The second day of 2017 is here.
There is a bubbling up inside of me, like when you know a surprise is coming, but you don’t exactly know what it is or what it’s going to look like. For each one of us the future will look different, “yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you (to me, to us)”. Isaiah 30:18 NIV
There has been a lot of deep digging in my life in the past seven years. I’m happy to report there is water at the end of all the digging, this “well” is not dry. I’m claiming the gifts that God has spoken over my life, over my family, and over my friends until I see them come forth. Join me this New Year as I believe God for the impossible. I recently heard a minister, Paul Manwaring, say this, “Grab hold of the impossible until it bows”. “May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 NLT
[Tweet “Grab a Hold of the Impossible until it Bows! – Paul Manwaring “May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10″]
A well is dug deep, in the dark places, that casual observers walking by cannot easily see. I can’t get away from the thought that now, in this New Year, God is filling up the well to overflowing, from the deeply dug out and hidden places, where He has met me and met you over and over again. In the secret places is where I became sure of His faithfulness, for myself, even amongst times of fear and great doubt.
As I reflect on all the dug out, dark places of my life – the places where I found that God “even went there” – I’m so thankful I read this book: Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I always Wanted – by Shannan Martin.
It’s strange how God can take us to the low places in life and there as we’re bent down, He shows us what we could never see standing tall, on what we thought we did, in and of our own strength.
If you struggle with releasing control of your life; if you duck every time someone mentions God’s way is the better way; if life is not making sense; I invite you to read, Falling Free. There is a FREEDOM in falling with nothing to grasp, but God. That’s all He desires from us is our complete dependency on Him and your right, it takes a lot from us and then when we give it over – he gives more back to us than we could have imagined.
Sure it’s unpredictable, it’s scary, I’ve held my breath, got angry, and cried buckets of tears and that’s why I can relate to what Shannan shares. She writes of her real life dreams broken, yet she finds a place of letting go and bending to a God who knows the better way.
As Shannan talks about her “adopted” son with a criminal record and some of his struggles and their struggles as a family – my heart is relieved and full of thanksgiving. Not because she or they struggle, but because she shares the struggle, the mess.
We all wrestle, we all have heartache and pain that is not social media pretty. What we deal with may or may not resemble us or someone close to us officially having a criminal record, but we all have a criminal record. We all would be condemned to death for our wrong doing, if it were not for the ultimate sacrifice of our loving, Heavenly Father. We all have sinned and fallen short.
So whether your life is just how you planned . . . cough, cough . . . or you are in the middle of a transition/transformation and need some encouragement and hope from an honest friend, I invite you to follow Shannan on Instagram and get a copy of her book, Falling Free.
I love these words that Shannan shares in a vulnerable moment in her book, “I needed a real person, someone with skin, who knew things about me and loved me anyway, or at the very least remembered how I prefer my watermelons.” Have we all been there or what? Wanting people around us, that “get” us, and love us anyway. She goes on to talk about in that moment, when she had no one there, that God was enough. There is such sweet truth in that knowing place. When everyone is there and no one is there – God is always there – and He is enough!
[Tweet “When everyone is there and no one is there – God is always there – and He is enough!”]
And yet we all desire to have community, to be in genuine relationships, and to be loved by others – God created us for relationship. Shannon’s words so resonated with me as there are times I feel inadequate and I desire to be loved and known, instead of feeling like I am more of an oddity or an outcast.
I encourage you in this New Year to not only proclaim the promises of God over your life until they become reality, but to be that kind of true friend to others. Be real, be known so that you may know others, be encouraging that you may be encouraged and LOVE others – setting them up to win (as my fellow women’s class teacher/speaker, Ros, shared this past Sunday) and their win will be your win!
Join me on the Journey!
Happy New Year’s to you and yours!
Joelle
Disclaimer: In case you’re wondering, I do not know Shannan in real life. I saw her book recommended by a fellow blogger on social media and upon that recommendation, I decided to download her book on my Kindle app. I’m so thankful that I did!
I’m recommending this book, not because I was asked to, but because it’s THAT GOOD! The link to Amazon, to purchase her book if your interested, is an affiliate link that makes life convenient for you and helps in a small way to make this blog possible. Thank you for reading and Happy New Year!
