Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

[Nannette]

Let’s start with what matters most: you’re loved. I don’t know why it’s so hard for us to deeply, wholly believe that’s true. I’ve heard again and again the whispers of doubt. Can I be a different voice, a louder voice, in your life today?

You really are loved.
Just as you are.
More than you know.

There’s nothing that can change that in your life. Not a bad day, not a mistake, not all the ways you may sometimes worry you fall short. Nothing. So close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let the words wrap themselves around your heart.

I am loved.
It’s wonderfully true.

That means you don’t ever have to prove yourself. You don’t have to strive to earn the affection your heart most longs for. You can be free from continually pursuing more and yet never feeling like enough.

You’re loved in a way that is secure forever. The God who spoke the universe into being has said these words to you: “I love you.” And what he says can never be altered. In a world where so much may change, you can trust that his love will always stay the same. Your heart is truly safe with him.

Now. Tomorrow. Always.


Nannette

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us
Ps 103:11–12.

For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, 39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38–39

We love Him, because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

You’re Beyond Compare


Dear Sister in Christ,

We all compare ourselves to others at times. We look at other women and ask ourselves, “Why can’t I be more like her?” So let me lean across the table and tell you today that you are exactly who you’re created to be.

Before you took your first breath, God placed gifts within you. He wove you together with strengths, abilities, and that smile of yours that lights up a room. He made you irreplaceable.

There’s one thing no other person in the world can do better than you, and that’s simply being you.
You are made in the image of God, and there’s a part of who he is that only shows up in this world through you. You may feel ordinary, but you’re anything but that, sweet girl. You are a masterpiece. A bit of the divine. Extraordinary.

When you let your heart receive that, believe it, live it, then you’re simply agreeing with God. That’s not pride. It’s actually the greatest humility to say, “Yes, God, I affirm that all you made is good—and that includes me too.”
And not only did he form you before you were born, but he also made you a new creation when you gave your life to Jesus. Not simply a new person—a new creation.

In other words, a completely unique being. Here’s why that matters: if there’s only one of something, it can’t be compared. You’re not compared by God to anyone else, and that means you don’t have to compare yourself to others either. You’re accepted, cherished, and even celebrated just as you are.

Will you simply offer this world the gift of you today?

Nanette


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

You Don’t Have to Try So Hard

Dear Sister in Christ,

You don’t have to try so hard. I know sometimes you think you do. There’s a place inside that worries that if you let up for even just a little while, it may all fall apart—you may fall apart. But here’s the secret: you don’t have to hold yourself, your life, this world together. That’s far too much for any of us.

Instead of holding it all together, can you let yourself be held by the One who loves you? He’s the One who told the weary to come to him. He’s the One who tells us it’s okay to lay our burdens down. He’s the One who invites us to a life not of perfectionism but of peace.

He doesn’t require as much of you as you believe. It feels like he does because so many people have told you it’s true. But our God is not a taskmaster. Instead he’s a loving Father, and he wants his children to rest. Children are not meant to worry and work all the time. They’re meant to receive.

What do you need from God right now? Slow down for a moment and tell him. Whisper the tiredness you feel. Tell him about your frustration. Put words to your suspicion that it’s all too much and you’re not enough.

Then listen for God’s voice in return. Let him reassure you that he’s got you and he’s never letting go. Let him share with you that you are not responsible for results, only obedience. Let him free you from what weighs you down and instead lift you up with love.

You don’t have to try so hard, get so far, run so fast. You only have to reach up to the One who promises to carry you like a daughter in his arms. All the way home.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

You’re Beautiful

Dear Sister in Christ,

I wish I could hold a mirror in front of your face and your heart today. I imagine you would be quick to point out what you might call “flaws.” You’d tell me what you’d like to change or how this or that could be a bit better. You’d look at me, expecting me to nod in agreement, but instead I’d smile and shake my head.

Because that’s not how I see you. When I look at you, I see beauty. I see eyes that look out with love. I see a smile that curves with kindness. I see hairs numbered by the One who crafted every last detail of you.

I see the same beauty in your heart too. I delight in the ways you bring joy to others. I cheer for the strength you show and the ways you’re growing. I’m astonished by the ways you’re becoming even more of who you’ve been created to be all along.
We live in a world that tries to define beauty. But I don’t believe beauty is meant to be defined.
Instead it’s meant to be found.

And it can be, if only we have the eyes to see it. Next time you go to the mirror, will you do me a favor? Instead of looking with eyes that are critical and comparing, look with eyes of love and grace.

Then go out and do the same for your sisters. Look into their eyes and tell them that they are beautiful. Look into their hearts and encourage all that is lovely and true. Ask God to help you see this world and those in it from his perspective.
Instead of looking into mirrors to see what we wish could be different, let’s become mirrors for others that reflect God’s love and grace.
You’re truly beautiful.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

You’re Brave

Dear Sister in Christ,

I’m not sure you realize how brave you are. We tend to define courage in specific ways in our culture. We look at it as bold and loud. But I think most courage is quieter than we realize.

It’s the “yes” we say in our hearts when God asks us to obey.
It’s the silent arms we wrap around the shoulders of someone we love.
It’s the hardly heard step we take outside our comfort zone.

I can almost imagine you now, maybe waving a hand through the air to dismiss those words, a half smile forming on your face. “Oh, that’s nothing,” you’d probably say. But listen here, girl. It’s not nothing.

Those “little” things are what change the world. And they never happen on their own. Each one requires someone to be brave. It’s easy to be courageous for a lifetime and never realize how much it matters.

So pause right now and let yourself acknowledge that you are courageous. It’s okay to do so. Share a moment with Jesus and think about what you two have done together.

Now turn to face the future and just keep doing what you’re doing. Even when it feels small. Even when you wonder if it’s enough. Even when you’re not sure anyone notices. (There’s One who always notices.)

Yes, you’re braver than you know. That shows through who you are, how you live, and the ways you love. The word courage comes from the word heart. Perhaps a woman like you inspired it. I’d like to think so.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You



Heart-to-Heart Encouragement