Thursday, November 14, 2013

be yourself

Hey there friend!

Well, this has been a very frustrating post to write.
I'm trying to write something fabulous and inspired,  yet encouraging and witty. Ha!

All I wanted to do is write a post to link up with Bonnie at Faith Barista.
It's her first Thursday Faith Jam in months and I want to be a part of it.

Between yesterday and today I've spent a few hours trying to get it typed out and just right.

But now it's all gone. Like deleted gone. And there's no getting it back.
And now I'm whining keeping it real by telling you what's happened. 

So, this is me - I'm being myself.
Not a writer, bothered by my own dumb mistakes, but never a quitter.

I'm taking a deep breath and whispering a prayer that hubby won't mind if it takes a while longer. Hope the game he's watching is a good one. Maybe he won't miss me. *wink*

Anyways, Bonnie's prompt for this week is - be yourself.

So here's plan B - I'm giving myself five or ten minutes to write and if it's worth hitting that publish button than great. And if not, than I'm hitting delete and calling it a night.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

Sometimes it's hard to be yourself if you don't know who you are. Or what you're supposed to be doing with your life. Or where you're going in life.

But, I don't really think being yourself has as much to do with your journey in life as it has to do with who God created you to be.

Did you know God counted and named each and every star in the sky?
They all have names - so they know who they are.
They do what they're supposed to be doing - lighting the night sky.
And I don't think they wonder where they're going in life because they're already fulfilling their God-given purpose and just follow the plan God laid out for them. {ummm, is that spinning or orbiting? definitely twinkling}

All throughout the Bible we see that names and their meanings are important to God.  And since He did name the stars when He hung them in the sky, I'd say yea, names are really important to Him.

I recently looked up what my name means and was pretty amazed at how it's meaning matches up so well with my God-given personality. 

Here's some of what I found:

Debra - bee
busy
stings
helps

Ann - graceful
gracious
giving
favored by God


It got me to thinking that maybe when my mom & dad were trying to think of the prefect name to give me, God placed in their hearts Debra Ann.
It went something like...
Victoria Lee? umm, no
Donna Jane? nope
Debra Ann? Yes!

And God smiled at that name because the person He was creating me to be was going to be....
- busy as a bee {I hate sitting still}
- may sting at times {can be sarcastic and speak the honest truth when needed}
- helpful {LOVE to help others}
- graceful {oops! guess I should have taken those ballet classes; not a klutzt; I'd say  more of a tomboy}
- gracious {try to be; very difficult when I'm hungry or tired so just get out of my way during those times}
- giving {Love to give to others - goes with helping}
- favored by God {always and all ways}

If I look at it from this perspective then, by the grace of God, I'm doing pretty good at just being myself.

So friend, I believe now more than ever that being yourself is not about what but who.
Who has God created you to be?

Have you ever looked up the meaning of your name?
If not, please do. You may be pleasantly surprised like I was at what you'll discover.

If you have a personal relationship with God, than one name you hold for sure is beloved daughter.

I'll end this with sharing a simple prayer I sometimes say ~
Dear Lord, 
Please help me to be
the person You created me to be
when You first thought of me and
placed me in my mother's womb. 
Your daughter, 
Debra Ann

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Please stop by Faith Barista and see what Bonnie has to say about being yourself.




Since I obviously hit the publish button I'm hoping that there is something here worth reading and somehow God speaks to your heart.... which has always been my main purpose of writing here at FH&J. Thanks again for stopping by.

Love ya,

4 comments:

  1. When I really grasped the meaning of my name, my relationship with the Lord completely changed. Rachael means ewe or female sheep. I love the analogy of the Lord being the Good Shepherd and how His sheep know His voice and follow Him. I think my name is the greatest gift my parents gave me. Blessings and thank you for visiting Inking the Heart Love, Rachael

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    1. I've always thought that Rachel is such a pretty name. It makes me think of gentleness and softness. Glad you have discovered it's meaning and can relate it to your relationship with the Good Shepherd. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Dear Debbie, I'm so sorry your post got deleted! That is so terrible! I know what that is like and it just makes your heart sink. I feel so touched and grateful you poured your words out, just to be with me in the Faith Jam. And I loved how you ended the post with your prayer. It made my heart tender -- and it touched where I long to be and experience. Thank you for writing from your soul with us. It's so precious. And I'm thankful for you - Debra Ann.

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    1. Hi Bonnie! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your kind, encouraging words. Did you know that Bonnie means beautiful? And you my friend have a beautiful heart. Yes you do!

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