And so – we write for five minutes, our words tumbling out – no editing, no polishing – just flat out on a one word prompt! We gather all our beautiful thoughts here in our Five Minute Friday community and then love on each other as only we can do! Click here to learn all about it.
Home is where the Five Minute Friday community gathers so please join us at Kate Motaung’s for our Friday fun!
TELL
GO…
I was blessed today. I spent the day with several different good friends and ended the day with both sons-one in person and the other on the phone. There was lots of conversation and words being exchanged in every setting that marked my day. Words of encouragement, stories of family, hard words, words of laughter and loving words. Every single word was an interaction between two people- a give and take of words – a telling of what was happening now in our lives.
Throughout the connections of stories was woven a repetitive thought… “I am telling you these things, are you listening?” You see each word was God-breathed and intentional and the telling was a call to lean in close and listen.
We spend so much time telling each other our joys and struggles with the thought that we want to be heard. We want affirmation and validation that our life is hard, crazy or beyond blessed so we tell our stories to those who will listen. Today God leaned in close to me and reminded me that my story is what it is because of all these special people who are part of my life-many whom I had the pleasure of spending time with today. Today it was not about the telling-it was about the receiving of those words from my friends and family. Today God had a message for me and in order to receive it I needed to listen intently to the telling of words from those around me. I needed to pause and receive God’s Word from my loved ones.
I was amazed at how God took the time to teach me that He has great things in store for me. I have been praying that I know what those are and of course somewhat anxious that they are revealed sooner rather than later. The lesson was not to spend all my time “telling” my story but listen to the telling of others’ stories because this is where I will ultimately learn who God wants me to be.
Our stories matter-our words matter-but getting caught up in always sharing could cause us to miss the most important words that God wishes to TELL us. Pause-lean in close-breathe deeply and soak in the words of friends and family. God is in their words!
STOP
Blessings,
Mary
Linking with:
“…God is in their words.” Oh girlie… yes! So much yes!!! I love this!
Thanks sweet, Karrilee! The lessons that God pushes into our space in 5 minutes can be so amazing! Weekend blessings!
So yes to this, Mary >>> “Pause-lean in close-breathe deeply and soak in the words of friends and family. God is in their words!”
I do know our stories matter but lately I feel I’m so wrapped up in telling that I’m missing what He is wanting to tell me. I keep saying this and really it’s the only words I have lately — GIVE ME JESUS. And I know He is found when I’m intentional with time in His Word and in time with others.
Thanks for sharing this today.
xoxo
There is importance in the telling of our stories and God is honored when we choose to share words that reflect Him to others. I find it hard at times to be still and listen and honestly there are times that I try and have to try again at another time. Repeating “Give me Jesus” is a wonderful mantra. For me it is, “Lord I need you”! Happy weekend my friend!
Mary, Thanks for being such a great listener for me. Have a wonderful Friday!
It’s a treasure being your friend! You bless me! Happy Friday!
Love that the telling is a call to lean in close and listen. My tendency often is to think about when I’m going to tell next rather than really listening to what the other person is telling. And I think about the times God calls me to tell my story and the need to lean in to Him and listen so that my story is told with His words. Great post, my friend! Much love to you!
Thank you Holly! I love how God yearns to sneak into our conversations and we just need to open the door a little wider and invite Him to be our center. Happy weekend my friend!
I struggle with remaining silent sometimes….I’m a natural chatterbox. But in the listening and the quiet, there is a lot to discover. So I try to remember to keep my mouth closed a little more, and my ears open.
I think we all struggle with just listening but the discovery that can happen in that moment is so worth it. Happy weekend my friend!
I pray that my ears are always opened when God speaks, when He tells me where to go, what to do. I also pray that when others tell me their stories, I will be a good steward of their words and a faithful encourager.
Amen to this! May God lead all of our conversations to be grace-filled and loving. Happy weekend to you my friend!
Thank you for stopping by katrinakautz.com Nice to ‘know’ another mom of adult sons….Hope to meet you at Allume as well!
Happy weekend! Thank you for connecting here and let’s look for each other at Allume!
You are so right–listening to others tell is such a blessing. Thank you for sharing your day of listening and learning and reminding us that God teaches through the telling (and it doesn’t have to be us doing the talking 😉 ).
I just want to clarify that I did a lot of talking yesterday but God was very clear when He asked “Are you listening?” It is so easy to get caught up in our own stories but it takes patience and intentionality to step back and truly listen. Have a beautiful weekend, my friend!
Hi Mary – What a blessing to be included in your thoughts as you shared the events of your day via Five Minute Friday. As we were talking and sharing today, it occurred to me that God has given you the gift of being a sincere, heartfelt, listener! That is something that I need to work on and I truly appreciate the ways of your listening heart. One of the Christian emails that I receive everyday is a Bible verse. When I read today’s verse, you immediately came to mind.
TODAY’S ENCOURAGING WORD – 8/14/2014
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
–Proverbs 27:9, NLT
God bless you my dear friend. Sending a warm embrace and gratitude for our friendship.
Sending hugs right back at you, Karen! I love the verse from Proverbs and blessed that we met at Struble and have connected on a deeper level. Happy weekend and much love!
Hey Girlfriend … don’t you love those days where meaningful conversations wend their way from start to finish?
Kind of like what happens in this sacred space you’ve created right here.
Good to visit together tonight with our FMF friends!
;-}
Love having you visit and encourage! I am truly blessed with amazing family and friends! God is so intentional in sneaking into conversations whenever He can! I love that about Him!!!! Happy Weekend!
Thanks for this beautiful reminder 🙂 –an FMF neighbor
Blessed to be in community with you! Happy weekend to you!