Category Archives: Following God

When the Joyful Pursuit gets tough…

Hospice? Really? Are those the words that I’m reading? Isn’t that just for older people? But he is so young…he has so much more on this earth to do…his family needs him…and the continuous thoughts pile up in my head.

I guess it was a couple of years after we moved from FW when we found out that our friend had cancer. Yes, that news was hard but at the same time a lot of cancer nowadays is curable, right? …so there was hope. Surely our friend, would be one of the survivors. God wouldn’t allow this beautiful family…this God-fearing, wonderful, loving family to have to go through this. But then… “There’s nothing more they can do,” said the doctors. Hospice. So I weep. I weep for this family…our friends.

I weep for the family of my friend that lost her life at such a young age just a couple of months ago. I just saw her down the hallway. But now I walk that same hallway and she’s not there. The only thing I have left is her sweater and the memories we shared from college when she came and stayed at our house for a few days.

I weep for two of my students that have lost parents this year. One lost his mom this summer and the other her dad during this fall semester.

I weep for the single moms and dads…and their families. Some, not by choice while others by choice.

I weep for those that have to sit in hospital rooms or nursing homes.

I weep for those that have lost a child at any age. I weep for those that have lost their husband. Their wife. Their mom. Their dad. Their best friend. Their coworker. Their…

Where is the joy in all of this? My friend, the joy is still there. Yes, it’s definitely harder to find… But it’s still there. Sadness overcomes the happiness. Laughter turns to tears …but there is still joy.

God is still in the midst of the hard times. Selfishly we don’t want to go through hard times or see our loved ones go through hard times but the reality is that hard times come. …and joy is still there…even if we have to look for it a little harder. When the joyful pursuit is tougher…joy is still there. He is still there.

I was at a worship night recently and the song “The blessing” was sang. I love that song and the Scripture that comes out of it, but there was a part of that song that really stood out to me, so I will leave you with this…

In the morning, in the evening
In your coming, and your going
In your WEEPING AND REJOICING
He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for YOU.

Amen.

Stuck

Today, I was scrolling through Facebook and came across three friends writing about being “stuck”. It made me think of the times that I have felt “stuck”.

There have been times I have felt stuck as a mom… not knowing if I’m doing this whole mom thing correctly (which many days I’m not…can I get a witness???).

I have felt stuck as a wife…the “passion” fades at times and sometimes we are just going about the day to day tasks, forgetting that we should still be “dating” each other (can I get another witness???).

Many days I feel “stuck” in my job. I feel like I’m overwhelmed and not enjoying it has much as I should. Some days I feel like I should be doing more but just stuck with what I’m doing…the 8-4 job. (And don’t get me wrong…I love my students to pieces but sometimes even teaching can feel very monotonous).

But let me talk about the “stuck” I have felt most often. I have many times felt stuck in my walk with the Lord. Do you ever feel this way? There are days I feel like no matter what I read in His Word, no matter the worship music I hear, no matter the prayers I say… I feel like I’m not growing closer or falling away. It’s as though there’s this steady line of complacency in my walk. I feel STUCK.

So what do you do when you feel stuck? Do you keep going? Do you give up? Do you stay where you are and just learn to be content with that? There are choices to make when we feel stuck. Here’s what I do…I crank up the worship music a little louder. I get on my knees a little harder. And I read His Word a little longer. You WILL get through your “stuck”-ness. You (and I ) just have to keep pressing forward and be reminded that His Word is LIVING and BREATHING and ACTIVE (Check out Hebrews 4:12). Remember He will never leave or forsake you ( Hebrews 13:5) no matter how “stuck” you feel. I love that once I do get through the funky “stuck” times, I see His Word with new eyes; with a new excitement; with a new mindset and heart. There’s an eagerness to draw closer to Him and to tell others about Him.

So my dear friend, if you are feeling stuck in your walk, hang on. Don’t give up. Keep pressing through. Keep praying. Keep worshiping. Keep reading. You can only be stuck for so long and I know by Gods great and awesome power, He will draw you closer to Him and pull you out of the “stickiness” and help you get unstuck!!

Now as far as the other parts of life when we feel “stuck”…well good luck. I’m just kidding. I would just say, pray through those times. Find a fun outing or activity you can do with your child(ren) (Hello, Pinterest). Or maybe you need to grab your girlfriends and go to dinner and take a break from mommying. Look up a great date idea for you and your spouse. Pray for God to help you enjoy your job more or to guide you to a new opportunity. Just commit to Him whatever area in your life that you feel “stuck” in. Again, just like gum on the bottom of your shoe… It can only last for so long. Praying for you and whatever season of “stuck” you are in.

Until next time, keep pursuing Him in your joyful pursuit!

I’m chicken…

So.

I’m chicken.

I feel like God has been leading me on this “joyful pursuit” journey and has called me to share it with others but I’ve got to be honest… I’m chicken!!

I constantly have in the back of my head thoughts like…”How can God use this girl?”, “What will others think?”, “Do they even care what I have to say?”, “Are people going to be mean?” (Flashback to High School and JH days!) “Will they say something negative? Hurtful? Inappropriate?”…

I even have silly thoughts like…”What if I have a spelling error?”, “What if they read my stuff and it’s boring?”, “What if I’m too “extra” for them?”… and on and on…

But, I have to just put myself and my thoughts aside and trust that God has called me to speak Truth and to enjoy sharing this Joyful Pursuit, and the ones that need the laughter, the encouragement, the TRUTH, and even the tears will find this page and that God will use this journey to bring all of us closer to Him.

So. If you are also “chicken”, and you feel that the Lord is leading you to do something, then just do it! No really. DO IT! Jump out there with me. Put those silly thoughts aside and trust what He has placed on your heart. Maybe it’s starting a blog like this. Maybe it’s starting a new career. Maybe it is going back to school. Maybe it’s even something simple like getting a new haircut. Maybe it is getting married to the man you are sitting next to…Unless it’s a complete stranger and you don’t totally know him yet …that may be weird…although, I have heard some crazy love stories, so who knows. 😬 …

…but seriously. Let’s stop being chicken. Let’s stop worrying about what others think. Let’s keep trusting what God has placed on our hearts. As long as you know it is from the Lord, you cannot fail!! I love that God reminds us that He goes before us and He is always with us (check out Deuteronomy 31 and also Joshua 1).

I can’t wait to hear about what God has placed on your heart. Share with me, you ex-chicken-girl-you!!!

(It still took me a few days to post this…🥴…maybe I’m still chicken. LOL…and PS…Thanks for stopping by. )