ability – KARLA LEES

let it flaw

May 12, 2015May 12, 2015 Karla Lees

We impress people with our supposed perfections but we connect with each other over our flaws. -Donald Miller

There is a secret to living connected, to finding real strength.

Be yourself.

And I don’t mean you after you’ve primped, puffed & glammed up and hidden all your imperfections.

The natural you.

The you that has to take a break to slow things down because you have a tendency to rush & forget what you headed upstairs for.

The you that still cries yourself to sleep at night from the rush of memories of the one you lost, or passes away.

The you that has battle scars, and learned His grace & mercy first hand in such a way you have never been the same since.

The you who can’t get it all done, who knows themselves too well to not ask for help.

We all feel that if others knew our weaknesses, we would be ridiculed, passed over or devalued.

Poppycock, God says! Be yourself anyways, even if it means you won’t be liked by everyone.

His kingdom is about merging with us, allowing His strength to fill in the spaces where we need His grace the most, and revealing to the world we are a team.

Me and God.

When I open myself up to Him, sharing my inadequacies and deficiencies, He pours out enough of Himself to meet my need….

His ability meets my flaw in a spectacular show of His glory.

God never asked us to be caught up in the law and the seeking of perfection.

He asks us to rely on Holy Spirit’s power for our flaw, and listen for His voice to speak about everything and anything that matters to us.

But more than that, He wants us so caught up in Jesus’ gaze that we allow Him to fully embrace us.

Flaws and all.

Every notice how you tend to get kinks in your garden hose, despite the fact it was meant to be rounded and bent as it is used?

And how once you resolve that flaw, the water begins to fully flow again?

We tend to allow our flaws to become blocks to His flow.

When we allow our flaws to become the driving force away from Him when we try to hide away in shame, we develop a kink which needs straightening with a careful hand or our flow will be hindered, and we become isolated as we hide.

Its time to let your flaws out, in the safety of His love.

Paul was a fantastically gifted teacher, scholar & writer, yet struggled with his flaws as He was using him.

Look what God did with one mam, sold out to Him, despite his flaws.

We wants to do the same with you and I, today, no matter our flaws.

His flow in our life will amplify our ability beyond the natural as our flaws are open to His touch.

The best community?
Unity with God.
Unity with other flawed believers He is moving within, just as He is in you!

Come out of hiding, fellow flawed ones, and let Him so rise in you that you see His life, love and power flow through you, exceeding beyond your imagination! As He leads, share what He is doing in your life with those who need to hear their flaws don’t disqualify them in His kingdom.

Give Him the power to flow in and through you, not your flaws the power to block Him.

Let Him flow!

sense-ability

April 21, 2015April 21, 2015 Karla Lees

Pre-Note: as I am currently taking a week long intense Jane Austen course, it is likely that this week there will be blog posts influenced by the major themes we are studying. As she was a believer, and keen observer I am honored to be able to have such a writer continue to impact my writing, as I too desire to honor God in all I do as well.

Over the years, I have been accused of being sensible. Someone with a lot of common sense. Someone like Elinor of Sense and Sensibility, or Martha in the New Testament.

There are many times I would agree, but also moments where sense flees from me as I allow my passions to rise too high, and let my emotions dictate my actions….just as Marianne does in the same Jane Austen novel as her sister Elinor, or Mary, sister of Martha who abandons her housework to sit & wonder at Jesus’ feet.

I am awakening to the reality that balance lies somewhere between sense (reason) and sensibility (passion/spontaneity), and beyond.

I need more of His sense-ability.
Unlike Spiderman’s “spidey sense”, this is not an instinct, despite all of us being hardwired to sense God.

This moves us beyond reason, passion and our own abilities, into the supernatural…where He enables us to sense what He wants us to hear, feel, say or do.

Where we can know things we couldn’t otherwise know, like the prophets leading kings to defeat their enemies because God gave them the enemy battle plans through prayer & listening.

When we know we are to do something because we sensed His direction, even though it is something out of the norm.

One of our pastors shared how God recently healed her of a serious throat infection through her obedience to open her mouth, and allow God to touch it until it was healed.

How Peter saw a vision that confirmed he was to encourage ministry to the non-Jews, for they were part of His plan.

How Jesus knew where to go while He was hear on earth.

By plugging in to Him as the source for our direction, we can learn to sense Him in new ways, and grow deeper in love with Him as we learn more about Him in the process.

If God designed us,
Jesus gave His life for us,
and left Holy Spirit to be with us,
why should the fact He wants us to hear from Him directly be a surprise?

It is not about our ability, but rather His.

It is not about our worthiness, but His.

Its not about us, really. Its about His kingdom, His plans coming alive through us as we sense Him more, and follow Him where He takes us.

That is the kind of sense-ability we all need to help us balance reason & passion.

Not only will we draw closer to Him, but as we learn to increasingly sense Him, more of us can fall away to reveal more of His hand in our lives!

Community Chatter

October 25, 2014October 25, 2014 Karla Lees

Relevant Magazine recently posted an interesting article (6 Things Every Strong Community Needs) that got my brain pondering: Community

Here are their six headings, and my comments.

Intentionality

Sometimes we have to purpose to become community. And other times, it just happens.

This can happen in school, work, church, or your neighborhood. You may have kids all in the same grade or sports team, you may meet in a coffee lineup every day, or share a hairdresser…. Community is happening all around us.

We have to be intentional to plug into it.

Diversity

Not everyone is going to be just like you- in looks, quirks, likes or gifts/talents. I recently commented to a few of my closest friends that we all seem to have one skill we are able to use to bless one another in an area that person is needing a hand in. It is awesome how we can become so much more when we pool our resources, and encourage one another to be ourselves in healthy ways.

A Willingness to Embrace Awkwardness

Getting close to a group of people you don’t know can be very awkward…and I should know. I much prefer to write or sing it versus speak it to people. Its not a matter of feeling scared, but in feeling I won’t be accepted if I show who I really am. Yet, once we feel safe in community, this can be a wonderful picture of true caring for one another in being a safe place to land when you need it. This leads to….

Openness

Being able to be yourself with a group of people is a precious aspect of community. Yes, there will be disagreements as no group of people will agree about every thing all the time. The freedom to be open in a respectful way where everyone is honored is a vital piece of a strong community.

The Ability to Have Fun Together

If you have a good mix going on in your community, this will naturally occur once people feel free to be themselves in a safe respectful environment. I remember a few people I worked with at school meeting with me for coffee, who made the comment they didn’t know how funny I was. I replied, “When you are lunch monitoring preteens, you can’t let them know you are fun loving, you need to show your work face.” :). Don’t do so much work that you never take time to relax and unwind with one another over coffee, a movie, or a group outing.

Inclusiveness

If all feel welcome, you are showing a healthy community to those looking in from the outside. There are times when you are in a set few weeks where you are intently studying something, and a new person in the mix for those meeting would be awkward all round. That’s why every month I lead my ladies group, we have a fun night built in somewhere. Maybe coffee at the nearest book store, maybe second hand shopping, sometimes a movie night. A time when anyone is welcome to come and hang out.

Final Thoughts?

God invites us into community with Him in these six ways too:

Intentional. God intentionally invites us all to come.
Diversity: God welcomes everyone from any & all backgrounds.
A willingness to embrace awkwardness: I think Jesus demonstrated this by reaching out to us all right where we are at.
Openness. God is 100% approachable, all the time. The ability to have fun together. God is great company, and people who hang out with Him are able to find joy in His Presence 🙂
Inclusive. All are welcome to join His family. The perks come from. the privileges you are blessed with when you are in.

I find I am able to maintain my hope and focus on God when I feel connected, and a part of community:
At home with my family.
At work as part of the team.
With my closest friends.
But especially in my walk with God.

What do you feel you need as a healthy aspect of community?