Her heart’s desire was to be an undercover FBI agent. People giggle every time she mentions it. Now Tammy Whitehurst focuses on joy for life’s journey and making people smile.
“There’s nothing undercover about me,” laughs Tammy, “I’m Texas raised, Jesus saved, and loving all things cheetah. That’s my forte color so the FBI route probably would not have been the route I should have gone.”
Not long ago, Tammy spoke at a banquet for CARE, Christ-centered Abortion Recovery and Education. Despite her serious topic, laughter filled the banquet hall. She reminds us joy and laughter accompany forgiveness and grace.
In this episode, Tammy shares about learning from her first audience—middle school students! Even though God changed her classroom, Tammy still loves encouraging fellow-educators. To find more podcasts, go to Fireside Talk Radio, here.A New Heart
Tammy became a Christian at twenty-six. At thirty she had heart surgery.
“I began to have a series of TIAs,” says Tammy. “I ended up in the emergency room.”
The mini-strokes got her attention. (For more on maintaining your physical and emotional health, click here.) An implant restored her beautiful physical heart to proper functioning, but God was doing another procedure on her inner heart, too.
“It’s at that point the Lord began to change my heart into speaking to women’s groups, at conferences and retreats. He was beginning to show me He can work through every problem that we could possibly have.”
Communication: Waves of Positive Impact
Tammy now co-owns Christian Communicators with Lori Boruff. (To hear our interview with Lori, click here.) Together, the two ladies train an elite group of speakers each year at an annual conference. In a small group setting Christian Communicators focuses on launching exceptional women who are poised to reach a larger audience with their message. Naturally, this means their influence is rippling out in waves of positive impact.
All the while, Tammy speaks to a wide variety of audiences all over the United States. Each week finds her traveling to some location near and far. With so much success and many leadership roles, I asked Tammy how she manages it all.
Calm in Chaos
“All successful women struggle to find the ‘calm in the chaos’. When the kids are bickering all the time and schedules are jam-packed. They have dishes and laundry are piled up,” Tammy explains. “They wonder how they are ever gonna get done what they need to get done.”
When we feel overwhelmed, as we all do sometimes, Tammy encourages women to root out any perfectionism. Perfectionism short-circuits our lives. (To find more Joy for the Journey, click here to discover the weekly—often hilarious—podcasts, Tammy and co-host Lauren Reeves create.)
Fighting the battle to break free of perfectionism can be an ongoing struggle for successful women everywhere. How do we find the “calm in the chaos”?
“Instead of arthritis, I often suffered with ‘Marth-itis,’” Tammy laughs, referring to the Bible’s most organized lady, Martha. “We never find calm in the chaos of perfectionism.” Perfectionism makes us less productive and more stressed. It’s okay to let the unimportant stuff all through the cracks.
Busy-ness is Not a Spiritual Gift
“I wrote an article, Oh gosh, several years ago called ‘Busy-ness is Not a Spiritual Gift.’ That’s when I really began to unwrap what perfectionism looked like.” Tammy describes letting go of her perfect checklist and letting God give her life direction.
These days she wakes up and reports to God for duty, trusting Him for the day’s priorities. “I like the fact that life now is so much more relaxed.” (For more on how sassy faith looks, check out our interview with Michelle Adams here.)
“Whenever we begin giving Him every mistake and every mess we’ve ever made, He gives us the Messiah. I think the reason Messiah is spelled m-e-s-s-i-a-h is because of all the messes we can get in,” she adds with a laugh.
Letting God make miracles out of our messes includes trusting Him, according to Tammy. If your life feels messy with new challenges around educating your kids, click here, for free Camp Krafve Lesson Plans.)
“It’s truly amazing what God can do with our lives. He can give us that sense of significance.”
Coming Soon
I loved what Tammy had to say as she shared her story. For next week, I asked her a ton more questions in a podcast and blog we’re calling Perfectionism Ain’t Pretty.
Because we love you, dear listening and reading friend, our goal is to make Tammy’s powerful and freeing message easy to share with those you love. Please share it with your friends.
Additionally, I’m thrilled to introduce you to a nationally known expert on Domestic Violence. This is a topic often overlooked in churches. Of course, the first and most important safe spot for women who suffer in silence with an abusive spouse is her church.
Sadly, many Christian women don’t know how to get free from domestic violence. You’re going to love the practical suggestions Paula Silva makes to help your church be a safe refuge. (A special anonymous shout out to the beloved friend who connected me to Paula. Thank you, dear one!) Do not miss Paula’s life-changing insight coming soon right here!
May We Pray Together?
Dear good Father, we love You. Your perfect nature and goodness permeate every aspect of life. Your perfect forgiveness frees us. In Your perfect love, we rejoice in our humanity. Your divinity shines in our humanity when we trust You. Our messes become a creative masterpiece in Your beautiful redemptive power. We praise You now. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
We LOVE to Hear from YOU!
How has perfectionism cost you friendships? When you notice perfectionism traumatizing a friend, how do you offer comfort? What truths do you speak to your heart to cherish your value to God?
Cathy Krafve, Columnist, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, and Christian Writer, invites your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com. Truth with a Texas Twang.
