Hope that Came Near

Wrote this on Christmas day in a journal I have that was really burning in my heart to share: 

I think that for us more than anything our very HOPE was that Jesus came down and was born of human flesh. Our hope is that He makes a way for a hopeless situation to become the very thing that draws us to Him. Our hope is in God. The very thing we celebrate on Christmas, The birth of our Savior Jesus, yet so many of us still walk around defeated and hopeless. We sing the songs and do the motions and yet still see through the lens in an unreedemed perspective. If God gave His Son, to reconcile, to give us LIFE it doesn’t mean that was it. In ALL ways we are in the same measure exposed to the grace, redeeming Hope that first happened when our Savior Jesus was born. May I never stop seeing my situations with such an expectation for hope, life, and being redeemed. Because of the Hope and saving grace that came to US on that day of Jesus’s birth we have the ability to claim the promises of God and authority that was given to us through Him when he died for us. He gave Himself. What more could you ask or want to “run” by God to see if there is hope for you?? To see if what you are facing can be healed and restored? He GAVE. It really blows my mind thinking about that. That is the source of my hope.

“For God, was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself ALL things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the HOPE held out in the gospel.” 

Colossians 1:19-23

Life is a beautiful mess.  In our brokenness, in the depths of our darkest moments it is God who makes it beautiful. He can take our mess and make such a beautiful thing of it. God who sent His only Son to die for our sins.. just to even think about that fact that God would do that for us. God created us, He designed each one of us perfectly in His eyes. So many girls these days struggle with what beauty is. They feel they have to be a certain way or wear certain clothes. But that is not what beauty is.  “Your beauty should not  come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4 If we allow society to shape us and our perspective of beauty we will find ourselves never measuring up. Don’t allow the lies to become your reality. Talking from experience, one who was once not satisfied with my looks, the way that I was I AM FREED. I know who I am and how God see’s me. We are all His beautiful creation. Who can define beauty? Everything is beautiful in its own way.. look at nature. All of nature is beautiful, yet not everything in nature is all the same. Your most beautiful when we are fully embracing who God created you to be. Don’t hold back any longer, don’t live a life of any longer trying to please other people. Accept yourself for who you are, thank God that He chose to create you the way He did. For God is a God of love and joy. Anything in your life that does not come from that is not from God, its the devil offering you a counterfeit way. But to all those young lovely ladies out there, know how precious you are to God. He loves you, He smiles down at you and is waiting for you to discover all He has in store for you. 

Recently, there has been this picture I have had in my mind that can really relate to how I have been feeling in this season of my life. It’s simply getting through a storm and trusting God. And every time I think about this I picture it this way. A storm pounding down on us, rain, flashes of lightning, thunder hail ect. barely any visibility. Reaching out for some sort of central point or anything at all that I can gain visibility and focus from to be able to find something to run to for shelter. This “storm” can equate to anything that impairs our ability to hear God’s voice and see Him clearly in our lives. Even though we may not be able to see what is going on because of the chaos of life we can reach out our hand and He will take hold of it and will lead us. We don’t need to frantically search for shelter and a safe place, we just need to lift up our hands in surrender to God. He will meet us where we are at. We can’t escape the conditions but God will be our shelter and guide us out of the storm and into safety. All we have to do is be willing to let Him have control. There is nothing He can’t do because He has conquered it all. And nothing can interfere with His plans. 

Furthering this idea of trusting in the Lord’s guidance, I have been dealing with changes in my life. Changes that have happened so quickly and the things that God has been asking me to do that is such a step of faith and obedience that it really takes a ton of trust in where God is guiding me. I was searching for an answer, some clarity and I came across Luke 5 where we see the blessing of obedience. Jesus said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch”. Peter had been out there all night and had not caught one thing. So what Jesus was asking him to do made no sense, yet Peter threw his net in again.  Then we see in verse 6 what happened when he did, “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink”. There will be a time when He will ask us to move as well, to move our boat out into the deep water and let down our nets. It isn’t our job to question the way the Lord works, in fact He will not work in the ways you most expect. One thing God has really been laying on my heart from this is that obedience always has a blessing and many times when we are obedient those around us will join in the blessing. “For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simons partners”. Luke 5:9-10 People will start to see the works of the Lord, the changes and blessings in your life. God has been doing so much with mine so quickly that I know I have to keep strong and keep on with the race God has set before me. We aren’t supposed to figure it all out, but we are called to trust Him and be obedient and He will renew our vision, make our path clear and our nets full.

There is something beautiful that happens when we let go of who we are, and fall into the hands of our God who shapes and MOLDS us into who we weren’t meant to be! 

Kites are beautiful. I have always admired them when I see them down at the beach. The way they freely flow so high up in the sky. I once read in a book that used an analogy of how our relationship with God can be quite similar to the way a kite flies. Ever since then that idea has grown on me. If a kite is not controlled in the proper way, the freedom of the kite is short lived.  The kite will soon hit the water or something and be destroyed. A kite is most free when it is tethered by the string to the one flying it. Cut off from the string, it could not do what it was designed to do. Similarly, we are not free when we are on our own, untethered from the one who created us and unable to do what he designed us to do. If we are not truly tethered to God, we will drift off to the road of certain destruction. Consider.. what is the driving force of your life? At the end of the day, what is it that gives you security and rest? Life can be a wild ride, but even when it seems out of control as long as God is the one you are connected to nothing can destroy or interfere with the freedom He has FREELY given you. We truly live when we allow Him to be in control of our lives.

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world”

-C.S. Lewis

Gods Healing

With all the doubts in this world, different views of Christianity

Does this all make sense? Is there a Savior, a Healer? Or are we all being titled as insanity?

No- Oh no Lord. You make Yourself known.

You know me inside and out. Father, You call me Your daughter and Your proud of me

Although there were times in my life I couldn’t see, I was blinded by pain, anxiety, lust and jealousy

Sin took over me.

I needed a way out, yet I still thought I was in control.

I could handle this on my own.. Or at least I thought so.

All I ever thought I knew, everything and anyone I ever depended on had done me wrong,

This one disappointment from someone else, made me start to DOUBT myself

I was finding my strength in other people. They were my foundation the ones I looked to see if I approved, if I was accepted if I was loved and valuable.

All the things that God already see’s me as.

My heart was being shattered..

 I honestly can say I really felt like I did not matter..

And let me say, depression is the darkest place one can be, it is the perfect place and tool of the enemy –who tries to win you over with his crafty lies

Make you feel worthless

Make you feel like you want to die.

But God shines light in darkness,

Where there is LIGHT… there can be no more darkness

That was when I was renewed. Not when I found my OWN ways of pleasure for taking my pain away

But when I was in my deepest darkest moment, so vulnerable and so broken..

God pieced me back together.