The last year has been a rainbow of so many things. While they were not all pleasant, they were still so very beautiful because of what they have blossomed into. I treasure this past year more than any other in my life. It was a year of growing deeper in my faith, of being at home with my most precious blessing- Mary Grace, of letting Jesus be the balm to heal my heart and set all things straight.
God began calling me to deeper waters with Him in January of 2011. While I loved Him and served Him, there were so many areas of my heart and life that were off limits.
My career, for instance, was one of them.
Oh, how I wish I could sit with you over a cup of coffee and tell you about the last three years... or even more so the last two months.
I would tell you that after wandering in the desert for so long, unable to see the solution that was right in front of me, after chasing and chasing, I finally gave it all to Jesus and vowed to follow Him in all areas of my life. I would tell you that I am now crossing over Jordan.
I prayed last Summer for the Lord to give me faith. A deep faith that is steadfast, unmoveable.
He heard my prayer. He closed so many doors - friendships, my career, my idea of how my life should be orchestrated.
It hurt. Oh, sweet friend, how it hurt.
The potter's wheel is never an easy place to find yourself. The pruning season is always painful as you watch branch after branch fall away.....friends, jobs, homes, future plans, goals, dreams.
Once I was pruned, Winter came along. I felt that for a period I needed to belong to God alone. To dedicated my every spare minute, dream, and longing to Him. To seek refuge, solace, and joy in my Father.
If you are there now, hold steady. You see, beloved, the pruning hurts. Winter feels like a dead time in your life.
Jesus knows in order for us to bloom, we have to be pruned. He knows the beauty that is in store, we are only asked to have faith in His plan and His timing.
I've wandered through the desert. I've allowed Jesus to prune from my life relationships, dreams, and ideas. I've begged Him to change my heart and my life. I've prayed for direction, for new beginnings.
He held my hand through it all, and He holds it now as I enter Canaan.
I have a faith in Jesus unlike anything I could have imagined. I've found Canaan.
I know what it means to find joy in Jesus, regardless of the circumstances in your life. I'm crossing over Jordan.
I know there is truly abundance of life found in the sacrifice- in giving it all to the One who gave His all for you. The land of milk and honey is worth the sacrifice.
As Paul says in Philippians, I know what it means to have little and to have plenty. I have found a way to be content in all things, because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Just as Spring brings with it rain showers, the Lord is showering unbelievable blessings down upon me. One in particular is an amazing new job that He has blessed me with. Oh, I wish I could tell you the story of how Jesus moved in my midst in the most amazing and tangible way- on an ordinary day in mid-May. Of how He answered nearly every prayer I'd prayed during this year in less than two hours on that beautiful May morning.
The verse in Exodus 14:14 is so very fitting- "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." I did absolutely nothing apart from simply obeying a call He placed on my heart.
If you are in the midst of the desert, or just now leaving Egypt, I'd love to commit your journey to prayer!
Here's to finding Canaan
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