Reframing…

Have you ever stumbled upon a book that was so earth shattering…literally life changing that you a) couldn’t put it down; and b) couldn’t stop telling everyone about it? That book is sitting next to me as I write in this moment.

“You are the Girl for the Job,” by Jess Connolly has literally rocked my world.

My friend, Beth, who is a varacious reader, recommended it to me on Monday. She hadn’t gotten it yet, but she had heard about it and one of her favorite authors, Annie Downs, had written the foreward. I scanned a few overviews of the book and thought, “why not?” So I ordered it. It arrived on Wednesday (yes, I still read books the old fashioned way…in print) and I started gingerly thumbing through and then sat down during lunch to read it. I almost couldn’t get back to work. My first of many highlights is only eight pages in.

I have been struggling lately. Struggling with doubt. My heart has a fire for those that have gone through a faith transition. It’s one of the most difficult things I’ve been through in my fifty years (boy, I’m still warming to the fact that in a few months I will be 50). It rattled everything I thought I knew, about myself, those around me, those in leadership positions, about God. And for the most part, I have a healthy resiliance when it comes to trauma and crisis. So many others do not, and it is for them that my heart beats wildly. I don’t want to rescue as much as I want to share…there is an end to the pain, the anger and the rocky road. God is still there, embracing you, shaping you, carrying you. But some days I waiver.

Who am I to write a book; speak into the lives of others; minister when I’m not a pastor? Who am I?

Apparently, “I am the girl for the job,” says God. I keep repeating to myself as I read, “You spot it — you got it.” I can’t remember where I first heard that phrase, but it has rang true in so many circumstances in my life that I can’t help but say it here.

Like everyone, I’ve experienced a lot of difficult and/or interesting things in my life. Loss of loved ones, grief, failed endeavors, cancer. Not all my experiences have centered around sadness or difficulty, though. I am married to a great man, a true partner, the love of my life. We’ve shared birthing of babies, growing our careers, buying our first home, and now our dream home in our dream location. So many wonderful things, but still, when I think of what I am called to do none of the above sparks a fire in me…not in a way that those making their way through a faith crisis does.

God has gifted me with talent, vision, and a heart for these people. Those that were all-in and had the rug pulled from under them. Those who have had their very foundation of belief shaken.

Reading this book has had me reframing my question. Rather than, “Who am I?” my question has become, “Who am I to not…?” To not write when I have been given the gift of communication? To not minister to those whose hearts are broken in a way I personally understand when I have been given the gift of deep compassion? Who am I to not help others cross the bridge to heal, or form, a relationship with God, to help them identify and experience the gift of Grace when I have literally been drenched in its healing powers?

And reading this book has helped clarify what the “job” is…

The “job” is this…

Living the abudant life God has crafted for you with the intention, passion, and willingness to do whatever He’s asked you to with a fine-tuned focus on His glory.

I believe you were meant to abundantly experience every single day, waking up with the clarity and conviction that God has put you there on purpose to bring light and life and hope to everyone around you.

“You are the Girl for the Job,” by Jess Connolly, page 77