Finding Light in the Darkness

This is for the one who has lost a loved one. This is for the one who unexpectedly got diagnosed with a life threatening disease. This is for the one with a broken heart. This is for the one who spends night after night in tears. This is for the one who has been rejected, battered, and bruised by countless people. This is for the hurting and the broken. This is for YOU.

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Though I've been through some things that I would never wish upon someone else, I know that somewhere out there there is someone that is going through something similar or even something far worse than I've ever had to deal with.

I wish I could sit here and tell you that I understand your pains when you're hurting and when you feel that you're trapped in the darkness. I wish I could listen to your story of brokenness and tell you that I've been through it and in return help you every step of the way... but I can't do that. However, I can tell you that I know someone who can.

His name is Jesus. 

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When we are left hurting and broken it seems like no one can ever understand our pain. It doesn't matter if they have been through the same things or even claim to understand it, we know deep down that our feelings are really never the same as someone else's. That always seems to be true even when it comes to the most caring people we know and our best of friends; they just don't get it like we do.

That's not true of Jesus.

Believe me when I tell you this; He gets it. 

People always seem to try and comfort me by saying, "Well Jesus walked the same road you're walking. He had it just as hard, and He suffered too." Well to be honest, I don't find that comforting at all in spite of the truth of it. However, what I do find to be comforting is knowing that Jesus suffered for me and died in my place. He didn't end there though; He rose again, and He made a way to end all of my pains, heartaches, and sufferings eternally. He suffered for me, and He saved me through each of His sufferings. And each day as I choose to follow Him, even in the midst of heartache, pain, and brokenness, I become united to the greatest victory ever won, and I grow closer to the one who defeated suffering once and for all. That's where I find my comfort, and you can too.

We hurt here on earth when life just doesn't seem fair, when we lose someone we love, or when we get an unexpected heartbreak; but that hurt is not eternal. It will end. Some pains last longer than others, and some may never end while we are still here. However, our pains will not last for eternity.

Christ went before us and made us a path. He has already shown us the way to see the light and to find joy in the darkness. So take the time to acknowledge your pain, and then let God shape you through it. The things of this world may hurt your heart and crush your spirit, but God restores, supports, and strengthens us through them (1 Peter 5:10).

Nothing here on earth lasts forever, not even your pains; but God's work in you through your pain, that does. 

Dealing With Disappointment

Disappointment.

A word I know all too well.

A word I'm sure many of you are way too familiar with as well. I mean let's be honest, who doesn't get disappointed?

We set so many high expectations for ourselves and for others that we basically set ourselves up for failure time and time again. It's a hard thing to cope with, and it's even harder to overcome.

You and I have so many different disappointments in our lives I'm sure, but regardless of the differences, the pain is equally the same. And even after our best efforts to leave them in our past, they remain lingering in hearts, hurting us time and time again.

Feeling disappointed is a natural feeling we have as humans. I don't believe it to be a sin, and I don't think it's wrong to be disappointed with ourselves or even with other people. However, I do believe that the feelings of bitterness, anger, and depression that often follow our disappointments are the things in our lives that cause us to stumble, and that's why I'm writing this post.

Dealing with disappointment

1. Trust God and His plan for your life. I feel like we hear this so much that we take for granted who we are actually being told to trust. Seriously though... why do we seem to always just brush it off when someone tells us to trust in God, His plan, and His timing?

Our God moves mountains, raises the dead, and heals the sick. He has the power to bless, curse, and save whoever He wishes. He is almighty, He is all-knowing, and He is perfect. Our best interests are always on His mind, and He never lets go of our hands regardless of the numerous times we think we have let go of His.

I'm sitting here begging you to seriously sit back and TRUST GOD. He has you and each of your disappointments in His hand. He knows what He is doing, and His plans for your life are far greater and way bigger than anything you could ever imagine.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts" says the Lord "And my ways are far beyond anything you could ever imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
- Isaiah 55:8-9 

2. Pray. I'm sure you expected this one, but seriously sit down and pour out your heart to your Father. It's okay to cry. It's okay to tell Him that you are hurting, confused, and broken. It is okay! He wants you to come to Him and to share your heart with Him.

Your prayers don't have to be perfect by any means. They don't have to use elaborate words and perfect sentences like the church pastor. Just talk to God like He's your best friend. Be honest with Him. Explain to Him why you are hurting and why you have your feelings of confusion and brokenness. Believe me; He wants to comfort you, and He can't wait to give you His peace. You simply must ask.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed."
 - Psalm 34:18

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
 - Philippians 4:6-7

3. Sit back and wait. I'm not a very patient person, so I have a hard time with this one. However, it is a vital part of the process of dealing with disappointment. God blesses us when we pray and when we wait patiently for Him to answer our prayers. He often blesses us far beyond our expectations when we least expect it. So keep praying and keep trusting. He won't leave you, and He won't forget about you or your feelings.

"Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." 
- Psalms 27:14

Don't let disappointments have control over your life anymore. They do not define you! Give your disappointments and heartaches over to your Heavenly Father. Let Him mold you and shape you through them. Allow yourself to be so consumed by Him and what He's doing in your life that your disappointments eventually turn into blessings.

Our God can do that for us! And it is beautiful when He does!

Love: believe it or not, it's not about you.

Well it's February, so I thought I should take the opportunity to write about love. Not your cheesy, romantic love that's on just about every commercial this month, but the beautiful and perfect love found in Scripture.

I'm pretty much fascinated by the concept of love. It's one of my favorite topics to talk and write about, and it's something that I hold very dear to my heart. I don't know what about it is so intriguing to me, but it's something that fills my heart with joy when I think about it. I guess it's the fact that God loves me regardless of how I look, what I do, or what I accomplish. He loves me the same each and every day, and my heart is captivated by the love that Christ pours into my life daily even through my shame and my darkest days.

Okay, so now you know my outlook on love and the importance of it in my life. I'm sure you would think that since it's something so dear and true to my heart that I would have mastered loving others, but that's not necessarily the case. So I've made it a point to start focusing on the aspects of love and centralizing my life around its characteristics. What a better month to start than February, huh?

So we've all heard the "Love Chapter," but for me when I think about it I just imagine a couple getting married. I don't know, maybe that's just me... but I always seem to pair those verses with a relationship between a man and a woman, never with the love I need to be pouring into other people's lives.

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand it's own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

So I've broken it down for myself and for those of you reading this...

Does this define your attitude?

• patient
• kind
• self-controlled
• gentle
• faithful
• enduring

Or this?

• jealous
• rude
• irritable
• arrogant
• insisting your own way
• rejoicing in the downfalls of others

When I look I those lists I find myself embarrassed. For one who is so intrigued by the concept of love, I feel like I should possess the qualities of it far more than I do. The few aspects of love that I actually do possess don't make up for the rest lost. 

It's important to understand and realize that loving others isn't something that we can do with our own strength. It's something that we can only do with the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Everything on the "or this" list screams "MEEEEEEEEEE!" All of the arrogance, the irritability, jealousy, and rudeness puts attention on ourselves when in fact loving others isn't about us; it's about focusing the attention on Christ and glorifying Him. We so often think that love is when someone makes much of us, but really love is only what makes much of God. 

So I ask you to pray with me and for me that I can grow spiritually and learn to have a deeper and more personal relationship with Christ because I know that's the only way I can learn to love others the way He loves me. And of course, as always, I will be praying for those of you who take on this challenge with me! I'm excited for this, and I hope those of you doing this are too!