I Feel the Same Way
Don't you find it hauntingly interesting that all of us girls were hit so hard by her death? I stood in front of the television last night and wanted to bawl. Then, this morning I honestly felt a heaviness of spirit about it as I looked over the newspaper. I was moved when I opened the blog and Amanda had already written on it. I thought, "Like mother, like daughter. She can't get it off her mind either." We are both really sensitive, I reasoned. Then, I watched all of you react to it and dialogued with my staff about their own responses. Do you know what I think? I think it's possible that, as different as we may kid ourselves into thinking that we are, her tragedy tapped into something hidden in all of us. She hit a major nerve in the feminine system. Anna Nicole Smith publicly fought and lost the same battle of insecurity that you and I privately fight. Had we had money, access, and opportunity, no telling what lengths we might have traveled to feel a little better about our broken selves.
Untreated by Jesus, the true Lover of our souls, we will be insatiably self-destructive and utterly impossible to make happy. My friend's mom used to say, "Sometimes we're happy and we don't even know it." Life is hard. Danged hard. If we each know (really know!) again today that we have a perfect Savior who loves us perfectly in all our imperfections and that nothing can take Him from us, AND if we have a few fellow sojourners (sistas!)to encourage us in Him along the way, as challenged as we may be, we are the happiest people in this cold, hard world. Let's spread a smile across our face and show it. Sooner than later, somebody's going to ask us to share the hope that is in us.
posted by Beth @ 2:04 PM
85 Comments
85 Comments:
Sad Sigh. After reading Amanda's post this morning, I felt moved to include Anna (I did some digging and her real name was Vickie Lynn Hogan) in a talk I am to give on "Love and Truth" in a few weeks. Ultimately, I am saddened that I never once lifted Anna up in prayer. Could she have been screaming for Jesus any louder?
Cathy
I was so moved by her death too, especially since this week my own insecurities were made public in my own little world. It was so crushing, but I have found so much strength in Jesus! I can't possibly imagine my life without Him, especially in this difficult world we live in!
I felt the exact same way. I remember watching an interview where she talked about Jesus and him coming to her in her dreams. She "Nicole" said she would pray to Jesus. I wonder if we will see her in heaven? I hope so. It's tragedies like this that help me keep my perspective. We really are able to be (praise Jesus) the most content and peaceful people in the world. Oh Lord Jesus help us to walk in all that you have given to us!
I am leaving in a few minutes to go to a funeral...it is my half-sisters husbands sister. She committed suicide at the age of 30. I don't even know her...but it rips me up to think that she had no hope. I know one thing...with my past, I was headed for complete destruction apart from Christ. I don't know where I would be had He not called me out of darkness. So what makes us so scared to share the love that He freely gave me?? I ask myself that and pray desperately for passion and boldness to reach others for Him. I think even our insecurities keep us from sharing Jesus...we are afraid of rejection. I pray for great boldness for all of us...that God would come and shake our earthly tents and that we would wake up to the people around us. Amen to what Beth said and Amen! Go back and read Melissa's story in 2004 on the Weekly devos (I wish they were daily...but that is ok). I know when I focus on the external instead of the inward (Spirit) I AM MISERABLE and a Child of Desperation!
love
-Jenny Williams, AL
It's so hard for me to beleive that a Holy God could love me with all of my imperfections. The verse that gets me through those times when I feel that way is "He KNOWS how we are formed. He REMEMBERS that we are dust." I'm not exactly sure of the Psalm, but I know it's Psalm something.
I'm so excited to tell you, Beth and Amanda that I had the chance to talk with a neighbor of mine about the Lord after the Seattle conference. After telling her the testimony that I've already told you about how God met me there I said, "Yep! Without God on my side I couldn't make it through this life." Her response was "What's so hard that you don't think that you could make it through?" "Everyday life," I told her. "Just trying to raise my children with moral values is enough for me to KNOW that I couldn't do it without God. I also fight depression EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE!" (I don't live in the darkness of depression anymore, but EVERYDAY I have to feed on NEW grace from God. He has made it clear that I can't run on yesterday's grace, or I'll fall RIGHT BACK INTO THAT PIT!) I'm sure that when we hung up the phone she pondered that for awhile. I have no doubt in my mind about that. Maybe this thing with Anna Nicole Smith will bring about more questions from her. I really pray that she does finally say "Kristi, I want what you have." And that I CAN tell her the hope that I have within me. Trust me, I'm ready, willing and able.
I'm so glad we have each other, but more than that, I'm so glad that I have JESUS! HE ALONE is my glory and the LIFTER OF MY HEAD!
Thank you Beth, for your connection that you so long to have with us, sistas! It makes us realize that you're no different than any of us. Thank you for being so real with us. It's FUN!
love you sista,
Kristi
They will see the hope and come back for more---I am counting on it. Yesterday, I had two women come to encourage me. We have just recently torn down our house and are living in our camper. I was aware when they arrived that they did not share my beliefs. Little did they know that they arrived just after I had spent time asking God to fill me up so that I wouldn't need anything from this world. I let them finish and then the Holy Spirit took over. The love and joy and peace that came out of my mouth ---amazed me! I was really proud of Him! They were dumb founded. And you know what--She said I had encouraged her and asked if she could come back and talk to me. I said, sure! She can come back and talk to HIM anytime. :) He is so cool!
Sharon
Covington, LA
I was very sad about Anna Nicole as well. I'm so very worried about her newborn baby! The momma heart in me just keeps thinking about that poor baby sitting in a strangers home without her mommy!
I'm so thankful for God, His SOn, and my salvation through the blood of Christ! I'm thankful for the redemption that I have through the blood, and for bible believers and teachers, like you Mrs. Moore, that teach and train in the ways of the Lord.
OH, I think this is so true, Beth!! I have searched for happiness down many wrong paths, and have fought the addictive personality within myself... In all of us is an insatiable craving, which can only be filled by God. I was reading Psalm 16 this morning, and verse 11 struck me:
"You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever."
My prayer is that He will be the source of my joy and pleasure -- that I will be addicted to Him!
That is so true...we need each other, as well as Jesus...to get through this life. I just watched a piece of the last interview with Anna Nicole, and she said she was so lonely, that everyone wanted a piece of her and just kept taking from her...even in her death, they want her DNA!!
Jesus wants all of us, not just pieces of us. The great thing about His request is, by giving ourselves up to Him, we get far more in return than we can ever dream.
There are lots of Anna Nicole's out there...we have the One True Hope...what are we going to do about it all?
I know this would sound so strange to the world, but so many times in the past few years I've looked at Anna Nicole Smith's life and thought about how sorry I felt for her. Beauty, money, power, fame...they all failed to meet a need that only One could meet - my Jesus. The same was true for Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. They had every single thing the world tells us we HAVE TO HAVE in order to be happy and still were desperately unhappy. I marvel at how many people, saved and unsaved, still buy into that thought system. I think sometimes we just get caught up in the simplicity of it and can't really believe that Jesus really can fulfill us, make us happy, and satisfy our very souls.
I'm not a Brittney Spears fan, but this song makes me remember to pray for her and the rest of Hollywood.
It's an honest protrayal of their need for Christ. Yet, they just won't acknowledge who's missing...not what's missing in their lives.
Lucky: By Brittney Spears
This is the story about a girl named Lucky.
Early morning
She wakes up
Knock, knock, knock on the door
It's time for makeup
Perfect smile
It's you they're all waiting for
Isn't she lovely
This Hollywood girl
And they say..
She's so Lucky
She's a star
But she cry cry cries in her lonely heart
Thinking, if there's nothing missing in my life
Then why do these tears come at night?
Lost in an image, in a dream
But there's no one there to wake her up
And the world is spinning and she keeps on winning
But tell me, what happens when it stops
Baby
Isn't she lovely?
This Hollywood girl
And they say..
She's so lucky
She's a star
But she cry cry cries in her lonely heart
Thinking, if there's nothign missing in my life
Then why do these tears come at night?
Isn't she lovely?
This Hollywood girl
She's soo lucky
But why does she cry?
If there is nothing missing in her life
Why do tears come at night?
And they say..
She's so lucky,
She's a star
But she cry cry cries in her lonely heart
Thinking, if there's nothing missing in my life
Then why do these tears come at night?
She's so lucky.
But she cry cry cries in her lonely heart
Thinking, if there's nothing missing in my life
Then why do these tears come at night?
Sometimes we're happy and we don't even know it
What an awesome way to put it. That is where I am at right now. I am at peace with God and I am finally at a point where I not only welcome his grace, but understand to magnitude of how much I need it. The world will always find a new way to break us, but God never gets weary of putting us back together. And each time he has mended my heart it's gotten a little stronger. I am broken in grace.
Just found out: Our sweet adopted college student, Susan, is a missionary in Asia...Beth she was one of the Journeymen that taught you a dance in South Africa (back around 1998). She is now with two others ministering to young women being pulled in prostitution in Asia, telling them about Jesus. She asked for prayer for her health, esp. her stomach right now.
Thanks sistas! This was along the line of reaching women like Anna Nicole... a practical way we can help.
Love in Christ,
Holly Smith
Monument, CO
PS You're right about the hidden places of insecurity...thanks for showing us how to put it in the Light of Jesus to heal us!
So true...it hit a nerve in the feminine system for sure. It has really bothered me so much more than I ever anticipated....I,too, have had a heavy heart watching the news and reading the newspapers...how could my heart be so broken over someone who I have no connection or common ground? My own reaction really stunned me.
Your insightful post really helped me understand my own emotions toward this tragedy. So true. So true, sista!
Sarah
Tennessee
That is phenomenal insight about the battle that women face. Thank you for pointing that out- I'm not sure it's something I would have thought about without a little prompting. I'm certainly thinking now.
I have also felt a heaviness of spirit over Anna's death. It is not that I was a fan but somehow I have always wanted more for her. Her life has been a struggle. She is an external example of what I have felt on the inside. It has been sad to see how some of the media has treated her memory so wrecklessly. Thank you for verbalizing how I have been feeling internally. Thank you, Jesus, for loving me when I am at my worst. You amaze me daily!
Thank you girls for writing about Anna Nicole. You summed up what my Spirit was speaking to me. How interesting that as I was feeling so down and really not understanding why that God would bring a message from Believing God to memory:
How many foolish decisions we have ALL made out of insecurity!! Oh how I wish Anna Nicole could have grasped how BLESSED, CHOSEN, ADOPTED, ACCEPTED, REDEEMED AND FORGIVEN Jesus came to make her!
Girls, let's remember that we're beggars at an all-you-can-eat buffet; God's love is ABUNDANT! May we captivate others by leading lives that overflow with Christ's sweet goodness. It's overwhelming to try to help everybody--but if we look at the way Jesus did it, we can focus on the specific ones who God puts in our paths. I hope Jesus feels as REAL to you today as He does to me!! :-)
I read this blog every day, seeking some sort of connection with my sisters in Christ--today it has hit me head-on. Yes, I was also deeply affected by the news of Anna's death. And to think of that precious baby alone now, it was too much. I tried to eek out a little prayer last night, but felt so hopeless. I told God I didn't know what to ask of Him and then felt defeated and alone. This morning as I read Amanda's thoughts, I sensed a fullness and hope in the reality the Good News! Jesus is alive and at work! As I read the comments I realized, my sisters are alive out there and are at work! Praise God we are not alone. That sweet baby is not alone! I wonder just how many prayers are ascending on her behalf? Is that the most beautiful picture? Oh, thank you, sweet Jesus! Thank you, for the body of Christ and it brings to me.
I think you hit a nerve a very telling point right here:
"Anna Nicole Smith publicly fought and lost the same battle of insecurity that you and I privately fight. Had we had money, access, and opportunity, no telling what lengths we might have traveled to feel a little better about our broken selves"
We are so broken and only one can fix us.
I keep retyping my comment b/c I cannot find the words to express my thoughts...
I am 30 weeks pregnant and so I figured my emotional response to Anna's death was mostly hormonal. However, I too have felt a heaviness today. I think it is more than hormones.
Why is this so gripping to me? I could have cared less about her when she was alive, so why do I care so much now that she is gone?
Shame on me for caring too late.
I agree 100%! My prayer is that the Father will reveal Himself thru someone to her family now. He is their/our ONLY hope!
My life was on the same path as Anna Nicole's at one time and it is only by His amazing grace and mercy that I am sitting here with a man that I'm just wild about and 3 babies that call ME momma! God is so good and faithful!
His grace still amazes me!
AMEN! The truth you shared, Beth, is so true!! My heart is broken for the family involved, especially the baby she left behind...But just as my own family lost a loved one last week, grief is hard, but I pray it allows Jesus to soften harder hearts!! Oh, my Savior, how we need you!! Thank you, Beth and Amanda for willing to be so real with us...your very blessed sista! (and Raleigh Girl :) LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR SILMUCAST IN 2 WEEKS!!
I have felt so sad for her since her son's death. The E! network ranked her news story the number one sensational highlight of the year and they had an interview with her on New Year's Eve. My friend and I watched her gray, tense, apparently over medicated eyes as she said she had no hope in this world. I kept thinking, "Anna really needs the Lord!" and I know that would have been the only thing to have helped her. She made such awful choices and lived so carelessly, but her heart was obviously broken and bleeding.. Oh, she needed the Rapha Healer so much. It is so sad for the little baby, too... And I'm kind of ashamed of the media and their circus reports. We should treat our broken souls better. Thanks for all you do, Beth and Amanda, and everyone... you have helped so many of us find the healer Himself. Praise the Lord!
13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matt. 7:13-14
When someone passes from this life in all probability having missed the narrow gate, what a tragedy!
Anna was on the broad road with both hands on the steering wheel headed down the road to destruction. She was trying to fill the void we've all felt before we met Christ. Unfortunately she was looking for fulfillment and acceptance in all the wrong places. Some think she deserves what she got.
I was startled when I learned of her death.
Its by God's grace that we found the narrow gate and by Christ's blood alone we have escaped getting what we deserve.
Thank you,Lord Jesus!
I just discovered your blog. I've been blogging since August. I thought it would just be an outlet for doing a little bit of writing. I never realized how it would impact my life. There is a wonderful community here of Godly women who pray for each other ,encourage, make us laugh out loud and share from their hearts. And since I've mentioned you in several of my posts (and even quoted you), and since I've done every single one of your Bible Studies - well, I just had to come and visit you.
I agree with you and Amanda. There is something so vulnerable about her. She looked so lost and sad much of the time. I feel badly too. I am blessed to have Jesus in my life and still manage to make a mess of things. I wonder if anyone ever told her.
I, too, feel oddly touched by the passing of Anna Nicole. I find myself starting to pray, but then stop because I'm not quite sure what to pray for! Overall, I do pray that those who are effected by her death will know the peace of the Lord during this time, and if they do not yet know Him that this situation would lead them to the saving knowledge of Christ.
Beth, "Hauntingly interesting" is exactly how it feels. I'd never paid any more attention to Anna Nicole Smith than the man in the moon, yet when I was told that she was found dead, my heart absolutely sank. It was so unnecessary. My first thoughts were, "That could've been me." If it weren't for the grace of God, it would've been me. I was such an "approval junkie" before I met Him. We shouldn't be too quick too decide that she was lost, though. I was saved for two weeks before I told a single soul. Had I died during that two weeks, there would've been some mouths hanging open in heaven when I walked through those pearly gates.
That's so true. I haven't been able to get it off my mind either. Such sadness, such emptiness...and it breaks my heart to think of how many people are living with that kind of pain.
Thank you for putting this so well, as always.
For reasons I could not put into words this news hit me like a ton of bricks... and I didn't understand why. Thanks for your post. It articulates what I was thinking and feeling.
I totally agree with you, Beth. Anna Nicole publicly dealt with issues that I deal with... weight, self-esteem, etc... Not too long ago I was thinking about what my life would look like if I didn't have Jesus. I got saved at 7 years old and don't really remember not knowing Him. But I looked back at all the decisions I have made and how Jesus impacted those decisions and even how I responded to things that happened "to" me because of my relationship with Him. All I can say now is "there but for the grace of God go I". I love ya'll, sistas.
Beth, you said it perfectly. You are right when you say if we had the money, access that she had who knows what we would do and that is why I always say, but by the grace of God go I.
I thank God for loving me the way I am and for the healing he has done in my own heart. My sister sings a song I love, Life is Hard but God is Good!
God is good to give us each other to encourage one another along and may God bless each of you beyond your expectations or imaginations!
I am always affected when someone my age passes away--it reminds me of my own 'immortality'.
My own mother passed away at 40 years old and there has always been this little fear in the back of my mind that I might leave my children behind as my own mom did. I feel for that precious baby left behind and pray that God will intervene in her life and bring someone who will show her Jesus. Thanks Beth and Amanda for your blog! You are both an inspiration--and so funny too! Prayers for Anna Nicole's family and especially her baby.
When I read Amanda's post earlier today - and when I heard the news last night - my very first thoughts were "There but for the grace of God go I." I've never battled some of the demons that she did, but I've sho'nuf got some baggage. It's only because of God's saving grace that I'm not still hauling all of it around with me.
I think you've hit the nail on the head.
By no means has my 25 years here on earth been easy, but it breaks my heart to see what she has gone through and how it ended for her. As lost as she seemed, so much of what she felt has been felt by many of us, she has suffered many of the same insecurities and battles that we do, only hers were public. I pray that someone tell her daughter how much she loved her and cared for her, and that someone show that little girl how much Jesus loves her.
Love ya- Jackie
I think we all,at some point, have had that little girl inside silently screaming to everyone we meet "Do you think I'm lovely?" I read that in a book and it has never left my mind because I am such the approval seeker. I think you're right, our hearts break for her because we so know what it feels like to ache for love. Of course, when you said it it sounded like a Bible study you'd been eloquently preparing for months....but details.
Putting my smile on. Jesus style!
(meaning, it's to glorify Him, as an offering of my Praise...not just to look like I have it all together)
:)
I am so glad to see that you addressed this today. Last night I was very upset and shocked by Anna Nicole's death. Why? I didn't known her personally. I didn't even like her that much. I believe what you said - we can all relate to her insecurity and unhappiness. Everyday I wake up and remind myself that if I have nothing I have Christ Jesus and His love. That is enough to keep me going - in this hard, cruel world as it is. I also want you (Beth) to know that I know how great and deep His love is for me because of you and your unshelfish time you give to teaching us. You, annointed by the Holy Spirit, have changed my life and the way I live it. Thank you Mica Craig
I was saddened, thinking how she was used by so many people in her life. Why no one cared enough about her to take her to a hospital. Very sad. I remember praying for her after her son's death, that she would find peace. Perhaps she did during those last days...no one knows.
It was so comforting to hear those words. I've thought about this story all day and to be honest, wondered why. I believe what you say, Beth. I know I could have gone down a somewhat similar path internally, had my Savior not picked me up out of that pit more times than I care to remember. I just said a prayer that if there is any woman that comes along my way I won't waste a second to humbly share the hope and joy that I have inside me - only because Christ resides in my heart. I don't know any woman who hasn't been in despair at one time or another. Let's pray we can all be "sistas" in lifting each other up to One who can and desires to pull us out!
Looking forward to Tyler, Beth! I'll be in the chapel watching you on the big screen!
and sometimes we are unhappy and don't even know it....until we see a certain smile that seems different from the others...we have no idea why we are so drawn to it....we are encouraged and smiled at a lot, before we even know that it is a different smile..we don't even know to ask or what to ask when we do...but we keep coming back to that smile...yes Beth, keep smiling and showing it....we keep coming back until we realize we are not happy but think we finally have a good question to ask.
It is so sad to think there are many out there like Anna, who could've never been told about Jesus. How many every day people, how many hollywood stars are truly lost? And we don't even know it. I really felt like God telling me today, He needs more people to pray for those in hollywood
and Amen to stefani! It's true we realy are not fighting flesh and blood but an enemy that will take what God meant for Good and Destroy it. he is the prince of lies....that's why we need to Wise Up.! We need to GET IT and keep encouraging each other...sin (as in separation) lies at the door... and oh too close.. we are desperate for Him and lucky when we realize it
When I heard the news, my heart was so burdened. Did she know Jesus? So, so tragic. And then I thought of her sweet baby girl...oh that God would shield her. Beth, thank you for the word about if we had the money, what lengths would we go to? I say I never would...but if I didn't have Jesus, what would I do? I'm so glad I belong to Him!
Beth, that is exactly why I am doing the ministry God has given me. Today I told my 4th grade girls (I have an after school art club) about God who NEVER rejects or abandons them. I told them that there is always a way out if we are harmed, abused.
God sends people to help us get out of abuse. I just about wept as I shared this with them.
God gives us time and time again "moments" to lavish His Love on people. Oh how I pray that my girls will see how unfailing His love is for them! I pray they will KNOW they are beautiful in the eyes of their BELOVED....
I couldn't figure out why I was so affected by her death but I think you've said it exactly. I only pray for that precious baby caught in a war she, hopefully, will never remember. And I hope someone, somewhere was able to tell this woman about Jesus. Makes the need to tell others more urgent, doesn't it?
@Yes, Sista! And thank you so very much for supporting and working with your sweet first-born to get this avenue of encouragement out there for us. It adds a sweetness to our walk with Him that could only be made better with a good cup of coffee! I rise up and call you both "bless-ed!"
Blessed beyond measure by what our God does through you,
Tammie Worsham
Cleveland, MS
Untreated by Jesus, the true Lover of our souls, we will be insatiably self-destructive...
Your statement Beth struck my heart like a ton of bricks...because it described me perfectly before I met Jesus. I was walking down a path that would have ended in total destruction, and I didn't care...because I believed I deserved it. Even now as He restores my heart and heals my life I struggle some days with these issues.
My heart feels for the Anna Nicole's of the world...for those who find comfort in destroying themselves...because I've been there and were it not for the tender, sweet grace of Jesus, still would be. I'm in awe of His love, in awe of his mercy, in awe of His tenderness, it brings me to tears.
I've often wondered about purpose here on this earth...and God has started to stir in my heart to reach out to these women whose shoes I could easily step into. Part of my just wants to wrap them in my arms and hold them and let Jesus love them.
I pray it would not be too late for others like Anna Nicole. That instead of simply following lives like hers with tragic fascination, we might find ways to reach out...even to those in our own communities.
And may it begin with me.
Julie
Canada
She could be any one of us. Everything she did in her life seemed to be a cry for help and either no one heard or no one cared enough to get involved. My heart breaks for her and for her little daughter. She is just one of many that feel that kind of pain. I pray that Anna has now found peace and that others going through that kind of pain can find peace before it gets to this point.
I have always known about Anna Nicole Smith, I even watched her tv show once or twice, but then reason I have is MY name is also Anna Nicole. I go by Nikki, but when people find out they always giggle or smirk or something like that. I just roll my eyes and go on, but in the last year or so I started to pay a little more attention to her and all her going ons. I started to feel something for this woman who shared my name. I have always struggled with weight and self image and so did she. I started to feel sorry for her because she had to go through all of these things in front of the world. Atleast I was able to deal with it in my own little corner, AND I had something that she didn't appear to have. The love of God, My father. Who loved me the way I am and created me in His image. I also had a family who loved me and supported me. I have often thought that Anna must have been sooo lonely. I mean, I know that I would have doubted the sincerity of people who would claim to be friends. How would I know if they wanted to be MY friend or be linked to the celebrity that I now was? I can't imagine a life like that. I am so blessed to have friends who love me for me and I know that they want to be my friend because of who I am, because goodness knows I am certaintly not a celebrity! I have been blessed with family who lift me up when I am down and rejoice with me when I am happy. Most of all I have God who loves me. Who gives me strength for everything that comes my way. I feel sad for Anna and her baby girl. That sweet baby was already going to have a hard life based on all that had already been going on but now she won't have her mother there to comfort her and love her. I pray that whoever takes this little girl will give her the love that she is so deperately going to need and that she finds the Lord one day. May she see that no matter what the results are of who her earthly father is, she will have a loving Heavenly Father, who is waiting with open arms. I will more than likely continue to follow what happens in this case of Anna Nicole and her child. I am a Nanny and babies are soo dear to me. Its like I am connected to this story and I need to know what happens. Sounds weird, I know, but I can't explain it. As we all know, God has a plan for everything that happens. Who knows what this little girl will one day accomplish? May God bless her and keep her safe through her life!
Nikki in Tn
You are SO right. I couldn't get over myself yesterday. Wondering why I was grieving so much over someone that I didn't know, but also that I didn't really enjoy watching in the first place. Why was I? Because, once again, a reminder of how precious our lives are and fragile. But, also, how we are all alike is many ways.....searching.
Anna Nicole, Princess Di...it's these women that remind us that we can have everything the world has to offer and still be empty, which is a good reminder for me when I start to look to those things for fulfillment.
Paul knew what he was talking about when he talked about it all being for naught if not for Christ.
It is all the Anna Nicloes of the world that we are called to do our Lord's work, we as Christians need to be busy about sharing our Faith in Christ. There is an Anna next door to each of us.
The death of this woman and the comments and thoughts shared here have brought a song to my mind today that once again just won't let go of me. Casting Crowns - Does Anybody See Her? You can watch the video on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkEteZ2OA28
We can look at the life of Anna Nicole Smith and think about how sad it was that she seemed to spend her life searching for the one thing that her money and fame couldn't buy - that hope that's tucked away inside of each of us.
But most of us never crossed her path in any way that we could've been influential in her life. But what all of this and the song reminds me of is that so many of us are surrounded by other "Anna Nicole Smiths" in our own every day circles - every week probably on a pew within reach of our own.
They may not be as flashy or flamboyant as she was but they are still there, dying to get a piece of that hope tucked away inside of someone else, knowing that their life doesn't have to be empty and superficial but just not knowing how to break those cycles, not knowing how to be anything other than what they've always been.
We may not have been able to influence her life but there are so many others that God has put within our reach that we can influence. I remember what it was like to live "running 100 mph in the wrong direction" and I remember the people God placed in my life to teach me and show me about the hope they had tucked inside. I remember how Jesus absolutely transformed my life using those people who were willing to be used in the life of one angry, messed up woman.
Anna Nicole Smith may not have been in our area of influence but so many other are!! \o/
I'm sure this will be an embarassingly long comment so I'll apologize and hush so someone else can get in the conversation
I thought maybe I was alone in feeling grief for this woman that I didn't even know. I wondered if she had any idea that Thursday morning was her last day on this earth and what she might have done differently. It serves as a reminder of how we should live...and that we never know how others around us might be suffering or in need of Jesus.
Anna Nicole's "seduction by the enemy" has ended. Can we as prayer warriors place our thoughts and prayers on the Astronaut? I have just started "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things" in my home. I saw in week one that one of the common claims of the seduced was "many described their sudden behavioral patterns as totally uncharacteristic." I believe this is what is happening with this woman. Aren't we all possibly "one breath" away from falling into a deep pit of despair and "uncharacteristic sin?" Let's PRAY sistas and watch God do amazing things for this person....it isn't too late for her! May our "Blessed REDEEMER" show up MIGHTY in Lisa Nowak's life. HE IS SURELY ABLE!!!
This all hit me also. I have MomTime this morning with a group of ladies and no doubt this will come up in discussion. I think about that precious little baby who will grow up so lonely with all the money in the world and people wanting to take advantage of her for the rest of her life. No protection. Really fits in with our study on living a life of balance and how we tend to favor our physical needs over our spiritual needs.
She is a perfect example of a Mom who's life was so completely out of balance. Makes me think also of our kids who love American Idol and say they aspire to be on AI one day. Look at Anna Nicole...do we really want that for our children. All the dance classes, Talent shows, beauty pagents, clubs, piano lessons, materilistic things we shove down their throats that they HAVE to have. Don't get me wrong I'm not leagalistic in any way and I love a good sale and want my children to succeed but at what price? Her life can really be such an example to us of what we should give our children instead of the things of the world which obviously ended in tragedy for a woman who was broken, used and tossed aside as if she was worthless. I think I see tears streaming down His face as he sees her walk by the throne. I certainly don't want those tears to fall because I failed Him with my children.
Thank you for putting into words the almost unexplainable empathy we have and feel. "sometimes we're happy and we don't even know it."--I know these ARE the good times, and my husband and I just talked about how we should appreciate them, and smile and hope others catch a glimpse of our joy and the Reason for it. Psalm 9:18
"But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish."
what is there about being so honest here online that captivates me? I knew I was hooked on being an information junkie (ahem, online researcher), and deliberately avoided all chat rooms for years, only to discover that I can't drag myself away from this blog. I laugh, I cry, and relate with each of you. Thank you for taking time to reach out. A mini ministry in itself right here! Annie
I think a big key to all this is how we as women treat other women and sometimes don't even realize the significance. I'm going on 18 years of marriage. I have a wonderful husband who loves me exactly how I am. He couldn't care less what I wear, what my nails look like or whether or not I'm having a good hair day. I'm not trying to impress him. He's already impressed. I'm not trying to attract another man. I've got the man I want. So, who am I trying to impress and receive acceptance from?.....other women. Don't blow this off until you think about it. Break out the high school yearbook and make a mental note of the "girls who got the guys." They weren't all lovely, BUT for whatever reason they were deemed worthy by "the inner circle"....and who gets to decide who is accepted into the "inner circle?".......women. I say that it's time that we lose the "inner circle" mentality and teach our daughters to do the same.
I think what has hit me hardest about it, is that it was so obvious to me that she was crying out for LOVE. Real love. The love that only Jesus can give. She didn't have her father's love and she went about searching for it in all those tabloid-story ways we read about.
And then, she had this little baby. And maybe, just maybe it was her turn to start fresh, turn over a new leaf and begin again. But it was too late.
The "too late" part of this tragedy is what gets me most. If ever we need to be reminded that we are not guaranteed a tomorrow, this is a good reminder. We need to be about the Lord's business because there are many more "anna nicoles" in our world, sight unseen.
I was very moved by her death as well. I think that I am much like her inside-just trying to get others to like me, to love me, and to guide me. That is all she wanted and needed. You can tell that she was searching. I hope that she has found some peace now. She is just a tragic figure that was trapped in the world that she lived in. So sad and such a waste. I will be praying for her little baby that she will get the proper guidance that she needs.
I don't know about anyone else but I can only imagine what it feels like to lose a child. My mother-in-law lost a child (my husband's oldest sister) and I can tell you that 60 years later it is still fresh on her mind. I truly believe that Anna Nicole died of a broken heart. Thank you, Jesus, that you are the mender of broken hearts. Now I will pray often for that little girl, that she knows there is one true living GOD that loves her. Barbara
I feel the same way as everyone else. It is a heavy burden. I think it is important to be more open with what we are going through and stop the pretending. I am also trying to find the good in every situation and be more grateful.
Maybe that's why I found myself weeping yesterday as I was driving to work singing "Shackles" along with Travis. I kept thinking of women I knew who were going through life without knowing Him, who were going through very tough stuff.
If I didn't have Jehovah Rapha in my life I wouldn't be here right now.
Why is it Beth, that our friends don't want Him? I tell them all the time He loves them more than anyone in the world can. They ignore me or change the subject. Yet I still will keep loving them and pointing them to Jesus as long as I am here.
Ladies...let's fill the heavens with prayers for her daughter. Let's stand together and intercede against generational curses that have been passed down to her from her mother. Then let's watch how God protects her and uses her like He now uses so many of us that have come from bleak and sin-infested pasts.
I just discovered this blog and I'm really excited. Beth...we need you back in Little Rock, AR...we miss you!
~Shannon
re:Lucy@Progress Report re:year long beauty treatment....have you read/seen Memoirs of a Geisha ? -your question made me think of her!
ps to Amanda... !!!! Not For Posting!!!!.. have you thought of doing something like an open line friday?- ( was that Rush's Show ?) i was the above OFF- TOPIC esther quote and this idea popped into my brain...Thank You again for getting this absolutely incredibly wonderful conversation going**
What a tragic reminder that so many around us need to encounter Jesus. He is the only Light in this dark world.
I read this today by Dr. David Jeremiah and thought of the Anna Nicole situation:
The Eyes Have It: Bartimaeus
Blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
Mark 10:46
Bartimaeus is a picture of everyone without Christ—blind and begging. The Bible teaches that without the Lord, our eyes are closed to spiritual truth and our hearts are poverty-stricken to His riches.
As Charles Spurgeon put it during a Sunday morning sermon to his congregation in London: "Our father Adam spent our birthright and lost our estates. Paradise, the homestead of our race, has become dilapidated, and we are left in the depths of beggary without anything with which we may buy bread for our hungry souls or raiment for our naked spirits."
Spurgeon told his people to look around them in the great Music Hall at Royal Surrey Gardens where the church was meeting. Every row, he said, was filled with blind beggars like Bartimaeus.
"Oh that while Jesus passes by this day, they may have faith to cry aloud to Him for mercy!" exclaimed Spurgeon. "Oh may His gracious heart be moved by their thrilling cry, ‘Jesus thou Son of David have mercy on me!’ Oh may He turn and give sight unto such, that they may follow Him and go on their way rejoicing!"
The Lord responds to everyone who cries, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Ask Him to open your eyes and heart to Him today.
Then Jesus came and bade his darkness flee.
J. Oswald Smith
I too was sad when I heard about Anna, it made me so sad that her life was so empty and she tried everything that she could think of to fill it. What about her precious baby!!! Let's pray for her.
I am thrilled to find that not only one of my hands-down favorite authors in the world - Beth - was moved by her death, but that it is being talked about by all of you too. I'm a true canyon soul who feels things deeply on many levels of life. The impact this had on me seriously shocked me! There is wise advice here on how to deal with it. Thanks to all of you ladies for the perspectives you offer.
I saw a picture of Anna N. Smith the other day and she was wearing a rather large cross necklace. Granted, it does not mean she was saved. But I so wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe she had some where heard the good news, and like many, never really knew or learned who she was in Christ. Never realized she was the beloved child of our Abba.
I pray she is standing in the presence of our Savior.
How sad of a tragedy, if not.
Isn't it interesting that all the media focus is on her life and nothing on her eternal life?
I hold onto that one image I saw of God's little girl before she died that maybe,,, just maybe...
Blessings
Connie Barris,
Rome Georgia
All I can say is "AMEN!" to Lucy's comment. We do that to each other and if we are not careful, we end up forming those "Holy Huddles" in church, while others are bleeding around us.
Here I am just crying,broken hearted & greiving over Anna Nicole, some one I dont even know. What is the matter with me? Why I am taking this so hard? I was glued to the tv Friday,was she a SISTA? Lucy said not to be quick to decide if she was lost or not.Carli said in a tv interview she prayed to Jesus, only HE knows what she prayed.We all know a Anna Nicole, screaming for help.This should be a wake up call for us to pray for all the desperate, lonely, hurting people out there. She either was pushed, jumped or fell into a deep pit she didn't know how to get out of. Her sister said on tv she had a real family that loved her, let us all pray for that family & especially that little baby girl who will never know her Mama, and let us all pray for all the Anna Nicole's out there.As Beth said, Life is hard,but,we have a PERFECT SAVIOR!I feel better after reading all my Sistas comments. See you in Bossier City.
Did Anna Nicole ever have someone praying for her? What about others in the media or the world? How sad and lonely to think that there might be people in the world who have no one to pray for them. Who have no Christian influence around them? I saw a show on Judy Garland last night on PBS and she too was a person crying out and used by Hollywood. It is so sad. Anna Nicole's death is a wake up call that I must pray for people in Hollywood, people in the limelight who may not have one person lifting them up in prayer. We can make a difference in prayer.
I too feel a sadness about this that I can't explain. I also thought of the lyrics of that Casting Crown song. Why is it that I can't get this woman out of my mind when I never gave her a second thought when she was alive? I almost feel like I let her down, because I, like most, saw only her appearance and her behavior. I didn't see her broken heart. I didn't see that she was crying out for love. Of course, God saw her in her need and brokeness. She was precious is His sight. I wonder, did anyone ever tell her worth was far above any amount of money on this earth? That she was infinitely loved by Christ? That He alone could fill that vast emptiness in her heart?
Sisters, I sit here convicted. It's a reminder that those who seem to have everything, don't. People are hurting out there. Lord, let nothing hinder us from running and taking Your Light into the darkness.
Your words about her fighting the same battles in the public eye that we fight privately really made me think. I could look at her and say "we are nothing alike." But so untrue. As I reflected about her past behavior, I realized that my inner life could look that dysfunctional at times. My heart breaks that people around her and the public (and me) never acknowledged her cry for help.
I was moved for different reasons.
I don't know her heart, but I would suspect she may have been lost. That saddens me to the core, and I really grieve for her daughter and what will become of her life. I think we all need to cover that sweet little one in prayer.
Here's a little plug for working with little kids in VBS. I got to thinking that maybe just maybe at one time she was taken to a church by a neighbor or friend. Maybe when the gospel was presented with cookies and punch, crafts and sack races she heard about Jesus. Maybe when the preacher came in and had the children pray the ABC's of becoming a Christian she understood with childlike faith. It's a hope I have. It's also my motivation for rolling up my sleeves and getting ready for VBS 2007. I'm getting ready for Game Day!
could i propose that we have a time/day this week that we ALL commit to pray at the SAME time for all of the "anna's" in our lives (ourselves included) and those that we influence---daughters, sisters, nieces, church family children, etc.
i KNOW that we all are praying now, but i just think (despite all of our hectic schedules) it would make the most beautiful holy roar if we knew that the very moment we were saying such words, there were hundreds(?) of others doing the same.
i'm competely indecisive on such matters so i was going to propose maybe Thursday night? like between 7-10pm? just at some point during those hours(or day)...wherever we may live...to lift up ourselves and our daughter generations on this issues to the only ONE who can heal and deliver us from such strongholds.
thanks...praying for you all..
Wising Up-A Wise Friend_...this lesson keeps speaking to me..especially Proverbs 27:5,6- the wounding of a true friend....there realy is only ONE who can wield the Hebrews 4:12 sword..perfectly/completely/truthfully...but if we are given the grace to wear the Full Armour of God and the Grace to LEARN these lessons in our GUTS we can do a pretty good job with the sword we are given.....God Help Us...God help us to want more of YOU so we can do your will
My heart goes out to the baby, Dannielynn. As a woman who has spent her life dealing with "paternity" issues, I cannot imagine the future of this child unless God performs the miracle he is capable of in this situation.
The verse of scripture that literally changed my heart is this one (New Living Translation):
"Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the prophet says,
'People are like grass that dies away; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall away, But the word of the Lord will last forever.' " I Peter 1:23-25
I struggled for so long trying to find my identity based on an earthly father--until I found my heavenly Father--and also with the "shame" of my mother's life. It took the miracle of God himself saying to me "I have always known whose you are. There is no doubt that you are Mine."
I pray we cover that sweet baby with the Word of God--and that that Word will bring her the security and hope of Him.
anne
My first reaction to this young woman's death was, ashamedly, "no big surprise." Then as God put my insensitivity and horrible attitude in check, I found the whole thing completely heart wrenching. What's more, Ms. Smith's story so parallels this wonderful Bible study I'm currently involved in... DANIEL!!! Although I am only in week three, I can already grasp that American society is the "new" Babylon in which we are residing and how this young woman had so obviously fallen victim to the requirements of a Babylonian lifestyle. As I've watched the endless news reports, the one thing that keeps reverberating in my mind is how beautiful she truly was on the outside and yet because of personal insecurities, she never fully could see for herself how beautiful God could make her on the inside. My prayer is that somehow in the grips of the Nebuchadnezzar's who are after that precious baby who is left behind, that God will find a way into her heart, wrap her tightly in His embrace and protect her, giving her the same strength and integrity that He once provided to a very young man named Daniel.
Blessings!
Kari-MommaB
Dallas,TX
Yes, I think that maybe this is a cry from tinseltown, etc. to get us who love Jesus to start actively praying for these actors/actresses, etc., etc.
Just this past summer, a long time actor from the only Soap Opera that I've ever truly watched on and off all of my life committed suicide. And I'm sure that there were plenty of warning signs, but no one took the time to "see" them through the Spirit's eyes.
Let's start praying for these people, Ladies!
Jennifer O.
Southern Wisconsin
<< Home