Life Happened

Im laughing as I look back and realize that my last blog post was exactly 2 yrs ago! I guess you could say I've been a tad bit "inconsistent" in the blog-writing department. I like to call it inconsistent because it sounds better than saying "big fat loser!" :)

 Let me just start by saying ALOT has happened in the the past 2 yrs. Life happened! For starters I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl this world has ever seen.(Just calling it like I see it folks) She gave me a run for my money in the delivery process, and my birth story is more the stuff made up of horror movies rather than fairy tales. She got here none the less, and has been the greatest blessing this mama could have ever hoped for! People can tell you all day long how much having a child will change you, but you can never truly understand until you experience it for yourself.

Change. That seems to have been my life's theme over the past 2 yrs. Not only did I become a parent but my husband and I resigned from a ministry we had been apart of for over 12 yrs and went into a season of life where we had no idea where we were gonna end up or what the next step God had for us was. We just new God had told us our time there was up and we had to be obedient. The days following this step of obedience were emotional, but I was hopeful about the next adventure God had for us. The weeks following I was apprehensive, but still had faith that God had something great in store. The months following were discouraging and filled with doubts. Had we really heard God or had we made a huge mistake. The year that followed just got down right depressing and there were a lot of moments where I seriously questioned if God had spoken at all! I have since began to refer to that 16-month period of time as our "Forced Sabbatical."

It was a time of forced rest. You see I'm the kind of person who loves to be on the go. I like to hop from one project to the next. I thrive under pressure and deadlines. My life up until this point had been one of constant motion and then all of a sudden someone pushed the pause button. Except it didnt feel like the pause button, it felt like the stop button. It felt as though my life was over, and that opportunity had permanently forgotten my address and would never knock on my door again. I'm sure all of this sounds highly dramatic to you and I will admit I've been known to have a flair for over the top antics but at the time this was how I felt! My faith was under pressure and the results were not pretty.

The things I learned about myself during this season were invaluable. The faithfulness of God I saw potrayed was unmatched. Although I am now beginning to come out of the other end of this season and stepping into a fresh start I dont want to forget the lessons I learned. It was in the silence that God spoke so loud and I want to record the things He said. I honestly dont know if i'll keep up with this blog after this but for the next few posts I would like to share some of the things I learned. Maybe it can help someone else who is walking through a wilderness experience. Or maybe it's just for me to be able to look back and encourage myself when my next "waiting" season comes around. This is something God put on my heart to do and I'm excited to share this journey with you.

James 1:2-4

 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.