A Little Peace and a Little Joy

Some days that is all we can ask for.  

When you step out publicly and boldly about your faith you are at your weakest self.  True or not true?! Think about it. Religion is one of the topics you are supposed to avoid, right? Well, is it we are afraid we are going to insult another person with our religious views or do we not believe enough in our views to let our thoughts about God be told loud and clear. Well I can tell you that on this blog there will be lots of faith talking! After all God has lifted me up in so many ways throughout the years. He restored my health when all the doctors told me that I would probably never get better or feel “normal” again. He brought me two beautiful babies out of the depths of hell so that we could care and love for them. He made the most perfect partner for me that loves and cherishes me for who I am. He held my family’s hands during deep sorrow and sadness. All this He did for me so in return I am listening to Him and His whispers to my heart. Maybe you are reading this and have felt that whisper but didn’t want to do what He was asking or maybe you did listen but didn’t follow through and so He cast you another stone until you listened. At the moment the stone is cast, it may just feel like a ripple in a pond or sometimes it can feel like a rip tide in the ocean. It can turn your cozy little world upside down. It can lead you down another path you never thought you would ever be on and quite possibly a path you never believed in or supported. This week a close friend of mine confided in me a secret she had been keeping. She had kept this secret for a very long time and just one day it overcame her and she spilled it. The interesting thing to me was that the “secret” was actually something I use to support and my thoughts on the topic have changed throughout the years. It doesn’t matter what the secret was or what the topic was. What matters is that when she told her secret she was worried about being judged, as any of us would be when we have kept something private.  There is a reason why we keep things private. Some things should be kept private such in the case of sincerely hurting another person’s feelings or sharing information when your best friend in fifth grade swears you to secrecy :)  I am probably as open as they come. There is no question that I will not answer and there is no topic that I won’t talk about. However, it also makes me an easy target. Many people can feel well, let’s just say uneasy on some topics or situations. But that is the beauty of living our true self. No matter what has happened in my life I have always stayed true to myself and it has made all the difference! We should be able to state what we are feeling and more importantly live through our hearts, not our minds. This beauty of this blog is that they are my words, my thoughts and my heartfelt song. I believe there are no barriers except those that we create for ourselves. As for this moment in my life, when I look to the side I see that vine and it seems daunting, but I also know that I am doing God’s work and His love for me and my family will see us through to the top of that vine. Sure fundraising and applying for grants is out of my “comfort zone” but through Him I find my strength and through Him we will see the glory in our daughter Talia’s eyes when we meet her for the first time. So for this week, step out of your comfort zone try to find that peace and joy you have been searching for. It is there and at your weakest moment this week pray for that peace and joy to be a part of your life and in it you will find restored hope.

This week was filled with surprises, some good and some life changing, but what I learned from everything is that God never leaves us for one moment. You know the old saying when one door closes one door opens. If you add prayer into the equation when one door closes you are doubly blessed and in our case this week, we were overwhelmingly blessed.