If you came over from Encouragement for Today, welcome!
In today’s devo I describe my love of Pinterest and how it led me to realize that my sweet spot definitely WASN’T furniture restoration or crafting.
And how that God made me to be . . . well, me.
Hopeful baker of bread, though the last two loaves were fed to the birds. (They were crazy awful.)
Lover of God’s word.
Busting my moves with the grandbabies in the living room.
But how often do we try to be something we’re not?
I love trying new things, and that won’t ever stop, but that’s different than trying to force yourself into a mold you weren’t made to fit. Somehow it keeps us from running after those things for which we are uniquely made.
Today I want to introduce you to Angela Moran. She’s the founder of Change Purse, an organization that is funding safe shelters across the nation for those once trapped in sex slave trade. (She’s with her board of directors. Angela is on the left.)
It all started with an unusual prayer. Angela tells it here in her own words in a radio interview on Encouragement Cafe. I pray that you listen all the way through, but in essence her prayer was:
God, I love purses and I love you. What can you do with those two things?
Now to be honest with you, I’m not a purse girl. I carry one because I need to, and I have three. . . total. So this prayer may seem silly to someone like me, but when I talked to Angela, it became one of the most powerful prayers I’ve ever heard.
She flat out let God know that her sweet spot was purses. She loved them. She collected them. She appreciated them.
And she loved Him more. So, was there something that He could do with those two loves. The answer surprised her. She began to get with others who loved purses and created Changepurse.org, selling gently used purses online and hosting purse parties. The first party netted $600.
Today, Changepurse.org has netted nearly $100,000 and all of it goes to rescue and shelter women and girls trapped in sex slavery trade.
So, what is your sweet spot? Has anyone ever called it silly? Have you thought it less than worthy?
Will you make this your prayer today?
God, I love {fill in the blank} and I love you. What can you do with those two things?
Suzie
When I pray that prayer it looks like this:
God, I love writing, and I love you. What can you do with those two things?
But it goes deeper. Lord, I love your Word, and I love you. What can you do with those two things?
And He takes me deeper still. Lord, I love seeing a broken heart healed, and I love you. What can you do with those two things?
For me, my sweet spot leads to His word, and to observe and note and share the stories of what happens when we encounter Christ in the midst of our brokenness.
I pray that you’ll take a moment and check out my new book, The Mended Heart: God’s Healing for Your Broken Places. It’s a combination of all of these sweet spots.
Dear Suzanne,
I don’t usually spend so much time reading a chapter as the
One I just read of 32 pgs. on Brokenness of heart. I do relate to a lot of what I
read, being abused as a young teenager and again as a young adult. Always blaming
Myself as it being my fault it has caused me to not see love in others as I
should and not be able to give love freely. Realizing that God has always loved me even
when I didn’t feel it or see it is helping me to understand His healing power. Although I am still
Working on issues in my relationships daily, I still struggle with this and pray every morning before I
get out of bed and on my Knees once a day to ask for His help to make me strong and stay
Positive. It is a process and I’m still a process in the works! I don’t realize all my gifts so easily
And I pray for guidance daily. I’ve always thought I had to strive for perfect religious conduct to be
Loved by God and to be forgiven. I find it releasing that I can stop at any time of the day and ask God’s
Forgiveness, for those who hurt me or for those who I’ve hurt. I will continue to pray even when I don’t understand. Pray for me too!
Thank- you!
Janet Daniel