YES to GOD study: Chapter 10-the final chapter

WELCOME to

So glad you have come by to discuss our last chapter of our current YES to GOD Tuesday study of our dear friend Lisa Whittle's book, Behind Those Eyes.

I wish this book had 52 chapters for every week of the year so we didn't have to stop so soon. If this is your first visit here, I highly recommend this book as well as the other YES to GOD studies we have done. You can find them on my sidebar. They have all been such a blessing to me and many others.


This morning my husband Gene and I went to Omaha to see what the surgeon had to say. 6 weeks ago he had x-ray's done and the doctor told him that the bottom things were not fused together yet and told him to do nothing but lie in bed. He also had to wear this $5,000.00 bone stimulator belt for 4 hours every day.


Today Gene had a CT done and guess what girls...HE IS FUSED!!! If you're saying what is that? It basically means they put bone into his back and fused the bottom discs together with screws and this other stuff...kind of like cement. We have been waiting for the "cement" to set on that bottom disc which has caused him a great deal of pain. Today was such a good day for him. This past Sunday some men in our church prayed over Gene and that came to mind when the doc said, "I don't know if we should give credit to the stimulator belt or what, but you are fused." Ummm...Jesus is who we're giving credit to!!! Gene has been released to return to work and we don't return to the surgeon until February. We are so excited and we thank you so much for your prayers. You all are so awesome!


On the way to Omaha I was reading through the comments from the last post and started bawling when I read Sheena's out loud to my husband. I told my husband that I am just blown away by what God is doing with this study. Who knew, but our Heavenly Father that a young lady from Malaysia named Sheena would be divinely directed to this study of Lisa's book and she would be passing it along to friends and starting her own study. HE IS AMAZING and I am again teary eyed at typing that with this lump in my throat because this is all about HIM. This morning tears would not stop flowing and my husband just kept saying, "God is working on your heart honey, He is working it." I can't begin to express the blessing I feel from what He is doing. When I read Cindy (Consider All Joy) post from chapter 8 I just lost it. When I read Lea's (Shabby Old Potting Shed) e-mail about doing the next study with us out of obedience to God, the tears just came again.


WHAT is He doing? All I know is that I have lived that life of following my own lead and leaving God out of the picture and I don't want to return to that emptiness. This. This is so much better!!! God is good ladies. He is and He loves each one of us.

Okay...I've stalled getting to this last chapter long enough, let's get to it.


CHAPTER 10: THE TRUTH HEALS

Remember, anything in blue is a quote from the book.

Women, the truth does hurt: we are flawed...we are selfish...we are unlovely...and we are unworthy of the love of almighty God. But fortunately for us, that is not the end of the story. There is more truth we should know. The truth is also that we are loved...we are accepted...we are wanted...we are important to God...and we are His beautiful creations.



When I look at all the things I have done in my life, up to recently I can't help but think, God, how? How can You love this? How can You forgive this? How could You want to use someone like this? But friends..how can He not? When we decide to follow Him and allow Him to use the messes of our lives that is when His glory outshines any darkness in our lives. When I look at my Prodigal daughter Alyssa...I don't see the bad choices, I just love her and I imagine it is that way with our Father in Heaven...He sees what He has created in the middle of our messes and yet still pats Himself on the back and says well done.


Lisa shows us how to be real women and not impersonators any longer by sharing three very basic truths based solidly on the Word of God.


1.) RECOGNITION
~God created us and He does not make mistakes. The genius master inventor, Jesus Christ, came up with the concept of you...and me...and everyone else in the entire universe, starting with Adam in the garden! Phenomenal!

2.) ADMISSION
~God created you with a free will to choose your behavior and mess up your life.
I loved how Lisa tells us how God does want us to live fulfilling lives, but at the same time our choices will not go without being dealt with. If Gene and I didn't love our kids we would let them do whatever they wanted to and just shrug our shoulders when caught, but we don't. There are consequences that follow every bad choice they make.
We are encouraged by this godly author to take responsibility for our choices and seek God first in our lives. That is, if we want to be women that are
genuine...authentic...real...and without pretense.


3.) RESOLUTION
God created us to discern and discover who we are and where we function most effectively, without trying to be someone else.

I loved Lisa's Subway story and how we are all different down to our taste buds. Lisa made such a good point of telling us to praise God for even our flaws. I believe that it's time for us to stop wasting our time trying to be the girl to our right instead of being the best me all of us can be for the glory of God.
AMEN!!!
Lisa then shared about the first time she felt "used" by someone and it felt good. After speaking to a group of women she said for the first time she felt empty of herself, but so full of God she could hardly breathe. THAT IS INCREDIBLE!!
This morning on the way to Omaha I tell you, I could not stop the tears. I just kept telling my husband, I can't believe He wants to use me to play hostess for these YES to GOD Tuesday studies. I of all people, am so unworthy and God knows this.

There is so much more to this chapter, but I don't want to share it all as we can read others insights on their own blogs. I will close this book with a quote from our Lisa...
Accept the truths found in God's Word about who you are: completely flawed yet forgiven completely; an awesome spirit being, truly loved and accepted by God.

I have so enjoyed getting to know you all through each chapter in this book. You have made me laugh, cry and shout praises to our King. It would be easy for me to focus on my flaws which are many and justify why I should shut this blog down and do my own thing, but what I would be missing out on is so much. All of you have been worth the struggle of unworthiness that I deal with. When I read your thoughts on each chapter it's such a peek into your heart for God and it is so special. I know for sure that I am not the same woman back in September when we began this journey together. Thank God for that.


Thank you all for joining me and sticking with it...whether you blogged on it or silently participated...you are such a blessing. Mari...thank you for posting through your health pains. Jill...I am so sorry about your Grandma that you just lost. So many going through so much.

God is using each one of you, don't ever believe the lies the enemy tries to feed you. Instead, run to God's Word to find out what your very own Creator thinks of you. For your King, as the psalmist tells us, is enthralled with your beauty! I love you!


Lisagirl...God must smile down upon you daily as you step out to seek Him flaws and all. I love how God has brought us together in such a unique way. We haven't done lunch or gone shopping together, but I know we have become girlfriends for life. When I met you at She Speaks this past summer it was like we had been childhood friends and picked up where we left off. You my dear friend are easy to love. Thank you for this book, it has changed my life and I am just not saying that. God knew I needed this study and He used you in a huge way to change my thought life in only 9 short weeks. I feel I have become more "real". More honest. More authentic. You my friend have forever blessed me. I look forward to reading more of your work that God assigns you too and know that this blog study can always be a venue for your books. I trust whatever you share. I love you Girl and someday I'll hope God gives me an accent just like yours! xoxo




Okay...I posted here about what our next YES to GOD study is going to be, but if you have signed up for it, after much thought and asking Paula(Sweet Pea)'s opinion I am changing the start date from December to January. With Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations right around the corner I need to take a little study break and so the next YES to GOD study will begin on the 1st Tuesday of 2009! So mark your calendar for Tuesday, January 6, 2009. I hope you can join us. Click here to see what book it is and continue to be women that say yes to this wonderful God we serve! It's going to be a good one, I can tell already!

If you have something to share on your study about this chapter or what God has done in your life from this book then sign up below. If you don't have a blog you can e-mail me or leave a comment.

Thanks again for your coveted prayers for my family. I wish we could have a big YES to GOD party and just celebrate God! Someday....

~Many Blessings~