Rah! Rah! Sis-Boom-Ba!

Open the barnyard kick out the hay…we’re the girls from the USA!! Oh, this totally makes me smile as I have memories of singing this with the schoolgirls in my neighborhood as a child.

Cheering and memories of being a cheerleader have been on my mind this week (although I much more enjoyed playing the sport and getting in there to play I loved cheering and still love being an encouragement to others). I had a dear girlfriend remind me this week to be my greatest cheerleader—she was encouraging me to seek within myself my own encouraging words. I don’t think that I seek complete affirmation from others but it sure does help at times and I truly want to live where words from others whether positive or negative don’t define me. My God defines me and I want to live that truth out in my life…

In meditating this week on this I was reminding myself of my most precious girlfriends who encourage me and love me and also remembering my freshman years of cheerleading…I was relating to the days of feeling so empty and insecure inside and yet had the make-up on, my hair done and my cheer uniform on with the smile and cheer voice yelling as I encouraged others whether I was at school, at the pep rally, or wherever!!

I was trained in school spirit and taught how to best display leadership as a young teen; yet was dealing with such emptiness inside my own heart. I hate to admit it…but I so see the possibility of portraying it on the outside and not exemplifying it on the inside. I know I need to seek to empty myself every morning and be filled with Him and when I don’t do this…the day has potential for disaster.

Christ draws us to be filled first on the inside…I am sure of it! His Word talks so much about emptying ourselves and filling us with Himself. His Word is given to us and heals us it says in Psalm 107…and right now in studying the Psalms of Ascent the entire message is to pour our hearts out to God allowing ourselves to be emptied of our fleshy desires and then seeking Him and asking Him to fill us with His love and goodness…

I so desire this!!! I want to be transformed from the inside out and feel I am definitely on this journey with Him and can honestly say when I seek Him I am different every day and ever-changing…being transformed to be more like Him. I am Free in Christ and His Spirit is in me…(2 Cor 3:17). I love the next verse; it reminds me of this weekend and getting to spend some precious time with some dear girlfriends…verse 18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” I am remembering the heart-to-heart…REAL conversations that filled my living room this past Saturday night and picturing the masks on our faces and our willingness to be vulnerable and allowing our true selves to be revealed…these girlfriends are brave and free with me (YOU GIRLS SO ROCK FOR HIM!!!)—they know what it means to ask Christ into their hearts to reveal not only to themselves but to others the radiant glory of our Lord. They are and I too am by no means perfect…but Christ lives in them and our hearts are surrendering to Him and I believe He has called us together to continue to encourage one another in this.

I know this is deep…BUT I felt God was tying these things together for me…this girls’ night was not just a deep pore cleansing for our faces…but a reminder for us girls to keep seeking Him to fill us…admitting our pride, our susceptibility to having harshness in our hearts and our need of repentance and cleansing from Him—as much as we need to care for our complexion and our nails we need even more to care for our hearts and in the overflow of that the hearts around us!
Oh Lord, we surrender to you transforming us...I praise You for these precious girlfriends who cheer me on in the Lord…please help me to keep cheering myself on towards You and as I do that may it naturally encourage those around me.

In the spirit of cheering I yell this one out to the Creator of me who has already fought for me and has already won the game…thank you for the blood and the FREEDOM found in its covering...I love you my Jesus! I am yours!
Go Go! G…O…F…I…G…H…T Win!