It’s been a year in the making, but I am so excited to finally share with you all the fruit of this vision the Lord so heavily put on my heart: The Honeycomb Collection. Earning its name from Proverbs 16:24, the heart of the collection beats to encourage women to speak words of life over one another, because scripture affirms that our speech and our thoughts should always be gracious (Col. 4:6), not just when we feel like it. Jesus knew how to impart grace when he spoke. Luke 4:22 says, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” The power of life and death is in the tongue and we have chosen life (Prov. 18:21). As women, often times criticism comes quicker than compassion, yet the Word of God instructs us to live otherwise. Choosing grace can sometimes cost us that win in an argument, but when we lace our words with graciousness, we are promised healing: “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and healing to the bones” (Prov. 16:24).
We have prayed over which words would be in the collection and God has made it abundantly clear: Choose Joy, Wonderfully Made, Loved, Delighted In, Saved by Grace, Freedom, Redeemed, Fearless, Be Brave, Peace, Hope, Dream, New Mercies. In addition to these 13 words, the collection also includes a Honeycomb charm. All of the words featured on our pieces are engraved in our own, talented, Maddie Holmes’ calligraphy handwriting. Each necklace will come accompanied by a Bible verse insert (doubly acting as a memory verse card)— assembling in its entirety to bring encouragement and to ultimately share the Gospel with others. Our hope is that each necklace becomes a conversation piece to wear or to gift to speak life and love over our sisters in her rejoicings or in her sufferings; both full of grace and truth!
Proverbs 31:26 “She opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness!”
Proverbs 11:27 “Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold!”
I confess that before the Lord got ahold of my heart, I was quicker to criticize, judge, gossip and tear down—which. is. ugly. I have also been on the receiving end of words that pierce your spirit. I’m willing to bet I’m not alone in the dabbling of both. But if you think holding a grudge tightly or letting un-forgiveness rule your life by tearing another down will bring you peace or healing, *spoiler alert* it won’t, and it will only bring further pain and damage. It can become a vicious cycle, if you give it enough room to sink its claws. Take this piece of advice I’ve heard before: Don’t say something permanently painful just because you are temporarily ticked off. The words that leave our mouths speak volumes of the condition of our hearts, making it so important for us to take a daily inventory of our sinful nature to our Lord Jesus Christ for help, grace, forgiveness, healing and fruit! I’ve been through some tough seasons in my life and have experienced the power behind both the constructive and destructive sides of words over my circumstances and me. It is vital for us to be surrounded by women who will speak life back into us—to revive you, reignite you, and to reenergize you when you are weary, not to tear you down.
Romans 12: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all…If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink…Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
Some of my deepest desires as a mother raising a daughter are to show her the importance of being a woman of grace, strength and compassion. I pray that she will be confident in who God made her to be—wonderfully made in His image. I pray she will know the real meaning of love, identity, humility, forgiveness and kindness. I want to raise her on the Truth of what the Lord says about her and the promises in Scripture spoken over her life. Lord, help me because it is hard being a girl in this day in age.
The commands of the Lord are not just mere suggestions for how to live—they’re set up for our protection and to further our freedom into an abundant, joyous life. Read this, though: freedom is not the absence of something, it is the presence of someone—Jesus. A dear friend of mine lost her husband a couple weeks ago. At his funeral, in regards to his legacy, he wanted us each to know and believe that every part of God’s Word is true. The challenge: Do you really believe this? Do you believe every single thing in God’s Word? Do you find it applicable to your day-to-day lives and relevant in all circumstances?
Do you believe there is freedom in Jesus?
The older I get, the more I realize my daily need to cling, abide and anchor myself to my Savior, because my sinful nature is overwhelming apart from Him. I do not have the mercy gift on my own free will, but when I am walking with the Lord, the fruit of my life bears things that only come from the fruit of the Spirit: kindness, peace, patience, compassion, fullness of joy and love! Thank you, Lord—You really are the only good thing in me!
Speaking words of grace and peace comes from truly knowing where your true identity lies. When we accept that we are daughters of the King, adopted and bought with a price, we will live a transformed life. With deep roots in this identity, we are free to be the hands, feet and mouth of Christ to others in our lives—a beautiful and undeserved responsibility.
Psalm 19:7-10 “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The rules of the Lord are true and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold; they are sweeter than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”
Our tendencies to utter harsh critiques, show lack of compassion, to fall in to temptation and engage in tearing another down are not in line with God’s will. The Bible says it is the foolish man who throws out harsh criticism, but it is the discernment of the wise that have kindness on their lips (Prov. 10:12-13). Lets show some humility that His ways are higher than our own (Is. 55:8-9).
Will you join us in our campaign to encourage women to speak words of life over one another? We can’t wait to share more of our hearts with you in the coming weeks.
Lord,
Forgive us for the harsh criticism we have for others and for the leniency we’ve shown ourselves. We ask for more of you, Lord. We recognize that the enemy is sneaky, but not creative when it comes to targeting our sin triggers. We ask for discernment and wisdom in our conversations with others. God, we believe that Your Word is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating even to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow. We believe that it judges the thoughts and attitude of the heart. Continue to refine us, strip away our layers of bitterness and shame, and change our hearts. When we speak, may words be given to us so that we will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel. God, we pray for our children, too. Stir up kindness and tenderheartedness in them. Cause them to be forgiving people as they have been forgiven. We never graduate from needing you, Lord Jesus.
Amen
