Personal and Detailed

My parents gave me a pair of silver earrings with my "married" initials the first Christmas I was married and I wore those things every day for 3 years. I am not kidding. (The back broke off of one and I lost it at work.) :(

I guess it's the personal touch that makes personalized gifts SO special. They are marked, named, engraved for a specific person. While someone else may appreciate the beauty of that item, the gift is meant for one person. One.

Saturday, as we sat and listened to Beth Moore I was amazed at how each point seemed to echo something that God had already been engraving on my heart. Amazed. But what got me was that Sunday morning....SEVERAL things our pastor said went right along with what Beth had said on Saturday.

I won't lie and say it was an easy word to receive because it wasn't. At points it was a very tough pill to swallow. Some of it I am still working through.

Saturday and Sunday I was reminded that we were all created for a purpose. Goodness Ecclesiastes 1 shows us that even nature has a purpose! God DOES have a purpose and calling for our life. I want to as Eph. 4:1 says live a live that is worthy of the calling God has given me. That calling is personalized and detailed for me. Your calling is personalized and detailed for you. You can't complete mine and I can not complete yours.

As we talked about Saturday night, 1 Peter 4:10 says, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

Grace. This was another theme from the weekend. This was Point 4 on Saturday and Sunday by the way. Beth reminded us that secure women have been upended by grace. She said grace takes up the space in a secure woman. Love that. Our pastor challenged us as well to live in response to grace.


Grace. It amazes me. Who am I that God would extend such a beautiful thing to me, and yet I am stingy with it. My favorite, well one of my favorite quotes from Saturday, simply says:

Grace is the only thing we can give away and still keep.

I was immediately convicted of some relationships where I have not extended grace. There was some unforgiveness that needed to be turned upside down. It was quite clear that if I desire to live as a secure woman of God and fulfill His purpose for my life, I needed to extend some grace.

Personal and detailed. It is how my entire weekend felt. Even though the message was hard, it was what He wanted me to hear. We started off by asking God to open our ears to hear the word of His mouth (Jer. 9:20) and boy oh boy. He spoke a personal word.


This is one of my favorite passages of all time. God placed it on the heart of Lisa for Saturday evening. It never fails to remind me just how precious each one of us are to our God.

But now, this is what the Lord says-He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel; Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I Am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; Isaiah 43:1-5a