FRIEND FRIDAY | TAYLOR WASHINGTON

Friends, allow me to introduce my friend Taylor Washington!

I have loved getting to know her the past year and have enjoyed learning from her as a godly woman and as a mama. God placed on my heart a group of specific women to feature this summer and I asked them to write a story of freedom, victory, and breakthrough. This world needs hope. The kind of hope that is found in Jesus. The way that He redeems us is so personal and perfect to us individually.

I pray that as you read these stories this summer, you will be inspired to allow Jesus to come and heal all the broken parts of your soul. Thank you Taylor for being vulnerable enough to tell your story and for allowing me the opportunity to bless you with this photography of you and your amazing boys. I cherish your wisdom, prophetic voice, and friendship. Can't wait to watch as you go from glory to glory!

Jesus isn't looking for the perfect woman. He is looking for a willing woman. A woman that is willing to tell her story and testimony of God's goodness in the midst of hard times and of good times.

Hello! My name is Taylor Washington. I am my Father’s daughter, a wife to Steven Washington, a mother to two cutie patootie boys, and I’m finally FREE! I’ve never felt this carefree, or confident, or womanly, or powerful before. (that sounded like an ad for feminine products…but let’s continue) I am learning what it means to be Taylor, and it feels goooood.

Before I start to sound too self-indulgent, allow me to explain 😊.

Since I was a young child, I’ve always struggled with the desire to be seen. I wanted the adults who I respected to look at me as though I was wise beyond my years and able to keep up with their conversation. When my parents hosted events for church leaders at our home, I tried my best to find a way to sit at the “big” table with the adults. While the other kids were busy playing outside, I was more concerned about soaking up every word being spoken by those in authority.

I wanted so badly to be accepted by adults that I would sometimes chime in on their conversations, acting like I knew exactly what they were talking about so that they would treat me like an equal. Big surprise…it never worked! They saw right through my flashy facade and often laughed me off.

When I became a teenager, I learned that I could impress people with how Christian I was.

Eeww!

I’m literally cringing thinking back on this phase, but it’s part of my story so I’m putting it out there!! I signed up for every mission trip, went to every pre-service prayer meeting, joined the worship team, served as a small group leader, and the list goes on y’all. If someone was standing next to me praying in the spirit, you better believe I was going to pray louder! I didn’t want anyone looking at me like I was a chump!! Apparently, I wasn’t the spiritual juggernaut I thought I was.

During one of our youth services (I must have been 14), our pastor called all the leaders to pray over those who wanted to receive the gift of speaking in tongues. Out of the desire to prove myself as a leader, I turned to a boy next to me and loudly prayed over him to receive the Holy Spirit. What I expected to hear was the language of angels preceding out of his mouth. What I actually heard was him yelling back at me, “Ooooooo Willy Wonka Tonka Willy Wonka Tonka”.

It turns out that loud, self-serving prayers aren’t effective ministry tools, go figure.

Fast forward to me as a wife and mother and I was still dealing with a striving spirit.

I was striving to be recognized and striving for position in my job and marriage. I had accomplished all of my hopes and dreams (marriage, working in ministry at a church, having children) and I was ready for new dreams. Unfortunately, my dreams were still made of selfish things like accolades and titles.

I knew God had given me spiritual gifts, but nobody could see them! In my mind, I was this sage of a woman who just needed an opportunity to show off her God-given talents! Knowing I was supposed to be in full-time ministry, I waited for years for my bosses to notice the strengths in me. I waited and waited and kept waiting, firmly believing that if I just stayed submitted, someday someone would notice me and promote me.

Then one day, the Lord in His kindness brought an opportunity my way. It wasn’t the flashy, recognizable promotion I had been looking for. It was an opportunity in the form of obedience. I’ll let you in on a little secret that I had to learn the hard way: OBEDIENCE IS THE KEY TO LOCKED DOORS IN YOUR LIFE.

There was a woman who served at the church every week by helping me complete office tasks that I couldn’t finish on my own. On this particular day I felt the Holy Spirit guiding me to pray for her. Keep in mind that although I was raised in church and should’ve been comfortable with this request from the Holy Spirit, I was very nervous. Sure, in my mind I was a great spiritual warrior, but I hadn’t ever put my self-image to the test. That would’ve meant actually disciplining myself!

As the day went on I continued to be convicted by the Holy Spirit. Before she left I couldn’t bear it anymore and I asked to pray for her. Surprised by my question, she said yes, and I proceeded. This was the very first time in my life where I knew I was out of my league. I had no prophetic word for her, just an unction to pray, so I humbled myself and obeyed. I then laid my hands on her and prayed what I considered to be a relatively passive prayer, nothing fancy. I even thought to myself, “I hope one of the pastors doesn’t walk this way. I don’t want them to hear my pitiful prayer.” (jeeeeez I was such a poser!! So embarrassing…thank God for his grace) To my shock and awe, tears started flowing from her eyes.

When I finished she looked at me as she wiped away her tears and said, “No one has ever prayed for me in person”. I was even more shocked!! Here was a woman who served weekly at the church and had been a Christian for years, but no one had ever taken the time to pray for her.

Right then and there I was filled with new revelation. It wasn’t about how powerful my prayer was or how eloquent my words were, it was about the simple act of obedience.

All of a sudden, I came into a deeper understanding of what The Bible means when it says, “Surely obeying is better than sacrifice”. I had sacrificed so much of my life serving in the ministry, giving of my time, my money, and studying scripture. I knew all there was to know about being a Christian, but knowledge and wisdom are two different things my friends.

This small gesture of obedience towards God radically changed my life and taught me what I already knew logically but had never actually experienced: a real relationship with God requires obedience.

Since that moment, God has opened up heaven to me in ways I only dreamed of. The past 3 years have been a wonderful whirlwind of learning about my Heavenly Father, and what he is really like in person! I have seen the face of Jesus and I would follow that face to the ends of the earth, and beyond if he took me there!

The chains of striving have been broken over my life and I no longer feel the need to make myself look good to anyone. The freedom this brings me is unexplainable and comes out of me in big ways as well as small. Spiritually, all my innocence has been returned to me and I can speak into people’s lives without fear of rejection or getting it wrong. I feel the most confident and strong when I am being obedient to use the gifts God has given me.

Practically, all the material things I worried about before don’t bother me anymore. Doing my makeup every day and wearing picture-perfect clothing was a way for me to say, “Look at me! I’m dressing for the job I want! I’m important because I know how to put myself together!” Now I love my natural face because it’s God’s creation. I still wear makeup occasionally (because it’s fun 😊) but most days I come to work with nothing on my face but Shea Butter.

You do not need a promotion in order to reach more people, and you do not need recognition to be known.

Trust me, once you see yourself the way God sees you, you don’t care how much other people know you anyways. They can’t possibly ever know you as deep as your Heavenly Father. The old me would’ve taken weeks to write this paper due to the second, third, and fourth draft I would’ve inevitably created behind the scenes, hoping to only show the world my best self. The new me relishes in typing out my words exactly how my brain thinks them and laughs at the places where I might be showing my weaknesses as a writer.

You know why?

Because I just don’t care about pleasing “the audience” in my life anymore!!! I only want to follow His voice and be in the midst of what He is doing. I am free from striving to make you see me, and I’m content in knowing that God is walking with me hand in hand, loving all of me, empowering me to bring His Kingdom to earth, every minute of every day.

#friendfriday