Define... a Five Minute Friday post.

You know the drill... 

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: DEFINE

{GO}

I {heart} Words.  
 I love them. 

And I use a lot of them, whether it be in person over coffee, in prayer -just Him and me (although I'm learning to speak less and listen more!), or in writing... I tend to have a lot of words at the ready.

I love to pray into a Word --a single word or phrase, that God may desire to use to speak to me through over the coarse of a year.  I also love it when I come across a word that I think I know -or one that is brand new to me, and God prompts me to look it up.

Because, here's the thing: Sometimes we can think we know a thing... but we must dig deeper, look further, wait longer, for the full(er) definition of the word to unfold.

Sometimes we see something, or hear something, or feel something... and we jump to conclusions without taking a breath and waiting for the Lord to define it.


Can I tell you something? 

When I wait and ask Him to define it... to expand and to explore... when I am willing to ask Him for His perspective instead of simply settling for my own, I always see clearer... understand more... and I'm always so glad that I asked because His ways and His thoughts are higher... better... they are so much more full of grace and love than my own!

It doesn't matter if it is a word for myself, or a word for someone else... His thoughts toward us are dripping with mercy and His heart beats for us in ways we cannot fathom.  As I have said earlier, He just keeps whispering to me, "I'm better than you think!"

And He is...

Listen... One day I will tell you why this is ministering to me so much right now.  One day I will share how this can feel anything but true if I would give in to the pull to not take Him at His word.

But His Word is true... He is Truth.  And honestly, no matter what you are facing... He can be trusted, and I fully, whole-heartedly believe that He is working things out for your good and He really IS better than we think --even when we think we think He is pretty good!

He's better, still.

And it is His joy to prove it... to chase after us and to pour out blessings and favor... to lavish us in His Love... to work in ways we can SEE and in ways we can't know (yet)... if it's not worked out for your good, let me assure you --it's not done yet!

{STOP} 

I know, I know... some times are tough... some seasons are long and hard... some situations and circumstances steal our breath away and try to rob us of our peace.  The enemy is crafty --but he is not creative! He tends to come at us in the same way, over and over and over again...

But God!

God has been showing me consistently that every single circumstance that comes for us is chock full of Opportunity!  He is looking for ways to show up and to show off and oh my goodness how He so often does this THROUGH US, y'all! 

We have to be willing... to take a risk... to pray and share what He has shown us... to cross the chicken line or bridge the gap.  

I know I am out of time, but I wanted to share one quick, super recent, example of asking Him to define something that I thought I knew.

Yesterday, at a prayer meeting, I asked Him what we should pray for and immediately I felt impressed that we were to pray for Unity.  This sounds good, yes? Like --this is His heart and we are called to pray for unity but before I could open my mouth and lead in prayer, He defined what HE meant by that.  He whispered, "Pray for Unity --but not how you think! Pray for Unity WITHIN yourselves... Unity inside, --body, mind, spirit, and soul.  When you walk in unity inside, you inspire Unity on the outside, too!"

That shifted how we prayed just enough to bring some breakthrough and to give us insight in what is really needed.  So often, we don't pay attention to the unity within us or the lack thereof, right? But when we are in unity within us, Unity outside of us... beyond us... well, it's so much more possible!

What has He been speaking to your heart that He may want to give you a deeper, fuller understanding of? Ask Him to define it... and then watch and see. He loves to give understanding.

While His thoughts and His ways ARE higher than ours... we have been given the mind of Christ. We have access to the fullness of God and wisdom and truth abide within us... 

He takes no pleasure in seeing us grope about in the dark.  
He is the Light and His Light shines in us and through us... and He is better (and brighter!) than we think!

Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today.  Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about: "DEFINE"

The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!

I'm also linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:

#FreshMarketFriday...

Kelly Balarie for #RaRaLinkUp

LORI SCHUMAKER FOR #MOMENTSOFHOPE

Barbie Swihart for #Glimpsesofhisbeauty

Jennifer Dukes Lee for #TellHisStory

Holly Barrett for #TestimonyTuesday

What about you? What is God giving you more definition about in this season?