Her

The GT Weekend! ~ She, Week 2

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The GT Weekend! ~ She, Week 2

Marietta Taylor

November 11, 2023

Adoring,Broken,Busy,Called,Courage,Daughter

Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

This Week's Journeys

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Friday's DD

Pray His Words Back To Him!

Psalm 34:11-14

“Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Who is someone who desires life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good?

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.”
Read More Of His Words

Prayer Journal Entry

We all have many roles. But, Lord God, for every role I have, I want to use it to point others to You.

All of my actions and words should make others want to know You more fully. Thank you for the many ways I am allowed to show my faith in and love for You. When I fall short, let the grace You extend be evident to those around me so they know You are loving and good.

May I speak of that grace as well. I pray I will be a good representative for Your glory, no matter my role

Worship Through Song

Journal Prompts

JOURNAL ONE

When we think of teaching, we often think of a teacher in a classroom. On Monday, Sara stretched our thinking to consider an expanded role to include those we interact with and those who observe us. We are all teachers!

On Tuesday we studied the importance of holy living. If we are always teaching, then it makes sense we should live holy lives. We are able to do this by the same grace and faith that saved us. Jesus saved us from sinful living and has made us people who want to do good works and live holy.

Sara had some great questions to journal for this weekend and beyond. Am I patient and kind or easily frustrated? Am I humble and own my actions, or do I rationalize my behavior and blame others? Do I show diligence or resignation? Am I relying on God or myself?

Choose one or more of the Journey Studies from the “Another” theme and journal how it connects to one the roles you fulfill.

JOURNAL TWO

On Wednesday, we considered together the answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?”. Your neighbor isn’t just one who lives close to you. God actually tells us to love others in 1 John 4:21 “And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.”

Make a list of five “Shes” who are your neighbors based on the definition we explored on Wednesday. Journal ways you can love each of them, then go do them!

Thursday’s Digging Deeper walked us through Galatians 5:14, where we discovered the overriding concept is this: Loving God and loving others. Dr. Leslie reminds us that “others” also includes our enemies, and enemies are also neighbors!

Write a prayer asking God to help you love your enemies. If you cannot think of an enemy, pray about someone who rubs you raw like sandpaper.

Finally, check out this Journey Study on Prayer and forgiveness because, if we are praying about enemies or sandpaper people, we need to consider forgiveness as a loving act!

JOURNAL THREE

Ah, the relationship of sisters. It could be a good relationship or a not so great one. On Friday, we considered some sister accounts from the Bible, namely Rachel and Leah and then Mary and Martha. Carol also reminded us we have a large number of sisters as daughters of God. She encourages us to “lean into repentance, forgiveness, mercy, and grace” in our relationship with all our sisters.

Rachel Jones helped us Dig Deeper into Luke 10:38-42, which is Mary and Martha’s story. The takeaway from this, especially in relation to being a sister, is we need to listen to and learn from Jesus in order to do the things we’re called to do. To be a good sister, especially a sister in Christ, we need Jesus to instruct and direct us, which requires us to sit consistently at His feet with a readiness to learn.

Review Luke 10:38-42 for yourself and make your own notes as you read. Journal practical ways you can be more like Mary. Read some of the stories from Sketched VI as an extra challenge and encouragement.

Which ones do you connect with the most? Pray for those sisters in Christ, then write a prayer asking God to help you be a better sister in Christ.
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daughter,Her,neighbor,she,Teacher,Woman
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She Day 5 A True Legacy

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She Day 5 A True Legacy

Brenda Earley

November 3, 2023

Busy,Called,Christ,Family,Gift,Grace

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ruth 4:14-17
2 Timothy 1:3-7
Psalm 37:23-29
Deuteronomy 7:7-9
Proverbs 16:31

“A grandmother creates memories in a family that will be part of its legacy forever.” 
-Author Unknown

Wow! I never thought this time of my life would come. Grandmother-hood. It wasn’t the way I envisioned, but God already knew! (Really, God, are You sure?)

It’s not like I already had my life planned. (Wink, wink) Shhh, come on, many of us wanted to grow up, graduate high school, go to college, then get married and three years later, have a baby or two. (Wait, Lord, I just want to see them grow up, get married, have babies too!)

Did you hear a boom? Were those fireworks or dynamite? Yeah, that was my wake up call. Nothing like your daughter and her boyfriend informing you they’re having a baby. Talk about blindsided? Discouraged? Humiliated? (Not the way I planned it, God.)

My plans were for them to get married, make a home, and then announce two years later: “baby coming” with the cutest little shoes or even a Grandma t-shirt: Est. 2024, right? Then feelings like exuberance, encouragement, and anticipation would be accepted. (Wait a minute, God!)

While the road to grandmother-hood was not the one I’d anticipated, God did create me for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14), right? (Then why do I feel this way, God?) There has to be a reason for this GRAND. So, am I? Yes, I am her. She is me. 

She is GRANDmother! 

She prays. 
My Gram would say, “Well, I may not be able to do anything physically, but I can pray.” And pray, she did. Not a day went by that her knees would not bend and her prayers were not raised to her Father. Then she would lovingly ask, “How are things?”, because her faith made her certain her prayers were effective. (James 5:16)

A grandmother’s never-ceasing prayers are heard! How? She has had more years behind her and she has come to know that prayers bring peace because the One who hears is the Prince of Peace. (Philippians 4:6-7, Isaiah 66:12-13) Now, she has the wisdom to lift up her family in prayer, knowing her Heavenly Father is present and engaged!

She gives wisdom. 
My family liked to call this wisdom, “Gram’s psychology.” It was subtle, yet powerful. She would use her psychology and then give a meaningful illustration. Eventually, you would come around and see her wisdom! Her advice, if asked, was always lovingly given, never forced. 

She loves.
“Grandmothers always have a way of making everything just a little bit better with their special brand of unconditional love and support.” 
-Author Unknown

Whether a listening ear over a cup of coffee or a bear hug with an extra squeeze, we knew and felt Gram’s love in every interaction.

In the Old Testament, we see an example of grandmother-hood in Naomi. God was at work,  redeeming Naomi’s story of tragic loss when she became a grandmother to Obed. Naomi helped Ruth, her daughter-in-law, nurture her grandchild, and “became a mother” to him. She dearly loved him and it showed! (Ruth 4:16)

She leaves a true legacy.
My Gram left a true legacy. She walked out her faith and shared the Gospel with others. Similarly, in the New Testament, we learn of Lois, Timothy’s grandmother, who was diligent in Timothy’s upbringing. Lois shared this responsibility with her daughter, Eunice. (2 Timothy 1:3-5) Both began teaching and training young Timothy in the gospel in preparation for his ministry within the early Church. Both practiced their faith so Timothy would know God’s truth. 

My Gram was a rock for her family, standing on the promises of God’s Word and consistently praying for each member by name. In our own experiences and in family stories told to us, her faith shone. Her face was a beacon of God’s light. Her hands were always helping. Her words of wisdom were never ending. Her hugs were explosive! The care she showed was reflective of her faith. 

The mark of a GRANDmother is fruitful, for it spreads through her own generation and on to her childrens’ children. She may have grown older, but she continues to experience God’s presence and to declare His righteousness, strength, and power. (Psalm 71:17-18) There is nothing more important than her personal and vibrant faith modeled before her grandchildren. This is true legacy! 

You see, God knew I would one day share my wisdom and my love on a GRAND scale! He knew I would take the time to love, care, and nurture with more patience. He understood the enormous amount of love I would be able to give, because He demonstrated love to me too. (Romans 5:8) Since God gives His wisdom to all who ask, He knew I would have plenty of wisdom to offer. (Job 12:12-13) Gram showed me how. Because I am her. She is me.

We are GRANDmother! 

Sweet sister GRANDmother, what legacy will you leave? For me, I want to be just like her, my Gram, pointing generations to come to Jesus!

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She Day 5
Digging Deeper

Though she began her journey with bitterness, God provided Ruth as the helper Naomi needed. When Ruth was able to give her a grandson, Naomi’s friends remarked, “He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” (Ruth 4:15)

God knew Naomi needed love and encouragement; He provided those in Ruth so she could see and testify to the goodness of God and His provision
Dig Deeper!

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Treasure Day 3 Mirror Of Her

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Jeremiah 29:1-14
Isaiah 45:9-13
Psalm 139
Ephesians 1:3-19

Treasure, Day 3

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

I’ve read Jeremiah 29:11 more times that I can remember, and I’ve heard it more times than I’ve read it. I bet many of you can say the same. We all want to claim God has good plans for us, plans for a good future and hope. The deep application of Jeremiah 29:11 is richly rooted in our inheritance from Christ, who Himself is our Hope and Future, but do we really walk in that truth in our everyday lives? For me, I know I’m quick to skip over the eternal riches of Christ, instead wishing for a right-now-fix of “I deserve….”.

Recently, someone I know received several opportunities I had been eyeing for a while. Let me tell you, the richness I have in Christ was the furthest thing from my mind. All I could think about was “Why not me?”  Yep, the cloud of comparison infiltrated my heart and mind. I started to believe poisonous questions and lies over deep truth.

You might be familiar with some of those untruths.

What did she do to deserve this over me?
I must not be as good as her.
Now my chance is ruined.
Maybe I need to do (insert action) more (or less).

But let’s not just talk about the times where we knock ourselves. Let’s chat about the times we compare “in reverse”.  This type of comparison is equally as untrue and poisonous. Trust me, I know this from personal experience, sadly. We may get to do some great things or receive some incredible blessings and comparison sets in again. I’ve said things like:

I’m finally on her level (or above her).
This is an even better opportunity than she had.
I’m going to exceed what she did.

Ladies, do you know what we do when we compare, whether positively or negatively? We’re telling God how to do His job.  Isaiah 45:9 illustrates how the created should not be questioning its Creator.
“Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’”

Neither should we say, “God, you should have made it possible for me to do that” nor “God, thank you for giving me more talent than her.” Instead, with humility, we should be looking at ourselves and at our sisters, especially our “her” as God does.
He sees us as wonderfully crafted treasures.

Psalm 139 beautifully reminds us whose we are.
We belong to God.
Not just me, or you, or even her.
All of us.
We are all His treasures, and we’re fully known by Him.

He created our inward parts and knit us together (verse 13).
It is God who knows and understands our every thought and word (verses 2-5).
We have been “remarkably and wondrously made” (verse 14); we are His “wondrous work”! Not better or worse than anyone. But wondrous!

When comparison begins rearing its head in my life, I remind myself,
“Mari, God made her, therefore she is wondrous. And guess what? He made you too, so that makes you equally wondrous. You are both wonderful treasures!”. You should try this with your “her”. Real truth changes our heart perspective!

Yes! We are wondrously made and intricately crafted as His treasure! For a full picture of how God sees us, let’s consider who we are. In exploring Ephesians 1, we discover all we are chosen to BE. It’s an outstanding list: holy, blameless, adopted, redeemed and forgiven. We’re chosen to receive an incorruptible inheritance, have wisdom and understanding, receive the seal of the Holy Spirit, hear the truth, and receive spiritual blessings and grace. We are chosen to belong to Christ, know God, praise Him, and believe Him at His Word!

This is who we are. This is who she is too.

Let’s make this practical, because it’s easy to say we will view others as God’s treasure when comparison isn’t lurking. But once it arrives, we need readily available tools to help us hold onto God’s unchanging truths over the all-too-sweet lies of comparison.

In case you were wondering, I’m not telling you to do something I haven’t done.
I take the list from the previous paragraph and write it out. (Mine is in the margin of my journaling Bible). When I need to renew my mind about me or her, I go to this list. I first insert my name in each statement (i.e. Mari is chosen to belong to God). Then I start over and insert her name. Friends, there is no way you can do this and not see how we are all priceless treasures of God!

By digging into truth, I realize my friend, and every other “her” in my life has been blessed by God with good opportunities, but He has also blessed me with different opportunities. He treasures her gifts and gives her chances to use them, but this in no way prevents Him from treasuring and blessing me. She is not my competition. She is my sister in Christ. We can shine for the kingdom in our individual, different ways. And we do.

So sisters, let’s all embrace this truth and walk in the freedom of being His handcrafted Treasures!

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Treasure Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Treasure!