Where To Begin...

Where to begin… that is the question that I’ve been wrestling with ever since I made my blog live. For almost 2 weeks, I’ve been working on a post, but something wasn’t quite right. I could not bring myself to post it. I wondered if it was fear, or just a lack of confidence, but I really didn’t think so.

At some point, I read the phrase “emotional exhibitionist.” Exhibitionist, “a person who behaves in an extravagant way in order to attract attention.” I had to step back and take stock of my heart, did that apply to me? I can be pretty open about sharing my emotions. But that is absolutely the very LAST thing I wanted to convey. So I kept waiting, watching and praying. 

I have a story I want to tell. It covers a lot of years and some hard things but I won’t share the details. I'm not ashamed of the details anymore, I share them freely anytime I think it will comfort someone in the way that God has comforted me (2 Corinthians 2:3-6). Everyone has their own story, with their own details, but maybe what we share is a similar outcome in how we see God, ourselves, and the world. I don’t want the details to distract from the real story, that God is a God who loves us beyond our wildest imagination. And while it may not always look like it, He is at work and there is hope no matter what the outcome of our story has been so far.

When I first started thinking about a blog, a number of weeks ago, I said to Scott, “I guess I should map out how I want to tell my story so it’s logical.” And he said, “Sharla, just be you. You’re not one to map things out, you will know what to write, when it’s time.” And he was right, today, in a very mundane, ordinary moment, just driving down the road, I knew how to do this. I am going to tell my story by telling you about the passages of Scripture that have changed my life, over the last 26 years. I will be vulnerable and share deeply, but only in ways that point to my Abba Father. Some of the passages were for a season, and some have been a constant companion for many, many years. But all of them were an important part of my story.

My prayer is this (if you don’t already), you will see how God works through His Word to bring hope and healing. And that you will seek Him out, through His word for whatever might need hope and healing in your life.