Questions of doubt swirl in my mind. Maybe in yours too.
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Who am I to make a difference with my small town life?
We live in a tiny town of 1,000 people.
How can God use me to change the world?
I’m just an introverted office-working mom with dreamer husband and a couple of crazy kiddos (and now one more on the way) living in a simple no-frills house, financially just making it month by month.
Does my offering of encouraging words really matter?
I write because I felt God’s prompting, but does my writing really change women’s perspectives and turn their hearts & lives toward the Lord?
And then I hear His voice.
Child, I specialize in small beginnings. Just look at my creation.
Acorns grow into stalwart oak trees.
Fuzzy ugly caterpillars grow into exquisite butterflies.
Tiny seeds grow into magnificent flowers.
He speaks again:
It’s your job to be available.
To put yourself into situations to foster growth.
To seek living water and bright sunlight.
And to watch me bless your small beginning.
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I hear his voice quietly in my spirit and then again through His word. It’s more truth sinking down deep and reminding me of His faithfulness in my life.
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God is pleased when we’re available to be used and we submit our small beginnings to His purposes. He has designed each of us uniquely and He equips us to make a difference, rejoicing with us as we begin our journey.
Today, I’m excited to introduce you to three of my in-real-life friends who have each made themselves available to God to be used. All three have started blogs in the last couple of weeks, sharing their hearts, their stories, and their lives as they seek to make God known in their own unique ways.
Take a minute to visit and encourage these brave ladies!
Brittany writes at Momolgie, sharing her story of faithfulness through the challenges currently presenting themselves as her husband is treated for stage IV metastatic colon cancer. She also has a heart for encouraging moms, especially pregnant moms and those nursing and caring for a new little one.
Mollie writes at Faith in Plain Sight, sharing her story of how God is helping her move through years of hurt and pain to a life of freedom in Christ, one step of faith at a time. As a single mom, she can identify with Christian women in similar situations learning to navigate the waters of parenting young children.
Amy writes at A Beautiful Mess, sharing her story of freedom from a diagnosis of bi-polar/manic depressive disorder at a very young age.
What small beginning is God birthing in your life? Let’s encourage one another as we each seek and discover God’s best for our lives.
Sharing today with Five Minute Friday, Essential Fridays, The Weekend Brew, God’s Girl, Faith & Fellowship, Beauty Observed, Recommendation Saturday, Scripture and a Snapshot, Sunday Stillness, and Give Me Grace.
Yes God uses you from your little corner of the world, and yes, your life and words makes a difference, LeeAnn. How sweet you are to introduce us to your “in real life friends”. You’re an encourager and a gifted communicator, but my favorite part of this post was hearing God’s words spoken to you. I could hear him too. Thank you for sharing that.
Pat, thank you so much for your encouraging words. I’m so glad God’s words spoken into my life were something beneficial to you too!
LeeAnn, I live in an even smaller town than you. 🙂 Such a beautifuly written post. You touched my heart with your transparent spirit. You are making a huge difference by just putting it out there and allowing God to do with it what he wants. Thank you for introducing such precious new bloggers. I will be on the look out for their post. Blessings on you sweet friend! Stopping by from Recommendation Saturday. …<…Cathy
Wow, I thought our town was tiny – no stoplights! So glad for this online medium that allows us to minister to one another despite our small-town settings. Thank you for your encouragement tonight; I am so grateful for your kind words!
What I wouldn’t give to leave the craziness of a town of over 200,000 and hang out in a town of 1,000! Oh I feel small and insignificant all the time. But I know the Lord uses our smallness for His glory. You matter, and your words are a blessing. Looking forward to checking out some new blogs 🙂
Well, we saw God use your words to encourage one of my friends on FB the other day, right? You have so much to offer, LeeAnn, and God is using you in mighty ways whether you ever know it or not. Thanks for being an encouraging part of my life. Much love!
Love that verse from Zechariah! Thanks for sharing this encouraging word & for highlighting the other bloggers. I’ll definitely check them out. I’m visiting from the blog link-up. Blessings!
Thank you for sharing this today! Those same questions plague me too so I love the encouragement you’ve heard from God! Be available and trust that God can do anything with even our meager offerings.
Wow! Your words are so powerful and I love that you introduced three new bloggers to encourage them in their writing and sharing their stories. The quote from Joyce Meyer hit home- Small beginnings are the launching pad to great endings! It reminded me of my FMF post on Begin however, I looked at it the opposite way – Every ending has a new beginning created by God. Love this, LeeAnn! Have a wonderful Sunday!
LeeAnn, this is SO true and so NEEDED to be replayed in my mind SO often…”God is pleased when we’re available to be used and we submit our small beginnings to His purposes. “ Thank you for this reminder today and for introducing your friends!! xoxo, Meredith
I love the picture of acorns, caterpillars and small seeds! And I love that verse from Zechariah. Your words have encouraged me today!!
Thankful for the prompts from God to keep writing, even when we aren’t sure what the impact is or will be!
Hi LeeAnn! I stopped by to see how you are doing and I’m glad I did! Congratulations on your pregnancy! How exciting! When are you due? Sometimes we forget that many great things came from humble beginnings. I wish your friends the best on their blogging journey! Thank you for sharing your words with us.
xx
Yuko from The Barn
Hi Yuko! So glad you stopped by. I’m due Jan 6th and we just found out it’s a girl! 🙂
Hi LeeAnn. Your words/work poured out in honor of Him – matter. In your corner of the world you’re sharing His love. To get to the end of your post and see that you’ve used your platform to introduce others tells me you know the heart of this ministry. You’re a servant friend. bless you.
Thank you so much Lisha! Your encouragement is a blessing.
Amen, LeeAnn. God can use us wherever we are. I have to remind myself of the same thing. Our words matter. I’m trying to be faithful in these kinds of small beginnings, too. May we both see how God is working and find joy, even if our corners of the world feel a bit small. 🙂