Rumors-My Heart on the Chopping Block

As I sat down to write this blog, I had a completely different focus until my fingers hit the keyboard. I was going to share a funny little take on rumors that I thought would encourage you, but instead, I find myself standing in a place of tension. On one side, I hear a whisper of what I am to write and on the other side, I hear my flesh saying "Don't share that, it's one of the secrets that no one knows, the one you have kept hidden for so long.

Yet, as I sit here, I wonder......I wonder if anyone else feels this way...so I write.

Before we jump in, here was my original post. "I heard a rumor, God can do all things" and then I was going to tell you how some rumors are true and aren't we glad this one is, but instead, a shift happened and this is where we are left. Rumors... they have the power.

It is no secret that I was very reckless in my past, emotionally, physically and sexually. But, there are vivid moments in my life that I remember as turning points. Today, I am going to share one of those pivotal moments with you.

As a senior in high school, I sat confidently at the chemistry lab table talking with friends, minding my own business and doing my work. Then, I heard the whispers. I saw the way the girls looked at me and I found the note that someone had written. I remember it like it was yesterday. It said what a slut Mia was. It listed the names of certain boys that I had sex with and all the things I had done with them and it labeled me a whore.

That note crushed me. That note wrongly confirmed all the things I believed about myself. The only thing was.....I WAS a virgin. Now I am not saying I was holier than thou, I repeatedly put myself in situations that allowed boys to make up stories about me, but what I did know is that the words in that note were not true, but still, I allowed it to speak to me. I allowed it to change me.

I remember at that moment giving up. I consciously decided to not try anymore and just become wholeheartedly what everyone else already believed about me. I allowed it to become my truth and I set out to act on my new identity.

I turned into what they said I was. And for lack of better words, I was "on a roll" and I didn't know how to stop. I remember keeping track of all the men I had been with, writing their names in a secret place in the corner of my closet wall, clinging to a (false) truth that a "real whore" wouldn't know how many men she had slept with, but this too became tangled and hard to manage and I would spend years sinking down into a false identity, self destruction, unplanned pregnancy and adultery.

Now, I share all of that (even though I didn't want to) not to say that all because of that one note, I became the way I was....and to be honest, I don't know why I am sharing this at all.

But maybe, if we realize that the words we say have the power to build up and also destroy, we will be a bit more attentive as to what comes out of our mouths and more importantly what is in our hearts. Maybe, we will realize that rumors, gossip and slander, can really hurt the spirit of a person. Maybe we will even realize that rumors (most of the time) are not even true. And maybe, just maybe, we will realize how powerful we truly are.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." 

Proverbs 18:21

Or perhaps, we will realize that rumors DO NOT define us. Perhaps someone will be reminded that no matter what the world says about them, God speaks a truth into us that can not be tangled, distorted or disproved. Perhaps we will realize that sometimes people are just mean, but God is good.

Maybe, my friend, (who this is specifically for) you too will realize, 

as I now realize, that "I am who the Great I AM says I am!"

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 

 "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14

I sign off, with a rock in my stomach, nervous to post this, but more nervous not to.

I love you in the Lord!

Mia

My sweet friend Rachel Barrentine sings it perfectly. Take a listen HERE: SAYS I AM

Work it out!

I love my time at the gym. Going in the morning really helps to start my day out right. Thanks to my husband, I have a detailed, focused and effective workout routine. Every few weeks the plan gets modified and my weights and reps increase. I can see and feel the effects of my workout.

I know that I am not suppose to judge people at my gym, but I can't help but notice that some of the members wander around aimlessly with no consistency, no focus and no real results. They don't have a plan. Some do more mirror time than actual lifting of weights.

The more time I spend in the gym, the more I see how it directly correlates with faith and life. Proverbs 29:18 says

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

When I lacked a plan at the gym (which I did for years) my results come up lacking. I didn't grow stronger, I didn't feel any more fit, I didn't feel physically complete.

Like the gym, but, oh so much more important, is my relationship with Christ. When I lack vision, a plan to be intentional about my faith, my joy shrivels. Those days when I am distracted by the silliest things, all things which conspire against me to keep me from my time with the Lord, days when I think I can fit in "one more thing" before I steel away with Him only to find the sun has set on my time and the pillow is my best friend....Those are the days when my joy is incomplete because my vision is lacking.

So where are you today? Do you have a plan, do you lack vision..do you feel like you are drowning or are you feeling the effects of working out your faith life?

If you are struggling, sometimes it starts with a simple acknowledgment that you need help, some encouragement, some direction and some spiritual discipline. If you are feeling strong in Him, spiritually fit, maybe this is the season where God can give you eyes to see those that are wandering and need someone to walk alongside them.

Yes, we stand in the "NO JUDGEMENT ZONE", but God has given us eyes to see, hearts to feel, a discerning mind to call out when we are drowning and the wisdom to know when to throw a life jacket to those around us.

One of my favorite  devotionals is Oswald Chambers ~ My Utmost For His Highest. It challenges me each day. If you feel it might be a blessing to you, follow the IMAGE BELOW and if you get it, write me back and let me know what you think. It's compact, short and filled with great thoughts on a particular Bible verse each day. Maybe that's a start for you.

God bless you & I love you in the Lord, Mia

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