Beauty for Ashes

The mountain top can seem so far away when you’re standing in the valley.  It can seem like an impossible feat to climb up, out of the muck and mire in attempt to stand on solid ground.  Looking up you can see His light and the place you want to be, but your trials and the emotions that come from it all distract you, keeping you from doing the one thing you know to do.  Seeking God with your whole heart during these times can be difficult; at least they are for me.  But what if I told you joy can be found in the darkness of the valley?  That His blessings can be found there in the midst of the storm too.  “That this trial you are walking had to happen and that sometimes, God uses the bad decisions of others if it will bring you to your purpose”. (Steven Furtick)  You see, in your weakness, His strength is made perfect; allowing you to look up and not only see the place you want to be at the top of the mountain, but also His mighty hands, outstretche...

Lord, Help me to see you in this heartbreak.  Help me to understand the purpose of this one.  Help me to process through these emotions I'm feeling.  With each heartbreak, I've been made new.  Whole.  Complete.  With each heartbreak, I've seen your faithfulness and love shine through the darkness.  Lord, help me to see it in this.  Help me to remember all you've done in my life.  Help me to see you through the disappointment and heartache; through the tears.  Help me to see the blessings instead of my circumstances.  Help me to rejoice through the pain and praise through the tears.  I thank you for never leaving me and for walking right beside me always.

I’m in a fight.  A fight to keep pushing towards my purpose.  Towards the woman God has called me to be.  I struggle a lot with this.  I struggle because of the storms.  The storms that keep coming for me, the storms that cause destruction and heartache; that cause loss and disappointment.  The storms that rush in and shake every bit of my life and leave it dismantled in a way I can’t figure out how it all should fit back together again.   Lately, I’ve allowed these storms and the distractions they bring to get in the way of my quiet time with God.  It’s a slippery slope once you start sliding down and it’s hard to regain your footing to climb back out again.  But I’m a fighter.  I’m in a fight to keep on keeping on.  To not allow these distractions or the storms cause me to slide down farther and farther away from my purpose.   If there is one thing I’ve learned over the last decade, it’s that despite what comes my w...

When I look in the mirror, I don’t even recognize myself anymore.  The woman I was and the woman I am are colliding with the woman I am to be.  And if I’m being honest with myself, that is a scary thought.  Within me lie so many emotions and feelings.  Within me lie past hurts that have shaped me in ways I never could have imagined.  Within me lie tremendous joy and sorrow through the broken roads I’ve journeyed down.  Within my soul there is a strength that only comes from surrendering it all to God and the perseverance it takes to get through the trials of life.  My purpose is inside of me somewhere and I’m on a journey to find it.  The road of life has taken me many places; some that I never had any intentions of going.  And now, I find myself on a journey that will change my life in ways I can’t even fathom.  All the heartbreak, all the pain and sorrow, all the joy and loss that is on the inside has a purpose; a purpose to impact the...

Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. -Proverbs 3:6 The last time I sat in this kitchen, I was nine. And all those years back, I never would have dreamt I would have to walk the roads I've journeyed down to get me to my today. But as I sit and look out at the rolling hills and the soy bean field swaying in the wind, I can't help but to see all of God's goodness. All that He has done in my life and every situation He has touched. I can't see Him yet in this road I just journeyed down, but I am confident I will see his faithfulness soon.  It was Him who carried me through the darkness of this storm, and it is Him, who is carefully, and slowly bringing me back into His light.  I'm thankful today. Thankful because even in the midst of my all my emotions, He is there, loving me through it. Thank you, Lord for your goodness.