I rolled out of bed this morning and I could feel it. I'm feeling refreshed. It is nothing I have done. I haven't changed anything. Except I have invited new friends into my yard and my life, I have let money worries subside and God float directly to the center of my heart this week.
I feel lighter like a load has been lifted, and it has-in my spirit.
After writing that first paragraph, I realized I needed to get the kids up and ready for church.
The message was spot on with what I typed above:
Refreshing.
Renewal. Replenish.
Life is good. It is such a sweet mixture of simple moments and complex times. It is the perfect balance between laugh on the floor madness and beautiful rest. God has set up my life this way for a purpose and it is obvious to me.
This is what I need.
Other things I need like coffee in the morning, quiet time in the bathtub, 30 minutes of exercise, snuggles with my woo, phone calls (and now texts) with my mom, new friendships, fresh fruit, dancing in the orange kitchen with my orange haired kids and Dr. Pepper are all part of who I am.
It's how I was created.
It's how I was created.
I so enjoy picking apart the details of my life that make it unique and I enjoy talking about it with anyone who will listen.
The balance of people who walk into my life day after day is what sets my life apart. It is what God planned all along. He knew I would need each of you in special ways to bring out the parts of me that are significant in not only our friendships, but in life.
I don't look at any of it as circumstance and I don't sit around wondering why things are the way they are. I am enthralled with the beauty of a Lord who is so determined to make the details of our lives personal and this week, I have been reminded of just that.
That alone has sparked my spirit alive again.
Today was the first day that I woke up and felt a peace that went beyond my understanding. Other days I can wake up and determine to be happy, or find joy in the small things. Some days I can purpose myself to be attentive to the kids and feel good about accomplishing that. But it is rare that I feel a peace that is so deep, pure and unconsumed with myself.
Today was that day and I am literally soaking it in.
The rain is falling outside after what feels like weeks of a drought--both outside and inside this heart of mine. And although I have felt Him, today the Lord is exceptionally near.
As I stood in church this morning I heard the rain began to fall outside, and quickly the tears began to fall inside. A new friend stood behind me and while I sobbed, body shaking, I could hear her sweet voice accompany the burdens away. This a friendship orchestrated by God and I have had few so perfectly aligned. I know He has plans for both of our hearts to grow, nurture and change in the weeks to come and I am excited to learn beside her as this journey unfolds.
Here's what I have learned even in this last week:
If you surround yourself with good company and are open to be part of whatever God has in store for you, you will be blessed richly.
This week I found myself in my living room surrounded by girls who were once young, impressionable teenagers that I mentored and loved during very difficult times. To see them surround me in the depth of my own despair was incredibly humbling.
I sowed into their lives years ago and now God is allowing me to reap that blessing. In turn, they are grown, mature, wise women and I am able to soak in their goodness and compassion.
He is faithful when we set out to serve Him.
And it's quite simple, let me assure you.
I simply wake up each day and trust that He will guide me to whoever or whatever needs more of Him. In doing that, I have experienced things that I may have otherwise missed. Instead, I am thankful that I was simply willing to trust in a God that is so much greater than myself.
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I hope you feel refreshed today, friends. But if not: do not lose hope.
He hasn't left you. Nothing can pluck you from His hand.
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