The Quiet Place

God is at work in me constantly. I am feeling that truth right now more than ever before. He continues to baffle me with his love and mysterious ways. He continues to speak to me things I feel unworthy to know, teach me things I am most grateful to learn. Today I wanted to take some time and share with you what is happening in my heart right now. The past few weeks or maybe even before that, I have been dealing with a big bear called anxiety. Anxiety started to grasp me so much that it was difficult for me to get through the work day. At one point I even debated cutting my day short a few times. I never did leave the office but the consideration of it because of anxiety was definitely a red flag. You could say that this anxiety was brought on by a plethora of things but generally speaking it seems that my current life challenges were overwhelming me. Even though walking through this challenge of anxiety has been completely not fun and at times extremely hard; I am grateful for what ...

Today has been a crazy day. But tonight as I sit in my quiet home in front of my pretty Christmas tree, I am feeling very thankful. I am so thankful for God's grace and love for me. I am thankful that he meets me right where I am. I am thankful he looks at me as his beloved daughter, imperfect but beautiful. I'm very grateful that in the chaos God is my peace and focus. I'm thankful that he is teaching me more of who he is every day. I am thankful of his great love for me and each one of us. I'm grateful that he loves everyone more than I love them. I am thankful he is deeply compassionate and abounding in love. I am grateful he gives me everything I need exactly when I need it. His provision is perfect and he does not fail me. I feel so blessed that God has done so much in my life that I could not remember it all to write down.  God is our Hope. God is enormous Blessing. God is true.  God is faithful. God is compassionate. God is full of mercy. God is ...

Though the blog has been quite, this past year has been a season of growth for me. God has met me in ways I never would have imagined. I continue to learn how his love abounds for me and yet I still can't grasp the depth of it. Even when my life circumstances are unsteady God is sovereign; he provides exactly what I need when I need it. He is transforming my heart to be even more compassionate, empathetic, forgiving, and merciful. I don't know yet what he has in store for me but I know it is something quite large and unimaginable. It's terrifying yet exciting to think of what the future might hold; I have found that I continually need to remind myself of God's great love as I shudder at his mightiness. Even though the Lord has revealed to me that he has great plans for my life, I tend to get lost in worries when I see that circumstances and resources don't seem to be adding up in a way that would promote success. I struggle with a very real fear of suffering and di...

There have been so many thoughts in my mind lately it's crazy. I keep churning inside my brain trying to pick and choose what it is I have to write for you. Tonight I come back to this drafted post about God's greatest commandment. In the book of Matthew, Jesus states the greatest commandment... Matthew 22:36-40 New International Version (NIV) 36  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37  Jesus replied:  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’   38  This is the first and greatest commandment.   39  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’   40  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Out of everything God outlined for us he chose this as the most important. What do you think was his reasoning behind this? I would argue that it was solidarity. Meaning that loving God is the most important because if we love G...

Something I've been learning this week is that amidst the struggle, God is sovereign. God used a brave young woman from my church to help teach me that. Last night I watched this sermon from a favorite series my church did back in January. On the link I posted, this sister of ours shares her testimony and struggle. The most powerful thing for me from that sermon was that she dared to share her struggle while currently in the midst of it. And though she is struggling, God has used her life to teach and transform the lives of a great many. If that is not a testimony to how great the grace, mercy, and power of our God is, I don't know what is. Moreover, it shows the unlimited grace given to us for our struggle through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. "But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display—the Anointed One died for us." Romans 5:8 VOICE Dear sister, God's grace is suffic...

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:7-9  Photo Credit Hillary Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-18   Even in the midst of the darkest circumstances God is good.  That is exactly what this passage tells us. And I love how that last part brings the point home... "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.   For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.   So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." I have learned that even in my darkest places God's hope is there shining through, providin...

God is good ALL the time. Even when it doesn't feel like it.  Sisters, church was SO good today I wish you all could have heard the message. [And now you can! It's up online Here !] God really touched my heart and encouraged me that even though I am going through some tough battles right now he has already given me victory in the war.  I don't know what you have been through, if your life has been fairly easy up to this point or if your life seems like a second case of Job's story. But what I can tell you dear girl, is that the Lord is with you. He has always been with you. Sometimes he doesn't answer us right away, he doesn't always bring us what we ask for even when what we ask for seems like it would line up with his plan for us. The testimony I heard in church today helped me to remember that even when we are trapped in heart-wrenching circumstances, God's hand is there working. I have found that confusing circumstances never make sense ...

He says, “ Be   still ,  and   know  that I am God; I will  be  exalted among the nations, I will  be  exalted in the earth.” Silence is SO not overrated. As I reflect over my restful morning and think of how good all of this quiet time to myself has been, I remember how much I love the quiet. Taking time to rest in a quiet house is just what I needed and I had no idea. The past two weeks have been really busy and even though they were filled with exciting life moments, I am still in need of replacing the energy they took from me. So today I am soaking in these quiet moments and resting. Allowing my mind to contemplate things I don't usually have time to ponder, and allowing my hands to get everything off my to do list so I can further rest this evening.  Something else that I know that I really need to do today is to take this quiet time and spend it with God. These past few weeks I haven't spent much time in the word and I know t...

Trust in God's providence. It's really hard for me to trust in God's providence. Especially when my paycheck isn't bigger than my bills. Yet, God asks us to give the first 10% of what we have to him. This is to be are act of faith to demonstrate are trust in God and are reliance on him for everything that we have. But still I worry what will happen when I give that 10% and can't pay for everything else. But then I realize when I don't give that 10% and when I worry about not having enough, that i'm putting my trust in money and not in God, and that is a very dangerous thing to do my friends. Yet it is SO easy to do. Thus, when I find myself worrying about not having enough to make ends meet, I have to give it to God. Every time I doubt his providence for me I have to say, "Okay God, I trust you more than money which comes and goes because you I always have". Real life. Real bills. Real debt. It can be a harsh reality. But whe...

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.  Matthew 4:4 If you’re looking to dig deeper, you can find the original context of this verse here   Deuteronomy 8 The other night I watched an online church sermon that spoke to my heart in so many ways. Today Matthew 4:4 came to mind and I have to say that I have really been feeling that hunger for Jesus lately. I've been so hungry to understand him more, to seek what he wants from me.  This is one of the passages that was shared in that Sermon... Do you not know? Have you not heard? The  Lord  is the everlasting God,     the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary,     and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary     and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and wea...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have Meg. She is sharing her heart on this month's theme Beauty in the Brokenness. You can learn more about Meg and her blog on the About page.  When I think of the idea of “beauty in the brokenness” I think of adoption.   The earthly adoptions of our boys, and our adoption by God into his family have shown us so much beauty in the midst of brokenness, in ways that have helped us see the crazy grace God wants to give. I think a lot of people realize how amazing adoption is, but don’t even understand half of it, and when you get to see that part of it, it becomes this thing you get so excited about and want to shout about from the rooftops. Everyone gets that adopting a kid is great. But why? What’s behind it that makes it so great? God and the redemptive power of grace. Preparing a way for His plan to be made known in a beautiful birth mom,   a sweet baby, and a new family about to be formed. We’ve had the p...

Happy August! This month's theme is... I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26  This is one of the first verses that I came across when I started out to write this post. At first I wasn't sure how I would relate it to this month's theme, but after some thought, I've realized that this verse is perfect for August. If you've been keeping up with the blog, you have probably heard me mention about a thousand times this year that life has been a bit hard for me. A lot of that has to do with what God has been doing in my heart. During my time at Grad school, God brought me out into the wilderness where I was alone. And as you can imagine, being alone is a really difficult thing. Some say that loneliness is the worst feeling in the world to live with. But what I realize now is that God brought me to that broken place so that he could ...

Nehemiah 8:9-11 New International Version (NIV) 9  Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites  who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the  Lord  your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. 10  Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing  prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy  of the  Lord  is your strength.” 11  The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.” Joy as strength? What an intriguing concept don't you think. Yet, how amazing is it to think about how the Joy of the Lord really is our strength. I have to be honest, a lot of times I find myself using my own strength. I utilize all of the tools in my bucket, sometimes it works pretty well, other times...

Happy July! While it's a little hard to believe, it is the 1st of July. Our theme for this month of Sunshine and Thunderstorms is... Today I would talk to you about joy, but I haven't been feeling very joyful lately. While I'm thankful for what I have and who I am, joy seems to be lacking. I've found myself these past two months being frustrated more than anything else. Frustrated with my circumstances, yet at the same time I don't seem to be in a big rush to undergo another life change anytime soon. Life change takes a lot out of a person, especially if you are like me and dislike undergoing major life transitions. I realized the other night what may be the root of all my frustration. I realized that I was looking to other people to encourage me and fill my heart up. I may have even expected it of some of them. This is where I fell down. Instead of abiding in Christ and asking him to help me as I deal with my circumstances, seeking HIM to fill my heart...