Life gets..well, hard sometimes. Whether it's parenting, financial, or marriage/relationship struggles, or something in between, its hard to keep smiling...pretending that everything is ok.
Lately I haven't been doing so well in my response to hard times. I get overwhelmed, frustrated.. silly me, forgetting about the learning I still need to do.
Last night as I was struggling with something again, I remembered a message from my dear friend Krista the day before. She's in Nicaragua right now, and she blesses my socks off with encouraging messages and scripture... I remembered seeing she had sent one, but had gotten sidetracked and didn't get it read. What she wrote spoke directly to my heart and what I was going through.
As I was writing it in the back of my Bible I remembered my Smash book that I have been filling up with quotes, verses, other inspiring things and started reading through them, tears on my face. I thought I'd share some of them with y'all... and maybe it will bless someone else who is struggling.
"The Lord will fight for you: you need only be still." Exodus 14:14
"We don't grow when things are easy; we grow when we face challenges." -Joyce Meyers
"Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything!" Philippians 4:6
No matter how you feel..
Get up
Dress up
Show up
NEVER give up!
"Come to me all who are weary and I will give you REST." Matthew 11:28
God doesn't give you the people you want, but rather the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you the person you were meant to be.
The first to apologize is the bravest.
The first to forgive is the strongest.
The first to forget is the happiest.
"Every day may not be GOOD, but there is something good in every day."
FORGIVENESS doesn't excuse their behavior. Forgiveness prevents their behavior from d.e.s.t.r.o.y.i.n.g your heart.
...while I could keep going, I think I'll end with this one... and I pray that through our struggles we will turn to the One who will fight for us when we're not strong enough,the One who knows why our hearts are broken, and makes sense of our crying.
Romans 8:26 says, "meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside us helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, and keeps us present before God. Thats why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."
The storms of life can be rough but just remember, our Lifeguard ~ He walks ON water. ♡
