And Love Grew...

It seems so long ago now that I was thrust into a place that almost felt like a prison. Not that I know what prison feels like but I have an idea through conversations with my brother. (That is a whole other story.) It was a time in my life where it felt like everything was a go, moving full speed ahead, & definitely in the divine will of God. And then, a "suddenly moment" happened, the light turned red, it felt like everything came to a dead stop, & the light was definitely not turning green again.

My spirit was conflicted. My heart was a broken, tangled mess. My mind was a war zone. My emotions were a hurricane category 5.

I felt... Alone. Betrayed. Mistaken. Misunderstood. Forgotten. Unworthy. Unloved. Unusuable. A broken cistern unable to hold water.

I was... Afraid. Uncertain.

And perhaps it was Providence itself, the Divine One, who brought me to a place where "all of me" was laid at His feet...time and time again...Waiting....Trusting...Hoping....Believing...

I don't know when it happened. I suppose it has been a slow going process...as with most things...when it comes to the divine nature of God being revealed in us...But somewhere along the way love grew...love grew for this place that I now find myself. I honestly wouldn't have chosen it on my own, but that is what I love about my Father...He always knows best.

Wherever you are, let love grow. You might just be surprised when you begin to acknowledge God in a greater way in the process of your life...how love begins to grow in the places that you find yourself... Because you've stopped trying to figure it out on your own & you've embraced God in your journey...Leaning on Him, Trusting in Him...

Picture Perfect

Recently, I had a "friend" unfriend me on facebook. No big deal, really. This isn't junior high anymore. Usually, to be honest, I wouldn't even notice if you unfriend me on facebook...Believe it or not, I don't sit all day watching the amount of friends I have on facebook decrees or increase. The only reason I knew I was being "unfriended" was because this particular individual felt it was necessary to message me and explain their reasoning of why they were "unfriending" me. Which leads me to the following thought... If you are constantly living in a land of comparison and envy...you're missing the point of living. Keeping up with the "Jones" is a far fetched, unrealistic mindset. While you may look at other people and their families and think that they have it all together... I want to remind you, in love, that there is no such thing as "picture perfect." We live in a messy, messy world....Why? Because we have messy, messy lives. Every day, we are faced with new "messes"....The real difference is those people who whallow in the mess or realize that without Christ we are all just jacked up people. I don't know about you, but I am grateful for a  Savior who is in the business of cleaning up messes when we turn to Him, in humility, and confess our need for Him. We are truly an imperfect people who have been offered a realtionship with the Divine....Perfect God... Here's to not striving for "perfection" as the world demands it, but striving for the One who is perfect & is daily guiding our messy lives....

Remove Temptation

Being a new mom has taught me so much already. As of late, Caden has become a very active little guy crawling, cruising, climbing, and getting into anything that he can. When he heads for something he shouldn't, Andrew and I try to redirect him to something he can have such as a toy or a snack. However, wouldn't you know it...He just can't get his mind off of what he is not allowed to have & usually attempts to keep going back to it. For instance, the toilet. He is obsessed with the toilet & toilet paper. Just the other day, I had him in our laundry/guest bathroom with me while I was changing laundry over to the dryer. I had my back turned for maybe 30 seconds, I turn to check on him and he had unrolled like half a roll of toilet paper. I must admit, I did laugh because he looked so funny & was so entralled by the toilet paper. We've learned already there are some things we just have to REMOVE out of his site & ability to engage in. We now always keep the bathroom doors closed, have turned our dvd rack to face the wall so he cannot pull them off the shelf, & put a childproof lock on the bathroom cabinet where the cleaners are kept.

And sometimes, this extreme action is what is required for us if we are to truly be free in Christ as He has called us to be free. Remove the temptation. Don't even allow it in your home, in your heart, in your family, in your relationship with your spouse....

Removing the temptation doesn't mean we won't be tempted. In this life, it is a guarantee we will be tempted....some days more than others... However, removing the temptation, is telling the enemy where to to stick it & that he isn't going to win the battle for your soul that day.

Here's to living a life of freedom in Christ!