In The Quiet Of The Aftermath

So, this past week has been one of the best weeks of my life. Because I usually use this forum to stay in touch with you guys and keep you on track of my crazy life, I figured this was worth sharing. I think part of it was how amazing of a weekend I had last weekend... and then this week I was able to really experience an outpouring of God's blessing and favor in my life. It was AWESOME! It wasn't even one thing in particular, I think it's just one of those things where when we step into obedience, God's favor just pours out. Not only did I have a great week at work, bringing in two sorely needed contracts - I think I'm finally back to my old self and I spent a lot of time during the days laughing and finding joy in simple things. Who doesn't love that?!

As I reflect over this season of my life, I think I see that another of the many painful storms in my life is nearing a close. I think any seasoned Christian will tell you that there will always be moments in your life where you find yourself facing a storm and you can't always hear or feel God near. Doesn't mean he isn't, but it does mean that we're going through a period in our life where God may be silent. These times are very painful, but they can also be very vital to our walk. My experience has been that these times found in me a desire to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ with all I have in me- even more than when things were good. I couldn't coast, I couldn't just assume everything would work out without any effort. I had to work, hard, all the time, and sometimes things still don't feel like they'll ever get better. But they will. And after these periods are over, the storm clears and things shine more brilliantly than they seem to ever have.

What I want to do today is to encourage you. Maybe you've found out some difficult news recently and your mind is still spinning, trying to put things together. Maybe you've been calling out in the darkness of your storm and you're aching for an answer. Or, maybe you're in the last drizzle of a storm and you need that extra push to make it out the other side. Whatever your situation, I want to share something: hang on. This life isn't ever going to be easy, it will never glide seamlessly without any problems, but it will be filled with bright spots to break up the storms. One of my favorite quotes is "Nobody ever said this life would be easy, but they did say it would be worth it." I have to agree, because even if things are never perfect, they are exactly as they're supposed to be according to God's plan for my life - and that's enough for me. And if you are having trouble, don't forget - there's always a helping hand waiting, a prayer away. Hang in there.

Parting thought:

Sometimes I hear God most, not in the roar of the storm but in the quiet of the aftermath - me :)

Talk soon.

Back to Basics

I'm back! <3

I'll be the first person to tell you that I'm incredibly blessed. I have an amazing family, priceless friends, a sweet dog, a good job, a great house... but even in my life, sometimes I need a little escape from reality.

This weekend my best friend and I decided to roadtrip to Raleigh. Ok first, the visit to my old stomping grounds was everything I ever couldn't have expected... campus has grown so much and a lot of the places I used to frequent aren't there anymore. Ce la vie. But even as I went back, it was almost like finding a part of me I forgot I had. Don't you love that? Even if it's something small like rediscovering an old favorite coffee shop, going back to Raleigh was like getting a chance to breath. But there was more to it than that. Jenn and I also spent some time with her AMAZING sister and this other kind of cool guy. And being with them, spending time laughing and goofing off all weekend, also gave me some perspective. I went to church with cool guy this morning, and the pastor said something to me that totally caught me off guard.

He said, "If you're thinking of running for a marathon, you don't just go out and run. If you try, you'd fall flat on your face. But what you do do is you train and you prepare and that way you're ready for the race when it comes." Now, I feel like this is for everyone no matter where you are in your life.

For me, I'm getting back to the basics. I know I've shared that with you guys before, but I've been convicted lately of placing other people and other relationships ahead of my God's - and that has been fixed. I'm finally taking time to enjoy life a day at a time. Just me, God, and my amazing family. Minimal planning, no time management - I'm going to enjoy each day with the joy and the blessings we've all been given, and let it go at that.

And in the off chance you're all wondering, what this quote means to me is simple: You can't just jump into the destiny that God has set for you. Take time every day to "train," spend time in the word and in a devotion with him, so that when he starts to reveal day by day the plan he has for you- you're ready. You've learned who He is, you've experienced His sufficiency, and you're waiting with anticipation for what He wants to give you.

This year's been pretty tough, but I've learned one thing: My God is an AMAZING God. He turns you back when you turn away from Him. He doesn't judge your mistakes - I actually am beginning to think he loves you more when you make them because it's when we realize what we've done that we seek him even more and he LOVES that. He never leaves us, even when we try to leave him. And last but least:

Jesus Christ is in love with us, and He loves who we are - but He also loves us too much to let us stay that way.

Aren't you glad that this is the Jesus Christ that's in love with us?

Parting thought:

The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular mood of happiness, but in allowing happiness to change its form without being disappointed by the change; for happiness, like a child, must be allowed to grow up - Charles Langbridge Morgan

Talk soon.