3 Encouragements for Women of Faith

A Grace-Filled Woman
I want to become the full-grown, fully mature, grace-filled woman that God envisioned before I was even born.
I want to be the full-size, grown-up version of that wonder-filled baby girl He knit together in my mothers womb.
I want to be so in tune with Him and His thoughts and ideas for me that I can know and celebrate on a daily basis that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
I want His dream for me to be a reality. . . .
This great God of ours works in us to make us all we can be. He does not just sit on the sidelines waiting for us to trip up while we try to be a bigger girl than we are. He just longs for us to grow and live each season of our lives to the max, and He empowers us to do it if we really want to.
Thats what being a Big Girl is all about: living life to the fullest in all ways, in all places, and in all situations.
Jan Silvious

Playful People
Playful people look at life through a kaleidoscopic lens, seeing all kinds of ways to find adventure and have fun. Theyve unlocked the door to the child withinthe muse for our creativity. Here are a half dozen tips that may help bring your muse into the sunlight:Figure out what the child within you wants to do and do it.Listen to that tiny, soft voice inside and believe it.Quit conforming to what the world demands and say, No!Surround yourself with people who love you and enjoy them.Create a life for yourself thats meaningful and live there.Keep in mind that imagination is more important than knowledge.Dont be afraid to explore playful pleasure in your life. Let them spill outside the bounds of your leisure and work, your home and office, your school and church. Let them permeate your life.
Luci Swindoll

Under God's Mercy
Here is the really liberating truth: Everything is not going to get fixed and healed in this lifetime—that’s what Heaven is for. You have to decide what can go under the mercy of God (not to be confused with “under the rug”—because when stuff is swept under the rug, it always sneaks back out and eventually makes a gargantuan mountain that you can’t navigate around). Under the mercy of God is a place where you put things when you know that they are not going to be healed in this lifetime. These are the things you can’t fix in [other people] and they just need mercy. Grace. Forgiveness. And that is a perfectly okay place to start building something new—on the platform of mercy, forgiveness, and grace. . . .
We all have “junk in the trunk”—the baggage and hurt that accompanies living. Your choice is whether you will put it up in the front seat, ask God to help you deal with it, allow Him to heal you from it, release it, and even laugh about it . . . or leave it in the trunk to rot and make you sick.
Anita Renfroe

Excerpted from Glimmers of Grace: Sparkling Reminders to Encourage You © 2008 Women of Faith, Inc. All rights reserved.