iShineInMinistry

Number 6:25

the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The last few weeks of whirlwind activity have encompassed a myriad of emotions. Joy, grief, excitement, anticipation, devastation and heartache, hope, happy and whimsy are just a few that I can name off the top of my head. It’s hard to sift through all of the thoughts at times; the constant pull of life happening before your very eyes can leave you a little whiplashed and jet-lagged when you finally get a slight lull in your schedule. The sudden blank space can produce an “Eeyore-style” rain cloud over your countenance that may be a little difficult to shake off. I currently find myself in that season…and I bet there are a few of you out there also floating through the same kind of moment. Here’s the deal, we need to get our sparkle back so that we can shine for the Lord and bring Him glory through our lives and our love.

Here is what we need to do!

First, do not guilt yourself into trying to suppress any and all emotions that may not be deemed as “good”. We have to fully process whatever is going on in our lives…happy, sad, fabulous and bad. Packing the hurt or pain away is going to give you an opportunity to become passive-aggressive when you least expect it and some unsuspecting person is going to be on the receiving end. It won’t be pretty. Journal through your thoughts (all of them), pray with someone, speak to a counselor at church (they are usually free of charge, yay) or take a little mini-retreat to reset your heart and mind. Then begin to get your eyes back on the One that really matters…Jesus!

Next, make sure to “Psalm it up” during this time. If anyone is relatable to a flux of conflicting emotions, it’s King David. You can find a word to help you cope, a reassurance that God is there, an exhortation to get your heart clean and right and just overall truth about the faithfulness of God even when things don’t seem as they should according to our perspective. It may also be a great idea to pen a few psalms of your own to really think through what you are experiencing right now. I recall writing a psalm for direction when I was in Israel, contemplating moving to New York…and more recently a psalm of loss at 1am during a sleepless night after my grandmother went to be with the Lord. God will meet you there, just like He met David in the midst of each and every situation. That is exactly what we need right now!

Finally, get a little #TheCharmedLife action going on in your life. What brings you joy? Go on and do it! Do you need to take a dance class or set off on a road trip? Will cuddling babies in Children’s Ministry make you gush with giggles or perhaps you would like to take a baking class? Whatever it is, take that first step into getting your sparkle back by stirring up some of those Spiritual Gifts that God has given you to use. This will definitely get your focus back in order and help the road become less dreary and glitterier (can you believe spell-check changed my sentence to glitterier...it knows me so well).

Don’t beat yourself up if this process takes longer than a week; certainly don’t feel like a failure if it takes a year or longer. We all process life and different seasons in various ways and only you and the Lord know how much time you truly need. I hope that this little encouragement helps you on the road to getting your sparkle back…I hope it helps me too!

Hearts and Hugs,

Jacquelynn Marie

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Psalm 118:14-16

The Lord is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation.[a]

The voice of rejoicing and salvation

Is in the tents of the righteous;

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.

The right hand of the Lord is exalted;

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.