Choosing to Celebrate

Honestly.... last week I was tossing in my bed worrying. I realized that Valentines Day was coming up. And what was I going to do? I was worried about how I would handle the 14th. It seemed like so much was reminding me of what I wish was mine. I didn't want it to become a pity party, but I felt like I was heading there.
But then a friend sent me a link to this article. https://www.incourage.me/2019/02/i-dare-you-buy-the-flowers.html.
It gave me pause. Hearing someone else confirm that the pain is real, but there's also joy in this season.
It occurred to me that I had a choice.
I could read everyone's Facebook posts and have a pity party, or I could celebrate what God is doing here and now. I could celebrate the love He has given me. I could celebrate the good gifts He has given me. I could switch the focus back where it belongs. I can focus on the Perfect and Holy One. The One who is my Redeemer. The One who is my life and love. That is worth a celebration.
Will you join me? Celebrate what God is doing in your life. Shout it out. Celebrate His love and faithfulness. Enjoy His gifts. Revel in His care. Let's do this!

Bringing It To Him

Last fall I was very restless. I couldn't escape the feeling of wanting to do something different. I wanted to take on a new adventure. 

The thing was no matter how hard I tried, no new adventure came. No new doors opened. Monthes passed and still nothing. I was getting very frustrated. One day I went out walking and talking to God. I told Him I was frustrated with life. I told Him I had tried everything, but this restless feeling persisted. When I finished and started listening He spoke. He told me that I would rather take on a new adventure than stay and deal with pain of still being single. Ouch! That one hurt to hear. 

Honestly I didn't want to deal with the pain of being single. The pain of unfulfilled longing. Anytime it came to the surface, I had surpressed it. I thought it was wrong to want anything else besides God. So when the longing for marriage would come up, I would feel guilty because I wasn't desiring God. I would try to shove it down. The thing was I did (and still do) desire a Godly marriage. And trying to deal with the pain of disappointment and honest desire was scary. My approach of acting like it wasn't there wasn't working. 

So I went to a Godly woman in our church and asked for counsel. She didn't deny my desire or my pain. She encouraged me instead to take it to Christ. Instead of feeling guilty and running from Christ, to take my pain to Christ. 

This was a game changer for me. I started coming to Christ with my pain and disappointment. I started bringing Him my longing and desire. He is such a good God. When I come to Him with tears for what I long to have, He comforts me. He reminds me that I am not alone. He reminds me of who I am in Him. He reminds me that He too lived through singleness and longing to be united to His bride. He reminds me of His faithfulness. He reminds me of His love. He reminds me of the mission for here and now. 

I'm still in the learning process. I'm still learning to bring Him all the feelings of longing and disappiontment. I'm still learning to receive the comfort and peace He freely gives. But He is so tender and patient. He keeps loving me and working through all of it. 

Whatever you are going through, bring it to God. You may not know how to deal with it, but He does. He knows what you need. He will be the best comfort and encouragement you will ever know. 

When You Feel Like You've Blown It

I was reading a book that was encouraging young women not to give their hearts away. Something I am whole heartedly in favor of. 
However for me, statements like this make me sad. I feel like I already gave my heart away to the wrong guy. When I had to take it back it was broken in a million pieces. I feel like I've blown it. I can't undo the past. I can't make my heart new again.  

But God is gracious. He knew that this would happen. He knew I would give my heart to someone who wouldn't keep it. He knew that I couldn't deal with the heartbreak alone. 
So when my heart was broken and I had royally messed up, He came to me. He loved on me. He stood with me every day, comforting me. He covered me with His blood. He forgave me. He picked up the jagged pieces of my heart and reshaped them. He worked healing. He restored my soul. 

Do I wish I could go back in time and take my heart back before it got broken? Oh yes. But praise be to God that He works in us no matter how badly we have blown it. He works healing and restoration in the most broken places of our hearts.

There are things that I will always struggle with and scars that will always be with me. There is damage that I've done that I can't undo. Sadly. But praise God I don't have to live in the guilt and pain. I can have forgiveness even for my worst failures. 

Do you feel like you've blown it? Do you feel like you gave your heart away to the wrong person? Don't give up. Seek God again. Bring Him that hurt and brokenness and let Him work in you wonders that can't be put into words. Let Him fill you again. Let His grace redeem your story. 

No matter where you are, always seek God. He is the will always redeem that which you entrust to Him. 

He Came

This year I've been coming back to a simple truth. God gave the gift of Himself in the form of a baby. 
The God of the universe came into the world He created. He came to save us. He came to redeem us. He came to love us. He died in our place and rose again. 
That is our God. He is beyond our understanding and yet He choose to reveal Himself to us. 
I praise His name. For His is good and His love endures forever. May all praise be to His name. 
As we have been loved, let us love.

The Wedding

Morgan Sessions Photography 

Last month I went to a wedding of a friend. Confession time: I normally don't wear make up to these events but that day I did. Why? There were going to be a lot of people there that I hadn't seen in 5 years and I wanted to look good. And I was feeling insecure. 

Honestly weddings are still a little tough. I enjoyed the ceremony and was excited for the couple. The reception was tough. Talking with ladies younger than me that were married and answering questions about my own life. It was tough. Answering the do you have a boyfriend question is rough for me. It brought up the pain of longing and reminded me of the place I want filled. I was starting to fill very sorry for myself. 

But God didn't let me turn the reception into a pity party. He sent me a lady with the words I needed to hear. She asked me what I had done in the last five years, if I had a boyfriend, and how life was going for me. I told her that God had been very good to me. I was working the same job. No boyfriend on the horizon. Still loving my family and friends. 

She looked at me and said, "that is so great Rose. You haven't changed a bit. You are still loving God and living out your faith." She kept talking, but my eyes welled up with tears. Here I was looking at myself through a lense of my singleness and hurt. Here she was looking at me through the lense of what God was still doing in me. 

It changed my whole perspective on the evening. Maybe I hadn't found a boyfriend, maybe I hadn't built up an amazing career, maybe I still had a lot of unfulfilled dreams, but that doesn't change the fact that God has never left me. He is still here. He is working. He is still loving me. 

In the end that's all that really matters. He is the center of our story. He is the light of the world. He is all that we need. He is the Redeemer of the story. 

Is it hard to believe that when I look around and it feels like everyone else is getting married? Yes. Is it hard to remember that He is all I need when I feel that longing for a relationship? Yes. Do any of my feelings change who He is? No! 

Ultimately He never changes. He will be my constant One. The Lover of my soul. My Rock and Redeemer. He is all Sufficient. He is all that is good. 

Now when I think back to that evening, I thank God. I am so thankful that God never left me to myself, but let me be a testimony to His grace. He crashed my pity party with perspective. For that I am grateful. 

Have you ever had God crash a pity party with perspective? I'd like to hear about it. Drop me a comment below. 

For My Single And Married Friends

Photo credit: Mikayla Holman

One of the things I have noticed on Facebook is a lot of posts aimed at singles that go something like this, (picture of me and my guy) single women wait for a love like this. 

Through the years I have read a lot of these posts and come away feeling more discouraged. I know the people who posted this meant well, but when I read this post I feel like it spotlights my singleness. Their fullness spotlights my emptiness. Their relationship status highlights mine. Their wait being over spotlights my (sometimes hard) wait.

When you write a post or are having a conversation, where does the spotlight fall? Sadly I feel like all too often I read these posts and turn the spotlight toward me and what I wish I had. I choose to look at the waiting and the downsides to singleness. 

But where should I be focusing? Toward myself or toward the all sufficient Christ? When I choose to point the spotlight toward Christ and the gospel a change takes place. As I see more of His worthiness my pain becomes less. As I remember all that He is my purpose become clear. 

No matter what position we are in, whether single or married, we are to honor God in the middle of it. In all that we do, if we aren't trusting God wholly and learning to love our neighbors (even through Facebook) we are failing. If He isn't coming through in every Facebook post, every conversation, every word, then we are not living according to the riches of His goodness. 

So how do we do this? 

To my married/dating friends - let me tell you from the bottom of my heart that I am happy for you. I know that your special someone is the fruit of years of prayer and hard relationship work. I hope that I can be one of the ones that celebrates with you and enjoys seeing what God does in your life. 

When you want to encourage your single friends, the best thing that you can encourage us with is the gospel. Encourage us to look to Christ. Encourage us to live the life that God has called us to live.

To my single friends - I know that it's hard to be single sometimes and there's a lot of things we have to deal with. But what if we started rejoicing with people instead of envying them? What if we started encouraging our married or dating friends? What if we starting living life as if  Christ is enough? What if we proclaimed His goodness in our lives? What if we became the best servers, lovers, and friends that we can?

No matter where you are, start declaring His faithfulness to those around you. Let us see what God does when we start loving each other! 

The Struggle Is Real

The struggle is real, but so is God.

The ache that you feel is real, but so is Gods love. 

The emotions you feel are real, but so is Gods never-changing character. 

The hard days may seem to last forever, but Gods mercy never ends.

The pain you're going through is real, but so is Gods healing power.

The frustrations you face are real, but so is Gods peace.

The setbacks you encounter are real, but so is Gods help. 

The daily grind monotony is real, but so is the purpose that God gives us. 

The discouragement that you face is real, but so is the God of all hope. 

Whatever you are facing right now, know that God is real. He is loving and powerful. 

What if today we started to really believe that He is as powerful as our situation? What if we believed that He can do what He has promised us? What would change?