I often say and write, “God already knew…” in reference to anything that may be going on in someone’s life, any situation that may be unexpected to them, or just a simple case of “life happens” going on full force.  I also stress to others to do what I have to force myself to do; that is, press on, push on, and keep living, keep giving, and keep reaching out to help someone else.  Last Friday night, at my monthly women’s meeting, many of us, (yes, I did say “us”), had the opportunity to see that when we push, when we go, when we make ourselves available for God to use us, we open ourselves up for awesome things to take place.Looking back on Friday night’s events, it seems that every single thing was orchestrated and we were all in place to be instruments of love for someone in need.  

A young lady joined us that night.  She listened as we shared about our topic, “Iron Sharpens Iron… Pouring Into My Sister” and the scripture references that were highlighted.   Emphasis was placed on the importance to just “be there” for our sisters no matter what their situation or how badly they feel they have dropped the ball. We talked about making sure to encourage them to receive the Father’s unconditional love and His grace.  Of course, the young lady was moved to share and through her tears, she told us about some things that were going on in her life at this time.  It was if a script had been written as the ladies around the table showered her with not only love, acceptance, and encouragement, but also unashamed transparency.  We are a diverse group and there were many ages represented at that table.  There were women whose children are grown who had been in her situation; they shared the decisions they made and what they would do if they could go back and do things differently.  They talked about how making decisions outside of the will of God to “fix” situations is detrimental and makes things worse in the long run.  We had younger ladies telling their story, letting her know that she was not alone, and offering to walk with her through her ordeal.  God showed up.  God loved on her.  God ministered to not only the young lady, but to all of us who shared and who listened.  

When we finally realize that our story, our journey, our experiences can help others — missteps, mistakes, and all — we will find that we will be more open for opportunities to be used as instruments of encouragement, love, and grace.  Even in the middle of our own circumstances, there is so much freedom in reaching out beyond ourselves and speaking life into someone else and their situation.  I believe God is waiting for us to do just that.  It is not about you.  It is not about me.  It is not about us.  It is about being willing to look beyond where we are, being grateful that God knows where we are, and surveying the area to see if He wants to use us to help somebody else!  It is NOT about us!