Here’s What I Said

This past weekend I had another opportunity to share my heart with hundreds of women.  I was asked way back in September to be a speaker at the West Michigan Women’s Expo.  I was shocked and thrilled at the opportunity.  I knew immediately it had precious little to do with our business and all to do with touching women’s hearts. 

The work the Lord has done in my heart through preparing and doing this weekend is so cool.  He is teaching and training me, I can tell!  More on that later.  I though I would share my notes from which I spoke with you all.  Of course I added things here and there, but you will get the gist of it.  The response was overwhelming and as I read emails and comments I am brought to tears and so humbled that He would choose me to be His vessel.  So here it is.

Welcome to West Michigan Women’s Expo

I’m Michelle Grzybowski with

{re}imagined just for you.

This is presentation is . . .

So excited to be here, it feels like such a privilege and gift to be able to have this platform to share a little bit of my heart, so thank you for being here!

When Denise asked me to speak at the Women’s Expo I was so excited and yes I did a happy dance or two at the prospect of being here

You see, I LOVE Women! I think we are the most amazing creatures and my heart is to encourage and inspire women! So I am just a wee bit excited to be here.

INTRO

I’m going to tell you a little bit about me and our business and then we will get to the demonstration.

My name is Michelle G. and I am married to an incredibly loving and patient man! And I say patient because he not only bears with me and my crazy ideas, but he also encourages and picks me up over and over.

People like me may jump high but we also fall hard and he’s always there to pick up the pieces

After nearly 25 years we have figured out that I’m a jump off the cliff person and he offers parachute so yeah, he’s Patient! You could pray for him because sometimes I’m a full time job!

Here is our family,

We have 9 children, 8 still living at home. 3 grandchildren

We have homeschooled pretty much from the beginning, oldest few years

We are a very close family and all of the children are involved in our business in one way or another

From Tech support,

to woodworker

to creating some of the things we sell at our sales

to helping with the home.

I’d like to tell you it’s a perfectly working well-oiled machine, but it is not and we are just fine with that! We learn and grow and mess up and try again together and that’s all that matters.

Amazing Women

Like I mentioned, my heart is for women, I adore the men in my life, but it’s the women who intrigue and inspire me.

Women are amazing!

But here’s what I have found in my own life as well as the women, I come in contact with and maybe it’s true or you.

If I were being honest, I think we struggle with some common issues

I think we often times feel like we just don’t measure up, I call it the never good enough syndrome

We think we need to DO MORE, BE BETTER, TRY HARDER.

This often leaves us empty and tired, exhausted really, it did me any way. Actually, it made me very sick but that is another awesome story of Gods’ redeeming love.

OUR VALUE

Our value becomes about what we do and how well we do it and because we never seem to do it “good enough” we beat ourselves up, we are so hard on ourselves. We may struggle with self-doubt, and insecurity. I think we can be our own worst enemy.

Maybe our value is wrapped up in being a mom. I know mine was for a while. ( I have nine children, homeschool, bread, socks match. It wasn’t so much about impressing you as it was about proving that I was somebody special)

Or your job. Or where we are financially.

Or our appearance. . . Pretty enough, thin enough

Or keeping up with the Joneses.

Clean and organized house.

How about this one, what our children become, if they are ‘successful’ in our eyes.

WORK DONE IN MY HEART

Ladies, the Lord has done a deep work in my heart over the last several years and I’m here to tell you.

And listen to me closely and I dare you to believe me as everything in your head may be screaming. NOT TRUE!

Here’s what I’ve learned

I am Enough! I am good enough! And so are you!

Right here and right now. We are good enough!

No amount of doing more, being better and trying harder is going to change your value in the eyes of the ONLY ONE WHO REALLY MATTERS.

Ladies, I’ve learned that I am dearly loved right and that I am a treasure in the arms of Christ, right where I am at, flaws and weaknesses and unwanted facial hairs and all.. (did I just say that out loud?)

I was created on purpose with a purpose and so were you! Did you hear that? You were created ON PURPOSE with a PURPOSE. You are of great value.

You see, you are already amazing! You are loved, you are valuable just the way you are!

Is this just me, or can anyone else relate??

ANOTHER LIE

And our want to hear another lie I find so many women fall for?

“I’m Not Creative”

Who here has ever thought or said. “Oh, I’m not creative”-----“I could never do that I don’t have a creative bone in my body”—raise your hands.

It’s a lie, Ladies, and let me prove it to you.

Think about this, each one of us was created in the image of God. He created ALL things. So, guess what that says about us, we are creative!

It just might look differently than someone else.

Or maybe life and circumstances have buried it so far down,

Maybe it was never developed or fostered in you.

But I want you to know, you do create. You are creative.

We create babies.

Homes for our family

Meals

Memories- did you ever plan a vacation, you created a memory.

Maybe you gather flowers form your garden and place them just so for others to enjoy

He has given you gifts and talents to share with others, you have a purpose.

You are valuable!

You are loved!

You are amazing!

Okay, on to {re}imagined just for you.

What is so cool about this is that it was a ‘public’ forum.  The Lord enabled me to proclaim HIM in this venue that is definitely not Christian!  I was so excited, I do not know if I will EVER have that kind of platform again and I wanted to take full advantage of it!!