The place where peace is found

Sweet Sunday, friends.

It’s september and I’m mentally beginning to get into autumn mode.

Being in and from a place that experiences 4 seasons, you ever noticed how the changing of a season is felt not just in the atmosphere around you; but in your life?

When spring begins around us, things begin to come to life. There’s a thaw in the plants and flowers, everything turns green and then greener. Summer rolls around and things start getting spicy. The sun is hot on your skin. In fall, we begin to cool off. The sunlight begins to look different in the peak of the day. Winter rolls in and things are quiet, still.

That’s what it feels like out there.

What about in here?

In your life, in your body. In your heart, mind, and daily rhythm?

Well what I mean is – yes, summer is ending soon and fall is about to begin; so things are cooling off and the leaves are changing, but my life is reflecting that, too.

Is yours?

Things just feel a little different. A shift is coming.

I always like to set the tone when I write and invite you into that space.

So currently it’s the afternoon, my toddler is playing around me. I’m on the couch with my laptop, I have a Fall Living room Ambience Worship Instrumental playing on the tv with one of those ai cozy backgrounds, fire in the fireplace and all hehe.

I can feel that the Lord has me in season of breaking me down, cracking me open.

We’ve been here before, I know we’ll come here again.

Often times it’s for different things.

Whether it be faith, relationships, trauma and wounds, He always has a purpose.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” Psalm 139:23-24

If you ask Him, He’ll show you.

It’s necessary to do this check in with ourselves.

We’re called to, really.

Called to ask God to reveal what it is we’re struggling with, where we’re falling short.

It’s what helps us grow.

It’s what helps us glorify Him.

It’s what helps us love others well.

It creates room for divine peace in our hearts, minds and lives.

And we all need a little more peace, don’t we?

I know just where you can find it.

His name is Jesus.

I think sometimes, we forget that.

I’ll speak for myself, I know I’ve been forgetting it.

Like I know it. But I forget it, ya know?

In the face of fire, spiritual warfare.

Heck. Maybe something not even so deep; I forget it in minor inconveniences, too.

In the moment, my first human instinct, sometimes I forget it.

I miss it, miss the opportunity to respond according to His desires and will.

Often times, to be honest with you, outwardly when it has to do with anyone besides myself, I’m pretty good about how I respond.

With others, I thankfully many years ago began working on my delivery. My patience, my tone, the amount of grace I show and give.

So I wouldn’t say the way I show up with others is a general weak spot of mine.

It’s how I show up, or lack thereof, for myself.

That’s sad, isn’t it?

I strive to give my best to everyone – it’s something I did as early as toddlerhood (ask my parents about the time I cleaned the mulch out of a little boys shoes on the playground when we were both only 3).

In ways, this gift of mine is admirable.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:30-31

Written in red because that’s Jesus Himself telling us that.

So yes, it is a command of ours to follow and live our lives in pursuit of.

But also, it can be toxic to neglect one’s self.

The Lord doesn’t say love your neighbor and forget about yourself.

He commands us to love others as ourselves.

If I loved others the way I often times show up for myself, that love would look depleted, neglectful and sometimes downright empty.

This passage recorded in Mark, also found in Matthew and other books of the bible, isn’t telling us to neglect ourselves and pour out all that we have until there’s nothing left.

You’ve heard “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”

Well, God wants to keep you full.

He doesn’t want you drained or depleted.

He wants to restore you: your hope, energy, efforts and peace.

He’s been teaching me this.

He’s been wanting me to get so worn down that I look to Him for all that I’m needing.

I told you, sometimes we forget. And I’ve been forgetting.

When I use my spiritual gifts God gave me: to be a good listener, a supporter, encourager and confidant, when I am my friends, family, even strangers go-to therapist, but forget where I get my needs fulfilled, I end up on E.

Empty.

He’s wanting to remind me: don’t turn to earthly, momentary pleasures.

Don’t use distractions,

Don’t run from the very One who holds it all,

all that we need.

Instead, run to Him.

Let it be my first instinct.

When I forget, may He gently remind me.

May I remember to pray for His reminders and be watchful and aware when He shows up answering.

Nothing, and I mean nothing in this fallen world will give you the peace to suffice our lives here on earth.

Not money, not love, not our spouses, children, careers, social media following, a beautiful house with the perfect paint palette, finishes and curated furniture pieces.

It won’t be your relationships, your pastor, your serving endeavors.

It’s not fresh air, sunshine, or writing this blog.

None of it will be able to sustain and provide you a life of true, genuine, abundant peace like a relationship with Jesus will.

God gave us beautiful, beautiful gifts and blessings, but they are not what we were given to lean on or to fulfill us fully.

At some point, a life without Him is going to be unnecessarily hard and empty.

Life as a Christian will be hard too, honestly often times harder because spiritual warfare is real and the devil has to work harder to get at you.

However, one kind of hard comes with a divine purpose and one doesn’t.

One also comes with an end result that includes true love; the truest love in all of creation. The one in which you were created to seek, find, and abide with forever until you reach eternity.

And one doesn’t.

We have nothing without Jesus.

And the most loving thing I can do is tell you that. Tell you the truth.

God created you on purpose for a purpose. Exactly as you are.

So when you’re lost, feeling alone, depleted, feeling empty, needing peace; just search Him.

Seek His face.

I promise that you and I can find all we need there.

Jesus loves you and I do too.

If you are in need of any prayers and feel led to, feel free to find the Prayer tab at the top of this page.

I’m here to pray along side you🤍