Pick Up the Pieces

Before I begin, I’d like to let it be known that my posts are USUALLY well thought out, drafted and finalized. Except today is different. It will be completely random as I navigate my thoughts and what God has placed on my heart to share.

My intent was the do a “vlog” instead but on a Monday after a long holiday break got your girl looking like “what?” and “whodunit?”

Anyway, here we go…

“Pick Up the Pieces” was whispered in my ear late last night while I was on my 5th or 6th attempt to go to sleep. I try to be very careful saying that God gave me a word or a title but I know it just didn’t come out of nowhere. Funny thing is, that’s ALL I got before drifting off to sleep.

When I started this blog, I was so excited. Fixing up the page and picking my domain felt like I was finally accomplishing something. I told myself I would post at least ONCE A WEEK (insert laughter here). Well, that obviously didn’t happen. I found myself confused, tongue-tied and brain frozen with a lack of focus and drive to even write a rough draft. Why?  Probably fear. Probably uncertainty. Probably numbers. Probably the likes and comments or lack thereof. I became so unsure of myself. So, I dropped it. People were starting to ask about my blog and asking why I hadn’t posted. Well now they know.

I’m only sharing because I feel like God (through prayer and through people) called me on my bluff. He was telling me to pick up the pieces. I felt like I allowed too much time to pass this year. “Maybe I’ll try to do better….next year. Maybe then I’ll receive some great revelations. I’ll revamp, change the whole site, etc.” But in November of 2018, I’ve decided to pick up where I left off as instructed. See, a lot of times we feel like we have to “start over” in order to make real progress. Scratch the original notes, throw away the blueprint, rethink things, etc, but God is telling you and I to pick up the pieces. Take all the good work, the creative thoughts you ALREADY HAVE, the drive you had and go FORWARD. Use the original plan, the one you had before you allowed critics and naysayers to tweak it and tear it apart. Don’t leave anything out because of the time you think you don’t have. Don’t skip any steps and watch how things manifest.

Switching gears a liiiittle bit because it goes two ways.

Picking up the pieces also goes for those who may have allowed one too many people into their hearts and minds. You’ve found yourselves broken, confused and empty because you’ve given so much to get little in return. Maybe you’ve dimmed your light, lowered your standards  and compromised way more than you should have. To those people, I know what it feels like. But you have to pick up the pieces of your heart and hand them over to the ONLY one who can put it back together again.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Psalms 51:10, NKJV

Take every part of you that you feel is dirty, uncertain and unworthy… and hand it over to God. Every piece of you may not be pretty but you have to be honest with yourself and know that it still fits into the puzzle. If God can take someone insecure, low self-esteemed, broken, bitter and prideful like me and make them over completely, He can do the same for you. I searched through prayer and simply talking to God for every piece, whether the “piece of me” was under the bed, in the closet, in my journal or in my thoughts. It wasn’t until I became honest with myself, that I was able to be made whole. Does it mean that I’m perfect now? Heck no. But there’s beauty in knowing that and not beating myself up about it daily. Knowing that God still loves me and will still use me AND my flaws to reach other people.

HIS grace IS sufficient!

We have to stop trying to hide the pieces to your puzzle in shame or guilt. It doesn’t matter what people will think or say. Pick up EVERY piece.

I pray that one or both of these revelations I’ve received helps someone. I know it’s all over the place but I have to give them the way I got them. If any of this post speaks to a place you’re in or have been in, I also pray you get the answers you’re looking/praying for and that you get peace in those answers.

-G.