Reason to Rejoice

As young children and youth, many of us, even if we did not grow up in church, we heard and read about the story of Noah in the Bible.  You know, the ark, lots of rain, animals 2x2 and rainbows.  It's familiar to most people.  I have been studying the book of Genesis for awhile and there is so much more to the story than that.  Such powerful truths. It is sometimes hard to understand in our humanness why God would destroy the earth and everyone in it.  He stated in Genesis that He was sorry that He had created man.  There is a lot of speculation with this verse but I do not believe it is because He thought He had made a mistake.  God does not make mistakes.  I believe that He was merely trying to make a statement.  He was disappointed and that is putting it lightly.  The people were wicked and ungodly.  The bottom line concerning the flood and God's wrath is this:  no one died in an unjust manner.   So, after ...

I often hear people say that they wish they could go back and be a kid again.  I would not want to go back to my childhood to save my life.  It was less than pleasant much of the time.  The thing that got me through those tough years were people that God placed in my life.  I had so many amazing families that came along and made me feel just like their very own family.  I was in high school struggling through my business accounting class.  I had been attending a little church for awhile and I knew this sweet lady that went to church there was an accountant.  I was a little shy but I asked for her help anyhow.  I went to her house a few times for help and she was an amazing help with my accounting homework!  That was just the beginning of a wonderful relationship. When I was a senior in high school,  Audra asked me to move in with her.  She had two children - Rachael and Riley.  I would help with the kids and she would b...

I was a good kid.  You know like the kind that is deathly afraid of getting in trouble and will melt when you give me "the look."  I am the one that would rather have gotten a spanking than to be told that someone was disappointed in me.  I was a very sensitive child.  Was I perfect?  Heavens no.  I was a child. I have children.  Three of them.  Little girls.  Rambunctious little girls who fight and then love like there is no tomorrow.  My dream growing up was to have little girls.  I am so thankful that God has allowed me to have these girls.  They annoy me to no end but my heart skips 15 beats anytime I think something is wrong with them.  Daily I question my ability to be a good parent.  Minute by minute I wonder if I am doing it all wrong.  I pray that at least some of the things their dad and I are teaching them stick.  They make me crazy and I love them like there's no tomorrow. I can never ima...

Each year I try to make a post about the year before me and what I hope to accomplish in the coming year.  This  MIGHT be the only blog I posted the entire year!  Ha!  I would make a New Year's Resolution to do better, but somehow this is low on the priority list at this time in my life.  I love blogging but rarely find time for it. Anyhow, 2017 was a year of big things for me.  I quit working full time in April from a place that I loved in order to keep my sanity and change how I was treating those around me. Yes, I loved it but it was stressing me out to the point that I was taking out my stress on whoever came into my path. I went to work PRN starting in April but didn't really work on a regular basis until August.   I took my LCSW exam in July and passed it!!!!  YAY!!!  I now have the highest licensure that you can have a social worker.  That was 2 years in the making and I am uber proud!!   In October I to...

Two days in a row!!!  Crazy, huh?!  :) I have started reading a book that one of my closest friends recommended:   Messy Beautiful Friendship .  I am on page 38 and I think it is one of the best books I have ever read.  This lady knows me.  I want to quote something she said in her book and show you how beautifully it tied in with my Bible study for today. "When I am disappointed with my friendships and I take time to dig a little deeper in my heart, I inevitably find that I'm looking for my friends to relate to me as only God can.  I want God to give me good friends and when he has, I've been prone to shove him aside for the attention, wisdom, and companionship of those friends, despite knowing that they were intended as gifts rather than replacements.  People are not fillers for a present God, and God is not a placeholder for future friends." (Messy Beautiful Friendship, Christine Hoover, pg. 38) She goes on to describe how God has t...

Have you ever started working out and you have those aches and pains and wonder if it is really worth it all?  Your trainer keeps telling you to push through and the results will show up and you will be pleased in time?  The burn and the pain that you are going through you somehow know will be worth it, so you just keep at it. That is kind of how life feels sometimes.  Right now my life is sort of in this painful, dull ache of a time.  I can't really pinpoint the actual culprit but I know that God is doing something.  He is telling me that, in the end, it will be worth it.  Each time my heart feels that stab, I just keep telling myself that there is some purpose in it.  When my happy gets bumped and my feelings are on the bluer side, I simply let out a sigh and know that it will all be worth it.  I have to confess that this type of thing is hard for this girl.  I am an over-thinker and highly sensitive.  I can't say that each time I ...

You never change, you are the God you say you are; When I'm afraid you calm and still my beating heart. You stay the same, when hope is just a distant thought, You take my pain and you lead me to the cross What love is this, that you gave your life for me And made a way for me to know you And I confess you're always enough for me you're all I need I look to you, I see the scars upon your hands. And hold the truth, that when I can't you always can. And standing here beneath the shadow of the cross. I'm overwhelmed that I keep finding open arms. What love is this that you gave your life for me And made a way for me to know you And I confess, you're always enough for me You're all I need Jesus in your suffering you were reaching, you thought of me Jesus in your suffering you were reaching, you thought of me What love is this, that you gave your life for me And made a way for me to know you And I confess, you're always enough for me You're all I need Wha...

Every year I take some time to reflect on the previous year, and this year is no exception.  Two-thousand sixteen was a decent year and I want to take some time to remember the good things about the 12 months of this past year as well as the challenges that came my way. I started off my 2016 with the desire to be more like Jesus.  That is always where I begin.  Sometimes in my daily walk, I succeed in that pursuit, sometimes I do not.  The thing that I have realized this year is, regardless of my efforts or success, He still loves me.  It was a recurring them from January 1 through December 31.   Looking back on some of my social media posts from this past year, I came across this quote from Beth Moore, and I think it is worth repeating. "We can draw joy from Jesus.  Relief.  Laughter. We can gulp down hope when a moment is hard to swallow.  We can draw buckets from the bottomless well of His love so we can have something to give...

A dear friend of mine texted me this week and told me to listen to this new song by Casting Crowns - who I adore!!!!  This is just a great song!!!  I am posting the lyrics because they are awesome and I cannot find a link to the video yet, but everyone needs to download this song!  My favorite line in the song is "I hid from you haunted by my failure, and found a God whose grace still covers me." "God Of All My Days" I came to You with my heart in pieces And found the God with healing in His hands I turned to You, put everything behind me And found the God who makes all things new I looked to You, drowning in my questions And found the God who holds all wisdom And I trusted You and stepped out on the ocean You caught my hand among the waves ‘Cause You’re the God of all my days CHORUS: Each step I take You make a way And I will give You all my praise My seasons change, You stay the same You’re the God of all my days       ...

I started my very first Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study this morning.  I was very excited about this study because it is based on the new book by one of my favorite authors - Lysa Terkeurst.  The Bible study is about  living  loved when you  feel  left out, lonely, and less than.  The book is  Uninvited .  I have had the book for awhile but have hesitated getting started with reading it because I knew that it would hit hard and somewhere very deep.  I don't want that to sound like a "oh, poor pitiful me" statement because I am not wanting anyone to feel sorry for me.  I don't often feel uninvited or left out but it is the feeling loved part that I struggle with.  I have really really been battling this for about 2 years or so and even more so in the past year. This morning, we watched a couple of videos and had our first memory verse.  The memory verse was Colossians 3:12.  I am going to give it to you from the NLT...

What do you do when your husband takes your kids, all of them, to Arkansas for a week and you are left by yourself?  You do all of the things that you can't do when the kids are home, right?  You plan stuff every night.  You stay up super late and eat ice cream for dinner.  And watch movies that children's eyes can't see.  You have friends over and go to the movies, shop, and get pedicures.  That all sounds fun but I actually did not do ANY of that.  None of it.   At the end of the previous week, I posted about how my week was...well, less than what I wanted it to be.  And, I am not going to take that back, but it was actually a blessing in disguise.  At the end of that post, I said, "God is so good." And, you know what?  He is!  I wasn't trying to convince myself that He is good.  I believed it because I knew that, even in the midst of a crummy week, He had something in store for me that I could not see at t...

I feel like I spend my life asking the question "What if?" The fear of the unknown seems to be something that I struggle with more than I care to admit but why?  Control.  That is what I have decided that it all boils down to.  I want to be able to control every situation and know the outcome.   What if I knew the outcome before taking the action?  Would I make a different choice?  Perhaps. Maybe not.  Who knows.  The thing is....I would be able to control what happens.   I remember back to 2010 when I had surrendered and repented of a past sin and knew that I had to go and confess this sin to someone very close to me.  The days leading up to meeting with her were nearly excruciating.  I knew that I was doing the right thing by getting my heart right with God and not allowing satan to have the stronghold over this area of my life any longer, but I was so afraid of what this might do this relationship.  What I disti...

What I have learned this week is a lot of things that I likely already knew but I was reminded of from real life circumstances. I learned that life is hard. I learned that letting go of things can be uncomfortable and tricky but necessary. I learned that when your figurative plate is full, you have a tendency to drop it and break it, shattering everything on it in the floor. I was reminded that those that love you the most can hurt you the most. I learned that the closer you get to God, the more satan attacks where you are most vulnerable. I've learned that just when you think you have passed through the valley and are on the upward swing, another dark cloud can come. Perception is key and pride can destroy almost anything. People feel loved and give love in different ways and it is important to know the difference. I've learned....well, I've admitted that social media is a major source of anxiety for me. I've learned that I CAN live without social media. When things we...

The definition of trust is: belief that someone or something is good, honest, reliable, and effective. It is the assured  reliance  on the  character ,  ability ,  strength , or  truth  of  someone  or  something. It can also be defined as one in which confidence is placed.  Faith is a strong belief or trust in someone or something. The dictionary defines faith as complete trust. The Bible defines faith as  the "confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1)  Are these two things the same? Is one dependent on the other? That question may be for someone a tad smarter than me but I will tell you what I do know. I know that trust does not come easy for me. I know that hurt has been a real part of my life. I know that I don't like it. I know that I have walls. Tall ones. I know that I have a tendency to be cold towards people and not even realize it...es...

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose...that's how the saying goes, right? I think it is safe to say that someDAYS we win and someDAYS we lose...especially as parents. Y'all, if you are a parent you totally understand where I am today, I guarantee it.  As most of you know, I have three girls - ages 9, 7, and 14...oops, I mean 4. My girls are such a treasure to me. God's grace is not lost on me, especially when I look in the face of my beautiful children. But being a mom is the hardest thing I have ever done. Ever. I feel ill equipped, unworthy, frustrated, and just downright defeated sometimes. How can someone so small have so much power over you?!  The reason why we make ourselves crazy where our kids are concerned is because we want them to grow up and be decent, functioning people in society. I would love for my kids to become something productive one day...helping others and living as God would have them. It's my greatest desire to see my children come to the Lord a...

Even on the crummiest of days, God is still good!!  He gives us people in our life to remind us that He loves us!  Friends help us remember to laugh....even when all we want to do is cry.  A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17 God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve. Yes, today had some rough moments that reminded me that people are not always nice and that life is not always easy, but God is ALWAYS good!! I am so grateful for the friends He has given me. 💜💜 I love them dearly and I will NEVER take them for granted. Never. 

Flying?  Nah. I like it.  It doesn't bother me.  Actually, it is even a little bit thrilling.  I mean, the take off...sometimes that can really be a big rush!  Roller coasters.  The anticipation might turn my stomach but it isn't scary.  It is exciting!  I love the excitement of the twists and turns.  Bees.  Now, my husband, he has a fear of bees.  Well, any flying, stinging insect, really.  Not me.  Just walk past them, and for the most part, they won't bother you.  If they sting you, it...well, stings, and then it goes away.   fear :  an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.   I am afraid of spiders.  They are sneaky and creepy crawly.  I feel like they are just kind of out to get me.  Storms!  I am TERRIFIED of storms.  Fearful does not even begin to describe how I get during a bad storm, ...

Sometimes when it is almost super late-30, your FitBit is screaming at you regarding the fact that you have registered nearly 16,000 steps, and your alarm went off at 4:00 am summoning you to work out, the logical thing to do would be to go to bed.  Yes, that is what seems like the smart thing to do, but sometimes God lays a message on your heart that you feel like you need to share. **Besides, I was waiting up to see my friend, Candace, AKA ChewbaccaMaskMama, on The Late Late Show!!!  Is she not hilarious?!  So happy for her.** I cannot express how incredible the past few months have been for me.  There have been days that were so incredibly painful that I did not want to get out of bed, much less talk to anyone, but persevere I did.  No, nothing major has happened but I have struggled with emotional days that I cannot explain.  What keeps me going?  Joy that only comes from Jesus Christ.  My daily walk with God, my quiet time that speaks to ...