Posts by traceymetzger

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Shrunk, stretched and scratched!

April 25, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by

Still harping on the Alice in Wonderland theme…

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At one point in Alice’s journey when she consulted with Absolom, the Blue Caterpillar, about which way she should go, he answered her sharply saying,
“I can’t help you if you don’t even know who you are,
 stupid girl.”
Ok, so that was a little harsh but there was truth in what he said.  You cannot know where you are going until you know who you are. 
It is most important on this journey of life to establish who we are; perhaps even more important, is to know where we derive our sense of self from.  If we don’t, we run the risk of falling prey to the pressure of other people’s standards and hopes for us rather than charting our own course.
This is definitely a process, one that we must keep revisiting throughout our life.   Every different stage of life presents new challenges and new temptations to let outside influences define who we are, how we feel about ourselves, and where we are going. 
It is usually when we are completely fed up with trying to measure up to the world’s standards or the opinions of others (no matter how well-meaning they are) that we really dig in to find out who we are and where we should be going.
I love how Alice expressed herself in the movie when she finally reached her breaking point.  She said, exasperated:
“From the moment I fell down that rabbit hole I’ve been told where I must go and who I must be. I’ve been shrunk, stretched, scratched, and stuffed into a teapot. I’ve been accused of being Alice and of not being Alice but this is *my* dream. *I’ll* decide where it goes from here.”
Oh my goodness!  Can anyone relate?? I have felt exactly that way before with the possible exception of being stuffed in a teapot, although I’ve definitely felt like that too!
Alice finally decided that she was her father’s daughter and she was going to let that be her guide. She was going to begin following her own instincts.
This is something I have recently really come to embrace.  The fact that, because I have the spirit of God living inside me, I can depend on Him to guide my every decision and not stress out about whether or not I am veering off the “right” path. Here are a few verses that I rely on. 
Acts 17:28 says (and I love this…)
“In Him we live and move and have our being.” 
That pretty much sums it up.  That is where we live and how we move…IN HIM.  If you know that…if you really know that, and base your decisions on that reality ~ it will guide your every move.  
And one final promise to tuck deep inside your heart ~ Isaiah 30:21
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

So trust His voice and get on with your journey!! The best is yet to come.

Have you lost your muchness?

April 24, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by
When Alice arrived in Wonderland for the second time there was some debate about whether or not she was “the” Alice that they were all waiting for.  They were anxiously anticipating her return because they knew that she was going to be the White Queen’s champion on the Frabjous Day making things right in their world by defeating the Jabberwocky.
Yes, I realize this all sounds a little bit ridiculous but stick with me for a minute.
When she meets up with the Mad Hatter he immediately assures his friends that she is indeed “the” Alice.  He says that he would know her anywhere.  But after being with her for a little while he notices her reluctance to slay the Jabberwocky, a feat that would save them all from the terror of the Red Queen’s rule. He notices that she no longer has the fighting spirit she once had.  This is how he tells her.
He looks at her sadly and says, “You’re not the same as you were before.  You were much more…muchier.  You’ve lost your muchness.”
It is a funny way to put it…but have you ever felt that way?  Like you have lost your muchness? Life has beaten you down, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t muster up the energy to keep getting back up? But deep down inside you just know that your muchness is still there somewhere!
This is point where Alice was when the light went on and she began to realize that the people of Wonderland needed what she had to offer.  That light began to grow inside of her pressing her forward.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 puts this idea into context for us.
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.  Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
And so regardless of our present circumstances we must reach down deep and get our muchness back because the world is waiting for it!
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.  2 Cor. 4 16-18

Around the bend

April 23, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by

My daughter and I recently cuddled up on the couch and watched Tim Burton’s 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland, with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. I’ve seen it before but for some reason this time I saw so many parallels to the journey of life and faith. So,  I thought it would be fun to write about them this week.

From the opening exchange between Alice and her father I was hooked.  Alice was having nightmares and delusions and asked her father if she had “gone round the bend.” His response was, ““I’m afraid so…you’re mad; bonkers. Off your head…but I’ll tell you a secret…all of the best people are.”

I have always had affection for people that are just a little wacky.  Wackiness is often indicative of an eccentric personality or an entrepreneurial spirit both of which I find inspiring and fascinating.

I found Alice so endearing. Perhaps I identified with this unconventional and often defiant young girl and her quest to become all that she was meant to become.  It was not an easy journey to say the least, but one with many twists and turns, much like life.  I loved her spunk and tenacity.  She was not always sure of who she was, nor was she confident that she had what it would take to fulfill her destiny, yet she displayed an enormous amount of courage from the very beginning.  It was her courage coupled with curiosity that led her down the rabbit hole to ultimately discover her identity.  And every step of the way she was becoming more and more her self.

Alice had a sense that there were great things in store for her.  She carried her father’s free spirit inside of her but she was being pressured to settle for a life of convenience.  However, just in the moment that she was “supposed” to accept the marriage proposal that would “supposedly” mean that she would be taken care of financially and live a carefree life, a rabbit in a waistcoat showed up and challenged it all.  She recognized the interruption as an invitation to embark on an adventure. Instead of settling for the status quo, she followed the rabbit all the way to Wonderland where she would realize an inner strength and resolve that she didn’t even know she possessed.

I think we all have times in life when we may be tempted to settle for the path of least resistance or the less scary option. But we have our Father’s spirit inside us pushing us to believe for the impossible.

Alice’s father in an opening line in the movie said, “The only way to achieve the impossible, is to believe it’s possible.”

Is there a path you should be following even if it goes against all reason?  Is the Holy Spirit nudging you to follow Him down a particular road?  Say “Yes!” to the invitation to embark on the adventurous life of faith marked out for you. It’s only impossible if you believe that it is.

Start here.

April 20, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by

Start Here.

For months I had been having visions of starting something.  For years actually. I could see it. I could taste it. I was growing more and more impatient.

I knew that there were lots and lots of women struggling just like me to find their place.
I had just been through a very trying time of feeling like I had lost, or was losing, my identity.  It lasted longer than I would have liked, but through the process, I felt awakened to the suffering of other women. We all face challenges maintaining our identity because of all the different hats we wear.  Coming through the experience, I felt called to take what I had learned through the process and reach out to others that may be struggling.  I was a woman with a mission burning inside of me, and I was ready to go out and change the world. 
But instead, I was working as a Marketing Director for my husband’s business.  I knew he needed me there, but I could feel myself itching to move on and start living out what I now believed was my “calling.”  I became very frustrated.  I didn’t understand why I felt so impassioned to reach out to women of all ages and walks of life and start this ministry when I was not free to do so.
On my way to work one day I vented my frustration to God.  The whining session sounded something like this:  “I just don’t get it.  You’ve given me this passion, but I feel like my hands are tied. I just wanted to get started.” And I felt Him challenge me by saying, “So start.”
I started to list the reasons why I couldn’t, and I heard that still small voice say, “Start right where you are.”  I thought about it for a bit and realized that I was surrounded by women every day and that I could look for opportunities to encourage someone right where I was.  I adjusted my attitude and asked God to give me an opportunity that day to do what I believed He was calling me to do in my current situation.
When I got to work I overheard a conversation that a young girl that worked for us was having with our manager. The young worker was disrespectful, and I needed to step in.  I asked her if I could speak with her and gave her some gentle instruction about submitting to authority even if you don’t agree with everything they say or do.  I told her God would honor that and it would serve her well to learn that lesson now.  (I had the liberty to do that because I knew that she was a believer and was striving to live by biblical principles.)
She didn’t looked thrilled with me, but before I left that afternoon, she asked if she could speak with me.
She shyly said something to this effect, “Every time I am around you, I feel like I learn something.  Do you think it would be possible for us to meet outside of work for coffee every now and then just to talk?”
That was the day I learned the “Start Here” principle. No title. No logo. No fanfare. I just needed to start.
Can you relate?  Are you there right now?  I’d love to hear your story! 
Feel free to leave a comment!

Excuses, Excuses

April 19, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by

I have a lovely flower garden.  But I didn’t always.

Before I decided to get intentional about making my garden look nice, I would just wish that I had one.  I wished I could just close my eyes and *poof* a beautiful garden appear.  But great gardens don’t just happen.

In my wishing stage I would see other people’s gardens and find myself being jealous.  And then I would make excuses. A list of reasons why I didn’t have a nice garden.  I decided that there was something wrong with the soil in my front yard. Every time I planted flowers, they would inevitably shrivel up and die.  So I blamed the full sun exposure of my yard. Excuses, excuses.

Last month, I decided to trash the excuses and get serious about finding out what it would take to have a thriving garden.  That was step one.

STEP ONE: Stop making excuses!

So let’s apply this principle to life.

Is there something in your life that you have been dreaming of doing? Do you see someone else pursuing their dream and find yourself being envious that you are not living yours?  Do you have a gift that you could be sharing with the world that you are not using? Do you find yourself making excuses for why you are not stepping out?

If the answer is yes to any of the above, then it’s time to stop making excuses.  There is a difference between a reason and an excuse. If you really peel back the so called “reasons” that you can’t pursue your dream, you will most likely find that they are actually excuses in disguise.  People that really want to do something will go out of their way and overcome incredible obstacles in order to do it. We read inspiring stories about them all the time. I would like to encourage you to make a list of your “reasons” why you cannot move forward with your idea or your dream and scratch out the ones that are really excuses in disguise.

Every dream, no matter how big, starts with one small step.

What is that one step that you need to take today to start moving in the direction of your dream?

Food for thought:  “Not enough time” and “not enough money” are both excuses.

Tomorrow, I’ll share my personal experience with this step. Hope you’ll check back.

Have a wonderful day!

Great gardens don’t just happen!

April 18, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, 
bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept.”

I have been doing a lot of gardening lately. This is a fairly recent passion. The more I get into it the more I have seen so many parallels to life.

My gardening endeavor coincided time-wise with preparing for our Girls Night Out that we had this past Monday evening.  The topic of the evening was a serious one ~ Human Trafficking, specifically sex trafficking.  It is not a pleasant topic yet it is important that we talk about this and don’t ignore what is going on right under our noses, in our city, on our watch. (and not just our city ~ lots of cities and even small towns)

According to the Clearwater Area Task Force on Human Trafficking’s website recent studies estimate that approximately 18,000 to 50,000 people are trafficked into the United States annually with Florida being one of the top 3 destination states.

And so if we look at our community as our “garden” and we want to bring out the God-colors in our corner of the world, we must do what every gardener has to do when they get started.

We must CLEAR, CREATE and COMMIT.

We must clear the garden of the things that are choking or eating away at the potentially beautiful plants and flowers.  The Task Force is working hard to do that along with the lawmakers and concerned citizens that are aware and looking for signs, calling the hotline with potential leads.

We must create safe and nurturing environments for the flowers and plants to grow.  We must make sure the soil that they are planted in is rich with nutrients.  Organizations like Created and Bridging Freedom are doing just that.  Making sure that the victims that are rescued have a safe place to recover and rehabilitate.

We must commit to caring for our plants and flowers.  We cannot expect to plant flowers in the ground and just expect them to thrive.  They need water, fertilizer and light! If we want to see change we must commit to helping in someway.  Everybody can do something.

Our evening ended with this song.  If you have time, have a listen.

COMING UP:  I will be expounding on the gardening theme but how it applies to our personal lives and dreams…stay tuned 🙂

Good Friday thoughts

April 6, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by

I remember Good Friday being a big deal when I was a little girl.  My grandmother made fish (which I wasn’t crazy about and didn’t understand the significance of) and we went to church.  Over the years it seems like Good Friday does not get the kind of attention it did then.  We attended a Lutheran church when I was little. Maybe the Lutheran church still makes a big deal of it.

Anyway, I have just been thinking today about what a very big deal it really is.

It was the day it all changed.

The day that salvation came.
The day that redemption was set in motion.
The day of justification and pardon.
The day of freedom for you and for me.

There is a Redeemer, 
Jesus, God’s own Son,
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, 
Holy One!

Thank you, oh my Father
For giving us Your Son,
And leaving Your Spirit, 
‘Til the work on Earth is done. 
(Excerpt from “There is a Redeemer” written by Melody and Keith Green)

There is still so much work to be done.  So many broken people in need of hope.  I find myself this Good Friday challenged to be a messenger of hope. The hope that Jesus died to bring.

I love this conversation between Jesus and his disciples just before he died:

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” 

And since we are children of the light everyone of us must let His light shine. 

Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice ~ help me to let your light shine.

Never Give Up. Ever.

March 26, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by

The vision of For the Girls International was born in the middle of one of the darkest times of my life.  At the time I didn’t really know it was a vision.  It just seemed like an odd thought.  Very odd.  The depression was the result of some physical issues with my thyroid combined with a lot of emotional stress.

It was the year I was turning 40 and my oldest son was graduating high school and preparing to leave for college.   It sounds a little ridiculous to even write but I was just not ready for any of that. It seemed like one day he was my little boy and then poof ~ he was a young man and would be leaving me!  I wasn’t ready to move into the phase of life where all my children were not sleeping safely under my roof.  I don’t know what I thought “ready” would look or feel like, I just knew that I wasn’t ready.  On top of that my grandfather who I loved dearly was dying. I was trying to be there for my grandmother and help walk her through the pain of losing her life and soul mate. It was a rough time. It didn’t seem like enough to throw me into the darkness that I was in but in addition to the physical and emotional challenges of life there is always a spiritual element too.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us:
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

It is not a pleasant subject but it is a reality that we must be aware of.  We have a God that loves us and delivers us but we also have an enemy that hates us and wishes to destroy us. Our adversary is constantly on the prowl to see who he can kick while they are down.  He uses lies fired at our minds to try to convince us that God has forgotten about us or is not loving because He is allowing us to go through a valley experience.  But the truth is our enemy is powerless.  The truth is God is aware of every circumstance we are in and intends to use what we learn through those experiences to strengthen our faith.  We in turn can use those faith building experiences to encourage and influence those around us to have strength on their journey.  And so faith and strength multiplies through the hardest times of our life.  


We must be alert and realize that we have an enemy so that we don’t fall prey to his lies and temptations.  Then we must rely on our Redeemer to rescue us and lift us out of the darkness as He promises that He will.  1 Peter 5:10 tells us:


“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

This sounds a little heavy for a Monday morning but praying that someone needed to hear it!  
The darkest hour is just before the dawn. NEVER GIVE UP!

Resolve to BE FEARLESS!

March 19, 2012 / in Resolve / by

I remember the first time I was asked to speak to a group about my experience with depression.

I said yes.  And then, almost immediately, I regretted it.

Fear began to creep in.  I was afraid of what people would think of me.  I wasn’t sure I wanted people to know about my weaknesses and frailties. I was afraid that they would think less of me.

At that time, besides my husband and my sisters only a few very close friends knew what I had been going through.  It’s not something you really want to talk about. The reason I had said yes to speaking was because during that depression I had felt God open my eyes to the suffering around me. I had a profound sense that I was not alone and that there were many others that didn’t speak of it but were in pain. I thought that if even one person was encouraged by my story then it would be worth it.  And I was right about that.

But it was still scary. A few weeks before the event  the women’s pastor was announcing the conference in a service and right out loud in front of 1000+ people she announced that Tracey Metzger had just been through several months of depression and would be speaking about it at the conference. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.  Why had I said yes??

Putting yourself out there can be terrifying but if God is calling you to do something, whether it is making yourself vulnerable like that or just taking that first step towards your dream…if he is calling you he will equip you with the boldness and the courage you need. 

I made a resolution back then that if God was calling me to do something scary that I would resolve to be fearless and if I couldn’t be fearless then I would do it afraid!

I did speak at that conference. It was scary but not as as scary as I had imagined it would be.  I was humbled by how many people came to thank me for the glimmer of hope they had found in my story.

I love what Mordecai told Esther when she was afraid to step into the position that God had ordained for her:

“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 

By stepping into that place that God had prepared for her and prepared her for, Esther saved her people. Remember that you are part of God’s big picture and we all have a role.

What is God calling you to do that may be a little scary to you?

Make a resolution today to BE FEARLESS or at least to do it afraid!

Keep running!

March 16, 2012 / in Uncategorized / by

A few years ago I was preparing a message for one of our conferences.  It was based on Hebrews 12:1 about running our race with perseverance.  I was praying that God would lead me to the resources I needed to gather information for my talk.

Soon after praying, I got an email from a friend who is a fitness instructor and she was offering to train a group of women to run a 5K.  Something in my head said, “There’s your resource ~ you should train for the 5K.” I promptly ignored the voice and clicked out of the email.

That was not the kind of resource I meant.  I meant books, or articles.  Something that I could read from the comfort of my couch.  I strongly dislike any form of physical exercise and to make matters worse the training would be at 6:00am!! I dislike getting out of bed early in the morning almost as much as I dislike physical exercise.

A few days went by and I could not ignore the prompting so I conceded and signed up for the training.

When I was in school people would always think, because I have long legs, that I am a runner.  But I am not.  My legs just don’t work that way.  I have weak ankles and no stamina.

But I made it a goal to finish the 5K.  The first day we just did one lap around her neighborhood and I was pretty glad I did that without passing out.  I could not imagine that I could ever accomplish much more than that.  But Jenni, my trainer, encouraged me that I would build strength and endurance as I went along.  I would have been happy to settle for being able to run a few laps around her neighborhood but she kept pushing and to my amazement I was able to complete the race.

God may be calling you to something that you feel like is stretch for your current ability and skill set.  They dream that he’s given you may overwhelm you at times and it may tempting to settle for less.

But be confident of this ~

 “…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
 Phillipians 1:6
As you keep moving forward towards your goals and dreams God will give you just what you need for every step of the journey.  So keep running!
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