The Internet/ blogging/ facebook/ twitter world has been shouting and singing and praising the Lord! Joanne is waking up, breathing, and she’s coming back! There have been some dark hours over the last two weeks and my heart has broken for this sweet family.
Tonight my heart is rejoicing! I’m doing some serious happy dance praising!! I’m thanking the Lord for allowing me to be a witness to His glory! And I thank Him for allowing me to be a part of a community of women who pray for each other. A group of women who are young, not-so-young. Moms, singles, marrieds, empty nesters, toddler chasers, working women, stay at home gals, and most everything in between. A group that spans the globe and are so very different with only one thing in common – a love for Christ.
I met up with many of this group on Beth Moore’s blog – I found this community just as they were planning this incredible gathering in San Antonio. As I visited blogs and got to know these women, I knew I’d found some Jesus-loving kindred spirits. Beth coined the word Siestas when she tried to type Sistas and spell check ‘fixed’ it for her. The word stuck. And the San Antonio event was titled the Siesta Fiesta! I didn’t go – just couldn’t make it happen.
I met a few ‘Siestas’ in New Orleans when I was able to make it to the taping for the new Breaking Free Bible study. I met more at a Travis Cottrell concert in Woodstock, Georgia. And then there were lunches in Birmingham and other get togethers. I just loved these girls – these Siestas.
And then it happened – the cliques, the in-crowd, the right bunch or whatever. Oh, how it upset me! I cannot stand to see anyone left out – and some felt left out. I felt left out a time or two. I truly believe it was never intentional, but perception is everything. There were hurt feelings. I fumed. I ranted. I was done.
I didn’t use the word Siesta. Couldn’t stand to hear it. Didn’t want to read Beth’s blog (although she had NOTHING to do with any of it). I just stayed far away. I distanced myself from so many – and I was the one who lost out.
As this group rallied around Joanne to pray and support, God spoke to my heart. It’s not about the petty stuff. It’s about Me and Me alone. I gave you this community. It is My gift to you.
These Siestas – these sisters in the faith – are precious gift from my Lord! They are a God-given blessing and joy. Some of my dearest friends came out of the Siesta group.
And I use the word again proudly – and I share it with you. If you chose to be a Siesta, you are one. A Siesta is a sister in the faith. She loves Jesus and His Word.
Thank you Joanne for showing me the way back to my Siestas. It’s good to be back girls!
This post made me cry!!!
Love you, Mary Snyder…MY SIESTA!!
Blessings,
Dori
Love you Dori!!
Hi there I already said on twitter how much I love this post You have such a way with words,just awesome this has made me look at my own life and maybe how i can get into my own little world with certain friends and leave people out. So again thank you for writing this and thank you for the encouragement I have recieved in the last past couple of weeks by just clicking on twitter and then to come to these conf calls amazing. Thats the only way I ever knew about your blog and I am glad I have become your blog friend and hopefully will get to meet you in 2012 for the BIG OLD PARTY SSMT.
Thanks again
Carol
I know exactly how you were feeling. I have been in groups where I felt as if I was the outsider. I hate feeling that way and I am learning to try to make sure others don’t feel that way. I am always drawn to the underdog. And, I want to always make sure there isn’t someone who feels left out in the middle of the crowd.
It’s wonderful to rally around Joanne. I don’t know her, I’ve never met her. But, I enjoy her blog and knowing that my sister in Christ is in need of prayer–I’ve just got to pray and ask others to as well.
Several in my church who are on FB have asked me how she is doing. I know so many are praying for her and God is at work.
Sheryl
Hi Mary – I can really identify with the sentiments you expressed in this post. I’m glad you’re feeling better about being a Siesta. I’m relatively new to all of this, but feel so blessed and privileged to be a sister-in-Christ. It is my delight to pray for others and now Joanne especially. I hope to meet her, you, Dedra and the others someday. I emailed you last week; did you receive it?
Have a blessed day!
Paige.
I’ve been feeling the same way over these last couple weeks. Some interesting thoughts I’ll share with you soon, when I reemerge from Lilli Wonderland. Hasn’t God just SHOWED OUT?? Man, I love Him!
He has done an amazing work in Joanne and in my heart. I do LOVE Him!!!
Mary,
I echo your sentiments, it has been beautiful to see (read) all these women coming together. And I completely understand the “feeling left out”…I’ve never made it to a Siesta event and have struggled with this too, but I know that most of the “left out” part is in my head and dealings of my own heart.
Being a girl is tough sometimes!
I just had lunch with a highschool classmate…we both talked of how we felt on the “outside” but I was convinced that SHE was on the inside!! We laugh about it now but I think it’s an ongoing struggle for women.
I have decided to love and lay it all down. We’re God’s girls and He loves us all. He is the lifter of our heads!!
Chances are the “feelings” are just an attack from the enemy or our own insecurity and there is no love lost at all.
I may not connect with you (or others) much, but I consider you my Siesta and all of Beth’s girls too!!! Beautiful, beautiful women!!
Much love and hugs,
Sue
Mary,
I LOVE reading your writings. You are so good at putting things into just the right words. I’ve only met you once and for a very brief time, but I love you as my sister in Christ.
Just this morning I was asking God, “Why in the world are You introducing me to so many women that seem to have so much more to offer than I do? I really don’t understand. I know You have Your reasons, but I’m completely baffled.”
Then, He led me to your post this morning and I knew my answer. It’s exactly what you said – the women He’s introducing me to are sisters in the faith. Most of them I have never met, even briefly, yet I feel like they are good friends. I don’t have the means to travel very far to even hope to actually meet any of them but it doesn’t matter. I’m sure we will know each other when we get to Heaven. I would LOVE to get to meet some of my SIESTAS while here on this earth, but should He choose not to allow that to happen, I will rejoice in and cherish the friendships anyway.
I, too, can not stand to see anyone be left out. I think that comes from me being the one that was ‘left out’ and/or ‘made fun of’ during school. Sometimes I think that is what “gets me in trouble” or causes others to think that I’m “weird” or whatever. I know that some people are what we call ‘famous’ or ‘well-known’ but I’m one of those that doesn’t even care about that. When it comes to someone like you or Lysa TerKeurst or Beth Moore or Tammy Trent or anyone else of that ‘caliber’ that I follow on Twitter, I don’t wish I could see them because of WHO they are or what they do – I wish I could sit down and talk with them simply because of WHOSE they are – HIS! It would be so wonderful to just sit and talk about all the many ways He has blessed each of us in our lives – famous, well-known or otherwise – because when ya get right down to it, we are all the SAME in His eyes and He just wants us to love each other and INCLUDE EVERYONE 🙂
Oh my goodness! I surely did not mean to go on and on about this – just got started and couldn’t stop.
Thank you so much for blessing my heart this morning (even though you did make me cry, too – LOL – it was a GOOD cry, though – knowing that someone else hates seeing anyone excluded)
I am counting the days til Monday night when I can at least “see” you with Lysa on the Made to Crave webcast 🙂 (And maybe I’ll even be blessed enough to see you in Birmingham at the EWomen’s Conference) 🙂
Girl… so proud of you for putting your full self out there. We have talked about this soooo many times. And I feel much of the same things. Grateful that He keeps reminding ALL of us Siestas that He is the most important person, His Word is our guide and everything else is icing on the cake!
The one thing that I know He is teaching us through Jo is that He wants us living intentionally and completely surrendered to Him. Expectations (self/worldly) and putting our hope in anything/anyone outside of Him?… invitation to fall.
Thanks for walking/running the marathon with me!
I love ya friend,
D
Mary,
You bless my heart.
This is so beautifully transparent and so very true. We do, in fact, ALL FALL SHORT of the Glory of God and cause one another to feel left out. Usually it is because we are working so hard to feel left IN that we don’t pay attention. I think all of us can relate to not feeling included and not measuring up. Isn’t it funny how this challenge hooks on to us from the time we are little girls, if we don’t spit in the Devils eye first.
How precious are our “Siesta’s, Sisters, gIRLS, friends” in Jesus!!
I LUUUVVVV U!!!!
p
Mary,
Well said!!!
What the enemy intended for evil God used for good!!!
Such is true of the “Siesta” name. We started out such a small
group of God lovin girls and friends.
When it grew so did the enemies attempts to derail God’s plan.
The attempts kept getting bigger and bigger until God stopped
it and has shown us the Truth!
We are God’s girls no matter what our title and we need to
love each other and love on one another – the end!!
This journey with Joanne has taught me such compassion and love.
I truly appreciate each moment and do not take for granted
those special people in my life!
Much love
Well said, Mary. Thanks for sharing!
Love to you,
Traci