Five Minute Friday - BARE

Finally!  Finally, I made it back to the FMFParty and this community of kindred spirits... (I even gave up Bunco... although that had more to do with Juicing/not snacking, than it did with writing I suppose... that didn't stop me from talking all things Nutella, and bonding yet again!)

Five Minute Fridays are hosted by Lisa Jo Baker.  It is open to anyone, so to learn more about it - and to jump in yourself (the more the merrier!) or just to find a linky to see what everyone is writing about today - click HERE!  The idea is to simply write... for Five Minutes flat... no editing, no deep thinking - or at least REthinking, no spell check - just write! Let it flow! We all write using a prompt that Lisa posts at one minute past midnight Friday morning (EST.)  I'm loving the community of amazing bloggers and the creativity that flows from these magical Five Minutes!

So - here goes: Five Minute Friday - Bare

{GO}

I have found lately that this call to be Real... to be Transparent... to be Authentic... rarely does it get to be on my own terms, or in a place where it is always easy! No - it's EASY to be all of that when you are in the safety of people who already know you, or who at least already have an idea of who you are.  It's not quite so easy when He asks you to step up and be real to someone who has yet to really form a solid opinion of you!

On paper, or online, my life can appear Charming and Blessed.  It is.  However, those who truly know me, know that I don't always remember this.  Laundry piles up, crisis hits, hearts break, (Nutella jars mysteriously empty), and sometimes... sometimes I am called to give up coffee for days. I can give over to complaining and looking for excuses.  It is in the midst of that, when He most often likes to invite me to stand up and let others see me laid bare.

Here's the thing... it's in sharing the Real... the Hard... the I-Can't-Believe-I-Survived-That's, that testimony is given.  Hope is held up high when we bend low and allow our stories to be spread wide open... bare.

There is a grace that comes when we are bold enough to be weak... to show scars... to sit shoulder to shoulder, and wrap mercy around a soul and say, "Yes - this: I have lived through... and you will too! Let me show you how He lifted me up... how He held me through... how His love is enough... HE is enough!

{STOP}

He is calling us to be willing to be laid bare for others... not to everyone, necessarily... but for some.  We can do this... we can follow His lead and tap into His love and live a life open and bowed down. You never know the power of your story and how it can impact someone else!  I encourage you to be real... speak up when He leads, and watch and see the power of testimony at work and then listen with your heart!

~Karrilee~

Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts!
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