Category Archives: Guest Post

Guest Post: I Got This

04 Sunday Mar 2012

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Each Sunday I like to post one of my amateur nature pictures along with a thought about God, in hopes that it encourages readers on that day of rest. They can love it, hate it, agree, disagree, but know this, no one finds the Sunday posts by accident.

I shared a couple weeks ago on Facebook about my lack of peace regarding something in my life that has burned me and left me emotionally scarred, if you will. My something is most likely different than yours, but when this thing comes to my attention, my stomach tightens, my mind reels, and my peace is gone, by my own choice. I stew, worry, fret, and spiral into a depression and pity party.

In the midst of this, I was in the car alone and just shared my thoughts. If you think I’m a formal praying person, you’re wrong. I’m not in religion, I’m in relationship. God is my Father, Jesus is my friend, and the Holy Spirit is my teacher. They are my life, and I’m honest with them. They can handle it, so no fancy, dancing around the topic for me. I laid it all out, and questioned why this keeps happening.

Three words came to mind.

I got this.

Instantly my mind kicks into overdrive. I got this, how empowering! Yes, I got this. I’ll call here, demand that, write here, send there….and in that deep place in my heart where the deepest love and wisdom from above flow, all thoughts were disrupted.

“Not you, me. I got this.”

Every worry that started to form immediately halted with those three words. Dental bills-I got this. Flexcard-I got this. Co-pays? I got this. Child’s future? I got this. Direction? I got this.

God wants you to know He’s got this.

Julie Arduini, my daughter, my sassy darling—I. Got. This.

I’m neither a scholar, or a kook, just a surrendered Child of God always willing to hear His voice, and He doesn’t disappoint. God is not a cruel taskmaster, nor is He a puppet master, laughing it up as He pulls strings. He wants relationship, to share with you. Reveal things, love you, tell you serious things, tell you funny things. All you have to do is ask. Know that the bridge I show above is a visual for me—that I have the connection with God that I do because I believe Him. I don’t just believe in Him, I believe Him. I believe His Son is that bridge that gives me access to see from His perspective, because I ask. I’m still human, I make mistakes, I doubt, pout, and everything in between.

But make no mistake, I hear his voice.

And if you’re willing, so can you.

If worries have you without peace today, trade my name in the sentence for yours.

(Your Name), I got this.

And with a mustard seed size faith, so small I can barely hold onto it when I touch such a seed, believe that He does.

And watch that peace return.

Julie Arduini is a writer and speaker residing in NE Ohio. She encourages audiences to find freedom through surrender, and she knows it has to start with her. Her work is included in 12 books and she’s part of the team blog, Christians Read. Currently working on her contemporary romance set in the Adirondacks, she invites people to surrender the good, the bad, and—maybe one day—the chocolate, with her. You can learn more at her website.

Speak Up

06 Monday Feb 2012

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Jay Cookingham is an old friend of Sheila’s and an emerging friend of Michael’s. We highly recommend you visit Jay’s blog, Soulfari, often.

Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.”
- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Early in my life (grade school) I had a huge speech impediment. How bad was it? Well, let’s just say that I sounded like I was speaking in tongues long before I knew what that meant! I’m not sure how it happened (I suspect my worn out 4th grade teacher) but I found myself enrolled in a speech therapy class with a few other kids. We met once a week with a teacher-therapist person who had the unfortunate job of getting us all to speak clearly.

I don’t remember all the speaking issues represented in our sessions but one kid was a huge stutterer. Me…I was different, I slurred my way through the English language. When I got excited or nervous, I would slur all my words into one long word. Many, many consonants and vowels were injured along the way.

So, every week we would gather in a small room and try our best to repeat the words on the flash cards the speech expert would hold up…this was NOT a good plan. Between my slurring and the other kid’s stuttering I’m sure the other kids never had a chance to try their hand (or their tongue) at this exercise. After weeks of slurring and stuttering flash card madness the sessions suddenly stopped. I’m guessing we drove that poor woman to leave and join a nunnery, taking (happily) a vow of silence.

Since those days of slurring sloppiness, God has helped me overcome most of my slippery diction. What remains is mostly unnoticeable and something I use to good-naturedly poke fun at myself. However, for many years I was afraid to raise my voice, to speak in front of people despite the call I felt on my life. I allowed my speech impediment dictate my boldness instead of trusting the Father to help form the words correctly as they rolled off my tongue. It took years, but finally I learned how to speak up and say what was on my heart. I have no problem standing in front of people and speaking and even if I mispronounce a word (or a few dozen) it doesn’t keep me from sharing.

What made the difference?

Believing that God gave me voice…that there was value in what I had to share and even in the way I share it. I’m not the greatest orator, the most compelling speaker or the best communicator you can listen to…but I have a God given voice with a message uniquely mine.

And so do you.

The message of what God has done in your life is huge. It needs to be heard, it needs to be told…by you. It’s too valuable to be stilled by imagined inadequacies, by the enemy’s reminders of what you lack. There is power in the voice the Father has given you…all you have to do is speak up…and trust.

“For I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!” Luke 21:15 NLT