We Have Value

I believe there is a wave of some very serious thoughts that we may meditate on regularly. They are thoughts on inadequacy and defeat. Let’s clear the air, clear our minds and agree with one concept,  we have value.

Last night my husband, daughter, son and nephew went to the ceremony of our, soon to be daughter in-law’s graduation from college. Although I knew it would be a memorable evening, I had not been expecting what I am about to tell you.

The person who gave the 1/2 hr. motivational speech to the graduates, had wonderful, inspiring, moving and convicting things to say. But, the story that grabbed my heart the most, was the one about his own mother. No, he did not say what a great mother she was. Although I’m sure he had those stories too, the story he told, was what the audience needed to hear.

It was what I needed to hear. It was as though the story of her life was written just for us. I have forgotten some of the facts, but the concepts and details that etched their way into my heart, is what I will reveal today.

He talked about a woman, who helped in her church, no she was not the pastor, she was not the worship leader, I believe she either worked in an office or with children. She did not hold a significant title, but she was remembered by all she came in contact with. Apparently this woman worked with parents who just gave birth, or in pediatrics.

Her role was to give support to the parents of newborn babies. She held babies in her arms, she held the parents in her heart and arms as well. If a baby died, she did what no one else did, she went to the funeral. Yes that’s right, she did above and beyond what she was asked to do. Some might call her an different, I want to think of her as someone of value.

He said, if I remember correctly, in her life time she attended 20,000 funerals. He never knew any of this until he attended hers. When talking to all the people who showed up, they all remarked how her kindness and generosity left a lasting impression on them. She was a woman of value who impacted those around her.

She left such an impression, on the people where she worked at, that they asked if the funeral procession would drive by the hospital so that all the workers could pay there last respects. I have never heard of a request like this before? Have you? If I were to die today, I know that I would not get that kind of request for me.

She did not need the approval of others, she did what was in her heart to do. One woman without any title left an impression on at least 20,000 people in her lifetime by doing what no one else would do. She went the extra mile in kindness, compassion and generosity. She showed up, when others stayed home. She did what was uncomfortable when other sought comfort.

I want to say to you today you have value too. Someone needs you to be kind to them. Someone needs you to show them what possibly no one else will. You have people in your life that need you. You have something that no one else does, you could very easily impact 20,000 people in your lifetime. The world needs world changers, not on platforms but in homes, offices, gas stations, parking lots, hospitals, horse farms, dog kennels, churches, nursing homes, children’s centers, hospitals, ice skating rinks, fast food restaurants, there is no end to where we can go, and no end to the needs.

The question isn’t are we important? The question is why are we listening to ideas that don’t make sense? The truth is, pain is everywhere. We could be valuable to the people we come in contact with every day. People need us, we just need to open up our eyes and ears and respond.

Here are a few points to consider:

1. Be quick to listen and slow to speak.
2. Be persistent in filling needs without being asked
3. Get uncomfortable.
4. Don’t tell the world of your mission.
5. Embrace what you could be.
6. Be joyful, humble, teachable, and persistent in noticing others.

Lord nullify the voices that tell us we aren’t good enough, smart enough, young enough, old enough, big enough, small enough, educated enough, average enough, pretty enough, rich enough….etc. Open our eyes and hearts to the people we see everyday. Give us your heart to serve others. 🙂

Thanks for reading,

Michelle

 

It Shouldn’t Be This Hard

Hello; these ideas and concepts have been on my heart for quite some time! I hope I can convey them well enough to impact every relationship that you have!

I have been alive for a few years right?! I have tried many ways of communicating, sometimes I have failed miserably other times, I just FAILED! Now and again, I hit it spot on and this is what I have found out through my own life of trying to live a life that honors God and draws people to Him!

I think the number one area we, as a whole try to do is; sell people things that they don’t want to buy! Like for instance we have a bucket of oranges and we take all our time and energy to try to convince an apple person that what they really need is an orange?! We need to get better at analyzing our perspective buyer and stop selling oranges to apple buyers!

I have been very guilty of this. When I gave horseback riding lessons, I wanted everyone to ride dressage!? Here is my new perspective, not everyone should ride dressage! When I first started doing hair I thought everyone should look like I thought they should look!? My new perspective is; not everyone wants to look like I think they should. It shouldn’t be this hard!!

We create most of our frustrations by wanting something to be that (isn’t, shouldn’t be or it’s just not the right time), yet! When I first moved to Kansas City and became a member of World Revival Church I thought; everyone needs this and surely everyone will want this!! WRONG! I set myself up for more heartache than a heart should ever ache. Not everyone was meant to be like…..me!! Ouch!!! Yes it is true, even if we have hit the mother load of mother loads on anything, it still does not mean that it is for everyone!

Here is where I live today, no not my address, my heart, ha ha ha!! I know that there are people like me, similar to me, not 100%, but I can find orange lovers, dressage riders, hair enthusiast’s and people who love and long for the presence of God like me! These people may be 1 in 100 or 1 in 1,000 it really doesn’t matter how many there are, the point is there are. These people do exist and I can either choose to continue to annoy people or I can truly love people for who they really are!

The bible says it is the love of God that causes people to long for Him. Maybe if we all just stopped trying to convince the ones who aren’t hungry to be hungry, maybe in the end they would want what we have because we stopped telling them that we have something they need!

I have found in my tiny little life, that the answer to all of our dreams are found in one little concept! Be…….Be the people that we wished we had in our life, then maybe that will open the door to the people we need too! We need to get real with ourselves and ask ourselves hard questions like, why do I want them to like what I like? Why do I want them to go where I go? Why do I want them to be who I want them to be?

I have found for me, I wanted people to be who I needed them to be. Double Ouch! Only Jesus can be who we really need! When we tap into him and his purposes, then we can free people to be who they are supposed to be. Sometime we benefit from that, but many times we don’t! The joy comes from seeing others become who they are supposed to be. Like children, maybe they move away and we don’t see them often, is it right for us to hold on to our ideals for them forever? I have found when I let people go, they come back! Free people today, free everyone you have ever met! Let people just be free!

Be all you were designed to be, I believe in you! God made you, He wants to empower you, you don’t have to be alone in anything!! You can and should do what is in your heart to do. Someone needs what you have, be an answer to someone’s prayer today! Become, let God mold you into greatness, that is who you were meant to be!

Lord help us!! Help us to be who you designed us to be! We need you and only you working in all that we are! HELP US to become something that we could not be on our own! It shouldn’t be this hard, show us the road less traveled and give us the faith to step into our destinies in you! Amen!!

Sorry I have not written lately, I am in the middle of a wedding!! Yippee!

Here is another blog site that I write on the subject of revival: http://michelleiswon.blogspot.com/

Getting Over!

This blog will be short, sweet and to the point! There has been a message from the beginning of time that very few listen to! It is the message that exemplifies great success, great humility, great character, and only the great in heart long for it’s simplistic emphasis!

Every failure in life can be traced back to the lack of understanding of this simple truth! Every failed marriage is because this truth did not prevail. Childhoods would be saved if parents employed this. Crime rate would cease, poverty would diminish, health would increase, lifespans would increase and life would be full of ease!

Every good and perfect goal could be accomplished! Everything you ever dreamed of is contingent on this! It is the epitome of perfection in this life! It is your greatest asset and weakest attribute! It is what no one wants but what is demanded! It demands attention, strength, fortitude, ambition, diligence, grace, desire and total focus!!!

What is this you ask?? Death to self! No not suicide….ha ha! Death to raising ourselves up above others!

Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

James 3:13 Two Kinds of Wisdom ] Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

I pray that we Get Over ourselves, and realize we have one goal, to serve others. I know personally that this has been a lifelong battle. I pray you win your battle in this! The statistics tell us what happens when we don’t! They are in the news daily of lives destroyed because someone wanted their own way! If Jesus came to serve, I guess we can to! He is our ultimate example! I have decided to get over myself and get on with the big picture. I pray you will too!

Jesus we need your empowerment to be done with exalting ourselves and begin to exalt others for their good and our good. Bring us low so then you can exalt us when you can trust our hearts! Thank you Jesus for being the perfect servant! Change us Lord!

Here is another blog that teaches on serving others.  https://givelifekc.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/the-art-of-serving-3/

Here is another blog site where I write different posts! http://michelleiswon.blogspot.com/

Many Are Called

My heart breaks for the things of God day and night! Since the moment I faced everything that is perfect, holy, righteous, and loving, I have been broken for His plans and purposes! I stand before you completely imperfect, yet perfected in who He says I am. This weekend, during the conference at our church, one of our pastor’s said, “the goal is not to stop making mistakes, the goal is to live in the glory of God!!!” In an instant I thought, I can do that!!!~That was one of the most liberating things I had heard, my whole life!

Here is what is burning in my heart today! When we wake up, do we think of Jesus?  Do we wake up with a song in our heart?  Do we love others higher than ourselves?  Do we place a higher value on relationships than personal pleasure? Are we pleasure seekers and not God seekers?

Matthew 20:16 Many are called, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN! FEW!? When I walk into church, and I realize that the worship leader many times has to encourage us to WORSHIP, it rips my heart in two! I was a worship leader for years, I know what it is like to look in the eyes of people who say they love Jesus, but have no interest in spending time with Him!  Understand I said, many times, you may be the exception! 🙂

If we were looking to adopt a child, and invited 100 orphan’s over to our house to see who we would want to adopt, and 99 of them did not want to talk to us, and kept waiting to leave, which one would we CHOOSE? WE called them all over, but because they disqualified themselves the choice became easy!

I don’t want Jesus to have to convince me He is worth my time, energy, and entire life! When I wake up I want Him to be the first thing in my heart, all day long, and the last thing I think of before I go to bed!

How awesome to see worship leaders walk in to lead congregations who long to worship in spirit and in truth! Meaning, they simply do what they are suppose to do. They lead people who are ready to join in with the same intensity, if not more, than the one who has to concentrate on holding a song and crowd together by the spirit of God! The congregation has the easy part, they should be able to out worship the team hands down!

When the preaching begins, people’s hearts should be so pliable that the level of preaching should go through the roof! Imagine what Pastors and Worship leaders could do with a church on FIRE! I don’t believe it is the responsibility of church leaders to convince us to follow Jesus each week! I strongly believe they are here to help guide the way we follow!

I believe, that this is the heartbeat of God! He is a jealous God that longs for us to long after Him! Exodus 34:14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God!

What are (other gods)? Anything that we place as more important than Jesus! What do we spend our money on? What do we spend our time doing? What do we think about? The answers to these questions will tell us, who our god is! The one that we serve!

What is the solution?? How can we, you and I, change this? We need to make Jesus more important than ANYTHING! We need to ALWAYS choose Him! We need to devour His words more than any other word! We need to pray that He will change us and purify our hearts. We need to long for what He longs for, in us! We need to be filled with His spirit! We can not do anything of any value in our own strength. It must be His spirit infilling us and propelling us forward!

Jesus, forgive us for serving anything whole heartily except you! Fill us with your spirit, fill us to the top and overflowing! Fill us with your fire to serve and live a holy life, separated for you! Equip us Lord, change us, make us, mold us and convict us with your spirit in the areas that we need help in! We just want to be like you, it is possible through you! Let your love for who you are, rise up in us now! Thank you Lord! Let it be done, in your name Jesus, amen!

JESUS, LET US BE THE CHOSEN GENERATION!

Here is another blog site that I have that if you love revival you will love this:http://michelleiswon.blogspot.com/

Thank you for reading, leave comments or prayer requests or questions!

The Art of Serving (part 3)

Can anyone say Olympics? How about Dressage? Piaffe? What I was about to embark on was way more than I bargained for. At the very least I learned an entirely new language!

I had never heard of the word Dressage until taking lessons from a woman by the name of Linda, she would say in my lesson, “in Dressage they do this”! After a few times of hearing that, I asked, “what is Dressage”? You see I had ridden my whole life without ever receiving a “lesson”! I started teaching when I was a kid. Parents would come up to me and ask me to teach their child to do what I did. I thought hmm, I don’t know what I do?! I just ride, which is why I knew, I needed to know what I was doing, in order to do it better and duplicate it. This started me taking lessons! Next came Dressage, and when I found Dressage, (training of the horse), I knew I had landed on the solid ground by which I would pursue!

I pasted a live performance of Dressage at an international level so you can witness this breathtaking sport! O.k. enough about Dressage, back to The Art of Serving! As I said in The Art of Serving (part 2), I went to apprentice under the F.E.I. level rider, trainer, Sue Ashley. She lives in a modest home, on a modest horse farm, but her riding abilities and teaching were anything but modest.

I remember the first day that I went to work for my $2.00 per hour dream job, I was handed a pitch fork and told, welcome to becoming a trainer!! As Sue and Andrea (barn manager) walked away giggling, I thought  I will do whatever it takes to be what I am supposed to be. I loved to clean stalls, I had done it many times and now I GET to do it on a Dressage Horse Farm. YIPEE!!!

It was very different though from working with Zina, Sue and I were much closer in age, I was now married with one son, Derek. I could not devote my whole life to one thing, I had to diversify. I had to pull out of Sue, information, where Zina was throwing it at me, Sue kept it inside. I had to pull, pull and pull, but little by little doors began to open.

I remember the first time we went to an Instructor’s Seminar at Violet Hopkin’s farm. The cast of teachers were Olympic riders, coaches and trainers. I thought WOW, dressage is SERIOUS stuff! I went where ever Sue went. I photographed her and got special invitations to go places the paying students didn’t get. Back then in order to even ride in a clinic, you had to be recommended by an recognized trainer. Sue was recognized and I was recommended.

I got to ride horses all day and she gave me students to teach. I was allowed to watch all the video’s she had and ask questions at will. I was told I had to ride every day, show at every show and ride in every clinic in order to get a name in this business. I did what I was told to do, and little by little favor came upon me and my clients began to love me. International instructors started inviting me to their farm in other countries. In very little time, I was on the fast track of a sport that most people never get to enter. Most people make little bitty compromises that cost them everything. Like anything worth doing, you might as well do it well.

Everywhere we went Sue was admired as the best rider there. She had worked hard, was made fun of, but put in the time and effort that it took to become! She was the perfect example of rags to riches in riding that you could ask for. She was perfect for me, although I may have found favor with her for a season…my lessons were grueling. I was pushed harder than anyone and I loved it. I only wanted the most of every lesson, this was not a past time for me, it was a passion, a pursuit of becoming. The time of favor was about to end.

One day while we were working young horses, she asked me to ride a young (INSANE) colt. I knew I should not get on but Sue insisted. I didn’t even get all the way on and I was flying through the air. I landed on my wrist and broke my elbow. The days of being an assistant came crashing down around me. Sue asked if I could lunge horses with one arm, I said, “no”! The favor was over and unlike with Zina, Sue moved ahead rapidly, looking for someone to take my place. She had a barn full of horses that need to be worked, she had to find someone else. The farm was too small for a lot of help so when I was down…I was out.

What I had experienced gave me a perspective I needed. I learned I could do anything. I learned that what Zina had told me was true. I would like to add to her perspective though, from my perspective. I not only had to find someone, I had to know what to look for and be willing to avail all that I was to get there. This lesson will bring me to the next story on the Art of Serving!

It was time for a new season in my life, the best season that I was ever in, until now. In the next story I will close this one out for a season and reveal stories from the bible that took me through the toughest years of serving that I have ever gone through..It is vital to serve…it is even more vital to serve well! Wait before we go I will finish the story about not be liked!

One day I had a conversation with Sue about how I had learned in doing hair that if you do well you will not be liked. She said, “Michelle I am sure you won’t be liked, you are a very good rider and as you get better and do better, some people won’t like you”! They will be jealous that you can do something they can’t. Hmm, I had never heard that before, I had a new perspective, the goal is not to be liked. The goal is to do well without the applause of others! I will always be grateful to what she said, in and out of the arena! Thanks to Sue, I miss her and want her to do more than she ever thought she could…I would not understand REAL dressage without her! She blessed me so much, and I am grateful always!

The Art of Serving

Please give me a moment to clearly lay out the importance of this concept that has been covered up for years by the extreme opposite approach. This one subject, I believe, can totally revolutionize the future success of everything we do. This one subject is called serving.

First, let us look at the definition: The act of one who serves. The definition of serves is: To work for, to be a servant of, to be of assistance to, to aid.

I was once told by a very wise woman that the key to being successful in this life, was to find someone who was doing what I wanted to do and serve them. I really didn’t understand what she was saying at the time but, today more than twenty years later, I understand a little better.

We live in a society that tells us in order to get ahead you must look out for number 1. That not only doesn’t work but, it actually does the exact opposite. Take for instance a marriage, a marriage is suppose to be two people becoming one. Do we normally see that?

Typically, instead of serving our spouse, what I have witnessed is, each spouse only being interested in being served. What if, that were turned around and the reason people got married was so they could have someone to serve? While we ponder that, let’s look at something easier to digest.

Let’s say we always wanted to become a photographer, we went to school, we bought the equipment, we’ve done everything to prepare ourselves for this great adventure. So far we are loving this. Now, instead of getting a job, we decide to find the best photographer in the world and approach them about becoming an assistant for a minimum wage, if any at all. Wow, I can hear panic in the readers now. Catch your breath. Did you catch it yet?

Think; just for a minute. What if, we were the best photographer in the world and someone approached us, to be our assistant for little or no income at all. What does that do to our attitude? Most people would expect for us to pay them more because well, we could. But, this person said, “no, I just want to help you accomplish your dreams.”

First we would probably think hmmm…what is the catch? Then, when we realized there was no catch, what would we do for a person like that? Imagine all the things we could do, because of the assistance of this one person?

Imagine having a spouse like that? Wow, what would your marriage look like now? Imagine having a job like that? Going to work would take on a whole new meaning? Life could be so good if, we had assistants and people who served us, right? Now imagine we’re that spouse who serves like we would want to be served? What does our marriage look like now? Remember, what we would do if we had a spouse who longed to serve? Imagine what our spouse would do, if they had a great spouse who longed to serve?

Now, imagine if we were the greatest employee our company ever hired? What would that look like? What if, we never got a pat on the back for it? What would that look like? Let me start to answer these questions.

It would look like it is suppose to look like, if we all decided to serve the way Jesus served, we would accomplish what He said we could do. Everyone we ever encountered would be attracted or repelled by us, like they were Jesus. We would accomplish things we never thought possible, we would have more favor than we knew what to do with and no one could ever have a bad thing to say about us that was true.

1st Timothy 3:13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance of their faith in Christ Jesus!

Matthew 18:4 says whoever humbles himself like a little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Mark 9:35 says, if anyone wants to be first he must be last and be a servant of all.”

Very different than what we have been desiring and learning our whole life. If we still don’t agree, let me ask a few questions. Has looking out for number one really worked? If the people closest to you were interviewed about who we are, what would be said about us? When we are taking our final breath, what are the things we wished we had with us, at that moment? Last question, does looking out for number one, really get us what we want?

Let’s become what we were designed to be, a servant. How about we become a picture of serving and, then we will become number one in the eyes of the One that really matters!