Beauty for Ashes

God, Thank you for this life.  Thank you for who I share it with.  Thank you for every single trial and every tear shed because of it.  Thank you for the growth and wisdom I have gained from each fire I had to walk through.  Thank you for the trial I am walking through now and for the way it will refine me to be better purposed for my calling.  Thank you for the peace that fills my soul when the world around me is full of chaos and strife.  Thank you for being with me every step of the way and for allowing me to find rest in you.  Thank you for giving me a firm place to stand so that I don't sink in times of trial and despair. Thank you for this amazing joy that comes only from you living and breathing inside of me.  Thank you for today and each and every blessing in it.  Thank you for carrying this burden for me so it won't weigh me down and prevent me from enjoying my today.  You are my rock, my light and my life belongs to you. ...

Six years ago, life as I knew it came crashing down.  My former spouse walked out after ten years of marriage and overnight I was a single mom with two small boys.  I was left with so many questions and not enough answers.  I was left fighting to find myself again all while trying to pick up the pieces along the way.  My journey through divorce, and the effects of infidelity, and emotional abuse left me beat down and broken.  But God.  God was with me every step of the way. God mended all of the broken pieces back together and made me whole again.  He redeemed me from all of it.  I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams and am thankful for every step I had to take to get to this point.  This is what freedom looks like.  Freedom from the past.  The pain.  The struggle and brokenness.   What an amazing journey I've had in order to get to this point.  My pain has turned into something beautiful.  My pain has blossome...

The wind is blowing and the clouds are growing dark.  The sea is kicking up and the waves are doing their best to knock me down below the surface.  I can see the storm that's rolling in- it's the biggest one I have faced yet.  At any moment, this storm will try to engulf every part of me.  It will try to knock me off course and get me lost in the midst of it's darkness.  It will try to steal my hope and joy and every bit of my peace.   It will try to make me redirect my focus on it instead of the only one who can take the storm's power and calm the wind and seas.   With this storm raging all around me, I'll praise God louder.  My feet are planted firmly on the rock and my eyes are locked on Him and Him alone.  His peace surrounds me as the wind and rain brush up against my face.  The darkness of the storm gives way to the light that is living and breathing inside of me.  The lantern up on the hill is shining bright so that I ma...