This morning, I woke up in a bit of a funk. Then I walked outside and found doggy poop on the lawn that I have to clean up...and no, we don't own a dog. A big box fell out of my cart at Babies R Us...twice. And I could not find a parking spot so that I could grab lunch at my favorite Japanese grill. Minor irritants that were magnified by this morning's funk.
Little did I know how soon God was going to turn that funk around.
I opened up Google Reader and started reading a blog post from Like A Warm Cup of Coffee. And I had to click over to (in)courage to finish reading. I'd been hearing all the buzz about this new site--all the cool contributors, the cute t-shirts. So I stopped by to really take a look and immediately fell in love. The crisp, clean design of the website, the focus which they consider to be a virtual " beach house" [where] You can put your sandy, dirty feet on the coffee table, laugh late into the night with friends, and also hear God’s voice clearer than perhaps anywhere else. Life just feels more vibrant and real, as if you’ve stumbled upon a glimpse of heaven and it’s nothing like you ever imagined but everything you’d always hoped."
Then I saw the contributors and knew why I loved the site even more. There were the faces of some of my faves: Ann Voskamp of A Holy Experience (life stops when there is a new post from her in my Google Reader.) Anne Jackson of FlowerDust (a noted author and blogger); Lisa Leonard whose lovely jewlery I have purchased on more than one occasion and whose sweet blog I follow....of course I could go on. All gifted women in their own right.
But one thing that struck me was there were no brown faces like mine. No yellow or red faces. So I did something so unlike me. I sent a quick little email pointing out this fact. Of course, it wasn't going to stop me from reading, but it'd be nice to see a face like mine to help me feel more at home. I got this prompt reply back via email:
Hi!
You are so right. Honestly, we have been struggling with this very thing, representing the full tapestry of His daughters and enabling ALL women to feel at ‘home.’ We’ve been praying that God would continue to bring us the right women to be contributors to the site.
So glad you emailed and voiced your concern. . . and such a God moment. One of our bloggers recommended you! I’ve had your blog minimized on my computer most of the week, reading and watching. I’m copying our Editorial Director, Holley Gerth, since we would like you to guest post next month for us. You were already on our minds to ask. I love how God works these things out!
Thank you for being transparent and willing to be a part of the (in)courage community.
Blessings,
Stephanie
P.S. Our heart is to continue to grow the tapestry of (in)courage. We are always on the lookout for Christian women from diverse backgrounds, nations, colors, etc. If anyone comes to mind, please share it with us. Thanks!
I read and wept.
Me? Sharing my words in the company of all these great women? I've interviewed celebrities, written for national publications and even now manage the editorial department for a noted mega-church, but none of that measures up to this.
A God moment indeed.
God turned my funk around. And in a way I could have never imagined. May this (in)courage you to remember that God sees you. He knows you. And most importantly, He loves you.
