yet God allowed it to barrel into my life. Yours too?
The blessedly wonderful and yes it is true: You can know joy. Abundant joy overflowing, sloshing over bucket rims, wetting toes, puddling.
I didn’t know the secret to abundant joy overflowing — and I still forget at times — but I know it now and I want to share it with you. You and me, together, arms linked, seeking joy, finding joy.
Abundant
joy
overflowing
Yes!
This is how pain becomes amazing. God turns it upside down.
The Flip Side
Year ago before A-J-O-Y — abundant joy overflowing yes — I experienced loneliness. Even at church. Especially at church.
I’d go to church desiring friendship with godly women, and it seemed everyone was chatting with someone else and they knew the secret handshake or the secret password or whatever
and I didn’t. I flowered the wall, another daisy lost in the lobby, dying.
Can you relate?
Know this, sweet sister: You are not alone in your emotional and spiritual struggles. You are not alone in the pain that tags along with your physical problems.
God Whispered
Then God whispered to my heart: “Lucy, comfort my sheep who are hurting with the comfort you’ve received from me.”
“Who me?” I asked
“Trust me, Lucy.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Trust me.”
Like the fuzz of a dandelion, my arguments floated away and I said, “Okay, Lord.”
Since then I’ve ministered to hurting Christian women and to the leaders who serve them. Fearful women. Lonely women. Abused women. Women trapped in addiction: shopping, alcohol, pornography. Women who’ve committed adultery. Women with hard pasts. Women like me. Like you.
Will you journey with me to the well? At the well we discover living water. Bubbly, fresh, overflowing. Extravagant.
Special Plans
I’ll share special plans in the coming weeks to help you find hope and healing, comfort and care. I’m fixated on the “HOW” of things. Someone will tell me a great idea, a perfect inspiration, and I ask how. Beyond the how, I need steps, foot prints showing the way. A map to the treasure. And friends.
A journey begins with a single sip. Dare to join me?
With Joy Overflowing,
I know your call is to help women but it’s not just women who find themselves in the place of need someone be the joyful voice of God in their lives. To have someone offer encouragement or comfort in times of pain. The wisdom you share can cross gender boundaries very easily. 🙂
Thank you, Jason. My brother-in-law tells me the same thing. He subscribes to my eLetter Cup of Joy too and writes to encourage me!
I also know that many women I’ve counseled have discovered God’s way of becoming godly wives, moms, daughters. This way, the men in their lives are receive ministry.
Just amazing.
I can totally relate to church being one of the lonely places in the world when you are the one who doesnt know the secret handshake and not a soul glances over at you! I need a sip of compassion for a church that has proved to be less than trustworthy, yes I know they are human But I have trouble getting past the hurts that happened while attending in past!
A sip of compassion. . .LOVE that! Sounds like you want to extend compassion. LOVE that too. The big question is HOW? This is what “Today’s Sip” is all about, finding the HOW, doing the HOW. Practical steps, baby sips, leading to big changes and life transformation. Thanks for sharing, Amanda. Please share this post on Facebook. 🙂
Oh, Lucy…what a blessing to receive your friend request and then to visit your beautiful site. You’ve really spoken to my heart this morning – thank you! Yes, I can definitely relate. I’m the church secretary. I sing with the worship team. My husband and son play trumpet with the worship team. I’m in charge of keeping the altar decorated and keeping the front planters watered. I even tried leading our women’s ministry for a time, but soon found that the women here don’t really want to be lead (kind of a “us 4 and no more” type thing). After all those things, I feel that I, too “flower the walls.” My husband and I have been talking about this very thing; how disconnected we are. There’s no unity, no sense of belonging or being spiritually fed. I can definitely identify with you – something I’m definitely praying about. Thanks again for sharing your heart ~ be blessed!
Debbie
Debbie, we are NOT alone. . .of course, Jesus is with us, the great Emmanuel. . .and we share feelings of isolation in the church. Sad but true for many. I will be praying for you. Thank you for sharing. You have blessed me.
Hi Lucy,
Thank you for this great post. I can relate to everything from being a wall flower, to feeling everything from fear to loneliness because I didn’t feel as if I belonged. Reaching out to others is a great way to help, on both sides.
Thanks for sharing.
Wanda, years ago while at a church where most women circled in cliques, and I felt hurt and angry, God impressed on my heart to show THEM hospitality. Although I was the newbie and thought God had a WILD sense of humor, I reached out. In reaching out, my perspective changed. It made all the difference. He made all the difference.