Beauty for Ashes

What ever you run from (past, mistake, sin, person, memory), God will eventually take you back to that thing or place and you will have to deal with it before you can ever get well.  -Joyce Meyer There is so much truth in what she said.  How many times in your life have you ran?  Probably more times than you can count.  I know I have.  But why?  Was it fear?  Was it pride?  Was it just easier to run than to stay?  What ever the reason, just know that you can come back and face it with God.  God will give you the strength.  He will give you the grace.  He will help you through to the other side.   God has been bringing me back to things I ran from years ago.  He has shown me areas that I need healing in.  It is never easy; that's why I ran all those years back.  But you know what?  I have such a tremendous peace that goes along with  facing these things now.  Peace like I've never fel...

Having lived in Florida my entire life, the beach was a place my family spent a lot of time at. Some of my most treasured memories are of our extended family coming together every summer for a week of beach fun. It never grew old. I still love it to this day! The beach is a place of solitude for me. A place I can go and completely turn my mind off. There is just something so peaceful about watching and listening to the ocean. Wave after wave crashing on the shoreline. The boys playing together, laughing and being as loud as they want. The beach is my favorite spot to go and just talk to God. The hustle and bustle of life stops the moment my toes hit the sand, the moment I can hear the ocean and smell the salt. No matter where I am, God will meet me in that moment.   Psalm 139: 9-10 has been with me all week. It says, "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." No matt...

The sunset was so amazing last night over Lake Cannon, that it stopped me in my tracks.  We had just left my grandparent's lake house and when we got to the other side of their lake, we saw this.  Luckily, there were no cars on the road because that allowed me to stop and take some shots from the truck.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph this.  Even the boys were in awe of it.  Looking at the brightly colored sky, it made me think about God and his goodness.  Especially, new beginnings.  I know at times, our lives are difficult.  They are busy.  They can be very chaotic.  But there are those moments when we experience pure peace.  That was last night for me.  I believe that God gives us this beauty in the sky to remind us to find our peace.  To ease our trouble and worries at the end of the day.  To say, 'I know your day was hard, but remember, tomorrow will be a new day.'   I don't know what ...

Waiting.  Letting go.  Giving up control.  Being patient.  These things are so difficult.  I struggle with these things often.  More often than I'd like to admit.  At times, I wish I were a little stronger.  I wish I were a little more patient.  I wish I were able to freely give up control of every situation; especially, the situations where I want a certain outcome.  My struggle with the flesh is real at times in these areas.  That is when I am incredibly thankful for God's grace.  For His compassion.  For His love.  For His peace in the midst of a storm.  I'm thankful He loves me so much and will never give up on me.  Surely, He must be tired of me failing.  Of me making mistakes.  Of me not including Him in every decision.  Surely, He must be tired of me.  The truth is, He isn't.  Just like our earthly father teaches us and corrects us and loves us through, Our God does the same. ...

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 You know, some birthdays are harder than others.  There is just something about turning another year older that gets to you.  My thirty-fifth birthday is on Wednesday, and I have to admit, I am having a hard time with this one.  It seems like just yesterday, I was turning the big 3-0.  The older I get, the faster the years fly by.  I just need time to slow down just a bit.   This birthday, has got me thinking a lot about what true  beauty looks like and what the world says it is.  For so many years, I was led to believe the wrong things about it all.  For so long, I thought to be truly beautiful, I had to have this perfect body in order to even be considered normal or pretty.  Magazines, television, and the entertainment industry all label what they see as beautiful the wrong way.  To be beautiful, you don...

This morning as I was driving to an  appointment, there it was.  I made a right turn and it practically hit me in the face.  It was this gorgeous rainbow.  I don't know about you, but whenever I see a rainbow, I get excited.  I stand and look in awe of just the beauty.  It took me by surprise because it was a typical hot and sunny morning in Florida.  Not a storm in sight.  The sun was shining so brightly.  I probably wouldn't have noticed it had it not been for my polarized sunglasses because it was almost transparent to the naked eye.  I felt in that moment, God was speaking to me directly.  I felt as if He placed that rainbow in my path for my eyes only.  He knew what I had prayed for before leaving our home this morning.  He knew it would take something grand to get me to hear Him.  He was reminding me of His promises and what the rainbow stood for.  Such an amazing moment with God this morning. I have bee...

Yes, I have found my light.  It wasn't an easy thing to do at first, but I pushed through until I  succeeded.  Like you, I too, was once lost.  That is until God found me.  Or it was more like I finally found God.  I'm so thankful He didn't give up on me.  He was right beside me even when I was lost.  Some say life will throw you curve balls, but, as a believer, I know it is the enemy trying to derail us.  The enemy will do anything to keep you in the dark.  Once that darkness has a grip on you, it can feel as if you will never see the light of day again.  That is such a scary thing.  He will do anything to tear you down.  He can make you feel hopeless, like you are not good enough, like you will never get out of this pit.  But, I'm here to say, " You are not any of those things and you can and will get out of that darkness."    I truly believe that you can get out of the dark only once you allow the ...