{guest post} martha from "a softer side of strong"

Permission to be really excited?

(!!!)

Thank you.

Why am I a living, breathing fount of exclamation marks today (aside from the pot of coffee I had for breakfast)? Because I am all a-flutter with barely contained glee at being able to introduce you to Martha! Thanks to the wonderful Kate over at Daffodil's, we got in touch and she offered her words up for Salt + Light.  I've already spent a good chunk of time over at Martha's blog, laughing out loud to myself like a crazy person (it's not the laughing to myself that makes me feel crazy so much as the admonishing I administer when I realize that I'm sitting alone in my apartment laughing like a giddy little nut). Oh, and her baby is really, really cute. And she has a lot of faith, which is awesome as all get out and really inspiring. 

Anyway, Martha, thank you so much for helping to start this little community! And now, without further ado...

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Hello! My name is Martha Metzler and you can find me over at my blog, A Softer Side of Strong. I love visitors and would love to hear from you. So come holler! Here is a picture of my family in case you were wondering if I have a third eye or a tail.... the fact that my bottom half is conveniently cut out of this picture should leave you wondering about the tail.

My son and I read “The Storybook Bible” each day and a common theme keeps

emerging through the authorʼs words. She continues to point out that God sent a

Rescuer to His people because we needed rescuing. Iʼve said the words a million times,

“Lord come rescue me from this situation.... or that person.... or this silence.... or my

constant need for Willy Wonka products” , you get the idea. We are calling out

constantly, yes? Donʼt get pissed when I ask this but, do we make ourselves available

for rescue or are we just waving the flag without looking for the rescue plane? Are we

dying of thirst without noticing the giant jug of water God placed next to us? I have

asked myself this question this week: Am I a damsel in distress or just a damsel in

stress?

Lets think about the classic damsels in distress shall we? We have Sleeping Beauty,

Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, Lindsey Lohan... well, skip that last one. All those

those ladies desperately wanted to be rescued. It was all they thought about and their

life depended on it. They made themselves available for rescue. In fact, most of them

had the entire community knowing that they needed rescuing. How humbling, how

refreshing, and what a kick in the ass. Why do we cry out through our fears to be

rescued but then strut through the streets in our pretty cardigan clutching out

monogrammed Bible Purse and pretend as though we are just fine and dandy? Why in

the world would we not embrace our need to be rescued and show the world, “YES,

send my Rescuer... my life depends on it.”

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness”

- 2 Corinthians 11:30

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

- 2 Corinthians 12:9

He desires to save us, in fact, that was His Plan... He made that kinda obvious through

the whole sending His own Son to save us thing. He will be made known through our

weaknesses if we are willing to be weak.

If we want to be rescued, we must open ourselves up to the way God wants to rescue

us. Perhaps He wants to rescue us through silence. Perhaps He wants to rescue us

through a diverted path. Perhaps He wants to rescue us by stripping us of the things we

have grasped onto for stability. Whatever it is, if we truly, I mean truly want to be

rescued; let us take a beat to listen to our Rescuerʼs game plan. Lets stop stressing and

start listening. Lets put out LOST flyers saying, “Woman needing rescued: answers to

Martha.” Plus, Iʼm guessing His rescue is better than any glass slipper or prince or fairy 

godmother; Iʼm willing to bet my life on it.

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Thank you again, Martha! I don't know about the rest of you, but this one's getting filed under that ever-growing supply of things I needed to read right when I needed to read them.

Have a wonderful week all, and again, if you or someone you know would like to write for Salt + Light, let me know! I'd love to talk with you!