Taking the mask off for a minute

I finally typed out the 18 wheeler in the road blog...it will post tomorrow. I don't know if it's just the upcoming anniversary of that day or the fact that I'm at the beach, but it always causes me to look in for awhile. I think I can hear Him better through the waves or just by looking at His amazing awesomeness(not sure if it is a word, but it fits) every day. Isn't it funny that we can look at the mountains, the beach, or a starry night and go wow God when we look at what He's created, but we can look in the mirror and criticize every little detail about something else He has created. Hmm...

The last year has been a journey, I've learned a lot about myself, some I would like to forget. Most of all though I've learned I'm stronger than I ever thought I was. Why do we let others dictate how we feel about ourselves so much? Why do we let what He says about us be the last thing we care about and or listen to? Why do we let our feelings mess us up so many times? I've learned that I must make God laugh some days, because I'll get so upset about something someone said or didn't say, and then come crying to Him at night and want Him to put it back together. I think after the fifth or sixth time it was like okay child enough is enough. We have got to be confident in who we are in Him first, and second who He created us to be. If we keep trying to compare ourselves to someone else, we aren't being fair to that amazing creation that looks at us in the mirror each day. He didn't just close His eyes and go there she is, He took time in putting each and every little part together. We are treasures. Just like diamonds in the rough, sometimes things need to be cut away or polished, but no two cuts are the same. Be who you are and quit apologizing for it!!

 I've also learned this past year to be real with those you trust and those who will love you regardless, for the rest of the world, put on that smile and do what you can for them through it. Not everyone in your world is a weathered friend, one you can truly pour your heart out to, one you can tell hey I'm hurting today and they will listen. Unfortunately we live in a what about me society, and too often we don't slow down long enough to really care about those around us. When you find one of those weathered friends(been there through it all), you find yourself able to be comfortable. There were days last year that I put on that smile regardless of how I felt, because I knew that was what was expected of me. Shocking as it may seem I am a turtle and I tend to hide in that outer shell and that plastered smile. Through those turtle days though I learned to crawl up in His lap, because regardless of what the day had held, I knew He loved me no matter what. We have to remember that truth and let that get us through some days. Forgive yourself as easily as He does.

Sometimes the journey is just about you and Him. We so long to hear good job, and I appreciate what you did from those with some skin on as I like to say, but how many times do listen when He says it? How many times do we do something for someone only to get something(hopefully in return)? He knows our hearts and He knows our motives. Do what He's told you to do regardless of what is in it for you. He has an incredible memory and trust Him to reap a harvest from the seeds you are sowing. This is still a daily struggle because my flesh still wants those reaffirmations. I'm learning(slowly) that He brings the encouragement you need when its time and sometimes its in places you least expect from people you may not even know.

The video below was a song going through my head sometime in the last week or so. Sometimes it is just me and Him, but those are the times when He gives you what you need to give out to others. He's good about drying tears, making Arthur(arthritis) behave, and saying I haven't forgotten when you feel like no one remembers what you did.

Thank you for letting me share a little from my heart on this blog. Most of what I put on my statuses on facebook or in these blogs are things He's told me or walked me through already. I don't have it altogether by any means, I still mess up more than I should, and some days well I'm pretty sure I make Him laugh when I try to do it my way. I've learned that my relationship with Him though is my most precious treasure, I love it when He whispers to me and I'm finally learning to slow down more so I don't miss anything. My prayer for you sweet reader is that through these moments along the journey, you'll not see me, but Him.

From the Files.......Walls

I'm not always sure who reads the blog, so I thought I would send out some from the files. Some of you may have seen this one, some may have not. He reminded me of this one last night when I came across the verse included at the bottom. We all have walls that we face, some on a daily basis, some on a weekly basis etc. Some of the walls we may get over easily and with grace, some may take some time and require just a little more strength than those in the past. It's our choice whether we let the walls stand in our way, or if we listen when He says.."Come on, let's get up and over this one."

Walls

 I was reading in Psalms in my quiet time tonight and came across something I just had to share.  I love watching the show “Flip that House”.  One of my favorite parts is watching them tear down the walls to change the layout of the house.  Sometimes they can easily tear the walls down, other times they have to demolish parts of the wall and leave the frame work intact to rebuild the wall.  Each wall requires a different approach.  We all have walls that are up in our lives.  Some of those walls exist in our minds caused by fear, worry, or something from our past.  Some of the walls exist simply because of circumstances and deadlines.  Some of the walls are there because of our choosing, because we allowed them to be built up over time, while other walls are there simply because God allowed for them to be built.  The reason for the wall doesn’t matter, as long as one thing remains the focus.  As Christians we have the power inside of us to overcome any obstacle, any test, and any wall that comes across our path.  He never promised us an easy road; He knew there would be walls that would come up in our paths.  Praise God though He did promise us that He would give us what we need each step of the way. 

Remember this week that no matter what wall you may be encountering whether it’s from your past, on the job, a family situation etc.  God has given you everything you need to scale that wall and go over to the other side full of victory.  There is a portion in the obstacle course on the show American Gladiators where they have to use a rope to scale a wall.  Tonight some of the people were struggling just to get over even with the help of the rope.  They just didn’t have the strength they needed to scale the wall.  Don’t allow the enemy to let you feel defeated just because you encounter a wall up in your path!  God has already gone before you and has given you the power to be victorious each step of the journey.  You are a precious child of the Most High and there is nothing He wouldn’t do for you.

Walk in victory this week and claim the promises found in His word!   

I saved the best for last, something to claim this week as you encounter the walls in your path:  Psalms 18:29 …. “With my God I can scale a wall” He has given you everything you need to overcome any obstacle!  When you feel you can’t do it, just hold on, He’s there to push you up and over.

Confident...who me?

I've read Joyce Meyer's The Confident Woman more times than I can count and the new devotional by the name has been my companion this year, but some days I tackle what comes my way not feeling a bit of it. I know that may surprise some of you ;). I've grown a little over the last year or so, but I am much more comfortable being that behind the scenes support person than the one out front. I've growing through it though and realizing I can do the out front thing too. As women I think we struggle with lack of confidence because of the society we live in and because of each other. We compare ourselves to each other and judge ourselves by what we think we should look/act like. God's been preaching at me all year to love myself like He does, well I'm closer than I was yesterday on that journey(but not there yet). I've often known God trusts me more than I trust myself and honestly He has more confidence in me as well. Confidence is not about feeling you can do it, but in knowing He said you could. If He's put that desire in your heart and given you those gifts, He's going to help you get it done. I think lack of self confidence is something the enemy loves to get us with because if we don't believe we can do it, then we won't. I learned this week through some sweet time with Him that struggling with self confidence is just the enemy's way of saying he's scared of what a confident me could do. I guess I said all that to say, confidence is not always just a smile on the face. Some times we get so good at putting on our faces that we forget we just need to be real. Remember those that do for you and encourage them, chances are the one who is encouraging you may need encouraging themselves. Hold your head high, shoulders back, and as they say at the gym with your abs on, and walk knowing that regardless of how you feel He's got your back! God doesn't call you to do something when you feel like it, but to do it regardless. That is a truth I'm finally starting to grasp. I still struggle with confidence some days, but those days are becoming fewer and fewer. I know He's given me things that only I can do, people that only I can touch, and a work that only I can do. Now that's confidence ;-)

Side note: The first truth I gained on this confidence journey was knowing who I was in Him. Talk about making the enemy scared...when you realize who you are in Him and what He's going to help you do, YOU can do anything! You have to know who you are in Him, that He loves you know matter what, and regardless of how many times you knock yourself down(or let the world knock you down), He's going to be there to dust you off and pick you back up again.

So today despite how you may feel, know that He loves you and He has a plan for your life. On this journey to that plan though He knows you may fall down some, but He knows that each time you get back up, you get a little stronger. He also knows that at the end of each day, regardless of what kind of mess you may have made of it...you can ALWAYS crawl up in His lap and tell Him about it.

"I took care of the you then and I'll take care of you now"

I woke up yesterday and read the facebook news alert on the bus crash in Virginia . Some people were questioning why whnt would post something out of state, but I couldn't help but think back to 11 months ago. Some people hear about bus crashes in other states and don't pay attention to it, but for me my heart breaks for those who lost loved ones and for those that survived the crash. It's been 11 months (see picture article above) and I'm mindful of how God amazingly took care of each one of us that day. Just the mere fact that I can call each one that I was with that day and hug their necks is a blessing in itself. The recovery journey isn't over for some, but  normal is coming back and God is getting ALL the praise. More to come in another blog that is still yet to be finished, but God is almost done with "It's just another 18 wheeler in the road". The journey has been between me and Him mostly during these last 11 months, but He's been amazing, not that I always have;-) I'll stop now because I want to let Him finish it in the blog(s) that are still to come.

One last thing: (I have tried to type this "one last thing out multiple times" and it is just now coming..I can't help but think it is for somebody. So many times we go through things only to forget about it later on during our journey. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He doesn't change(we are the ones that do!!). The title of this blog has been His word to me more than once over the last 11 months. He didn't bring you through whatever "big" thing you are going through, only to leave you now. That's not how He works, His timing is not always ours, but He always knows what we need when we need it. He knows how to put the people in place, He knows who needs to be where, and He knows just what time things are going to happen. He's not surprised, but He promises to keep you safe! Just trust Him and know He always starts what He finishes. So sweet reader, let Him remind you of the times He's taken care of you in the past(big and small), and remember that He took care of you then and He'll take care of you now. (As He likes to tell me I didn't get you through that day just to leave you on your own now;-))