Trusting in God's Manna

Exodus 16:4 "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Look, I"m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they can for that day.  I will test them in this to see whether or not they follow my instruction."

We live in a time of unknowns--the opportunity for fear creeps in on every side. We worry about our finances and how we will make it to the end of the month; we worry about our jobs and if we will have one or not in the coming weeks; we worry about our health and if we will ever find healing or understanding.  Our wonder is consumed by fear for all that we can't forsee.

God recently brought the story of the Israelites to my mind.  Each day God would rain manna from the sky--just enough to get them through that day.  God expected them to go to bed trusting that He would provide again for them in the morning.  It even states that God tested them to see whether or not they obeyed and trusted in what He promised them.  The stories of old are still the stories of today.  If God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow then why is it that we don't apply the stories of old to the situations we face today?  Our human spirit longs to store up, to feel secure by our surroundings, to go to bed knowing exactly how tomorrow and the future will unfold; however, God longs to be our enough, our security, and our hope.

When you find yourself in a situation of the unknown, God only asks you to take it one day at a time.
God longs for you to awake with confidence and to give your all to the circumstances and blessings that He has given you for that day.  The future isn't ours to know. Build your strength on the manna of today, go to bed full and awake tomorrow knowing that Your God will never leave you or forsake you.

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in bards, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?

In the Unknown--God Makes Himself Known

So often our worship is dependent on our perception of how God is working in our lives. With human minds and emotions, we limit God's glory to our own understanding.
Scriptures states that no one can fathom the greatness of God but yet we are guilty of trying to compare God's greatness to what we can see, feel, and understand.
When God is doing great things in our lives we sing out louder, we lift our hands and hearts more boldly to Him, but when seasons of pain and heartache arrive, our worship fades and our hearts go into hiding.

God is Still Great
God is Still Working
God is Still in Control

Just because our minds can't understand the journey, just because our hearts are burdened with the unknown, doesn't mean that God is not still working.
We should sing louder, lift our hands higher and give God even greater praise in the unknown, because it is in those moments that God's greatness surpasses our own understanding.  In the unknown God becomes known--not by our own understanding but in God's greatness does He work all things together.

I don't want my worship to be dependent on what I know of God.  I want my worship to be for all that I don't know, all that I can't fathom--God is God.  Worship is praising God for the unknown-for His great mystery and wonder.

There are areas in my life that I have no control over--my heart longs and yearns but empty handed I stand.  I choose to lift those empty hands in worship to God and not because I demand anything in return from Him but because His ways are greater than my own.
I lift my hands because I would rather be consumed by God's wonder than my own fear.  I want a life beyond what I can fathom--I want a life designed by God.
I lift my hands to be consumed by His wonder and hope--because it is in the unknown that God makes Himself known to me.

Is Your Faith More than Just a Feeling?

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.  They said to you, "in the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions." It is those who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.  But you beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Jude 1:17-21

Is Your Faith More than Just a Feeling?

I sometimes wonder why aspects of our faith has seasons.  Why is it that in some seasons you can feel the hand of God so firmly on your life, you can hear his voice speaking boldly, and you feel surrounded by His peace and presence; and then in other seasons it feels as if God has lifted His hand from us, and gone silent?

I went through an amazing season of feeling God so strongly in my life and then this past week it felt as if He disappeared.  I cried out to God, pleaded for a response and yet it felt that struggle after struggle occurred and God was no where to be found.  He went silent and I kept crying, kept seeking Him, kept pleading for His presence....and then He spoke.

I felt a gentle nudging to go for a run tonight (my runs are usually when God speaks to me most), I begrudgingly put on my shoes, grabbed my prayer mix, and started running....He spoke to me, words so sweet, so strong, "I am here--I will never leave you or forsake you, I am not gone."

I just wanted to share this because often we feel that God lifts his hand from us because of something we did wrong or because of a sin we have in our lives and while these are both reasons for why we can feel an absence from God's presence, it is not the only reason.  Sometimes God simply wants to know if our Faith is more than just a feeling.

Faith has to be in the midst of the chaos and the adversity.  When we face our greatest fears, our biggest disappointments, and our hardest falls---when our emotions tell us to give up or give in---is our faith greater than our emotions?  Faith has to be the driving force that says, "I keep going, I keep running the race."

Has God placed a desire deep into your heart?  A passion that overwhelms your soul?
You become so excited, confident, and overwhelmed to live those desires and passions out but it seems that obstacle after obstacle occurs, or that someone has torn you down or discouraged you from what you know to be true. You begin to question if what you felt and believed was truly from God.

God sometimes goes quiet in our lives because He wants to know if we still hear His voice the strongest even when the voices of those around scream loudly inside our heads.  He is teaching us, preparing us, working in us, so that we are not so easy to give up on what He has spoken into us.  He is building the foundation of our faith to be unshakable.

Is your Faith more than an emotion?
Do you still believe the promises God whispers in your ear even when the world is screaming lies of defeat to you?

Faith has to be more than an emotion
Faith does not fade
Faith perseveres even when all feels lost.

Letting Go...

Have you ever held on to something so tightly?
You enter into your worship with God holding on to that emotion somehow thinking that you will get God's attention and favor if you worship Him while holding on to it.   Almost as if you are tricking God by saying, "Here I am Lord--Oh, and while I'm here---Do you see this?  It's important to me--Please Lord answer my prayer."  God asks us to lay it down and our white knuckles show that we haven't let go in a very long time.  God says very lovingly, "I want you to lay it down at my feet--its safe there--now stand tall and hold out your hands and worship."  Our song is timid at first as we try to sing and look down at God's feet.  God stops us, lifts our head, looks into our eyes with love and says, "it's okay my child--keep singing."  Each verse get a little louder and stronger as our eyes close and our hands lift and God's presence consumes us.  We feel overwhelmed, full, content, complete; we open our eyes to see God standing in front of us saying, "I love your worship but I desire your heart, I desire your empty hands because it is only then that I can fill them with my love and blessings for you."

When we take the focus off our problems, our emotions, our needs and lay them at God's feet, it is then and only then that God can fill us and renew us.  God needs empty hands so that there is room for His blessings.

True worship leaves us so full that when we turn to leave, we also leave what we had held so tightly to at God's feet.

There is no more room because God has filled us.

When He Whispers

I was walking the other morning and having a quiet time with God.  I was feeling defeated by a situation in my life and was asking God why He wouldn't move me from it.  I was trying to prove my point by sharing with Him that I just longed to be closer to Him, longed to be more in His presence; but His response was not what I expected.  

He responded and said, "Stephanie, am I the same God that showed up at my Son's baptism at the river?"  I said, "Yes, God."  He said, "Am I the same God that showed up at Desperation when you cried out to me and worshiped me?"  I said, "Yes God."  He said, "Am I not the same God that is with you, speaking to you, right here, right now?"  I said, "Yes God."  He said, "I am the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow."

Why do we always feel that we have to change where we are or who we are to draw closer to God?  When all that really has to change is our heart.  God roars like a lion in situations in our life where He is unmistakable, but then other times He whispers like the wind, and only the trained ear and the right heart can hear.  God is everywhere, always speaking to us, always desiring relationship.  We don't have to create mountain top experiences to hear God's voice---He meets us in our valleys.

God may be the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow; but we as a people have the opportunity and the responsibility to not be like the generations of yesterday or today. We can open our ears, change our hearts, and be a people who no matter our situation, no matter our circumstances, no matter our surroundings are hearing from God.  We can be stirred by His roar and be inspired by His whisper to change our tomorrow--to life a life knowing His voice.

Be Still

There are those moments when you feel completely alone, separated from the world around you.  You feel full of fear that maybe you are disappearing or that you are forgotten. A still small voice whispers into your heart, words so strong and true that you stop and take notice. A gentle peace washes over your heart, a moment of clarity awakens your mind; and you hear statements of truth and hope that shine light to every hidden area of your soul.

To hear the voice of God...You need only to be still.  

You are never alone

You can never disappear

You are never forgotten

Those moments where you feel completely alone, separated from the world around....God has something to speak into you--You need only to be still.

Hold On to Hope

In having a conversation with my husband the other day we were discussing fear and the lies that the Devil stirs within our hearts and our minds.  It always seems that these lies have little particles of truth mixed in with them.  It becomes confusing to let go of our fears because the fears are usually matters that we hold very closely to our hearts.  They are matters that we are passionate about, matters that become entwined with our identity.

So I sometimes wonder, "How am I supposed to just let go of these things that are so very important to me?"

My husband then stated...You know what the opposite of fear is?  I pondered a minute and then he simply stated.....Hope.

Hope is from God.  Hope is a promise that God places in our hearts.  In God's complete and perfect understanding of who we are, He knows our dreams, longings, and purpose.  He knows them very well because He is the one that placed them within us. He made us with purpose, He filled us with hope.

The fear that consume your life is the Devil's way of taking the hope God has placed in your heart and making you question if those things will really happen, if you are capable or competent enough to fulfill those promises.  What God meant to inspire the Devil uses to destroy.

The Devil is so threatened by your potential and God's purpose for your life, that He manipulates what is meant to be freedom and turns it into bondage.

What you fear is not the problem.  Fear is the problem.  God placed those longings, desires, and passions within you.  He placed them in you to create hope.

Don't believe the Devil's Lies. Don't allow the Devil to take away what God has promised to you.

You were never meant to let go of God's promise.  You are asked to let go of any fear that holds you back from those promises.

Who Do you trust More?  The one that creates Hope?  Or the one that Stirs Fear?

Beyond the Lies

Psalm 139:13-16
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made: your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. when I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Your Hurt may have defined your past, 

but it doesn't have to destroy your future.

It Stops with You.

Stop Believing the Lies.

You are a Child of God

You Live in the Light of Grace and

Not in the Shadows of Disgrace.

A Servant's Heart

"Do Your Work for Me and I will Intercede." --God

This was just a little something that God spoke to me today that I felt like I had to share with others who most likely are feeling or going through the same thing.

We all have so many projects and activities and responsibilities in life that sometimes they can become overwhelming.  We get so burdened by our "to-do" list that our hearts become flooded with resentment and weariness in feeling like we are doing them all alone. That feeling of resentment comes when we feel like we are drowning and we are desperate for someone to come and save us from ourselves.

I've noticed that sometimes good intentions, which are started with a servant's heart, can quickly become big problems, which end up with a bitter heart.  When we lose our focus of who we are ultimately serving, everything becomes a blurry mess of weariness.

When we get to the point of weariness, we need to ask ourselves these questions:
1. Is what I'm focusing on a true calling from God at this time in my life?
2. Am I living out that Calling for God or for man?

It doesn't matter whether you are a CEO of a company, a stay-at-home mother, or a minimum wage worker.  It doesn't matter whether you are simply making the bed, cleaning the toilettes, or curing cancer---EVERY activity we do has the potential to be done with a servant's heart for God.

I asked God this morning..."Lord, how do i have a heart of a servant and not a heart of resentment?"
and God quickly responded back to me, "Do your work for me and I will Intercede."

It was a bit of a zinger because more often then not we are crying out to God with a poor-me mentality, just waiting for him to answer back with, "awe, poor you." God seems to always answer back to that kind of cry with, "change YOUR attitude and YOUR mindset, and work for me and not yourself."

It's hard to accept that more often then not WE are the problem.  It's so easy to want to blame others or want to lash out at others to help us, but God calls us to have servant's hearts (not a popular label for this world).

How much easier would it be if we allowed God to intercede?
A change of heart might just change our life and the lives of those around us!

Choosing Obedience

Have you ever found yourself at that fork in the road?  That place where you know a decision has to be made but yet you struggle with knowing which way to take?  Sometimes we think that we can just do it all and so we try to keep one foot on each path. Eventually, the paths begin to separate and we find ourselves stretched out to the max (I picture trying to do the splits). We try so hard to do it all without every having to make that hard choice.

The Choice is Easy But Obedience is Hard.

I felt like God spoke that statement to me earlier this week, "The choice is easy, but obedience is hard."
If we are truly seeking after God's direction for our lives and asking Him to show us the way, then He is always faithful to give us the answer.  Sometimes (often times) its just not the answer we were wanting to receive.

These are questions I feel that God asked me this past week:
1. Is it furthering the Kingdom?
2. Is it reaching the lost?
3. Are you Ministering to the calling I gave you (not the one you gave yourself)?
4. Are you being Obedient?

After asking myself those questions, I knew what the choice was that God was asking from me.  I then had a new choice.....was I going to be obedient?

The Choice is Easy But Obedience is Hard.

I don't know about you but when God speaks to me, it is always direct and to the point.  He isn't one to use 100 words when just one will suffice.  His statements are profound and eloquent but never confusing.  When I get confused with what choice to make, it is always because I mistake God's voice for my own.  

The choice is easy when we are seeking after God's direction because He gives it simply.  Obedience is hard because we then have to separate our own voice from God's voice.  It is our own voice that creates the confusion, clutter, and chaos.  

Do not mistake your emotion and your fear for God's calling.  God's calling is clear, it is the Devil that adds the emotion and fear to detour us from being obedient.  Obedience works hand in hand with discipline.  We must be disciplined in seeking God each and every day so that when doubt overwhelms us, we can discern God's voice above the fear and emotion, and remain obedient in the choice He has asked us to make.

There is only one path.
There is only one calling.
The choice is easy...
but obedience is hard.

Easter Resolutions

Romans 6:9-11, "We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. so you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."

On December 31st we make resolutions all in hope of a new year, a new beginning, a fresh start.  Every year we make plans in our own strength to become a better person and it seems that not to far into the year we fail, or we slip from our resolution back into the person of old.

Easter is in a few days, the holiday in which our faith was founded and in which our King of Kings and Lord of Lords revealed His power and authority.  It was because of His death on the cross and His resurrection that our faith is set a part from any other religion.  Our Savior came to abolish religion and offer relationship.  We celebrate not only His selfless act and His divine power, but we celebrate because we do not have to live this life in our own strength (or short comings), we live with the hope and boldness that sin has no power over us and that we are set free in Christ.

Easter is not just a celebration of what Christ came and did on the cross but it is a reminder of who Christ did it for...YOU.  This Easter, I am going to challenge myself to make a resolution.  I am going to challenge myself (and hopefully you) to stop doing things in my own strength.  As Christians we should see Easter as the ultimate reminder that we have a new beginning, that we have a fresh start, that we were made new.  Christ died so that we could have everlasting life.  He died so that the person of old could be set free and have a hope of being new, not in ourselves, but in Christ Jesus.

Christ died for us...He is asking that we also die to ourselves.  Christ rose from the grave, conquered death, and now lives to God...He is asking that we also live to God.

This Easter as you celebrate the power of the cross and the miracle of Christ's resurrection, I hope that you see God's ultimate sacrifice was for you and for me.  I pray that we truly take this holiday to heart and that we understand just the opportunity that Christ gave us to be new.

January 1st does not hold the power for us to change or to be made new--Easter is a reminder that Christ holds the power and that He died so that we could be made new.  God's blessing are new each and every day, His grace abounds when we fail and fall short. We do not have to walk this journey alone, we have the ultimate gift...a relationship with Christ Jesus.

As you celebrate Easter, realize that God celebrates You...He Died for You!
"So you must also consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (vs. 11)"

A Storm of Opportunity

For the longest time, when I thought about the story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus, I imagined calm waters with this gentle breeze that just tussled Peter's hair.  I always thought the point of the story was for Peter to trust Jesus enough to get out of the boat, but when I re-read the scripture, I realize that there is much more to this story then just taking that first step onto the water.

Matthew 14:24 ...and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

The scripture states that the boat was a considerable distance from land, which means they were committed to their journey, they couldn't just easily turn back. The journey wasn't easy either, because they were having to travel against the wind, which caused waves to hit the boat repeatedly.  These men were terrified and filled with fear.  Jesus didn't calm the winds or the waves yet, the winds were still strong the waves were still attacking the boat, yet Jesus asked Peter to fear not and to come to him.

As Christians, I think we are often under the assumption that after we give our life to the Lord that the winds of our life will be still, that there will not be any waves that come at us, and that our lives will be without hardship or difficulty.  Like Peter we take that first step out of the boat, but as soon as the waves hit us, we lose our focus and our faith and begin to drown.

God often calls us to places in our lives that are many miles away from our comfort zones.  He asks us to take that journey with Him, to be committed to His plan. He asks us to fear not when we face storms and spiritual battles but to keep our eyes on Him and continue our journey in the midst of adversity.

It is in the storms of life that our faith becomes the strongest. It's not enough to just take that first step out of the boat (to give your life to God), but true faith is in continuing the course even when the waves surround you and having the faith to know that God holds all power and authority.  When we lose focus or lose faith, we give more power to the storms in our lives then to the one who holds the power to calm the storms.  

Peter failed this test, He was consumed by His own fear, but Jesus did not allow Peter to drown.  Jesus immediately reached out to Peter and then went back to the boat with him.  It was when they both entered the boat that Jesus calmed the storm and the disciples realized just who Jesus was.  Jesus still revealed His power but Peter missed his opportunity.

Sometimes God doesn't calm the storms in our life because He is giving us the opportunity to grow our faith and to go deeper and be stronger than we ever thought we could. God thinks you are capable---He is asking you not only to take that first step, but to face your fears, follow Him, and find freedom in faith.

When God Meets You Where You Are...

I heard these lyrics today, "Your love, brighter than the sun, more beautiful than words could ever say. This endless light shining over all, it leads me to your glory everlasting (Hillsong United)."

Even at this moment I can't explain in words what my spirit was feeling; however, i remembered a picture I took a few months ago that captured this experience perfectly.

The night I took this picture, I remember sitting at the kitchen table, consumed by my own little world and surroundings, journaling to God and praying for His embrace, His presence, His love to overflow over me.  I went over to the window and cracked the blinds and what I saw was an explosion of light right outside my door.  It was the most beautiful skyline I had ever seen and I was overwhelmed that the God of the universe would answer my prayer and that He would reveal to me just a sliver of His glory and His presence.  That night stuck with me because it was a lesson to me that the world around us is only dark and lonely when we keep our eyes focused on our own surroundings, but when we open that door to God's plan and purpose, He reveals Himself to us.  No matter where you are, no matter what your surroundings may look like, no matter how you feel or what you are going through, the God of the Universe wants you to crack the window to your heart and allow His light and His love to penetrate your soul.

God meets us where we are, for me it was a Wednesday night, at the kitchen table of my apartment and yet to this day I look at this picture and I see not only beauty and wonder but I see that my God is faithful to meet with me in every detail of every day.  He meets us right where we are.

"Love unchanging. God your mercy fades and I'm surrounded by Your compassion and Your grace.
Your love brighter than the sun, more beautiful than words could ever say. This endless light shining over all. It leads me to your glory everlasting...Your love amazing, fills my heart and I sing out. There is none like You, There is nothing like Your love."
---Hillsong United (Zion) "Nothing like Your Love"

One Day at a Time...

The other day I was journaling and if I'm being honest, I was a little mad at God.  Sometimes God leads you to a destination but doesn't give you all the facts, all the knowledge, or all the understanding for why you are going, what you will be doing, and how long it will last.  Instead of unconditionally trusting God, we get scared and beg of Him, sometimes demand of Him, the master plan.  There are times in our lives when He gives clear vision for the destination but there are times in our lives where it is more about the journey then it is the destination.

Our lives are consumed with plans.  No matter what you want to do whether it be working out, dieting, cleaning, budgeting, reading, etc...everything has a 30 day plan.  Day one everything seems exciting and hopeful, you get this fire inside of you that says, "I'm going to do this!" "A month from now everything will be different."  The problem is that day number three arrives and you've already failed or fallen behind and then the whole month is ruined before the first week is even over.  It's amazing how determination can quickly turn into self-destruction as we beat ourselves up for not making this month the month of change.

How we live our lives and how we try to put everything into a 30 day plan is often how we try to live spiritually, we try to force God into giving us a 30 day plan that maps out the road before us and tells us exactly who we will be or what we can achieve if we just stick to it.  God is screaming out to us to live our lives ONE DAY AT A TIME.  One day at a time?  God how will I know where I'm supposed to be going or if I'm achieving the goal if I don't know the entire plan?

I think God doesn't give us the whole plan not only so we will trust and rely on Him fully but because as it states in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."  The gate is narrow and the way is hard. If we knew just how difficult the road was before us, many of us wouldn't even get out of bed in the morning.  God has a purpose for each of us, a plan that requires us to trust Him when the road is hard and when the journey becomes lonely.  God knows we can't always handle the entire plan but that doesn't mean He doesn't intend to take us on the journey, it means He leads us one step at a time, one day at a time.

We have a God that doesn't set us up to fail, we have a God who cheers us on every step of the way.  He doesn't want you to fail on day three, or get overwhelmed by day five.  He knows that the journey is long and that the road is narrow.  Every morning He awakes us, holds out His hand, and says, "lets go a little further, shall we."

Is God Enough?

I've written on this question before, but sometimes it takes God asking us many times, and us answering many times, before we truly understand the depth of the question...Is God Enough?

I was reading in Numbers and verse 5 struck me:
"And the people spoke against God and against Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.'"

God was providing for the Israelites for over 40 years, each and every day mana from heaven fell to the earth to provide the people with strength and substance to withstand their hardships.  The irony of it being that the Israelite's hardships of wondering for so long was because of their disbelief and their hardened heart towards God.  God was in the midst of discipling them but yet God was sustaining them.  God could have just killed them all right there, but He didn't, He provided, and yet the people turned their back on Him and uttered to Him that He was not enough.

How many times does God provide for us, in the midst of our mistakes, bad decisions, and rebellious heart?  We don't deserve His provisions and yet everyday God is faithful to meet our needs.  How many times though do we cry out to God in disgust that what He is providing is just not enough?
This verse really made me ask myself if I was like the Israelites turning my nose at God's daily providence?  It made me ask myself, "Is God enough?"

Right now in life money is not falling from the sky, understanding is not at my feet, energy and zest seem to be ever lacking, but yet God is providing EACH AND EVERY DAY for all my needs.  My wants and my needs often get confused in my head but deep in my heart I know that when I'm questioning God's allotment in my life it is because I'm questioning His purpose for me.  Out of fear for where He is taking me and what I may have to do, I cry out to God for what I think I need; but He quietly and simply answers back, "Trust Me, I am enough."

Is God truly enough?

Letting Go of 2012

Letting go of 2012 will not be to difficult for me to do.  I have been anxiously awaiting this new year, the hope of 2013, and the idea of a fresh start excite me.  In reflecting over this past year and all it's newnesses, blessings, heartbreaks, and frustrations I felt that God told me that 2012 was the year of letting go.

This past year we took the grand leap of faith and moved three and a half hours south to the small city of Scottsburg to become part of a ministry staff at a small but growing church. I have peace in this move because I know that it was a calling God placed on our hearts, but it has been a very difficult act of faith to be obedient with.  I have never lived more than an hour away from my parents and am used to dropping by for a family dinner, or running a quick errand with my mom while discussing anything and everything that pops to mind, finding my dad in the backyard and sitting on the porch swing with him---never having to say much but always feeling his arm around me and his love for me.  These are all things that you somehow take for granted on a daily basis and when they aren't there leave you feeling a void the size of a small crater in your life.

There have been so many blessings this year, I have never felt more close to my husband as I do after this past year, I have met so many amazing people who have been placed in our lives by God to encourage and grow us, and I have felt God's hand of protection and providence through every tear and  sorrow.  This past year was about letting go of the things that I thought defined me, it was about not relying on anyone other than God to provide and protect me, and it was about understanding what my faith truly meant to me when I had to walk the walk on my own.

I think a person's greatest fear is loneliness and in the fear of somehow disappearing along the way.  We cling to things that we hope people will recognize us by or understand us better from, all because we long to stand on common ground.  I know from experience that God will shake that ground because He wants us to realize for ourselves that our foundation should be in Him and Him alone and that all else is sinking ground.  It seems when the world is crumbling all around us is when God extends His hand to us and says, "Fear not, I am with you always."

I am confident that 2013 is going to be a year of understanding and of blessings because God has extended His hand to me and has told me to fear not.  My foundation will be stronger this year as I have learned how to let go and to trust God in leading the way.  I'm sure 2013 will come with it's own trials and tribulations but I survived 2012 and have a confidence now in knowing that I am never alone, nor can I disappear from God's mighty hand.

Praying God's blessings on you in 2013.