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Sunday, January 26, 2014

I'd Like You to Meet...Angela Meijer



 I'm so pleased to introduce to you one of the most creative people I know. She is a beautiful wife, mother and friend. Angela helped me to get my blog started about a year and a a half ago.  I wanted to do one so much, but had no idea how! She was at my house one day and said, "I can help you." Those were the most beautiful words to my ears. She has been a constant source of encouragement and information since Day One.

I was at Angela's home last month during the holiday season. Her home was magical. Her creative touches were everywhere! Creativity is simply part of her identity. She doesn't even have to try - it just flows out of her.

Angela is also a talented artist and photographer. God uses her so beautifully through her artistic talents.

I'm so very happy for you to meet...Angela Meijer.
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The Power of Our Words

Top Left:  Angela in her element
                                                                               Top Right: Angela and her beautiful family


I am a daughter, friend, wife, mother, artist, and a woman with a high value for words.  Words create.  Words have the power to create life or death.  We have all experienced kind words, and we have all experienced hurtful words.  

This morning, I’m thinking about self talk.  My self talk has been loud this morning (wow!!!).   I’m in the process of changing my mind on something important to me.  When I’m not sure what to think about the things that matter, I often feel unsettled.  I like to be “in the know” and, when what I know is challenged, I feel vulnerable.  I’m telling myself this week, that I’m thankful for vulnerability, and am trying to be kind to myself in the process.

Last week, I taught in my daughter’s Sunday school class.  We talked about preparing our hearts to meet with God.  We addressed the question, what do we do when there is " ick" in our hearts that keeps us from connecting with God?  We talked about King David and how he asked God to create a new heart in him.  I asked the kids, “Is God (the ultimate Creator) able to give you a new heart?  They all confidently yelled, “Yes!”  So, I continued, “Let’s give God our " ick, "and ask Him to create a new heart in us.”  I decided I would go first.  I found myself writing “trust issues” on my paper, and then (as an act of giving it to God), I put my paper through the paper shredder.  Every child wrote down what they were giving to God and put it through the paper shredder.  When the shredders were finally quiet, we asked God to give us something new in the place of what was now gone.  We asked God to bring to our minds what He was giving us, and wrote those things down to remember.  The thought that came to my mind was vulnerability.  Well... vulnerability is kind of key to connecting with the “all seeing” God.

I am asked in the scriptures to love God and love others as I love myself.  I want to get better at loving myself.  My self talk creates in me, and because I’m a painter, it shows up in vivid colors in all that I create.  I often think about how to make my home a peaceful and nurturing environment.  If I magnify whatever I focus on, then my self talk shapes my environment more than any decor ever could.  Today,  I choose to have every thought go through this filter before it’s allowed to find a home:

God loves me and He likes me.  His thoughts for me are great and more numerous than the stars in the sky.  I couldn’t fathom this if I tried.  My agreement with Him makes vulnerability possible and enables me to see the beauty of process.

I love this quote by Brene Brown - “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.”

This week, I got to speak in my daughter Emma’s Sunday school class again.  Our prayer  focus was, “Lord, help me to see You, myself and others like You do.  Amen.”  We practiced this by asking God for kind words to encourage each other with and we wrote those words down. Kathy’s son Evan is great at photography.  He took portraits of each of the kids as a keepsake.  Here is the portrait of my daughter Emma.


When class was over, Emma wanted to talk to me.   She was upset.  Her outfit was black, and one of the girls in class had told her she looked "gothic".  Emma assured me that it wasn't meant as a compliment.  She had just been affirmed and encouraged by her peers, but "gothic" was the resounding word.  I told Emma that she could choose which words to keep, and which words to throw out the window.  We laughed, as Emma pretended to throw the word "gothic" out the window.  With the air cleared, Emma started telling me about how much fun she had in her group.

This reminds me of one of my favorite scripture verses.   
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." - Philippians 4:8

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Thank you so much, Angela! I love your thoughtful way of writing and how to put into practice the power of our words to change the atmosphere around us. You are awesome!



Linking up to:  homestoriesatoz.com  impartinggrace.com

6 comments:

  1. What a precious lesson Angela was able to teach. I love that they acted out throwing the word gothic away!! So nice to meet her. :)

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  2. What an excellent reminder! I'm going to incorporate "throwing away" unkind, mean, words in daycare land. These kids are so teachable, I've started having devotions with them every day.

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    1. What a great thing to do, Marti, with those little ones. I thought the same thing about throwing away the unkind words. It's so practical. Have a wonderful day!

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  3. Thanks for the intro to Angela! I loved the story about Emma. The unkind words can really linger and cause damage if we don't throw them out. What great advice!

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    1. Isn't it? I never thought of doing that, but I am keeping it in my mind to use for our kids, too. Thanks for writing, Alison!

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