MiMi Atkins: A Heart Like Leah

Every one of us has incredible stories to tell, and MiMi Atkins is one of them. You may be one of over 18,000 following her on Twitter and if not then you are missing out. If you are connected with MiMi, then you are no stranger to her encouraging, Christ driven posts that touch many lives around the world daily.

I heard of MiMi last year, through another ministry that had shared a link to her blog Walls of Hope. Her fire for Christ left me in awe. This girl loves Jesus! But what I noticed early on about MiMi was her humble spirit. So many men and women around the world never hesitate to share how she has blessed their life, yet, not for one moment does she share in her Father's glory.

An ordinary woman called to do extraordinary things.

I am personally honored to have interviewed my amazing Jesus-sister and have her featured during this month. I know you will fall in love with her heart just like I did. Please take a moment to read this month's Spotlight feature story.

A HEART LIKE LEAH

W: Hey MiMi, could you start by telling us a little about your upbringing? 

M: I was born and raised in the South. A tiny girl with a big heart. I was not raised in the church but I attended church occasionally as a child. Whenever I went, I felt a connection and I wanted to know who was “this Jesus.” I never stayed long enough to get to know who he was but I thought of him often even as I endured physical, verbal, and emotional abuse as a child.

W: Can you give us a glimpse as to how you were introduced to Jesus? 

M: I was in the 11th grade when I had my first real encounter with Jesus. A friend invited me to church and I felt him that Wednesday night in February of the 1999. My life was never the same after that.

W:You wrote the children's book, “Adventures in Rainbow Valley: How Big is Your Faith?” What led you to write this book?

M: It was a season of brokenness. I was a single mother and struggling to make ends meet. I wrote to ease the pain. I wrote for healing. I wrote what I lacked. I needed faith, desperately.

W: Okay, now on to the good stuff. You are known for your fire and zeal for Jesus. What drives you to go so hard for God?

M: The fact that I know there is no true purpose for life if it is devoid of God. The fact that there are broken people in desperate need of a Savior. That’s what drives me.

W: Can you share with our reader's some of your seasons of brokenness and how God brought you out of them? 

M: I have so many but I will recall the ones that drove me into the arms of God: Being abused as a child caused me to be so insecure and fearful. I was so lonely and confused and I could not imagine why I was not loved. As I matured and found Christ, I began to see that God loved me always and he had a plan for my life as Jeremiah 1:1-5 declares. The next season of brokenness entailed losing the love of my life and the father of my child, the man I was sure to marry in 2006. That crushed me. I was very angry at God. I felt He took away my one true love. I wished it was me on that plane that died instead of Daniel. As time passed, I grew so reliant on God because He was all I had. He became the driving force in my life.

W: What are some of your favorite scriptures? 

M: Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart so I may not sin against you.” I say that daily. A lot. I hate hurting God, you know. And Galatians 1:10 “Obviously I am not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.” This scripture is a reminder my identity is in God – alone. I must focus on Him and not the ways of the world.

W: I am loving the new “study” you did on Leah and Rachel. Can you tell us about that? And what advice do you have for all the “Leah's” out there? 

M: Leah, precious Leah. She is often overlooked because she was not as beautiful as Rachel. Which is an interesting commentary on how true beauty is depicted. Leah, birthed half of the tribes and she birthed Judah, whose lineage we know Jesus came from. While Rachel had Jacob’s heart, Leah had God’s favor. I just smile about that. The women who are overlooked and feel unloved are important in God’s eyes. We have so many women who struggle with identity and femininity because of society’s misconceptions and then we have a loving God who will elevate us because he sees our hearts. Leah was said to have weak eyes but her eyes (focus) never left God and he strengthened her in her weakness. Thus, proving his strength is manifested in our weaknesses as stated in 2 Corinthians 12:9. That amazes me. Really.

W: We have so many readers that are single moms just like you. How do you remain content in Christ while waiting? 

M: Like Leah, I keep my eyes and heart focused on him. I also pour into others’ lives and ask God to work in me with patience as I trust in His timing. God is the author of time and also the perfect conductor of our lives. If we give Him time and trust in Him, He will write our love story and orchestrate it, too.

W: Is there anything on your heart you would like to share with our readers?

M: Yes. God has lain on my heart the role of women in society today is not consistent with the Biblical role. Christian women are to be meek and mild. The world misconstrues meekness for weakness. We are not weak because we choose to remain quiet in the midst of derision and chaos. We are not to be independent women because that evokes pride and once pride creeps in, it creates a reliance on self and not God. Christian women need to desire to be like women of the Bible not women of the world. That’s my heartcry right now.

W: How can our readers connect with you? 

M: I am @MiMiQAtkins on Twitter and Instagram. At facebook.com/mimi.atkins. My email address is matkins282@gmail.com and I have an online Christian apparel store at EcclesiasTees.org.

Check out some of MiMi's most powerful and moving posts on her blog Walls of Hope:

• "From Porn's Grip to Jesus' Arms: A Woman's Confession"
• "When God Says, "No!"
• "Single Christians: What to Do Until Love Finds You"

Interview by Carmen Miller

A Love Like That

by Morgan Fisher

Oh, how every woman desires a relationship like Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling in “The Notebook”, a film I managed to avoid watching until my second year of college. After my roommates found out I had kept away from this enchanting love story for 19 whole years, we found ourselves, on a Friday night, with a crowd of college girls surrounding the television screen, falling in love with one of films utmost love stories.

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” --2 Timothy 2:22

As I began following this love story, my eyes began believing in what media has defined as love. I slowly took a step back and thought of a close friend of mine who recently got married, a genuine love story. I desired so deeply to share my friends love story with the girls surrounded by this television screen. I was beginning to decipher the difference between the love that media has conditioned us to believe in and honest, sacrificial love that people pursue under God’s commands.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.” --1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV

I met Jamie and James about a year ago working in youth ministry. Jamie has a smile with the power to take all of your worries away. Her heartening, inspiring, joyful personality compliments the beam of light that she is to this world. She is a crafty woman that humbly uses her gifts for the Lord. James is an absolute genius when it comes to technology and design. I think he’s probably just behind Jesus on the list of greatest carpenters, as well. Together, they could take on any challenge given to them through the youth ministry creative team and honestly, I think they could take on some of the world’s greatest superheroes as well. Watching them work together is absolutely inspirational. If you have every doubted God’s ability to hand pick two people for each other, your doubts will be demolished when you meet this pair. The most astonishing component of this story is that Jamie and James met at church when they were just 13 years old.

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” --2 Corinthians 6:14 

Though Jamie and James were not in a relationship with each other at the age of 13, they were in a much more significant relationship. Each of them had a desire to grow in a relationship with God at a young age. Years of youth group together passed, they continued to grow in their faith and pursue their college education, and met again at a bon fire over summer break in their college years. When they began dating, they also began making sacrifices including years of being in a very long distance relationship. The beauty of their relationship is that they were able to grow separately, but not apart. Through any trials or tribulations, they continued to look to God for answers and never considered breaking up.

Coming to the realization that God may place your future husband or wife in your life at this moment, does not mean that He has intended for you to begin a relationship with your significant other.

The right thing at the wrong time is still the wrong thing.

Growing in your individual relationship with God and praying that your future husband is pursuing a pure lifestyle and faithfully following God’s commands, will not only lead you to a love story like Jamie and James, but the love story that God wrote for your life.

My challenge to you is to pray for your future spouse and ask God to draw you closer to Him in times of loneliness, lustful temptations, and simply day by day in a healthy pursuit to a love story written by the Lord.  

Relationship Laws for Ladies Who Love God

If you have endured broken relationships and are in the process of becoming whole, it is very important to realize that you must have boundaries in which to live by in order to maintain the wholeness that you have received.  The Relationship Laws for Ladies who Love God are specific, detailed confessions that help capture the essence of your new found personal wholeness and how to go about maintaining it.  These “Laws” are intended to help you discern your motives for being in particular relationship, whether or not that relationship is consistent with your godly values, and most importantly, whether or not a relationship would enhance your wholeness or cause further brokenness.

1. I am rooted, grounded, fixed and founded in the Love of God, not a position, title, having “Mrs.” in front of my name, not money, my looks, being cute, being smart or being seen.

2. I respect myself enough to lay boundaries in all relationships personally and professionally.

3. I am complete and whole in God; therefore I do not need outside validation or vindication from a man to see how wonderful I am, what a great and lovely lady I am, or what good wife potential I am. I already know that I am all these. I don’t have to compromise myself or be in a jacked up relationship to prove it.

4. I am a very wise, honest, faithful person of integrity. I am loving and kind. I am wise enough to now realize that not everyone is like me; therefore I exercise sound judgment, wisdom and boundaries in my daily life, especially when it comes to men. I no longer naively assume that just because a man proclaims to be a Christian, a minister, a pastor, etc. that it means he has good intentions or is true. I realize that because a man can speak “Christianese”, knows the Bible, can pray and preach does not mean he is “THE ONE”. He still got to past the basic character tests of honesty and reliability. I know people by their fruit not by what they say.

5. I attract creative, exciting, supportive, positive, godly, faithful, visionary, smart and wonderful people, both males and females in my life. I can now be friends with a man without thinking “IS HE THE ONE?” I can enjoy male friendship without the foolishness of weird feelings and questionings. I can just be my best self and let God lead, guide and order my relationships. I have a full and abundant life.

6. I attract emotionally, mentally and spiritually whole people in my life now. I have no need to have unhealthy, sick malfunctioning men in order to prove anything or to be their Savior. I am not responsible for their burdens, sins, issues, and brokenness and healing. That is between them and Jesus. I will NOT relax my boundaries to accommodate their issues, thus damming up my own healing and blessings. Because I am fixed, helped and healed by Jesus, I no longer have the need to fix, help or heal a man. I am now complete in Christ and know who I am, a Daughter of the King, living in His courts and will not go beneath my place of being seated in heavenly places to roll around in the pigpen to help someone and get dirty and hurt. I no longer need to fix someone else to validate my self-worth and value as a good woman. I know I am good.

7. I live very gracefully, very poised, very well pulled together and am continuously working towards improvement and order. I will no longer tolerate chaotic individuals, with lots of mess and unresolved issues operating that will spill over into my life. Thus I maintain a higher level of peace and order in my life.

8. I attract whole men who I would compliment and who would compliment me. We are icing on each other’s cakes, not two half baked cakes, falling apart attempting to come together, making a bigger mess. I am a Whole Loaf. Therefore I will not scrape around begging, looking and expecting for crumbs from a man, or live off past stale crumbs. I no longer attract crumby men. I attract Whole Loaf Men.

9. I make note of and pay attention to ANY AND ALL, EVERY LAST SIGN OF ANYTHING THAT IS A TRUE RED FLAG in relationships. I can give people the benefit of the doubt, but I now am more sensitive and quickly take heed to warning signs and signals, because I have learned to trust myself. I have learned that if I am praying in the Spirit, staying in the Word of God, trusting Him to lead me that He is indeed truly doing that and I can truly trust that warning or check in my spirit. I only have close relationships with people whose walk equals their talk and whose words and actions match. If I see otherwise, I leave them alone.

10. I stay away from anyone who would attempt to cause me to compromise myself or values in any way, shape form or fashion. I flee from any individual or circumstance that conflicts with:
a. Godly laws, principles, values and morals, including sex before marriage
b. Common Sense and Wisdom
c. Cause immediate harm and damage
d. Cause emotional, mental, spiritual pain, anxiety, torment or turmoil
e. Compromise the call and purpose of God for my life

11. I stay in fellowship and accountable to people whom I know truly love and care about me and who will tell me the truth. I walk in reality and not fantasy. I am able to distinguish and discern truth. I immerse myself in the Word of God; I stay in tune with the Holy Spirit who is also known as the Spirit of Truth. I heed wise counsel, realizing that I do not know it all. I heed wise counsel even if it hurts my feelings and makes me mad at first. This means I stay humble.

12. I refuse to allow myself to be self-deceived in the name of Jesus because I am too proud, ashamed or embarrassed to face the truth about any situation. I no longer have to isolate myself in shame or embarrassment. I have nothing to hide anymore. I can live again.

13. I have no need to get in a man’s head, obsessing, analyzing, over thinking, and immersing myself in his world, trying to figure him out. It does not take all that. If it does, something is wrong.

14. I work for myself first. This means that I allow God to work in me and through me to #1, heal and restore me FIRST, then others. My work blesses ME FIRST, then others. This means that I will utilize the gifts and talents I have for God to benefit others and myself in a Healthy and Balanced way. This means that I will not allow myself to be used by someone in the name of fixing/helping/healing/proving/validating and following a fantasy and still left with nothing to benefit me. I am discreet and cautious and wise about giving of time, talents, money and myself to anyone not in my immediate family, but especially to a man without the true commitment.

15. I end relationships immediately when I can clearly see that it is not working. I learn the lesson and LET IT GO.


By Maria Breeden

Today's A New Day

By Carla Cannon

As a single woman I know what it’s like to long to be held, loved and cared for. I have been single for over two years now and it has not been an easy road however, what keeps me is my relationship with the Lord. I can remember experiencing one unhealthy relationship after another and finally I surrendered and told the Lord I would not go on another date until He released me to do so.

Sometimes we have to steal away and get to really know our first love, which is Jesus. We must know that God is our spiritual husband and until we can learn not to cheat on Him and be faithful to Him, we will never be ready for our earthly husband. The only reason I can speak with you about this is because I used to really struggle in my flesh and found myself in the sin of fornication as well as masturbation. It wasn't until I began to realize just how much sin pushed me further away from God that I no longer wanted that to separate me from Him.

We must understand that although God is a loving God, He also hates sin and that is what causes a barrier between Him and us. Now, understand we are not perfect and that is why His grace is sufficient however, we must truly repent and turn away from what was once a sinful nature to embrace the will of God for our lives and allow Him to teach us in His word how to live holy.

I know holiness is not a term that many of us especially as young women like to hear. But it is very necessary. I want to encourage you that no matter what took place on yesterday, know that today is a new day and you can begin again no matter how bad you may have previously messed up. Know that if you desire a mate, God will send one to you in His timing, but you must trust Him and know there is Power in Waiting.

I encourage you to get my new book: The Power in Waiting for in Chapter 4 I have entitled it Single But Not Alone and I dedicated this chapter to singles only. I openly share my previous struggles of battling being single and trying to live holy and also how I overcame in those areas. My book is now available on Amazon.com and will be sure to bless your life! I would love to hear from you feel free to email me at Carla@womenofstandard.org!

We Would Rather Have Ryan Gosling As Our Jesus

I used to cry myself to sleep all the time, desperately jealous of people in happy relationships. I watched friends and people on TV, and it seemed practically everyone but ME had someone. It made me a little obsessed with the movie “The Notebook,” too. Especially the rain scene – remember, when she finally finds out that he didn't stop writing and that “it wasn't over” for either of them? AH! 

I couldn't WAIT for the day I got my own Ryan Gosling – 6’2, blonde, chiseled perfection that would care about and fulfill my dreams, do whatever it takes to make me happy, and ALWAYS love me. 

Oh, and he’d love Jesus – small detail. Sure, I realized my expectations were a little high, but I just thought, here’s hoping! That would make me happy, and I wouldn't need anything else. But then, no guy lived up to my expectations.

But the problem wasn't really my ridiculous aspirations to find this nonexistent, perfect man. It was my expectation that a man, any man, could make me happy forever. Even a Jesus-lovin’ Ryan Gosling. But most of us women believe this with all of our hearts, and it’s not just Hollywood’s fault.

Let’s go back to the first story in the Bible. Most of us know it – God created a paradise and gave the first two people that He made one rule: Don’t eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. But Eve decided to believe a talking snake that there would be no consequences for disobeying, instead of believing the God she knew and loved. 

Adam apparently couldn't say no to his wife, and he went along with it too. So God cursed them both, and to the woman He said:

“I will greatly multiply

Your pain in childbirth, 

In pain you will bring forth children; 

Yet your desire will be for your husband, 

And he will rule over you.”

Ever paid attention to that curse, or asked what it means? It’s a story many have heard since birth, and for that very reason we never stop to question it – but it explains the very depths of our nature. That word “desire” in Hebrew means consume, as in, we want to consume the significant other in our lives. We want to be their everything, what they live for, who they need and depend on.

Think about Twilight – why are women so obsessed with it, no matter their age? It’s doubtful that it filled some secret fantasy of hooking up with vampires and werewolves. So what is it that appeals to us all on such an emotional level? Edward completely, irreversibly, falls for a totally average and unremarkable Bella. He can’t live without her, and he loves everything about her. Isn't that what we want? For someone to feel that way about us? We’re totally convinced that if we had someone like that, life would be perfect. 

It’s engrained in our very nature to crave a man who needs us, who like Jerry McGuire desperately cries out, “You complete me!”

But here’s the reality – no human being can complete you. If a person is all you need to complete you, then he’s your god. If you've already picked your god, then why would you need the God who created you?

I can tell you this much – I was single for the first 23 years of my life, and I mean totally single. Not a SINGLE boyfriend throughout high school or college. I was raised with the idea that I should never give my heart to someone I couldn't see myself marrying, and 99% of guys don’t grow up until their late twenties (and some not even then). 

Then, finally, God brought a guy into my life that met my expectations! He was attractive, fun, smart, and LOVED Jesus as much or more than anyone I had ever met! I thought, this was it, I won’t feel lonely anymore and he’ll make everything better in my life!

Then we got married, and yes – he’s the most wonderful gift God has ever given me outside of salvation. But…if he is my source of joy, security, and comfort, and something happens to him and he dies…my happiness gets buried six feet under in a hollow, wooden box. That’s dangerous to have to such a mortal, fragile god.

Even now, he’s not enough to make me feel totally full and satisfied in this life. Every time I start feeling really frustrated or depressed because he wasn't being romantic, or he wasn't making me feel valued, or meeting my needs, or whatever else, I always have to remind myself that he was never enough for me from the start. It’s not because he’s not an amazing husband – he is! But he’s human, not God! He’s simply not big enough to fill what’s empty and lacking in my life because only Christ Jesus can do that!

We are constantly trying to fill that emptiness – whether that’s with the mythically perfect man, or with whatever else that makes us feel valuable, known, and loved. We try to be righteous on our own, to be “good enough” for God or others to like us, admire us, appreciate us. We try to be hot enough; rich enough; popular, educated, accomplished, unique, awesome ENOUGH so we finally feel that we have and are everything that we want – and it’s exhausting!

But neither these things, nor the perfect significant other, can give us all this. I heard someone say today that we cannot become more significant, nor can we gain more significance by just trying harder or attaining more. Significance is given to us when we accept that God totally, deeply, powerfully, intimately, immeasurably loves us as we are, and that nothing we have done or can do can add to OR take away from that love. It is because of this great love that His Son died for us when we hated Him, rose from the dead, and gave us an opportunity to have a healed relationship with Him. 

So that kind of love that knows all of our deepest, darkest parts and finds us so incredibly worthwhile anyways; that never leaves us wanting more; that accepts everything we have or have not done and inspires us to do so much more; the kind we think we can actually find in a boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse – is only found in God.

You might not believe me, and you don’t have to. You can try chasing that man (or woman, for that matter) and try to stretch him from every side to the limit so that he fills that desperate need and desire deep in your soul. I’m just praying that every person who reads this – single, dating, or married – quickly discovers that no human being will satisfy you. I pray that you place all your bets on Him, because He will never let you down. Just chase Him with all your being. Psalms 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” – so put God’s promises to the test, and believe what He has told you! 

I can guarantee that He’ll make good on every word.

Emily Sledge is a 25 year old Longhorn alumni. She has her own tutoring business, and also enjoys being a foodie is Austin, Texas alongside her best friend and husband, Benjamin.