Category Archives: Faith

When You are Attacked by Stormy Seas

There are days like this every so often and while they come less frequently than they did in the past…they still come. Days where the sky seems darker, the world colder, and it feels like I am just fighting to stay in the boat.

When I was around 10, I climbed into the boat after Him for the first time. Believing completely that life would be smooth sailing from that point on. He was in fact Jesus and now that He was in my heart He would make everything ok. Right?

But the clouds rolled in and the sky grew dark, the rains came and I felt alone.

Where was He? It was though He had abandoned me!

Matthew 8:23-24 “And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.”

Instead of reaching out to Him, I jumped ship…it seemed the safer thing to do for some reason.

When I was in college I climbed into the boat after Him again.

I was re-committed, was on fire and filled with passion. I wanted to make a difference because of Him.

But the world had its grip on me and I was weak….it was easier getting out this time. It wasn’t that He had let me down…it was that I knew I WOULD let Him down. Instead of face sure failure…..I went my own direction.

And then one day, after years of heartache. Years of blame and pointing fingers, of not taking responsibility for my actions and feeling the black hole in my heart devouring me I threw myself into the boat once more. This time in sheer desperation.

I started to break down the walls that I had built, started to see God differently.

A relationship developed and for the first time I was being real….well as real as I was able. But I was committed to getting there, to finding that pathway to peace in Him.

When another storm hit, it was unexpected.

Wasn’t I doing everything”right”? Why did I deserve this?

Matthew 8:25 “And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”

Save me Lord….why are You seemingly alseep?

Matthew 8:26 “And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”

Ye of little faith am I….

But God!

Do you see the promise in these verses?

Such a well known story but just now….seriously I am not even kidding it hit me just now, a revelation that I had not considered…

In spite of our lack of faith HE CALMS THE STORM ANYWAYS!!! (<==== Click to Tweet)

My hands are trembling right now, I have never seen these verses in this way….

He IS there. In all of it He is there.

The storms will come, it is a matter of fact. But God who is powerful and mighty and sovereign and merciful WILL calm the storm.

He is not relying on my faith or lack there of to get things done.

He uses these times to teach me about who He is and that in it all He is faithful. Regardless of how I feel about Him or my situation.

Friends many of you are under attack right now. I have been in prayer over and with friends who are facing battles I can’t imagine, and yet they are staying in the boat!

And you know why?

Because HE IS THERE.

He always was, He always has been and He always will be!!

I was the one who jumped ship, not God. So let the storms rage because we are NOT sailing alone!

If you are in need of prayer would you please leave a comment and allow me the privilege of praying for you today. We are in this together!!

Joining Holley Gerth each Wednesday to bring you some Encouragement – need some more? Hop on over here and find over 100 women who are committing to spreading Joy in 2014! 🙂

Also joining Jennifer Lee in her #TellHisStory challenge. So grateful for these women who are leading the way in shouting out about God’s great love! Check it out here!

Photo Credit: liebeslakritze

You Are Not Alone – A Battle Cry!

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Once again I had another post written in my head – but God had other plans….

If you haven’t seen it yet, there is a post live today by my friend Christine, over at the God-sized Dreams website.

She is taking a stand, grabbing her marching orders, and pressing forward and she isn’t going into battle alone.

We are in a war.

A war for our souls and it is ugly.

As I step out in faith and write here, as friends step out and do the same, we have been under attack.

The enemy is afraid.

We, with our voices united, sharing all that God has done in our lives, are a threat.

Have you felt it? The attacks on marriages and our children….

And the enemy is cunning and whispers lies to me all the time.

“Who do you think you are sharing your faith, when your life is usually one big mess?”

I hear it….and sometimes I believe the truth in that statement….because who am I?

I was asked many months ago to write a post about marriage for another blog. I was going to write about respecting your husband…something I don’t do well, but that God is working on in my life.

And wouldn’t you know the weeks leading up to that time I was the most disrespectful and rude and angry towards my husband…..and the post went unwritten. I heard the lies that I was a failure and I didn’t have anything to offer and instead of sharing about God’s continued and redemptive power in my life, I stayed silent.

Well friends, we can’t stay silent any more!!

We must stand together and fight! Yes this is a war, a battle raging against us but WE ARE NOT ALONE!!

Maybe you feel it today, the weight of your sin.

Well it is time for some freedom – that weight is not yours to bear any longer. Christ took the punishment for your sins and mine when He sacrificed His life on the cross.

He doesn’t want us to live in bondage any longer….oh the enemy does, but if we are living fully in Christ we must live as free people!

Christ has overcome!

We are not alone in the battle – God is with us every step of the way!

Holley shares this in her new book, out next week, “You’re Going to be Okay” …..

“Defeat is not your destiny. You belong to the One who overcame even death, and that means there is nothing too difficult for him.”

We belong to Him. We are His chosen people. We are strong and courageous, even when we don’t feel it because He gives us strength!

My friend, whatever battle you are waking up to today….know, trust, that you are not alone in the fight.

God is with you and I, along with many others, are putting on our armor and preparing to march along side of you to victory.

This is our battle cry – WE ARE NOT ALONE!!

Joining Holley Gerth every Wednesday, dishing up some love and encouragement for you! Hop on over and join in the fun!

Also Linking up with Jennifer Dukes Lee and #TellHisStory

Photo Credit: Playing Futures

Skipping With My Eyes Closed

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On Thursday afternoon I got a call from Elijah’s sweet preschool teacher. He had an accident during PE time and had fallen and hit his head. He was shaken up but they were holding ice on his head and I was just about to pick him up.

When I got there, he was being VERY brave. He wasn’t crying or anything. He was sitting with his other teacher and said he had a big ouch! 🙂 All of the other kiddos were so concerned about him too!

We got home and I took a picture and this is how he looked…

Yikes huh?!

When asked what he was doing (in his own words) this is what he said….“I was skipping with my eyes closed to see if I could make it to the blue line without falling.”

Well my son, we have our answer don’t we?! You can NOT skip with your eyes closed without falling.

I don’t think this is a mistake he will make again anytime soon. In fact he keeps telling me “mama I just shouldn’t have been skipping with my eyes closed.”

He is just so sweet.

I can’t fault him though, I can see so much of myself in this situation.

Sometimes I get an idea in my head and in my mind it makes perfect sense.

I charge forward, confident and oblivious of any danger that may be ahead….and in all honesty, being the stubborn girl that I am, even if I did think there might be some danger – I would probably feel like I could handle it.

I skip on ahead, eyes closed, fully believing that the blue line is in my reach.

Until I fall.

Now maybe I don’t literally hit my head, but instead I am met with frustration, hurt feelings or disappointment.

My choices can sting me at times.

Especially those times when I try to take control, those times when I am not praying, and not seeking God’s plan for my life.

Elijah’s accident was another reminder to me that I need to daily be putting on my full armour of God.

Keeping my eyes open, being aware of my surroundings and seeking God’s direction and help in everything that I do.

As for my sweet boy….he is doing much better. He is starting to get a bit of a black eye, but it could have been so much worse. I am grateful that he is doing so well!

Ephesians 6:11-18

English Standard Version (ESV)

^{11 “}Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers overthis present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”

God Goes Before Us

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Oh friends do I have a story to tell. I wish I could share ALL the details, but for privacy reasons I won’t. But here’s the thing….the specifics don’t really matter.

Because really THIS, this is a story about God. A story in which without Him, none of it would have been possible.

I know I posted once already today but I can’t even think straight because I am so overwhelmed by God’s provisions and goodness……it just HAS to be told.

As I was getting out of the shower yesterday morning a thought came to mind that I needed to do something very specific for someone I know.

I think best in the shower (maybe it’s because it is the only time in the morning no one is awake to want or need something from me) 🙂 and this has happened before….often people are brought to mind and I figure there must be a reason I should pray for them right then.

It was an interesting thought and one that I didn’t act on immediately, for various reasons, but mostly because I was busy focusing on getting myself ready for the day. (Because in my selfish head it is all about me)

But God planted a seed at that moment….one that wouldn’t sprout for a few hours, but it was there.

Several hours later I was contacted by a friend in regards to the person I had thought about earlier that morning. That friend’s message spurred the very specific thought I had and I shared it (although it seemed just the slightest bit crazy).

We discussed it and decided to act.

A message was sent and I was pretty sure that our idea would be turned down.

And then the response. Oh the response!!!

Oh my goodness here is where it gets good friends…I am in goosebumps over it still. God is just SO good!!

A prayer had been issued out that morning for the VERY THING that had been brought to my mind hours before.

THE VERY THING.

Even more incredible to me is that because of the timing, I know that the prayer had not even been spoken before God placed the answer on my heart.

Can you feel the magnitude of that?

God loves us so much that He answers the prayers of the faithful before they have even left the lips of the ones praying.

He was already working out the details……none of us knew it at the time, but He was already in it!

Even greater than that is the fact that none of this would have been possible if so many other God-filled things had not occurred in the past year.

God knew a year ago that on January 14th 2014, He would give me a message and my friend a message that would help answer a very specific prayer that would be lifted up on THAT exact day.

God goes before us. Can you see that?!

And today I am reminded that it is my job to be open to hearing His still small voice…even if it seems like a crazy thought because He is working out the details of something magnificent.

I am selfish by nature, and I don’t always act on something when I hear it. Thankfully this time God worked in a couple of us to bring everything together. But what a reminder to me to remain watchful and then act!!!

I think I am being called to share this message, even though it lacks all the “details” because God is the only detail that really matters. He makes ALL things possible and yesterday I was blessed to be a witness to how amazing that can be.

Be listening friends, be praying, and ask God to guide you in fulfilling His plans!

Photo Credit: ankakay

When All You Can Do Is Pray

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This was our view on one of the drives we made over Christmas. I didn’t take a picture during the other drive, but imagine lots of snow, winds and at times near white out conditions….if I haven’t already mentioned it I do not like driving during winter weather. And yes I realize that I live in Minnesota so it is inevitable, but I don’t have to like it!

On top of all of this I am a very nervous rider. It seems to me that when I am not in the drivers seat it feels like everything is always on the verge of being out of control. Good times for all involved I know.

So I found myself in a long car ride, sick to my stomach. Fear and worry can consume me in a snap and I start to think about the worst case scenerio happening to us. I know that these feelings are not from God and so at times like this the only thing I can do is pray.

I have no control over the weather.

I have no control over the drivers in front of us or behind us, or the semis that are screaming past us….no control. And while I find comfort in believing that I have control over some things…I knew this was one situation that I had to give over to God completely.

So I prayed.

And prayed and prayed.

In moments where we don’t have control and we don’t know what else to do – we CAN pray. And it doesn’t have to be a really in-depth prayer either….I literally just prayed “God Protect Us” over and over.

I just started reading a new book by Mark Batterson called “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day“. I am not that far into the book but this stuck out at me specifically.

“The word over in the phrase “over the water” comes from the two-dimensional Hebrew word paniym. In regards to time, paniym can refer to the split second before something happens and the split second after something happens. In regards to space, it can refer to the space right in front or right in back of you.

In the words of the Psalmist:

I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there too.

It’s almost as if God forms a parenthesis in time and a parenthesis in space around us. He is hovering all around you all the time.”

Do you love that visual as much as I do?

That God literally is behind you and in front of you at all times?!

Bad things happen but it doesn’t mean that God isn’t there with us. I have struggled with this in the past so I am not some “expert” on walking the Christian life well. I have found myself in situations where I was sure God had deserted me then to see, in hindsight, that He had been there all along.

He has formed a parenthesis around my life.

He is in it all. So I can remind myself in times of worry and fear, God continues to go before me, continues to walk behind me….Just as He always has.

I will find myself on a snowy road again in the future, literally and figuratively. We are not promised that we won’t have troubles, but we are promised that He has overcome all of it.

Today I will hold tight to that promise and the idea that He goes before me and behind me through it all.

Do you struggle with worry? What works best for you in situations like these??

The Greatest Gift!

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Merry Christmas from our family to yours! It is my prayer that each and every one of us will experience the true gift of Christmas this year. Christ came to Earth as a baby so that He could ultimately die as the sacrifice for each of our sins. That is overwhelming to me and I am so very grateful that God loves us that much! All we have to do is receive the gift God has freely given through His Son.

If you have not established a relationship with Christ yet, stop waiting!! What a gift it would be to finally enter into a relationship with God this year. I am praying today for all who may not know Christ in an intimate way. I have posted my favorite Christmas story below, let’s receive Him with great joy today!! Merry Christmas friends!

Luke: 2: 1-20 – 1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration when^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³And all went to be registered, each to his own town.⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,^[b] who was with child. ⁶And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²Andthis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”^[c]

¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

O The Blood….

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“O The Blood”

This song has been playing over and over in my car and at work….

Earlier this week our oldest son learned that a young man from the town we used to live in was killed in a tragic auto accident. One that was completely avoidable but because of the carelessness of the other driver, 2 families lives may forever be changed.

It is so sad and so senseless.

It is in times like these that I want to understand the “whys” – want to see something positive in the situation.

And often times there isn’t an answer right away.

Maybe this accident, this loss, will bring some teenagers from the community to Christ.

Maybe it will bring the driver who caused it to a relationship with Christ.

We just can’t know – I can hope because at least there is something positive…

It is at times like this that the best we can do I think is cling to the promises.

This life is NOT the end.

Because of the blood of Christ, shed for us, a young life lost isn’t lost forever.

There is hope and power and grace in the blood.

Can you even comprehend that even in our darkest moments of sin – Christ chose to sacrifice His life for us so that this would not be the end of the story.

Praise God for that.

Please pray for the family of Peter Auch – may God cover them in His peace today.

Just in case the video doesn’t embed like it is supposed to here is a link to the song I was talking about!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC59rgmcu34.

The Condition of My Heart

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When settlers came to America and started traveling West looking for gold many people were “fooled” by this mineral. Pyrite looks a lot like real gold but it isn’t the actual thing and is basically worthless. So it was named “fools gold”.

Sometimes, when things look all nice and shiny on the outside of my life, I start to get lazy in the things that are important.

One of those things is time in God’s Word.

I have been participating in the Hello Mornings challenge and we recently just finished a 13 week study. The past few weeks have been really busy here as we prepared for our vacation away and while I was reading the verses I was only doing it half-heartedly.

While we were on vacation I didn’t do a lot of praying and I basically skipped 4 mornings and didn’t even do my readings at all. I justified it because things were going really well. Dominic and I were getting along and having fun. I had this thing right??

But the condition of my heart, while maybe looking like the “real thing”, was really dark inside.

When things feel good on the surface I get a little self-righteous. I start to feel like I don’t desperately need God like I have, I put my needs before God’s needs, I put down my armor because I feel like I have the enemy beat and I am safe.

Funny how this past week we read these verses in Ephesians. Sad that I read them, but didn’t apply them to my own life.

Ephesians 6: 10-18

¹⁰Finally, brothers and sisters, draw your strength and might from God. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God to protect yourselves from the devil and his evil schemes. ¹²We’re not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural powers and demon princes that slither in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk about in heavenly places.

¹³And this is why you need to be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground. ¹⁴Yes, stand—truth banded around your waist, righteousness as your chest plate, ¹⁵and feet protected in preparation to proclaim the good news of peace. ¹⁶Don’t forget to raise the shield of faith above all else, so you will be able to extinguish flaming spears hurled at you from the wicked one. ¹⁷Take also the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸Pray always. Pray in the Spirit. Pray about everything in every way you know how! And keeping all this in mind, pray on behalf of God’s people. Keep on praying feverishly, and be on the lookout until evil has been stayed.

I believe in the presence of the enemy in this world. I have seen in my own life the times we have been under attack. When we are doing well, when we are making right choices and putting others needs before our own…we are a threat and the enemy will attack with full on vengeance.

And he attacks me at where he knows I am the most weak.

So here I am, after a week of fun with Dominic, and when we find ourselves back in the “reality” of work and family life, I start to let the little things annoy me.

We all have things that irritate us and most of the time I can let it go. When the condition of my heart is well, it is easy.

When I have stopped reading the Bible, stopped praying continuously, I start to hear those things that bother me louder and louder and my response to them changes.

So I found myself seeing only negative when my entire life is surrounded with the evidence of the positive.

And for a day I engaged in the enemy’s attack, allowing myself to behave in a self righteous way and I turned on Dominic. And in a way that is most damaging……with my words. I said hurtful things to him because I was angry with myself and a mistake I had made. I wanted someone else to blame because I don’t own up to responsibility well. He was an easy target and he was the victim of my darts.

Words have a lasting impact.

I say things in “the moment” and don’t consider the long lasting impact or cost.

Have you found yourself there as well??

I messaged a few of my girlfriends and shared how ugly I had let myself be and that it hurt him….and now in a day of silence, because I wasn’t willing to own up to my part, we had gone from happy to hurting.

The disconect was real and it isn’t a fun place to be.

And I had caused it.

In my selfishness, I had placed a ugly strain on our marriage.

One of my girlfriends responded about having been there…and how these situations can reveal the condition of our hearts.

Yes that was it…..the condition of my heart was not that of gold. It isn’t easy to admit that I allowed myself to get to that point…again. But here I was.

I had not put on the full armor of God, not stayed alert and the enemy had attacked and I was an easy target. Oh me who has it all together who wants to look pretty on the outside, this Christian example! Ha!

So I do the only thing I know how to do….I run back to the Word. I place those truths in my heart and I pray. I ask for forgiveness and I pray for healing of the hurts I have caused with my words.

I don’t know where you find yourself this morning. Maybe you have hurt someone with your words, maybe you have felt the enemy’s attacks and have justified your behavior like I did. There is One thing that will get the condition of your heart back into the right place.

That is Jesus.

Run to Him, read God’s Word and put on that armor because the attacks are real and they are many. Be fully prepared to stand your ground and know that if you are in the Word and praying – God IS with you.

I am standing with you there today friends….

And The Journey Begins….

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A view of the Chicago skyline from my first flight!!

The journey began last night really as I left my family and drove to Sioux Falls to stay with my parents so they could take me to the airport this morning. A journey that started many many months ago when I purchased a ticket to a conference I had heard about.

Allume – or All-U-Me if you ask Dominic 😉

It was a risk really. Trusting that God had something planned for me on this weekend. I felt a heart tug to go. Thinking that it would help me grow my blog and learn more about how to turn this blogging thing into something more.

But as the months counted down leading up to this weekend my heart changed. I started to get to know on a deeper level these women involved in the God Sized Dream Team. Many of them will be there this weekend. We will finally get to hug necks and laugh in person.

I have discovered that these women are “my people”. They pray with me and encourage me. They share deeply and honestly and love me for who I am, mistakes and all. They have given me community and friendship when I felt that lacking so much in my life.

While I am excited to hear the speakers and attend the sessions, even more, I am looking forward to building deeper relationship with these women I have grown to love as sisters.

Yes God has been preparing my heart to really let friends in again, even if it means I might have to give them up. After losing a best friend almost 3 years ago I have been hesitant to really fill that void. I didn’t want it to be a replacement, didn’t want to feel like I was letting Karlena go. And to be honest I don’t want to experience that hurt of loss again.

But I now there is no forgetting, or replacing. Karlena still holds a big part of my heart. She is one of the reasons I even had the courage to come in the first place. I saw it in her first and I know it is now my time to step forward in faith and be brave. To seek God’s plan for my life, even if it is scary!

And I have seen that the value of community and friendship is so great, that it is worth the risk of loss. So my heart has become open to all of it – the good and the bad.

In the next 4 days I anticipate lots of laughter, loads of treats, chocolate and cupcakes and probably even some tears. As so many of us gather to celebrate the God that brought us to Greenville, SC and thank Him for the women He has put in our path.

Yes there is lots to learn, but I have a feeling that it is going to be a lot more heart learning than blog learning for me this year. And I can hardly contain my excitement!

And to all of my friends that can’t be there with us this time. Know you aren’t far from our minds and you will be with us in spirit…and maybe a little in Voxer too. 😉

For When You Don’t Have it All Together

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I shared some of these thoughts with the “Simply Devoted” group that I am leading in the mornings. Thoughts from the verses in Ephesians we are studying in Hello Mornings.

I don’t know about you but this life can be hard at times.

I do get up early every morning and do a little reading, trying to get to know God more. It is more Bible reading and reflection than I have ever done. I feel like I pray throughout the day a lot and remember to thank God for the little things.

But even though I am going through the “christian motions” – I am human, and I still struggle. I get angry with my kids, I don’t respect my husband and I am sensitive and tend to overreact.

Part of me feels like if I were doing this christian walk “right” that maybe I wouldn’t struggle like this. But I believe strongly that I won’t ever attain “perfection” in this life time…no matter how much devotional time I have, or studies I try and lead.

Plain and simple – I don’t have it all together, I don’t have all the answers, I still sin in some way every day….

But God, in His infinite grace, knew this ahead of time, still chose to create me and provided a way “out”.

This week’s HM study of Ephesians hits home – these verses specifically…”4 But God, with the unfathomable richness of His love and mercy focused on us, 5 united us with the Anointed One and infused our lifeless souls with life—even though we were buried under mountains of sin—and saved us by His grace. 6 He raised us up with Him and seated us in the heavenly realms with our beloved Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King. 7 He did this for a reason: so that for all eternity we will stand as a living testimony to the incredible riches of His grace and kindness that He freely gives to us by uniting us with Jesus the Anointed. 8-9 For it’s by God’s grace that you have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. You didn’t earn it, not one of us did, so don’t go around bragging that you must have done something amazing. 10 For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago.”

He has a plan for each of us. Some of us WILL struggle with trying to get this life “right”. May I let you off the hook a little. You aren’t expected to have it all together. You don’t have to earn it – God’s grace saves us from ourselves each and every day. Don’t ever forget that!!

I am so very grateful for this gift of grace. So glad that I have the opportunity each day to start over and try again. Some days I do pretty good. Some days I might actually be a light. Other days I struggle and fail and am not the “example” of Christ that I would like to be.

But that is exactly why He came in the first place. For sinners like me.

This morning when I got up I just felt a weight on me. The reality that I am a constant hypocrite and mess up more than I would like to admit hurts my heart and can feel overwhelming.

And I read through Ephesians 2: 1-10 again, looking for ways to apply it to me. And I was struck again of the reality that I DON’T need to have it all figured out. And that is my testimony friends. That this God of mine loves me so so much that He chose me and lavishes His love on me, His riches even when I don’t deserve it.

I could feel the weight lifting….it isn’t a burden I should be carrying because God already did the work for us!!

This grace is the legacy He is leaving with me. It is my hearts cry to share this grace with you. It is more amazing to me every time I think about how much He loves us. In spite of us.

Maybe you are trying really hard to be perfect too, maybe you lead a Bible study or participate in the HM challenge but feel like a fraud because when “life” hits your reactions would tell a different story.

I get it. I really do and I am there most days with you!

But God.

Don’t ever forget that friends – if that is the most you can utter out as you put your head down to sleep at night – But God. It is enough. He is enough.