This week I am joining in with Lisa Jo for Five Minute Friday. The topic: JOIN.
GO.
I’ve always felt a little bit different from the rest of the world – a little bit nerdy, a little unfunny, a little unpretty, a socially awkward person who sorta kept to herself on the fringe and outside of the circle – the kind who wanted to flit and fly, but always kept to the wall because it was safer.
In the blogging world, I joined in. I wrote when it was unsafe to write. I wrote when it was the only thing left to do and when the words were not beautiful and did not always make sense. As I wrote, I found His freedom. People in real life reached out to me, and we became friends.
I gained courage and confidence, and my writing begin to minister to others from time to time. In the pain I shared, I found hope and healing and sometimes acceptance. And when my courage faltered and I’d forgotten who I was, one online friend spoke life to me when I thought I’d lost all my real life friends, and I kept writing.
I stopped staying on the wall, stepped out, and met real life bloggers, and we are friends now. All because I took a risk and joined in this online world. Praise God for you all. Sometimes life happens bigger when we take one step of obedience.
STOP.
I am so glad you joined! I just LOVE this: “Sometimes life happens bigger when we take one step of obedience.” What truth, what testimony! Thank you so much for this post. And for joining in 5MF. Smiles!
Hi,
I felt as if the first paragraph were discribing me…
It is also my prayer that God would use my blog to encourage others.
Thank you for sharing a great article.
what an awesome encouragement this fine day. you have captured the essence of my life over the past 9 months. i’m not fully down the road yet, but one step each day i’m finding a new person and a new confidence. thank you for taking the freedom to write and share with us, to encourage others, and for being obedient!
oh jamie . . . now I am wishing i could just reach out of my laptop & give YOU a huge hug. praise GOD from whom all blessings FLOW.
and flow abundantly!
you know, i was shocked & honored all at the same time when i hovered over the link to see my name as the one the Lord used to speak life to your soul. and the surprised part reminds me so much of something i read in “my utmost” when he was explaining that when we truly get out of the way & allow ourselves to be used by God, we won’t actually know that we are being used by God — and that’s exactly His perfect design.
(i think i may have been this one, but not sure: http://utmost.org/living-simply%e2%80%94-yet-focused/ )
i am so thankful for you, jamie. thankful for how quickly & powerfully the Lord knit our hearts together. thankful for the countless times that He allows us to be walking through some of the same struggles at the same time, past & present. and so, so grateful for the rich truths that the He speaks through you to my soul, & many others’.
if we never get to meet here on earth, i wholeheartedly look forward to worshipping our Father face-to-face with you in Eternity.
Oh do I ever get the step of obedience part! And you and I are so kindred on this! I’m embarrassed to say how long it took me to peel off of the wall, but I’ve done it. And you’re right. there is such freedom to be found there! In the obedience. In the joining in. In getting out of the way to let Him work through us. …Now I’m all riled up 😉
So thrilled to join you here, five minutes at a time!
So glad you have joined the blogging world girlie! So happy we met at She Speaks!
Im so glad we’re friends and that we met at SheSpeaks! Keep writing! God has amazing plans for you!
That is so true what you wrote about how obedience leads to that bigger life…I am so grateful I met you at She Speaks, and btw, I think you are pretty…def not “unpretty” … Keep writing, Jaime, and I’m giving you a big cyber-HUG because I can’t hug you in person…Have a blessed weekend with your lovely family 🙂
I’m glad you stayed joined to your encouragers and to your blogging. : ) We “know” each other through Twitter btw.
Incredibly thankful you joined. Our stories are similar, my friend! Praise HIM that he drew us out and into this world, a world in which He’s using us as He chooses.
What a blessing to you and your friend that you were courageous enough to start blogging! Sometimes, I think that online friends know us much better than our “real” friends because they have had a peak in our minds.
Wow, Jamie, it’s funny how many people have this same story! Love your honesty and courage. Blessings, friend!
Thank you for this beautiful story of joining.. sometimes writing and putting your voice out there is a true way to join, if not with others, but with yourself and the courage.
I can relate to what you say here. I am not alone in my reasons for having started a blog. Thank you for sharing. I came by from 5 minute Friday’s but then realised you were the same jamie who left a message on truth in weakness blog post fro me. Thank you for your prayers they were appreciated. Behind The Smile.