I Yam what I Yam

I sat at lunch with my friend, Annette and my husband. Excited, I waved to another friend as we connected eye to eye across her work counter. "Come talk to me back here when you get a chance" Marlea mouthed to me from a distance". I nodded my head with an "ok" and focused back to my lunch date. Scooping up spinach dip Annette invited Donnie to eat some of it. "No thank's I am not Popeye." Donnie answered. Annette came back with, "I yam what I yam." 
   "Where is it in the Bible that sounds like Popeye's 'I yam what I yam' '' ? I asked, Annette had quoted that before. I knew that I read it. But for some reason, I couldn't place my fingers on the scripture. 

It was God speaking to Moses at the burning bush.

Exodus 3:11-14 NIV

¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹² And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

¹³ Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you."

My lunch and the company was very good. I walked Annette out to her truck to say our good bye's. She is often my "Jesus with skin on it" friend. As much as I didn't want my day to end with her, I was anxious to get back inside to speak to Marlea.

"Mary, I want you to pray about something." Marlea started.
    "Ok"
"Pray about speaking at a girl's retreat."
    "Really? I would love to." I must have had a concerned look on my face because Marlea to come back with,
"The more you talk, the more open you get things, the easier it gets."

Marlea is right. The more I share the story of God's grace and security, the more He makes it comfortable when telling "my story".  Even more so, the more I share the more I know it's not my story but His Story.

"Who am I that I should go?"( vs 11)
God answered me as I read, " “I will be with you."(vs. 12)
"Then what shall I tell them?” (vs. 13) I am not sure of what to say. I have many thing to share. But where do I start? How do I present this? I have no training. I have never done this before. I don't know the words use. If you want me to speak, then what shall I tell them?
"This is what you are to say....: ‘I am has sent me to you."(vs. 14)
Ok. Lord, You sent me. I can  tell them that part. But can you help me say the rest too?

I am both anxious and excited about being asked to share at this retreat. It is what I have been praying about. God has already called me to do this. He has used Marlea to confirm it. He has even supplied the Word to reassure me that He is the I AM who will  speak through me.

I was given a quote to go by "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the
called." - Nan Jones

With a story behind me of  how God rescued me and is healing me from various abuses, I look forward to sharing of His love and His compassion though it all. Please pray with me as I step out to go, tell and say I AM has sent me.



This song is my cry out to God tonight. Here I am. If my story is part of His plan... I plan to share it .