Season changes are difficult, especially in the south. Transitioning from winter to spring brings the expected allergies with fresh cut grass and pollen floating around every corner. Or the peanut dust that looms in the air during harvesting season as we transition from fall to winter. Past our health issues comes the difficulties of attire. While it might be December in Alabama, you could very well be rocking your t-shirts and shorts with Christmas coming up in a week. Rarely do our seasons follow the temperature changes as accurately as they are supposed to! How do we put away our sweaters if at Easter time we could possibly be shivering in our new sleeveless dresses and heels?
Season changes in life are even harder than those concerning the weather. It seems as though since I have entered into my senior year of high school, my life has been a continual cycle of transitions. While most have been exciting and fun, several have also come with their challenges. Such as when I moved to college, expecting to never look back, I found myself within two weeks knocking on my back door with tears streaming down my face and begging for some good home cooked food and lovin’ from my mama!
Recently my family has walked through a new season- one that none of us have experienced: my sister getting married!! It has been one of the most exciting times of our lives! However, it hasn’t come without the presence of some tears as well. I vividly remember the night Beth and Aaron got engaged. After he got up off one knee and everyone came out of hiding to congratulate the couple, most tears turned to excited hugs, gasps, and hand shakes! But mine, for some reason, would not stop flowing! We had gathered around the two and everyone was talking and moving around- the room was a circus! People would come by to hug on me, not knowing that they would be getting the waterworks show as they approached! They just wanted to be excited and I couldn’t dry it up! During a prayer over the my sister and her fiancé everyone was quiet in soaking up the moment, while I attempted to hold in sobs and the dreaded ugly cry!
Of course, the tears didn’t mean I wasn’t excited for the two! One, I am just an overly emotional person that sometimes can’t seem to get a old of myself (hopefully, Ive got some sisters out there that can relate!!) I was overjoyed for my sister and soon to be brother-in-law for this new journey. I could not have hand picked anyone better for my sister. Aaron was her true love, and he had easily become a part of my family! So the tears were tears of joy and excitement! I would by lying though, if I didn’t admit the hidden feelings of sadness and fear as my family walked our first few steps on this new territory.
I knew the next year would be full of fun, planning, and anticipation for the big day and life ahead! But at the end of that year, my sister would go home to a place that she didn’t grow up calling home- a place apart from me. I also knew this would be one of the “firsts” that we would face without daddy. Most of those came and went within the first few years after his passing, but marriage was one that we had only dreamed of facing without him being by our sides.
We now sit one week past the wedding date that we waited so long for! So much planning went in to make the day just perfect to celebrate Beth and Aaron, and I believe we succeeded! Everything flowed smoothly, and the happy couple left out of the reception with big smiles on their faces (and birdseed in every crack and crevice!) It was the sweetest day that I wish I could relive over and over again. Beth and Aaron have been two of the most important people in my life, pouring into me in such special ways. I loved watching the Lord bind them together as one before all their friends and family, and then getting to break it down on the dance floor with them as we breathed out a big sigh of relief that we all survived and didn’t go broke!!
The past couple of days have continued the time of transitioning in our lives. This past Saturday the five of us sat around our dining room table as we have so many times before for supper. Something happened afterwards, however, that normally doesn’t. Beth and Aaron went home.
Home.
As in not 717 county road 73.
But THEIR home.
That was the first time it began to really set in, that all this wedding stuff wasn’t just a fun time and afterwards everyone would go back to the way it was before. No longer can I yell down the hall and borrow that shirt or text her to bring me more toilet paper or hop in her bed to watch a movie together.
The last night that we all spent in the house, the night before the wedding, was the peak of the season change- whereas I expected it to be towards the end. Mama told us that night about the first night that we ever spent just the four of us in this house, after daddy went home to Heaven. We all climbed into her bed and tried our hardest to get some sleep. And now, 14 years later, we are seeing that season of our life end and a new one begin. As Beth now lives with Aaron, and I get ready to head back to college, its bittersweet to begin seeing less and less of the house that made our home. As I look back over the time the four of us have spent inside these walls, I see the faithfulness of the Lord all over our lives. So many things could have gone wrong. There were countless opportunities for the devil to come in and steal from us. There hasn’t been a time in our lives that the Lord wasn’t surrounding this home, protecting us, guiding us, giving us strength, and filling us with His joy! Of course its hard to walk away from that season of our lives, but it also propels me into the next one knowing that my God walks alongside me. I’ve seen, I’ve experienced, so I can go forward, as well as the rest of my family, knowing that He will be our guide into this new time in our lives.
You might be experiencing season changes in your life as well. It might be due to something exciting, or it might be because of something more difficult and devastating. I challenge you to look back over the time you’re transitioning out of and intentionally look for times that the Lord was present when maybe you weren’t aware of it at the time. Many times, our lives seem like a puzzle with pieces scattered everywhere, but when we back up and glance at the bigger picture- we see a beautiful image forming! He is working the same in our lives as we go from season to season!
Celebrate the newness in your life and what the Lord is doing and will do in the time to come. Remember His faithfulness. Trust him. Take the next step.
Our last night just the four of us at the Tew residence! (Notice the teary eyes from the emotional Emily. judge me.)The sweetest day with the sweetest sibling! ( Photo by Tami Darley Photography.)
Dear sweet Jesus,
Thank you for being constant in the midst of all our change. You never change. May we trust you as times in our lives transition. May we celebrate who you are, what you’ve done, and what you are going to do! Thank you for my family, for what they mean to me, and for this season change in our lives. Although there are pieces that are harder to handle- none of them make it unbearable! You created marriage in a beautiful way and I have loved getting to watch you work through this time. Thank you for loving us and making us your bride!
Fourteen years ago today we lost my dad to cancer. I’ve been bitter all day long.
The thing is, the bitterness wasn’t because I’ve been walking around upset and missing my dad. That sounds horrible, I know. Instead, I was mopey because I had to get up early and go to the doctor when I wanted to sleep. The gym was too full for me and I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to do before I had to leave. And then I had to go into work and carry out groceries in the pouring down rain when I wanted to be at home doing something productive (like watching Netflix, you get my point.) I was being selfish, and very bratty. I wasn’t getting my way, things weren’t going as planned, and the fact that it was a day that usually meant so much to my family- I wasn’t even dwelling on the memory of my dad.
During my shift at work I was wresting with the Lord. I didn’t want to commend to the “Publix customer service” that they require of their employees. I was’t in the mood for groceries, and bagging, and checking people out. The truth is, I had been wrestling the Lord way before I went into work today. Grace is something that seems elementary to grasp, but for some reason I make it really complex. Grace is given freely, but so many times when I mess up I feel the weight of guilt as if I have fallen out from under it. Many times, without realizing, I try and earn a grace that can only be received, not granted. I’ve been slacking on quiet time, preparing for mission trips, and on just being productive on things I need to get done. Instead I am filling the free time I have investing my emotions to a fake family on Netflix that just adopted a little boy, found out they had cancer, and are moving to Kansas. One episode after the next, and 5 hours down the drain. Or either I am making a to-do list and stressing about what needs to be taken care of without actually ever accomplishing anything. So, the past few days I haven’t been at ease. I felt guilty. I knew I had been walking in sin. I knew I had been making things idols in my life above my time with the Lord and being lazy towards tasks that needed to be done. In my mind, I had “fallen away” from grace and how could the Lord take me back once again when I was doing all that I needed to be doing for Him?
How can you fall away from something that you didn’t earn in the first place?
I read a blog a few weeks ago and one section really stuck out to me. It described the truth behind our guilt and insecurity. Something that resonated with me so closely was that sometimes our guilt is produced from a place of pride. How? Because we are expecting to some day never have to ask for forgiveness and never mess up. We’re relying on our ability to be “enough” for grace. However, we have nothing to offer and never will have anything to offer that makes us more applicable for the gift of grace. If it did, there would have been no reason for the cross.
So, as I drove home from work the Lord opened up His hands to me once again and poured out the same unending grace.
I began to think about my dad and the life that he lived and the legacy that he left. I’ve written about him before and how incredible he was, so I won’t take the time to do that again (although if you haven’t read about him, check out some of my previous posts!) It’s so neat to me how the Lord has used such a painful experience in my life to continually teach me, and draw me nearer to Himself. Over the past month I have been reading the book of Revelation. I used to have the mentality of “there’s no point in that, Jesus wins so I’m good.” But as I began to flip through each chapter, the Lord showed me how wrong that mindset was. Revelation is a tricky book. While all the other books of the Bible speak of the past, this one speaks of what’s to come- what no one has ever experienced in the physical. So, many times it is confusing and overwhelming. But as I began to unpack the truth of the Revelations, the Lord began to reveal to me the importance of this book. I have three chapters left before I’m done. Now that I’ve almost read through the entire book, I have such a different view of Revelation. The Lord wouldn’t have given us these revelations if they had no purpose. I don’t have all the end times figured out, but what I have learned through reading these scriptures is the importance of the urgency of the Gospel and the beauty of salvation.
At a devotion given at work (Eagle Eye Outfitters) the other day, one of my coworkers said, “we weren’t called to make believers, we were called to make disciples.” What truth! And how well that relates to how I’ve been learning of what’s to come. As christians, how seriously are we taking our responsibility to take the TRUTH and the LIFE of Jesus Christ to those around us? We travel to other countries, and we post Instagram photos with Bible verses, and we talk about how we love Jesus, but have we truly grasped what’s taken place and what lies ahead? The bridegroom is coming for His bride!!
My dad understood this. He had experienced the power of the cross in his own life, and because of that everything looked different. Cancer didn’t define his life, chemo couldn’t steal his joy, and even as he faced the last days he didn’t cease to give thanks to his God. He made it his mission to view his sickness as a way to glorify the Lord and to not just make believers, but disciples of the God that had rescued His soul! Countless times I’ve talked with people that knew my daddy before and during his sickness and to hear them speak of how his boldness and willingness to be used by God even in the most difficult days of his life changed their lives forever, in an eternal way, makes the pain and the sadness of him not being here so incredibly worth it. Not only that, but it pushes me to do the same with my life day in and day out. Boy, do I fail at it. But how great are His mercies and grace that never run out or run dry. Praise God that He hasn’t asked us to be the source but to drink from the source and just pour out what has been poured in.
Life is so difficult, with so many challenges faced every day. As we enter into this Father’s Day, I beg you to examine where you stand with the Lord. Not for just the sake of forgiveness of your sins and then a ticket to live as you please while still having the security of heaven, because friends if that’s what you see then your view of grace is cheap and incorrect. The Lord asks nothing of us, but He demands our all. Salvation doesn’t make that a burden but a desire. Because when you have experienced a God that can swallow death up in victory and speak life over dry bones, why would you want anything but to give your life over to the only true hope and joy and strength and purpose?
Happy Father’s Day to all of you incredible dads. You deserve so much celebration.
Today I will celebrate my dad and the life that he lived. Yes, it might be a little more difficult. But, yet, I will rejoice! Because cancer doesn’t have the final say.
Abba Father,
Thank you for being my daddy. For loving me and pouring out your grace. For knowing me fully, and loving me fully. I love being your daughter and getting to dance in the light of your victory every day of my life, despite whatever circumstance I might be facing. Lord, increase in me the urgency of the Gospel and boldness to take it as I go. Keep changing my life by your salvation where it causes me to know nothing else but to respond in sharing it with all that I can through my love, my words, and my actions. Thank you for giving me victory. Thank you for giving my dad victory. Thank you for giving my family victory. I can’t wait till that marriage feast with you. I praise you God, I praise you God! I know nothing else to do but praise your precious name!
Love,
Em
Happy Father’s Day, daddy! We are celebrating you today!
Last night was the fourth and final gathering of “The Redeemed” girl’s ministry for this school year. Looking back to our first gathering, there has been an incredible amount of growth that has happened within our team and within myself. Here’s a behind the scenes look at how it all began, struggles that have surfaced along the journey, and what to expect for next year.
Deciding on where I would go to college was the toughest decision I have ever been faced with. Growing up in Headland, Troy was a place we frequently passed through to get anywhere north. I remember countless times passing the “Troy University” sign thinking to myself, “you’ll never see me this close to home and at a school this small!” I had big plans, or so I thought. When the time came, I narrowed it down to Auburn University or Troy. After considering every aspect, Troy clearly was where I needed to be- and oh, how I ate my words! Sitting on this side of the first year here, I could not imagine myself any further from home (at least for this season of life!), and at a school any larger than this one. I found my perfect home away from home here at Troy and love it so!
Boxes were packed and nerves were high as I set out on this new journey. Back home I was privileged to be heavily involved at my school, through my church, and with my friends so I expected that trend to continue at Troy. I wanted to make an impact on this campus that would last longer than the four years that I was here. I knew coming in that nobody would know who I was or anything about my faith, so I was excited about the opportunity to share that and proclaim His name in a new place with new faces. Halfway through the semester, my good friend Sydney and I were riding in the car when she began to tell me about a girl’s ministry that her friend was involved with at Jacksonville State University called “The Watering Hole.” It was so neat to hear of what they were doing for the Lord, and Sydney expressed to me how she wished Troy had something similar! My wheels began turning and haven’t stopped since. Together, me and Sydney began planning for what would become “The Redeemed.” While Troy does have several campus ministries for students to get involved in, we lacked a ministry specifically for girls. We couldn’t think of anything better than to create a time for girls to come together to fellowship, share in the struggles that we all face, and grow together in the truth of the Gospel spurring each other towards Christ. The name “Redeemed” came from a brainstorm session where me and Syd sat in a local coffee shop considering what the Lord’s heart might be for this ministry. “If there is one message we want to send to these girls, what is it?” is the question we considered, and “The Redeemed” was born.
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
We wanted to share the redemption we found in Christ with the girl’s roaming the campus of Troy University. We wanted them to experience that freedom, love, grace, and forgiveness that comes only from knowing and having a relationship with Him. So, we set out to do just that and began planning our first gathering.
The first Gathering was in November of Fall Semester. We went in clueless, but the Lord provided in so many ways such as other girls to walk alongside us as a “team”, a location for us to have it in, musicians to lead worship, and so on and so forth. We met for the first time at Sydney’s Sunday School teacher’s home. She had a beautiful yard, so we decorated very little and prepared for an exciting night. Three girls from our team lead worship along with two guys that brought in a guitar and box drum. We introduced the ministry to the girls that came and I shared the Gospel with them. We then moved into a time of getting to know each other and fellowship, sharing prayer requests, explaining further our heart for what was to come through The Redeemed, and eating some yummy goodies! The first gathering was a success and I was so in awe in how the Lord was involved in every detail of the night.
Gathering OneGathering One
The semester ended and we began to look forward to Spring Semester! As soon as we returned from Christmas break, we began planning the second gathering. This time we decided to bring in a guest speaker and move locations! We wanted to be on campus for better convenience, so thankfully the Lord opened up the door for us to move inside to the arboretum building. This time we wouldn’t be freezing and wouldn’t get wet in the case of rain, which ended up being a huge deal because on this night it FLOODED! I thought Noah was about to ride by on his ark. Thankfully, we had girls that decided to brave the rain and gather with us! Whitney Johnson of Southside Baptist Church visited and poured into us with the topic of “confidence.” It was an incredible night of worship, fellowship, and truth.
The Redeemed Team and our speaker at Gathering TwoMe and Sydney at Gathering Two
And from there, we jumped straight into the third gathering just a little over a month later! This time we wanted to change things up a little bit, so we invited some guys to join us! Although this ministry is specifically for girls, we asked a couple of our guy friends to join and to hear their hearts on a “Godly woman.” What an encouragement they were to us, reminding us that our one goal is not to become all that we can be to gain a guy or relationship, but to live our lives wholeheartedly seeking Christ! It was a sweet night to join together as brothers and sisters in Christ! After an interview with the guys, one of our own team members, Anna, shared her testimony with us and the journey the Lord has taken her on of becoming a Godly woman. We closed out the night with some breakfast food and shut out the lights on gathering three!
Carley is our sound girl! She is such a sweet friend and this ministry would not be possible without her willingness to serve!What a friend!The Redeemed Team and the guys at Gathering 3
Here are where things get personal for me. In between the second and third gathering, I began to battle against the Lord concerning this ministry. Not many knew of what I was facing, but the Lord was really working to convict my heart on how I was serving Him through this ministry. When Sydney first brought this idea to my attention, I thought I knew exactly what the Lord wanted me to do. I have always loved planning events, speaking, and being involved with things such as this. Combining all of those things, plus the fact that is was an outlet to share the Gospel with those around me- how could it not be what the Lord had for me to do here at Troy? The problem was, I never considered that at the beginning. I placed myself into a position of assuming I knew exactly what the Lord wanted for me when I was in no place to do so. In all honesty, I never prayerfully considered what the Lord wanted for me in this or His heart on it. Yes, it was a good thing, but I was realizing it might not have been the “good thing” he had planned for me to do in this season. It was a hard pill to swallow. I was already this far in and questioning what else he would want me doing if it wasn’t this ministry. How would I tell the team? What would it look like to others if I walked away? I battled and I battled. Even through that faithlessness, the Lord was so faithful to me. I started praying about the ministry, my place in the ministry, and what it was the Lord wanted me to do- even if it was something I did not want to do. He began to lay the word “discipleship” on my heart. I went to an event one night here in Troy called “Pray for Troy,” that one of my dear friends put together! As I sat and looked around at all the people around me, I saw souls- some lost, some not. I had my group of friends, but I didn’t know many other than that. And when I say know, I mean more so than a “Hey, How are you?” basis. I knew several names, but I had filled my schedule so full that I had no time to truly get to know the people that the Lord had placed around me. That truth shook me. I realize I can’t get to know EVERY body at Troy on a personal level, but I can work on those in my classes, in my sorority, and in my church. I was neglecting the people around me and holding back the Gospel from them and worrying about details of an event. My heart loves logistics! So planning the redeemed is easy and inside my comfort zone. I can stand in front of a crowd and speak to them without hesitation, but when it comes to diving into personal and intimate relationships my introverted nature comes out for all to see. Why would the Lord be asking me to do something the exact opposite of what I am good at? Why would He call me away from where I can succeed to be totally uncomfortable? The answer? To prune me. To grow me. To glorify Himself. Because He is God, and wants to use me in the way His name will receive most honor and praise.
It took a while to come to grips with this, but the Lord led me to that place of surrender. One night I knelt in my dorm room in tears, begging for guidance and clarity, and in that moment the Lord rushed peace into my soul. I remember listening to the song “oceans” countless times before. Every time the lyrics flashed across the screen, “spirit lead me where my trust is without borders,” my mind floated to places like the redeemed, or mission trips, or big and showy things done for the Lord that would seemingly take a lot of trust. For the first time I listened to that song with new perspective- what if the oceans he was calling me to were just the quiet, still waters of every day life? What if it wasn’t overseas, but to the person sitting next to me in class? And for me, that would take much trust in a God bigger than I. He doesn’t only call us to be on stage, but to be intentional in real life with those around us. I came to a place where He had to make me willing to walk away from The Redeemed if that is what He was asking me to do and to throw away my pride and my fears and to walk into waters unknown, trusting that He would be there with me.
As the third gathering approached I was nervous about how things would turn out and if it would be my last one being involved on the planning team. As we got there to begin setting up, everything fell into place just right. We didn’t run out of time decorating, everybody was excited, we had a good crowd, and a good response from worship and the message. It was incredible to see how the Lord’s hand was so involved. A couple of us sat around and talked afterwards, and how encouraging it was to hear of how the Lord was working in such neat ways in so many of the girl’s lives. It was insane to see how the Lord was using this for His glory, even when I had gone astray. I could see that the faithful prayers of the rest of the team were going forth and the Lord was blessing them in so many ways. As the night came to a close, the Lord reminded me of the story of Abraham when he went to sacrifice his son Isaac. It probably made no sense to him that the Lord gave him this son, what seemed like a good gift, and was now asking him to take his life. When the Lord saw Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac, he provided a ram. The Lord whispered to my soul, “I needed to see that you would give it up for me.” He needed to take me to a place of full of surrender, of brokenness, longing for nothing more than Him. I didn’t need to be satisfied by working for The Redeemed, I need to find my satisfaction in living for Him alone.
A lot of lessons were learned through that time, even some I am still continuing to learn. But as we closed the chapter on gathering three, I looked forward to gathering four prayerfully seeking Him.
For Gathering four it was evident that our team had figured out the ropes and were all pitching in to do whatever they could to make it a success! We changed locations again and instead met in Sorrell Chapel on campus. Sydney invited her pastor’s wife from back home to come and speak to us, and it was incredible! She spoke from Exodus 2 when God called Moses to deliver His people from Pharaoh. She reminded us when God calls, there will be fear. But by faith when we can do as He has asked because He goes with us, He provides, and He guides. She challenged us to be obedient. One quote from the night that stuck out so much to me was this:
If we have an obedience problem, then we have a love problem with God.
Wow! Now that will make you check yourself! All that we do for Him must stem from a love for Him. The Redeemed is a good thing, but it had to come from the love He had shown me and the love I had fallen into with Him- not from a place of selfish ambition.
We had an incredible night of worship, wished every one a great summer, and sent them off until next fall!
Mrs. Kim Thweatt sharing truth with us – Picture by Katie BrelandRedeemed Team at Gathering 4Worship by Kevin Leonard, Max Herman, Sydney Roe, Angel Hill, Logan Mckissick, and Hannah Knott
What a joy it has been to learn and grow through this ministry. What the Lord has done in my own life through it speaks volumes of the God we serve. He deserves all our praise! I never thought we would be this far along sitting in that coffee shop last semester daydreaming of what it would become. We don’t have it all together, and we have a lot to learn, and a long way to go, but as long as the Gospel is going forth- I believe it’s all worth it (even if it took knocking me on my feet a little bit.) The girls that I have been able to work with through this have been my rocks and my encouragement. Each of them hold such a special place in my heart. They have poured themselves into this ministry, and it is incredible to see how the Lord has been working in their lives. The Sunday night before our last gathering, the team got together to worship, pray, and share together. I heard story after story of brokenness in each of our lives, and how the Lord was bringing redemption to those places. We aren’t doing this because we have it all together, but because we know a God that can take messy and make a message- and our lives testify to that. We want these girls to know hope, to know joy, to know true life that comes only through the blood of Christ. It only because of who He is that any of this takes place. His blood washed us clean, He called us redeemed. Praise His great and powerful and glorious name!
I grew up by her side. We were the blonde headed beauties in a family of brunettes. Nobody knew what was going to roll off of our tongue next. Grandma couldn’t tell us apart. Nobody could separate us. We were the best of friends that also held the title of cousins. T-ball, birthday parties, elementary school, family get togethers, and play dates we did together. Where one was, the other wasn’t far behind. We walked through hard times in both of our lives with the eyes of innocent children right next to each other. At the time, we were oblivious to the sovereign plans unfolding in our lives.
We faced what many best friends do through middle school years. She grew tired of me, I grew tired of her. Instead of being inseparable we saw very little of each other. There were fights (including physical- ask her about that!), drama, and hard feelings towards each other. At the time, we thought there was no repair to fully thread our lives back together. I used to be bitter towards that time, but I see clearly now how the Lord used our time apart to draw us into Him and then weave our friendship back together founded on something much stronger than family ties.
Many times in our weakness is when we recognize the need for others in our lives to lean on. I’m thankful for a time of weakness that opened my eyes to a greater friendship that surpassed lunch dates and gossiping. We found ours in a place where we both were yearning for the real and raw. In some crazy turn of events, we had our feet taken out from under us and we fell on each other as if nothing had ever changed. I thought at 6 years old we had the term “best friend” pretty well defined, but I’d beg to differ now. I’ve never known a friendship quite like this one. So Camille, this thank you is for you…
Thank you for your heart surrendered to the Lord and for letting that change everything about you.
Thank you for being an example of who Christ is, loving others, and loving me.
Thank you for your honesty even in the times when it is hard to hear.
Thank you for the fashion advice and a never ending open closet if I don’t have exactly what I am looking for.
Thank you for the joy you radiate.
Thank you for the laughs for all these years.
Thank you for being somebody that I can just be me around without fear.
Thank you for understanding me and loving me still.
Thank you for not knocking on my door and just coming right in, and allowing me to do the same.
Thank you for being passionate.
Thank you for always being down for ice cream or anything else unhealthy.
Thank you for your willingness to be vulnerable.
Thank you for the trust that I can have in you.
Thank you for being my photographer.
Thank you for finally deciding to love dogs, even though Charlie isn’t one of those.
Thank you for letting me send you 50 pictures and always telling me which one to post.
Thank you for your love of journaling, coffee shops, and always being down to hang out and attempt to be hipster.
Thank you for pouring out Jesus to me always.
Thank you for agreeing to move to another country with me if neither of us ever get married.
Thank you for listening when I just need to pour out every emotion built up inside of me.
Thank you for loving my family and making yourself at home with us.
Thank you for teaching me to dip my rolls in ketchup. I blame you for my ketchup obsession now.
Thank you for teaching me that sonic cheese sticks are the only way to go.
Thank you for not letting the distance of college separate us.
Thank you for showing me what a best friend is.
My heart doesn’t really know how to contain how thankful I am for you and this friendship. Jesus has been so good to us, friend! I hope you have the best birthday and see how truly loved you are by so many. You’re an inspiration and an encouragement. You make me a better person in so many ways.
Thank you.
I love ya, memille.
Happy 19th birthday!!!!!
Here’s a little video just to show ya how much you mean to us…
There have been days where my schedule is too full to fit lunch in to the day. Instead of sitting down and eating good food, I trade it out for a handful of almonds on the way to my car for the next thing on my to do list for the day. As time goes on I feel the effects of that lack of food and usually end up with a headache, feeling tired, and a grumpy attitude. I skipped out on a meal in hopes to get more accomplished, but instead I’m shuffling my way through school work, meetings, and other responsibilities halfheartedly and starving for something to fill me up. When I skip out on being fed, I miss out on the fullness of life.
Now maybe thats being a little extreme to just skip one meal every once in a while, but hopefully the point is across. Rarely will we repeatedly choose to not eat because we have too much to do for the day where it just won’t fit in. Eventually we come to a place where our bodies have to be fed in order to function properly.
Switch to a new perspective: how often are you allowing yourself to feed off true bread?
John 6:35
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
John 6 is set up in such a special way. It begins with the feeding of the 5,000. In this story Jesus multiplied 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes to completely satisfy the hunger of 5,000 men. He physically provided bread for them. However, this bread would only tide them over for a couple hours and then they would need to be fed once again. When they fond themselves hungry again they sought Jesus out and began to question Him. After satisfying their physical need, Jesus sought to satisfy their spiritual need. He explained that the bread they had been given the previous day was bread that perishes and that, as stated above, He was the bread of life. The bread He was speaking of wasn’t the same as that that you eat at meals, but a life giving source that completely satisfies all hunger.
I would love to say that every morning I jump out of bed right as my alarm starts to ring, cook a filling breakfast and sip orange juice from a coffee mug (because coffee is yuck!) while spending time with the true bread of life- Jesus. While I do make it my goal to squeeze time this in during my mornings, it is normally a squeeze. Instead my morning routine looks more like an hour of snoozing my alarm because I was up past midnight the night before, rushing to clean myself up, find something that isn’t dirty to wear, grab something as I run out the door to eat and begin my day worrying about all that has to be done before I go back to sleep that night. Many times my quiet time with the Lord becomes another addition to my to-do list that I know I need to fit in at some point during the day, but it isn’t a priority for number one. Instead that place falls to homework, meeting this person to discuss this, working on this project, planning this event, and so on and so forth. Nobody is going to give me a grade on whether or not I spend time in the Word that day. No teacher is going to ask me to submit a journal about it on Blackboard. There’s no deadline that it has to be done before in order to get full credit. Nobody is waiting on me to report to them the progress I’ve made. So, it falls to the end of my to do list for the day .
It isn’t hard to get caught up in a planner and deadlines for each day as a busy college student trying to balance multiple things at once. I’ve assumed that putting off time with the Lord is okay with a list longer than a mile of things that have to be done. As those days go on, however, I find myself lacking in strength, doing things but not getting them done well, complaining, stressed out, and hungry. If you skip a meal, you feel the effects. Yes, that homework has to be done. Yes, the deadline must be met. Yes, it would probably be a good idea to try and get at least 5 hours of sleep every night. But if somewhere in the middle of all that chaos time with Jesus doesn’t fit in, then something needs to be cut out. Or you need to make that not so easy decision to sacrifice some of your time to be filled by the Father. Give that thirty minutes to Jesus in the morning, even if its a sacrifice, even if it puts you a little behind. Trust that He will give you the strength to accomplish what needs to be done throughout the rest of the day through that time with Him. After spending time reading His word, praying, and worshiping you’ll have the fullness of life, the satisfaction you need, and the joy to carry you throughout that to do list and in a much more impactful way than if you had skipped that meal with the bread of life.
John 6:51
I am the living bread the came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
Jesus, the bread of life, gives fullness, satisfaction, and completion through His sacrifice. Eat your lunch, but be hungry by dinner time. Spend time with the true bread, and find fulfillment for a life time. True life comes from Him. In order to fully make your way through that to do list, you must be seeking to be filled by the bread of life. Otherwise, expect hunger in your life for more that no check off of a to-do list can quench. Only through Him do we find true life, true satisfaction, and true meaning to all that needs to be done. Make time with Him a priority and watch how the rest of your life if effected for the better because of it.
Three years ago during this time I wrote my very fist blog and every year since I have written one on New Years, so breaking the trend wasn’t an option. I re read those blogs today and it was so cool to reflect on those years and how I sat at the forefront of a new beginning when I typed out those words. I was then able to see how they played out over the course of that year. This time last year I was still a senior in high school fully convinced that there was no way I would ever make it to college. Soon I graduated from high school, spent my summer working at Camp Victory, and then moved into a dorm room and walked into my very first college class. Actually, walking into my first college class wasn’t that calm. I walked into the correct building, climbed three flights of stairs and then realized my class was on the first floor. I walked back down the stairs to a lobby type area and a set of doors that I had no clue what sat behind them.I just knew if I opened them I would be walking into a classroom full of people and I replayed every movie memory of how humiliating that might be. So instead I waited for some one more experienced to open the doors and then followed behind. Spoiler alert- it just led to a hall way which led to the actual classroom doors. Eventually I got the hang of things. My first semester of college came and went and now I sit just days away from the last semester of my freshman year of college. I didn’t believe them at first, but it sure does fly by so quickly.
Today I sat on my back porch listening to the rain pouring down and reflecting on the past year and reading some in Hebrews 11, the book of faith that I have read and have had read to me many times before. These verses however spoke such a truth to me that I had skimmed before, a truth so sweet to see right here at the dawn of a brand new year.
Hebrews 11:8-10
By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
I re read these words several times. Here are the parts that stuck out to me:
By faith Abraham obeyed
he went out, not knowing where he was going
in the land of promise, as in a foreign land
he was looking forward
whose designer and builder is God
Abraham was called to go to a foreign land and because He knew who his God was he obeyed and he went. He had no idea what his paths might bring him, he didn’t know exactly what each day would look like- except the last day. He knew that the Lord had promised Him this land and that it had foundations and that His God had designed and built it. That was all Abraham needed. He didn’t know where He was going, but just that His God had called Him there. At the start of this new year I have no idea what is to come. In a way I’m fearful of what bad things and bumps in the road might come with 2017. Im walking into what seems like a foreign land. I’ll end my freshman year, start a new job, travel to Nicaragua on a missions trip, watch my sister get married, move back to college to start my sophomore year, and who knows what else. Much like Abraham, I don’t know where Im all of where I’m going and whats to come but I know I have a promised inheritance. That’s not to say this time next year Ill be celebrating with a life that looks perfect and all is well- but it does mean that ultimately at the end of my journey stands a promised land that has been designed and built by God Himself. By faith, I can look froward at my God and at my promised land and step into this new year without a worry of what I will face because I know who my God is. By faith I can obey, I can go where I am sent, and do what I am supposed to do because my God has paved the way before me and is calling me every day closer to Himself.
May God bless you in the New Year. I pray whether it be valleys or mountains that you face that you come out on the other knowing and loving and glorifying Him all the more. He is good, don’t walk through this year without Him.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for the start of the new year. Thank you for your presence. Thank you for your promised land.
Hope can easily be defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen, according to webster dictionary. This type of hope can be experienced by any person with no discrimination. I hope to get a new pair of converse for Christmas and with great expectation I wait until Christmas morning to rip open the gifts beneath the tree to see if my desire and hoping paid off. There’s another side of hope that is limited. Not everyone knows and can experience this hope. Its not an expectation or a desire, its a truth and a promise. It’s not hope based off of the rise and falls of this world, but off the steadfast love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ. The world doesn’t know and cannot know this hope apart from Jesus. It doesn’t exist in the patterns of this world. This hope was born in a manger stall early Christmas morning many years ago.
Every Christmas I go through the motions of re reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 and reminding myself that Jesus is the reason for the season. This year has been a bit different, however. Over Thanksgiving the Lord tuned my heart to the word joy and poured truth over me as I grew in His word on the topic of joy and what it means for my life. As the Christmas season has been approaching the word hope has been heavy on my heart. Here is what the Lord has been teaching me…
What are things that come to mind when you think of Christmas?
Family, friends, carols, snow, christmas lights, and of course Jesus’ birthday. All of which are great things that are full of fun and happy connotations. Without the birth of Jesus all that we would be doing in life would be meaningless- it calls for great celebration! But let’s think about the very first Christmas from the perspective of Jesus. The word SUBMISSION comes to mind- incredible, mind blowing, humbling submission of Jesus to His Father.
Philippians 2:6 & 7
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant and being born in the likeness of men.
Jesus sat at the right hand of God in the form of God and humbled himself to come down to earth and be born, just as you and I are born, and submit to human physicality, human will, human limits, human struggles, human temptations and human mind. He human in complete form. While He still remained God, he bled as you and I bleed, he cried as you and I cry, he experienced emotions and feelings just as you and I do. He knew that coming to earth meant death on a cross and He submitted to the will of His Father. On that very first Christmas, Jesus stepped down out of heaven and went from God to human so that we could rejoice. He gave up glory so that one day we could experience it with Him. Realize this- Jesus didn’t float through His days on this Earth without a struggle. Living a perfect life didn’t come easy to his human nature just as it wouldn’t come easy to us. He knew that there was no other way, He knew it had to be done, so He did it. He lived a perfect life, died a sinners death, and rose victorious.
This is where hope comes in: because He lived the life that I couldn’t and took my place on the cross and rose to life defeating death and promised Himself to me if I would only repent of my sins and give my life over to Him, what He won on the cross would be mine.
As a believer this truth makes me want to run around in circles and jump up and down. My life has purpose because He submitted to the Father’s will. And get this… it doesn’t stop there.
Hebrews 6:19 & 20
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Unlike hope defined by the dictionary, this hope that we get to experience as believers is ALIVE. Because He died the death we deserved and rose victorious and sits at the hand of God we know how our story ends. He became man in full so that He could say us in full (http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/jesus-is-fully-human), and promise us eternal life with Him. Our external circumstances do not determine His eternal promise. The winds can be blowing, seas be raging, boat capsizing- but this hope is a sure and steadfast anchor for our souls. This hope carries us, guides us, drives us forward because we know that His promise will not be shaken by anything that this world throws our way.
Christmas isn’t always the easiest time for some. Having experienced death myself with losing my dad, I know first hand that the holiday season makes living that reality a little bit more difficult. With all the family gatherings and memories being made, a big piece of heart is missing. For others it might not be death that makes this season hard to bare. It might be waking up on Christmas alone, not being able to provide Christmas as one would like for their family due to financial issues, broken relationships, distance from loved ones, the list goes on and on. It seems as if the weight of the world is 5X’s heavier during this time of year. The sin of the world is felt all the more during these days. It’s effects on our lives is without notice. The truth that we live in a fallen world is evident. If you know Christ, however, it doesn’t have to be that way. Yes, we feel the pain of death but we know that His Word says that death has been defeated and that one day we will walk side by side those loved ones again that knew Christ as their savior. We see that money is lacking, but He promises His provisions to meet all of our needs. We experience the brokenness of relationships but His Word says that even in this broken and hurting world He gives life and life more abundantly. How? Because none of these things last. Our hope reminds us that this world is not our home and we are only pilgrims passing through.
Jesus,
May we be moved to action by this living hope that you bought for us with your submission. We know that it wasn’t an easy battle but you fought it because you knew that we couldn’t do it for ourselves. You willingly made less of yourself so that God could make more of us. Praise you for that Jesus! Thank you for this living hope that redefines my life. Thank you for paying the price, thank you for coming to earth, thank you for saving my soul. Jesus we celebrate you this season above all else! Even with hurting hearts, we hold fast to the truth that this world is not our home and that this hope flourishes even in the midst of the tears. Father I pray for those that don’t know you and don’t have this hope in their lives. Father, break down their walls, pursue their hearts, take whats stone and give it life. I pray that those of us that do know you would realize that we posses the hope and joy and life that this world so desperately needs and that we wouldn’t walk through this life without sharing it with others. Set a fire in our soul that cannot be contained. Father, you are so good. Thank you, Jesus. Happy birthday!
It is crazy to me how fast this semester has flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was unpacking bags with my mom and sister, nervous about sorority recruitment, if I would have any friends, and getting lost going to class. I had no idea what was to come. As I have said before, I came into college with many expectations. I had watched friends go before and I had so many ideas of what my four years would turn out to be. I had an agenda for my freshman year and unknowingly the Lord had a completely different one.
The first few weeks of this semester were tough. I knew people, but I felt like I had no friends. I questioned if doing a sorority was something I should have done or not. Nothing was turning out the way I had expected it to. I was in my dorm every night way earlier than I wanted to be with no plans on the weekends except to go somewhere other than Troy. I was bitter, I was tired, I was fearful, and I was upset. For some reason I thought that as soon as I moved away from home this new place with all these new people would instantly become my new normal, but it didn’t. I had dreamed of the day of being on my own, and now that I was facing that season of life I did not understand why all I wanted to do was run back home.
Now I sit on the other end of that first semester. Has everything turned out just as I planned for it to? Absolutely not. As I look back over these past few months, however, I am amazed at God’s faithfulness to me. It look several weeks, but eventually I began to find my group of people. He blessed me with a few great girls that I finally felt myself around. I laughed with them, danced in the car with them, took random trips to Montgomery with them. He even established some friendships that were totally unexpected, but have turned out to be so incredibly sweet. I don’t stay out doing crazy fun things every night, but I know I always have people that I can call on now. Through one of those friendships He began The Redeemed girl’s ministry. We recently had out first gathering with over 60 girls. It was incredible! I was also recently elected chaplain of Alpha Gamma Delta, a place where a couple months ago I wasn’t even sure I fit in. Now I will get the opportunity to share what I’m most passionate about, Jesus Christ, with a bunch of girls that I have grown to love and cherish.
The beginning of this semester was a time of waiting and I wasn’t doing a very good job at it. I was trusting in my works and my treasures, without acknowledging what He might have in store. I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it when He had completely different plans that were so much better than my own that I was too busy to take notice of. And now I look around and am humbled by how He has worked things out in ways I never imagined and placed me in positions and friendships that I could not have thought of myself, and I am so undeserving of it all. This semester is a complete testimony of His grace and His goodness. College hasn’t been all that I expected it to be, but the Lord has been much more faithful than I expected Him to be.
Maybe you’re in a season of waiting like I have found myself in with many different things in my life. I’m not sure what you might be facing that might be causing fear, worry, impatience, or stress. We all struggle with different things. But if He has placed you in a time of waiting, don’t assume He has left you there. It isn’t a fun or easy place to be in, but it is a place where you can grow, where you can get to know your Father more, and where He can prepare you for all that is to come. It is a place of hope, worship, and learning. I was waiting with a bitter heart when He was weaving together beautiful things for me. I see now how faithful He has been. What if I had approached that time with expectant eyes, trusting in His work and His treasures? There are things in my life that I’m still waiting on, but after being humbled so from this semester, He has worked in my heart to view those place as places of opportunity, preparation, and growth- and I don’t want to rush it. What we can take away from this season might be the exact thing we need for what we are waiting for to fit just as it should in our lives.
I’m in awe of how faithful He has been throughout my life. I am not sure why I ever lack trust when I can look back over so many situations where He has shown Himself true to me. He is a good, good Father and is perfect in ALL of His ways, even the ones that don’t make complete sense to us. Let go of your own will and wait.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Check out this incredible song, “While I’m Waiting,” by John Waller
Dear Abba Father,
Thank you for your faithfulness, for your grace, and for your way above mine. You are so good.
As I have scrolled through Facebook since the recent election, I am blown away by the arguments and diviseness among so many. Now, I am no political junky and have no desire to attempt to be one. Many times I have to turn to my 15 year old brother for an explanation to most anything in the news. In no way do I desire to write yet another political article arguing my beliefs regarding this election. There is enough of that going around already. You can’t force somebody to change their mind, and at this point in the election it serves no good to try. A decision has been made and we must move forward.
As a believer, no matter how the election ended could ultimately shake me. If it had turned out the opposite way there might have been different questions to ask, but ultimately it does not alter my life. Why? Because as a born again believer in Jesus Christ this world is not my home. As it says in Romans 8, nothing- meant in its most literal sense- separates me from the love of Christ. In verse 37 it even states the powerful victory that
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
As a Christian my life is surrendered to the King of Kings, above both Trump and Hilary. His throne is at the right hand of God, not in an oval office. The one who believes himself to be running against Jesus has already been defeated; the victory belongs to the Lord.
There is a great importance for prayer for our president, our nation, and our world during this time. In this moment, however, I have a very burdened heart for our church- the body of Christ. Not because we are being trampled, although the world would like to think that we are losing the battle, but because now is the time where we rise up. We cannot divide among our selves, we cannot lash out at a sinful world expecting them to live as Christ lived when they are so far from Him, and we cannot drown ourselves in fear and worry when we have a God that walked out of the grave. I do not have all the answers. I beg for wisdom on how to respond in love to opposition that shows the true nature of Christ without bending His rules and compromising on the uncompromisable. The Gospel isn’t tolerant, it offends, and it cannot be changed to fit our molds and makings. When Jesus walked this earth He did not stray to preach the truth. He did not hold back when somebody was offended that His way was not all inclusive of all ways of life. Somehow though, He still led people to the foot of the cross. He brought hope to the hopeless, mending to the broken, and joy to the mourning. That is what I want to take to the world around me. All I have to offer them is Jesus Christ and his redeeming grace, never ending love, and open arms. Romans 8:6 says,
“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
In a nation that is waging war for the sake of peace, this is the only place that we will find it. And as a Christian, I posses that inside of me that Christ has charged me with the responsibility to take it to the world.
This is my prayer for the church:
Dear Heavenly Father,
You sit enthroned, may we not forget that. You are what was, what is, and what is to come and nothing and no one can change that. You hold the victory in your hands and we know that what we are experiencing here cannot even begin to compare to what is to come when you return. Father thank you for purchasing my freedom. Thank you for being such a BIG God full of love and grace and forgiveness so that I can wake up every day with joy in my heart and peace in my mind, no matter who is the president. I wouldn’t trade life with you for anything. God, our nation is experiencing so much division. There is a fight for unity, but we know true peace is only found in you. God, your church is among this Earth and you have called us to be united as one body with one ultimate purpose that revolves solely around you. God I pray that our hands, our feet, our legs, our ears, our eyes, and so on that makes up this body of Christ would not turn against itself. Lord, instead we must unite in the VICTORY that has already been won in you. We cannot fall prey to a world that does not serve you, when we were only meant to be here for a short time passing through to what is yet to come. God I pray that we would be ever seeking you and that in turn you would be pouring out wisdom and grace on us. Give us wisdom on how to respond to a broken world that points them back to you. Give us wisdom on showing love that represents you, but not in a sense of being tolerant just to win people over. I pray that we would represent you in a way that people see more than rules, regulations, and do’s, and don’ts because you are so much more. You want to free us form the lesser because you want us to experience the best, and you know that that is only found in you. Your perfect plan for marriage, for life, for so many other things is being thwarted and people are missing out on your great design that is so so good. God you are good, and above all. Strengthen your church, empower us. We are only humans feeling the weight of this world on our shoulders, but we serve a God much bigger that has promised to be our guide and our strength. May your will be done in and through us.
Amen.
Rise up, church. Study up, church. Look up, church.
Love, Em
Follow the following link for a powerful song: Here as in Heaven by Elevation Worship.
I’ve yet to experience anything so sweet as the love of Jesus Christ. In this season of life, I’ve found myself shaken underneath His love more so than ever before. As my first semester of college begins to come to a close and I look back over just the few months that I have spent here, I am in awe of my God. I once read a quote that said something to the effect of “sometimes we must be stripped of all, to see that He is all we need.”
I vividly remember my first week here in Troy. It was the first day of sorority recruitment with all types of nerves and emotions flowing through me. What I had anticipated for so long was finally a reality and I just knew it was going to be too good to be true. Before the week came to a close I sat countless times on my dorm room floor in tears of confusion, loneliness, and fear. I figured that since it was only week 1 the best was yet to come and all that I was experiencing that was not part of the plan would soon fade away. I would find myself making friends, having plans every night, and never have time to even consider being homesick very soon. A couple weeks passed by and although I had made a couple of friends and was surrounded by people, I had never felt so alone. I could not quite wrap my mind around what was happening. I had watched those that had come to college before me fall into normalcy in what seemed like in a couple of days, and was even seeing some of those around me in that time seem to jump right into the swing of college with friends that were as if they had known each other since toddler years. To put it straight forward: my first semester of college has been nothing that I expected it to be. I have cried many nights, my heart has been broken, I’ve counted down the hours until I could steal away and go home, and questioned if Troy was where I was supposed to be. I didn’t get into the club that I had hoped to, I’m still looking for the church that I will go to during my time here, I don’t have a huge group of friends that I hang out with every night till midnight, and sometimes I still eat lunch alone.
I was stripped of all that I had imagined college to be. I was away from my friends, my family, and my comfort. There was nobody to turn to, I only had one option: Jesus. I came to college with my faith, and had every intention to continue to grow in it here. However, I thought that would be from getting plugged into an awesome church, making friends with people sold out for the sake of the cross, and being involved with ministries on campus. Instead, it was a lot messier. It was tears, heartbreak, and doubt that led me to a place underneath His love that I had yet to experience. I had never dealt with the things that I was facing and been on the level that I was on. It was in that place that the love of Christ came in and filled every hole in my heart, caught every tear dripping down my cheek, and wrapped his arms around my shaking and cold shoulders. I was confused as to why I had been driven to my knees in this way, and I found that it was because if I had ridden onto the mountain tops as I had wanted to I would be attempting to feel a void in my life that was only meant for one thing: the fully satisfying love of Jesus Christ.
Although it was a place so unexpected, how thankful I am that is where I ended up. It’s hard to explain something so great to someone else without them having the same personal experience. This is where I find myself in explaining the deep love of the Father that I have experienced in this first semester. While visiting a friend’s church in Auburn last weekend, the pastor spoke on the greatness of Christ. He gave the illustration of thin ice shaking under the weight of someone stepping onto it. This happens because the person is greater than the ice and it can’t help but shatter beneath. The same is true in any other aspect of life, as is with Jesus in our lives. He is so much greater than we are. When He steps into our lives our worlds shake because we cannot help but move beneath His vast greatness. In my opinion, this perfectly describes my first semester of college. God continues to step into my life and I shake underneath His greatness compared to my own. It is not a scary shaking, but a shaking of my heart that wakes me up, brings life to dry does, and establishes joy in the deepest parts parts of my heart. He has and is continuing to fulfill me with His love like no other thing can.
As this semester is drawing to a close I am so overwhelmed by how faithful God has been to me. I came in with expectations of how college would be right away, and none of those came true. Jesus has blessed me instead with such good things that I could have never drawn up myself.
Palm 84:11 For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.
This verse has carried me through many days throughout this semester. Sometimes I get caught up on what I want and frustrated when I don’t get those things, whatever they may be, but what a truth to know that the Lord God will withhold no good thing from me. As I have been learning, many times the things that I am hoping for are being withheld because He has something so much better. God is good, His love is great, and there is no place I would rather be than lost inside His arms.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you so much for this season of my life. Thank you more for your deep love that is far greater than any other love that could be offered to me. Thank you for growing me in this season and covering me in grace and faithfulness. All else falls so short in comparison to You. God thank you for revealing yourself to me in such awesome ways. I want nothing else as much as I just want to know you more! You are so good and I cannot help but love you so much.
Remember + Rejoice 