When Your World Spins Out of Control

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There I sat; head spinning, tears flowing and heart aching.  Crying out to God that I couldn't take this anymore.  My world was falling out of control, crumbling around me. 

The past 2 years had been so trying and hard.  I had prayed, I had sought God's will, I stood when I had done everything I knew to do and I was constantly "faking it till I made it" but still, nothing was changing and things seemed to progressively be getting worse. 

I will never forget that day.  Tears stinging my eyes as I cried out to Jesus.  Laying on my bed feeling as though the heaviness of the world was sitting on my chest. 

Then, I heard the Lord as clear as anything......"Yes, your world does seem out of control because it is not YOU that controls it.  Surrender to me, dear child, you will see I am the one who will take control.  You rest, it isn't your burden to bare"

It was amazing.  The God of the universe bent down to whisper those words to me.....little ol' me.  I stood up that day, brushed myself off and knew that even though I had been doing what I thought I should, I still wasn't giving up control of the situation.  I was still trying to manipulate it to be the way I thought it should be.  That day, I surrendered.  I gave it all to Jesus. 

I would be lying if I said that circumstances changed that day.  Although I have seen improvement, the main thing that changed was my heart.  Regardless of the outcome, I know that God is on the throne and I am choosing to allow Him full control over this situation.  Peace rests in my heart today because I know that I will be ok. 

I encourage you today, friend, to surrender your heart and life to Jesus.  There is no other peace like the peace that Jesus brings.  No matter what storm you are facing, rest in knowing that HE is in control.

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Stepping Outside Your Box in Faith

Stepping Out in Faith

I'm thankful for what I've learned while 'outside of my box' over the years and wanted to share a few examples of what God has shown me 'outside of my box' with you...

1.  When you step outside of your box, God is ALWAYS there to meet you.  I think so many times we stay in our boxes out of fear.  Fear of this and that and everything in between but also fear that God may not be there but I'm here to tell you He is ALWAYS there.  Yes, He is there with you inside that box BUT He is there in an indescribable more powerful way outside of your box  Think about Peter when he stepped out of the boat - Hello, he WALKED on water with Jesus!!  {Matthew 14:22-33}

2.  It doesn't matter what people think.  This goes back to the fear issue of staying in your box...caring what people think.  If God is nudging you out of that box, then by all means ~ break free!  He has something better waiting for you outside the box than He ever did inside of it.

3.  Don't go back IN the box.  This is a personal struggle of mine.  Several times I have broken free from my box and had AWESOMELY AMAZING experiences with the Lord but then when things calm down...I head right back in the box.  How awesome would it be for me (or you) to be able to stay out of the box every day?

That is my goal....to try to stay out of my box.  To sometimes be uncomfortable but to be pressing on to the things that God has for me and to submit each of my days to Him.

What about you?  Have you stepped outside your box lately??

Child Like Faith

On my way to work this morning, I noticed the sun shining through the clouds and it brought a smile to my face as I thought back to when "The Boy" was just a toddler.  Any time we were driving down the road and he'd see the rays of sun shining through the clouds, he'd say, "Look, mommy, it's God's power.".

Even typing this causes me to smile because I can hear his sweet little voice so full of faith that God's power was shining down on us that day.

Then, there was the time, again we were riding down the road and he said, "MOM, look!  It's Jesus!"  He kept insisting that he saw Jesus' face in our window that day.  He believed it without a shadow of a doubt - it didn't make sense that Jesus' face would be on our window but he still believed (and so did I).

Those are sweet memories of my son and his faith as a toddler but more than just memories that warm my heart, they are an inspiration to me today as I think back to those moments.  

It inspires me to remember that even though I don't always understand, I can still choose to believe that I can see the face of Jesus ~ even on my car window.  And that no matter what is going on around me, even when the clouds are surrounding - that God's power DOES shine down on my every day!  

If only we could all have child like faith!

"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  Luke 18:17