On this Martin Luther King Day, I’m reflecting today on these four quotes from Dr. King. His words still challenge me today and in our world where hate feels like it is winning over love, Dr. King reminds us to never lose hope.
Here’s Dr. King’s most well-known quote. The power imagery of his vision creates a thirst deep in my soul. The following words have become MORE, not less powerful over the years:
Here’s another quote from Dr. King. Inspired by his strong faith, Dr. King’s following quote wasn’t an aspirational pursuit. As a man mistreated, judged and jailed, these words represent his conviction. In fact, these words show us the secret source of replenishing power that Dr. King tapped into in order for his message to catch fire in individual hearts:
I remember watching the news when nine African-American people were killed in a church in Charleston. I watched a news reporter get choked up as he watched the community publicly express their forgiveness and sing songs of hope. He was stunned. It breaks my heart that people are shocked and amazed that Christians, who should be known for extending forgiveness, would actually forgive – and really mean it.
Is the shock because normal, rationale folk couldn’t see themselves offering such grace? Or, is it because we feel the prick of conviction? If the families of the shooting victims could forgive the murder of their loved ones, then do we have the right to hold onto our anger or our grudges?
When I was in junior high, my father won an award through his bowling league. But, he was denied entry into the building where the award ceremony was being held. He was denied entry because of his skin color. In the days that followed, I remember our phone ringing off the hook. Local authorities, news media and a few phone calls from higher-ups in the government. I don’t remember how the situation resolved, I just remember that my father made the life-giving decision to forgive and move on. While the incident left a mark, he refused to let it take over his life. That moment had a huge impression on my life. I remember my father’s example when I experience racism and prejudice.
Forgiveness allows me to move on and fight forward rather than getting stuck with my fists pounding the same ground.
When do you speak up?
Dr. King didn’t speak up just because he wanted to be heard. He spoke up so that people could live. There was no hatred in his speech. And for those who may want to highlight his human failings, go right ahead. We can speak up without being perfect. You don’t have to be perfect to stand up for what is right.
What is the cost of your silence? What is the cost of being polite and letting your friends continue to say ignorant, prejudicial or racists things? No one ever makes a difference in this world by keeping silent. A.M. Rosenthal says this: “When something important is going on, silence is a lie.”
When we hate another, we diminish ourselves.
When we judge another, we condemn ourselves.
When we love another, we sustain ourselves.
We’re all in this together. As long as we stand under the banner of the US flag, we share this homeland together. We’re going to rise and fall together.
LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW: Which Dr. King quote inspires you the most?
NEXT STEP: If you’d like to honor Dr. King’s work in our world by learning more about race, grace and the gospel, you can check out my (G)race Project. This is a specially curated page of content that I’ve written about race and the gospel. Click here to check it out.
Last Thursday, I had the unique opportunity to speak to nearly 900 women at the women’s event at my home church. In fact, I want to give a big hello to those who were at the event and now are a part of my Happy Monday devotional community! Welcome!
It’s been over six years since our church’s last women’s event. In fact, I was the co-leader of that last event in 2015. So, it was pretty surreal that they asked me to return to as a guest speaker.
The theme of the night was “Uncomplicated” since “complicated” is the word that describes most of our lives these days. To honor that theme, I told the audience that I was following the KISS rule or the Keep It Simple, Scripture rule. I taught on just one verse.
It’s a verse that you may be familiar with, but it’s ALWAYS a perfect reminder for all of us. In fact, I’m going to share five powerful promises from that single verse that will encourage you today:
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
“For I know…”- God already knows everything that we don’t know! I’m not sure what you’ve been overthinking lately, but perhaps you can save yourself some burning brain cells by remembering that God knows everything. Therefore, we can be confident that we don’t need the answers because He has them and He will help us with what we need to know.
“the plans that I have for you…” – God’s plans aren’t like ours. God’s plans are made from His perspective. Here’s an illustration of the difference between God’s perspective and our limited perspective. God sees how everything that we’ve experienced or been through weaves into His eternal purposes.
I’ve learned in my life that there are things that I’ve gone through that weren’t just for me, but because God wanted to use those experiences in the lives of people that I’d never meet. The same goes for you. I promise you that God is using different parts of your lives in places that you’ll never, ever know on this side of eternity.
“plans for good and not for disaster…” – Sometimes, our plans for our lives end up wrecking our peace. However, God’s loving plan for our lives always includes His peace, which is a life of wholeness and wellness for us. In fact, we can use that as a test for our plans: Will what we’re planning lead us toward or away from God’s desire for peace in our lives? If not, we may want to rethink that plan.
“to give you a future…” – We were each created to make a difference! God’s promise is that we will have a legacy when we live with God’s big picture in mind. We can live this out every single time we live and love others like Jesus.
“and a hope.” – God will never abandon us! We will always have Him to hold onto, no matter the circumstances that we face. In fact, the Hebrew word for “hope” is Tikvah, or rope. This is a reference to the story of Rahab in Joshua 3. She was instructed to hang a rope outside of her window so that when the Israelites invaded Jericho, she and her family would be rescued. Rahab didn’t know how God would save her, but she believed that He would. The same goes for us! We may not always know how God will work out the situations in our life, BUT, we can believe and be confident that He will show up for us!
LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW: Which one of these promises is meaningful to you today? I’d love to hear your thoughts about this verse.
This verse has been so precious to me over the past few months of my life and I hope that it’s been a blessing to you.
P.S. If your life has been complicated and you need some hope for the holidays, see below!
To get ready for the busy holidays, my friends and I are talking about the real challenges that we all face this holiday season. This broadcast event is packed with hope, wisdom, laughter and more – just what we all need for the holidays!
Join me and my author besties, Jill Savage, Katy McCown, Shari Braendel and Susan Seay in Waco, TX for our “Hope for the Holidays” Event filmed in Waco, TX.
We're inviting YOU to gather around the table with us. We’re talking about how to set boundaries for the holidays, creating realistic expectations and so much more - including a special, powerful bonus segment on dealing with holiday grief.
You're about to spent dozens of hours making Christmas happen. Give yourself the gift of three hours of hope!
You can have instant access to watch! This three-hour special event is valued at $49.97, but you have access for ONLY $19.97!
Three years ago today that I backed up a 18’ U-Haul truck down a narrow alley behind a newly renovated apartment building.
It was over 90 degrees that day, so I couldn’t really tell the difference between my sweat and my tears.
When I took French in school, we learned the phrase “C’est la vie” which is translates “such is life.” This phrase is used when life doesn’t go as planned.
Three years ago today was never in my plans.
The addiction that robbed our family of its wholeness and then came back and suffocated us until we had to leave wasn’t in my plans.
Leaving my home of over 20 years where I raised my kids was never in my plans.
The divorce, starting my life over at 45 alone, still attending family addiction recovery support meetings…none of that was never in my plans.
C’est la vie.
No doubt, you’ve got a few days on the calendar in your life that didn’t go as planned. Maybe right now, you’re in a life-or-death grip, holding on to someone or something that you’re trying to keep together…but it’s tearing you apart.
The best that you can give yourself in life’s “C’est la vie” moments is the Gift of Surrender.
Surrender isn’t giving up.
Surrender isn’t giving in.
Surrender is a gift that we give ourselves.
We surrender when we give over what we love or care about to God because we finally humbly accept that only He can handle it.
Surrender is your only path to peace.
Today, there is still grief and sadness in remembering, but in my living there is blessed shalom. Over the years, God has been abundantly faithful to His promise to give me the peace that truly does blows my mind.
God's love held me together when I was falling apart.
God has provided more than I could ask or imagine.
He healed the heartache.
He surrounded me with the support that I needed.
God wants to do the same for you. Is there something that you’re trying to hold together, but it’s tearing you apart?
What or who do you need to surrender today?
If you need a simple prayer, you can use this: God, I can’t, but You can and I will let you. Amen.
Are you looking for an excuse to postpone taking down your Christmas tree?
Do you need to do something with your hands other than eat another cookie?
Would you like to read some good news since things have been pretty tense in our country lately?
If so, I can help!
Here's my end-of-the year ministry and personal update. As you're reading this update, I'm cleaning up my apartment. I had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with my three adult daughters. Last Christmas, my oldest daughter was on deployment in the Middle East, so I loved having her home this year. We enjoyed created special memories together during family game nights, a hysterical escape room adventure and visiting with extended family.
Speaking of blessings, I want to shout about how God has blessed my ministry this year. If you've prayed for me this year, purchased one of my Bible studies or attended one of my speaking events, TOGETHER we shared in what God was doing in and around me.
I'd love to share some of the highlights of what God has done through my ministry this year. Here are some photos that capture a small snapshot of all that God blessed me to be a part of in ministry this year. After the photos, I'm sharing an update on my family and marriage.
In 2019, my word-of-the-year was HOPE. That was inspired by my verse of the year below, which is Romans 12:12.
I chose the word HOPE because for the past few years, my greatest spiritual challenge has been learning to how to keep my focus on giving God glory, no matter the outcome of my personal story.
For those who are new to my email list, my family has been in the midst of a long and hard season due to an addiction issue in our home. I've refrained from sharing a lot of details because my family wanted - and at times - needed the privacy. I wrote a few blog posts in July and August 2018 about what was happening, so if you want background information, you can read here.
I've been grateful for the prayers and notes of support from so many of you. Over the past 16 months, I've heard from a heartbreaking number of wives who were dealing with addiction issues in their marriages and families. If you've been afraid to speak up or feeling ashamed of speaking up, please know that you've got nothing to be ashamed about. Most of all, you aren't alone. You are not solely responsible for saving your marriage. Be wise and talk about what's really going on - and be wise about who you choose to talk to!
For the past 10 years, I prayed and asked God to rescue my marriage and restore our family. But, that didn't happen. After 26-years of marriage, my spouse no longer wanted to continue being married even after numerous pleas for counseling and reconciliation.
Over the year of court hearings and delays, I slugged through crippling grief, anger, loss of confidence, shame and a two-week depression in late-March. The depression set in after an emotionally traumatic court date. I had the face the reality that I was not going to get the miracle that I prayed for. The pain of it all was too much. I lost the ability to speak for a few days. Other than a brief workout each morning, I stayed in bed for days. Thankfully, I had a break in my speaking and writing schedule so that I could get the help and rest that I needed.
This summer, I wrote the Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus Bible study. This Bible study is about letting go of what we can't control. I focused on Jesus' time in the wilderness. I spent a lot of time meditating on Jesus' response to Satan in Matthew 4:4: People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
During those dark days in March when I barely felt like I had enough life to keep breathing, I would lay in bed and repeat every Bible verse I knew. I couldn't eat. I could barely move. But it was God's Word that sustained me.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because the LORD is with you wherever you go. -Joshua 1:9
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! -Isaiah 26:3
The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. -Psalm 29:11
These verses and dozens of others breathed life into me when nothing else on the planet could help. If you've read about my God-Morning/God-Night Technique from Winning the Worry Battle, you know that I repeat five verses every morning before I get out of bed each day. God has used this as a healing and strengthening exercise for my heart and mind.
Our divorce was settled at the end of September 2019. It took a few more months of final paperwork, but at the end of the year, the divorce is done.
During this long season, God also surrounded me with an incredible support system of friends, both from church and Al-Anon. My accountability partner and Christian counselor provided a safe spaces for me to be 100% real and deal with messy emotions. The truth does set us free - but first, it does hurt. And that's okay! Freedom is worth it!
I felt the God's conviction be vigilant about carrying for my body and soul. God created our bodies and commands us to take care of them.
I cried through a lot of workouts, but exercised anyways because it helped me stay upbeat and positive. Exercise energized me and even helped me with staying consistent with my own daily Bible study and prayer.
I've noticed that when I felt physically worn out or down, it's tough to be spiritually engaged. So working out helps me stayed engaged with God.
In addition to exercise, I've kept up a weekly fast for the past four years. This spiritual discipline built up my self-control and prayer muscles so that I could battle against the various temptations like emotional over-eating, control-loving issues or holding onto resentment. I need new spiritual muscles now that I am single. I'm still a whole woman so self-control is needed in new ways, like avoiding inappropriate relationships (which wasn't challenging, but a new aspect of life that I've had to adjust to this year).
I'm still trust God's sovereignty over how addiction and divorce have destroyed precious family relationships.
My adult daughters are still dealing with some hard things. I've dealt with family and friends who been critical, in denial, judgmental or cut off contact. It's painful. Yet, wise voices around me encourage me toward showing grace, keeping good boundaries and walking out Romans 12:18: As much as it is up to you, live at peace with everyone. So, while there are people in my family who no longer want to have a relationship with me. But I can let go of the hurt and forgive, even if there is no reconciliation. There is great freedom in forgiving and letting go!
As you know, my most recent Bible study is I'm Waiting, God: Finding Blessing in God's Delays. Not only did I experience God's provision while writing the study, I had live out the spiritual principles that I wrote about in the study. In the final week of the Bible study, I write about letting go when God's answer is no. This is a hard part of life that we don't like to acknowledge.
For reasons that we don't understand, God allows loss, pain, death, addiction, divorce, infertility, etc. He didn't cause these tragedies, but God is the only One who can redeem our pain.
God's glory is never dependent on how He answered our prayers. God's goodness isn't diminished one iota even though my marriage ended. He is still good. He is still a good God. At the same time, God is compassionate and loving. I've sensed His love and presence every single moment of this heartbreaking situation.
Divorce is the death of a sacred, holy union. If you've been through a divorce, you've experienced the shocking physical pain of being emotionally gutted by the ripping apart of that union. It's the death of companionship, love, intimacy and a future. I spent the first half of 2019 coming to grips with the loss of my marriage.
It was a spiritual battle for me to hold onto hope.
I ruthlessly cling to Jeremiah 29:11 - that even in this heartbreak that God's plan's for my life and my family's life are for good and not evil. I believe this for each one of us, including my former husband. I am grateful for God's mercy that my girls and I have been freed from the pain of living in addiction. Every single day, I pray that he will experience God's freedom and rescue as well.
Friends, in this 47th year of my life, I experienced the power of God working in my life in miraculous ways. This year, I've experienced the blessing of living for God's glory, no matter the outcome of my story. Too often we get wrapped up in the way that we think that our lives should look or turn out - and when God doesn't answer those prayers, we get discouraged.
In my I'm Waiting, God study, I say it like this: What if God has better blessings for us when He doesn't give us what we want?
That's a hard and scary question, isn't it? Especially if you're praying for something that means a lot to you. I get that. My marriage and my family meant a lot to me. I may never know why God allowed this to happen, but I don't need to know either. Even if I did know, the tragedy still happened.
So, I decided to trust God and focus on what I could do:
I can lean in. I can hold on. I can choose faith. I can be strong.
So much has happened this year, so it wasn't possible for me to get through what I've been through on my own.
I could not have filmed two teaching DVDs in my own strength.
God's strength got to me through.
Not a chance I could have managed 31 speaking events across the country and given 70, yes 70 separate talks at those speaking events.
God's strength got me through.
I wouldn't have tremendous joy, peace, courage and strength to embark upon a new year with hope and excitement. All Glory to God!
Thank you for reading my long update. I know that I'm not the only one going through a hard time. If that's you, know that I am hugging you and praying for you, my friend. You are not alone! If you've got any questions about my ministry or family update, you're welcome to email me at barb@barbroose.com.
So what now? Well, next week I'm sharing a post about preparing ourselves for 2020. In fact, I've got a fun planning sheet for YOU! It's not a goals sheet, but a focus sheet to help you pick what's going to be important to you this year.
“Don’t burn bridges. Be graceful in all of your converations, especially when people say or do hurtful things.”
-Lisa Toney, speaker, author & leader
On this week’s Better Together podcast, we’re talking about one of my favorite ways for us to get better together. On today’s episode, we’re talking leadership! Not only that, but our leadership inspiration is Lisa Toney, an executive and teaching pastor from Purpose Church in California. She’s a seasoned leader who loves investing in both men and women, equipping them to lead at the highest levels of God’s call in their lives.
Lisa is the author of Thrive: Live Like You Matter and her new book, The Scripture Challenge releases this fall.
Not only that, but Lisa is a new voice in the next generation of Women of Faith. Any Women of Faith fans out there? Me! For over 20 years, WOF events around the country mobilized hundreds of thousands of women and now, a generation of voices, including Lisa’s are on deck to make a global impact. Lisa tells us all about WOF’s vision to reach the world and how YOU can be a part of it.
In my humble opinion, today’s conversation is like a mini-leadership retreat that packs a big punch! You should listen to today’s podcast:
If you’ve been struggling with confidence;
If you’re trying to figure out how to be a leader, wife, mom, and friend;
If you’re just tired and wanting to give up.
Friends, if any of those fit, then I believe that today’s podcast is exactly where you should be right now!
Let me share a few bits of Lisa’s inspiring wisdom:
“This competition thing that we have between women doesn’t get us very far. When I get together with other women and we exchange ideas, all of our lives get so much better!”
“When I think about work life balance, I just laugh. Is it ever balanced? I don’t know. I love living every day to the full.”
“I want people to see Jesus in me because that’s evidence that I’m living the call that God has placed on my life.”
SHARE YOUR COMMENT: Have you taken Myers-Briggs (MBTI), Strengths Finders, Enneagram, or other personality tests? Tell us about your results below.
Barb Roose is a speaker and author who is passionate about teaching women to live beautifully strong and courageous so that they experience God’s great adventure of faith and purpose for their lives.
Check out Barb’s new releases, Stronger Than Stress: 10 Spiritual Practices to Win the Battle of Overwhelm book and Stronger Than Stress: 10 Spiritual Practices to Win the Battle of Overwhelms Bible study.
Barb lives in NW Ohio and is proud mother of three adult kids. Whenever possible, Barb prefers to eat dessert first. Visit Barb’s online home at barbroose.com.
When do you speak up? 
