I stand along the wall of the crowded room. The atmosphere is buzzing with excitement, yet I feel alone.
Yes, I’m an introvert, but this feels different. Surrounded by friends, yet somehow disconnected and distant.
The wall feels safe and comfortable. I sink into it and pretend it keeps me away from the small talk and everything else I’m afraid of but can’t process enough to fully understand yet.
Later I remember that God calls us to be wildflowers, not wallflowers. (Matthew 6:28)
“Do not worry,” he says. Live as a wildflower, beautiful and free of worries.
Oh, to embrace this. It’s a journey really. One of laying down my fears and anxieties and casting them onto him, just as he asks. It’s the daily work of faith, of releasing each thought, each action, each moment into his hands.
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I am so thankful for the community God has created in this little corner of the online world. You all were faithful to pray for my little guy this week and he sailed through surgery like a champ. We still have a week or so of recovery to be out of the woods for complications, but he seems to have not gotten the memo that he had major surgery and is running around our house like a little wild man! Maybe it was all those steroids they pumped in him, but either way, he’s happy and not in pain thanks to our trusty rotation of Tylenol and Motrin. While I can’t say I didn’t experience any anxiety, I definitely felt your prayers and God’s comforting peace throughout. He even sent a nurse who is married to my dad’s first cousin (family!) to take care of us.
For those of you who identified with today’s post, I’d like to suggest a book that’s been on my “books I want to read” list for awhile now. I’ve heard Angela Thomas speak in person several times at conferences and am quite sure that her words will be a blessing to you.
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*Each week a beautiful community rises up around a writing prompt over at Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday. We write for 5 minutes, unedited and free, then stop and appreciate the words that came forth. Today’s prompt was “Crowd.” I’m also sharing at Beauty Observed, Essential Fridays, Fellowship Fridays, Fridays Unfolded, Recommendation Saturday, and The Weekend Brew. This post contains affiliate links {full disclosure}.
I loved this post <3 Beautiful sentiment 🙂
LeeAnn, what a beautiful thought! We ARE supposed to be wildflowers and not wallflowers. I have obviously been where you’re speaking… Even among friends. Thanks for the reminder of what God has called me to really be. Blessings!
Yes, I read your post today after I wrote mine and thought we must have been thinking along the same lines today!
LeeAnn, this was BEAUTIFUL. I know that feeling well…standing along the wall of the crowded room. I don’t do well in crowds. But this will be on my mind now…be wildflowers not wallflowers. THANK YOU. This truly spoke to me today.
Happy Friday!
Thanks Beth. You’re such an encouragement to others, even in the midst of your own challenges, and I am grateful.
You don’t have to be an introvert to feel like a wallflower! I’ve been there many times and still feel that way sometimes. Love the reminder that God created us to be wildflowers! That’s what I wanna be!
Chuck seems to always be comfortable in social situations and often I envy his ability to connect with people so easily. I needed this reminder to myself today. God wants me to be free from the worry that consumes me at times and instead focus on building relationships with others because it’s the relationships that really matter!
I had never thought of this before, but oh how true!! I want to be a wildflower! Colorful and fragrant and bold! Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
Thanks Shelly! Oh for us all to be bold and beautiful without the cares of the world weighing us down.
Wonderful blog! Thank you. I think prayers of others so comforting for us. God hears prayer. But the best part is that He also is praying for us. In heaven. Every single day. Even if others forget to pray or whatever. Jesus is praying for us. I think that is a beautiful thought.
I was surprised by your thoughts about the wildflowers. It gives me a new perspective. This means I have to bring in the new week. Great!
Oh, so exciting that you’re visiting my little corner of the internet from the Netherlands. I used Google translate and read some of your thoughts on your blog. What a blessing! So glad the image of the wildflower spoke to your heart.
LeAnn, so lovely to “meet you” through Shelly’s link up this weekend! Praying for that little man to recover well and quickly. Thanks for pointing me toward Angela’s book. I will think of you and this post the next time I read that passage in Matthew 6. 🙂
Hi Lyli, thank you so much for the prayers for my little man. He is on day 6 of recovery and it’s supposed to be one of the worst. Our nights have been rough lately but I am thankful for the faithful prayers of this community. He is on the road to recovery and the surgery should remedy some larger issues in the long run.
Definitely let me know what you think of Angela’s book if you read it. It’s been on my “to read” list (along with probably 100 other books!) for awhile now.
I stopped by your blog and wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your post about thinking through what it means to be intentionally focused on our health. I tend to focus on certain areas more than others and neglect those areas that are more inconvenient. I needed the reminder that each area needs attention and consideration to stay healthy overall.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
LeeAnn,
I am so happy that your son is up and running around! Praising the Lord with you 🙂
I have not seen the book you mentioned and will have to look at it.
Thank you so much for linking-up on Friday at Beauty Observed! I always love reading your words <3
Thank you, he seems to have a few more days of recovery, but he’s definitely on the mend. Definitely let me know what you think about the book if you manage to read it before me. I have so many good books in my pile and not enough time to read!
Oh, yes, the never ending reading pile 🙂 Mine keeps growing and growing. I still haven’t made it through A Million Little Ways. I put one down without finishing it and pick another up to begin. I am trying to be more purposeful with my reading this month and have been doing better. What are you reading right now? I am reading God is Able by Priscilla Shirer.
I’m reading Ann Voskamp’s 1000 Gifts (I’m a little behind…) and then A Million Little Ways is next. I’d like to blog my way through that one just to help me process it all. A friend has also let me borrow a book that’s out of print – Broken in the Right Place: How God Tames the Soul by Alan Nelson – so it’s in my pile too.
This really spoke to me, as I often feel like a wallflower in a crowded room. How I long to walk in the freedom of knowing and laying hold of all that I am supposed to be in Him. Blessings!
Pursuing that freedom in Christ has been my journey the last two years or so. The peace it brings to know…to really know…who we are in Him provides the deepest peace. Praying that for you today!