“Who has the weirdest item in your purse?”
“And the winner is…a dental tray?? Whaaat?”
Laughing until your sides ache, playing a raucous game of purse scavenger hunt, sprinkled with wise words to inspire and encourage us, and stirring in quiet moments with old and new friends, all ingredients to a smashing Ladies Retreat!
And I’m sharing my favorite parts with you today, sticky statements that keep rolling around in my mind.
–The difference between guilt and shame is huge.
Guilt says, “I did something bad.”
Shame says, “I am bad.”
–Guilt compels us to make a change, confess a sin, apologize. Shame blankets us with a smothering cloak of, “I am bad, so I can never be…” When we withhold our hard stories and bury them deep, they define us. When we share our stories they free us to write a new one.
And it is the stories shared this weekend that will stick tight. Stories from beautiful women of faith who had the rug of life ripped from their feet. The solid footing they knew so well, torn asunder, leaving a deep chasm to fill. And a choice to make–faithful or faithless.
Behind their lovely, well kept facade they poured. Stories of divorce and abandonment by a father. Stories of years of unexplained infertility. Stories of the death of a tiny babe born too soon. Stories of the loss of son in the throes of young adulthood. Stories of chronic and debilitating illness.
But a gossamer thread wove in and out of each story. The aching skein of despair unraveled slow, replaced with the shining thread of faith.
Each precious woman shared gut-wrenching sorrow and even anger, yet in the end, found God to be faithful and true.
Chicago
And on the journey to shedding guilt and shame, these ways to live life to the fullest was shared:
10 Guideposts for Wholehearted Living by Brene Brown
1. Cultivate authenticity – let go of what people think about you
2. Cultivate self-compassion – let go of perfectionism
3. Cultivate a resilient spirit – let go of numbing and powerlessness
4. Cultivate gratitude and joy – let go of scarcity
5. Cultivate intuition and trusting faith – let go of the need for certainty
6. Cultivate creativity – let go of comparison
7. Cultivate play and rest – let go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth
8. Cultivate calm and stillness – let go of anxiety as a lifestyle
9. Cultivate meaningful work – let go of self-doubt and “supposed to”
10. Cultivate laughter, song, and dance – let go of being cool and “always in control”
A friend has this sign on her office wall, “There is nothing perfect in this imperfect world except your word. It brings such fantastic freedom to my life” Psalm 119:96
So banish fear and grab hold of his promises with all you’ve got girl!
“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” Psalm 68:19
We all have a choice to make.
It’s a journey, but I hope you choose to walk free my friend.
Thanks for sharing friend – love it. I also adore your hand drawn art work…so pretty!