Monday, August 27, 2012

lately.



I feel so good. All the time.  It's crazy and kind of scares me.


God has brought me out of so many things. Health-wise I feel better than I ever have in my life every single day, and I know it's only thanks to God.


Most of all, I just feel so wrapped, wrapped in God's love for me.
It makes me smile.

He just loves me. Always. No matter what. Never-failing or ending... exactly as I am. And His love for me is deeper than I can ever come close to imagining.


It all just feels crazy.


Being single with Jesus is also so so good that I find myself constantly thinking I really don't ever want anything else than this. If God does I do! But otherwise, man oh man do I love everything about all the time I spend with just Jesus each day when I'm single. It feels amazing to not want or wish for anything else than exactly what I have right now with Him. No matter what God has instore for my future, I am going to cherish every moment of this season. I hope to make the most of it and enjoy loving on whoever I get to spend time with each day. :)

I know that everything good comes from God.
So all I can do is thank Him for what He's doing in my heart and life.


I feel so amazed by His love.



"Where shall I go from Your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, You are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there Your hand shall lead me,
and Your right hand shall hold me."
-Psalm 139:7-10

Thursday, August 23, 2012

choosing to be thankful.




I truly am thankful. For everything.

And that's what I have to remind myself and choose to be every time I am struggling.



In early June Matt ended our relationship. He had been in a rut and struggling for a long time. And he just felt he couldn't love or lead me the way he wanted to. He also kept persisting in prayer and felt like God was telling him this was the right thing to do. He did it out of love for me, though the pain and sadness of it often makes it feel opposite.


Here are some things I wrote throughout the summer: (I wrote these strait from my heart as vents of exactly what I was feeling at the time. Each colored section is from a different vent. They are in order of when I wrote them. The last one's probably the best just in case you get bored half way through...)



"After getting off the phone with Matt last night it was hard. It was hard to hear his voice. I love him...
        I trust that this is exactly where God wants us. I trust that He wanted us to be together. He wanted both of us to have the taste of that GLORIOUS GLORIOUS love we lavished on each other sometimes. It was so incredibly beautiful beyond anything I would've ever imagined or wanted. I would love to get to love Matt like that again. Yet I know he needs this. And I do too. God has reasons for everything. Everything is just a step in the direction of what He's preparing us for. Something even better. His plan is perfect. And I'm excited for all He's been doing and showing me each day."




 "...Truth is I LOVE the thought of being single with Jesus for the rest of my life. But I love Matt even more. I would most want to be with him. And it makes me sad. I miss him so much.Yet this is what I've been given now. And I must make the most of it. I miss Matt so much it really fills my whole self with sadness. But I have to focus on what God's given me. Make the most of it, and enjoy it! I love being single. I love love love that everything I do is just between me and Jesus. Just for Him. I love the independence and everything about it. It is truly glorious. But I do really really miss Matt. It really feels my body with sadness, a lot of sadness. ... Yet I am happy to be here with Jesus too.

My joy is to love and live for Him. With all of my heart, with all of who I am, in my deepest deepest selves of selves. I've grown so much this year in just being free before Him. Me. And loving Him with all the depths of who I really am. Not being ashamed.
It's beautiful.

Jesus is my forever love.
I love Him.

And now I'm crying hard with joy and thankfulness and pain.
listening to "Forever Love" by Francesca Battestelli and singing it to Jesus from my heart. "







"... So now I have to let him go. Bah, it's sad. He is the most amazing man ever. My best friend. The person who was always always always there. I called him for everything, any time. He loved me BEAUTIFULLY. He is the most honest, humble person I've ever known. His honesty, humility, compassion, and desire to live for God are what I love about him most.

He is the most amazing man ever.

All I can do though is let him go.

I still want his presence in my life.

I feel like the best thing for me to do right now and the most beautiful is to dance with and for Jesus. To keep enjoying time with Him. My love story with Him. To enjoy being completely me before Him more and more and more and more each day.

I am so incredibly blessed.
 And I am glad I had Matt for the time I did.
Now I am happy to let him go.

God's got great plans for us.

I am excited. I can't even comprehend how much I don't want Matt out of my life. Yet... I am very excited for all that lies ahead for me. Times with my mom, my sisters, my grandparents, cousins, and family. Times with my dearest friends. Teaching dance. Dancing with my Savior. Loving on kids at work. Loving on people. ... And letting Jesus love on me. Being ME. Letting Him cover me in grace.

This is a beautiful beautiful love story.
Thanks God!"




"I want to continuously forgive him, let go, and let Jesus hold me and be happy for Matt.

I am happy for him.

I just want the best for that man.


Please please pray hard for both of us."




 "...This is just a beautiful time that I have to go through of mourning this man...


He loved me beautifully.

God blessed me with beautiful glimpses of how He loves me and will love me in Heaven someday.

...I am filled with joy and peace trusting God has the best things in store for me and Matt.

I just really miss him today.


And I just need to keep re-letting him go every second.


 I truly just want him to thrive. To grow, to learn, to lead.

To be the man of God he and God want him to be.

I'm excited for him.

I'm happy to let him go.


But yes, it will always be painful sometimes..."



"...The cool thing though, is that when we come to points where we are so filled with anxiety or pain that we can't even take it. Anxiety or pain about what to do, or about why something happening... or when we are so incredibly hurt or just so confused... or so in desire of control!!! : We can surrender.

We can know God is in control.
Try to give it all to Him.

Trust Him to have mercy on our anxiousness and selfishness.
Trust Him to work through everything, even our sinfulness.
Trust that His plans will work out.
Trust that He knows what He's doing.
Trust that everything happens for a reason.
Trust Him to have better plans than we do.
Trust that He's with us helping us.
Trust that He will provide.

And ABOVE ALL ELSE trust that His love and mercy for us are greater than ANYTHING and stretch FARTHER THAN THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST!!!




Ya... the whole Matt thing is still sad. And sometimes I ask why?? Why did I have to have something so good and then have it ripped away?? But I know and trust that EVERYTHING happened and is happening for a reason. I can tell you some of these reasons that I already know later. And I know there are so many that I don't know yet.

I trust that God's plans are better than mine.

I trust that we are right where we are supposed to be, even if it may not be what I want. I trust this is where God wants me. Broken and beautiful before Him.

Thank Him that we can trust Him.
That we have that privilege.

The privilege to just place it all in His hands.
To surrender.
To trust Him.

And to feel the peace that brings.


He IS SO GOOD.

And He knows what He's doing.
Even if it's hard.

It will turn out better than we can see."







"All the things I am feeling right now related to the Matt situation and being single with Jesus are too deep and too much for even me to comprehend, understand, or to put to words.

I sit and try to figure out exactly how I feel about everything, yet I can't... It's like I feel too much/yet something very simple at the same time.

It's a really really weird thing and just can't explain it even to myself.

What I do know though is I am the same person I always was and always will be. Broken. Broken and beautiful before Him. (to Him)

My Romance with, Relationship with, Friendship with, time with.... etc. just everything... everything about my intimate relationship with just me and Jesus has always and will always be the best and most special and most real and most dominate thing in my life.

And wow, oh wow, has everything that has happened this summer, and that has ever happened in my life, but yes this even more (like icing on the cake) brought me closer to Jesus.

Wow, is this constantly being used to bring me to Him. To keep me in AWE of His love. His friendship. His intimacy. His everything.

The cross.

... WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously I can't even tell you how much He's moving me right now and tonight. With every song He is playing for me. IT'S INCREDIBLE.

With what He's saying in the Word.

With what He wants us to do together.

With Him just being here.

... But ya, tonight it's UNREAL how every single song is completely and totally straight from Him relating to all I'm feeling even more than I could've felt or said myself.


This time is hard. I'm broken. I miss Matt.
But I would never never never change it.
I am thankful for it.

Cuz this time has brought me even closer to Jesus than ever before.

And I just want to move closer.
to go deeper.

I want to give Him more of me.

Pray for me to do that for Him.
He deserves so much more of me than the little bit I give Him.

Thanks.
Thanks for listening to this vent.


... It's always hard and weird when the sadness hits.
But it puts me in the place to be touched by Him.

And that is where I want to be and stay.
Closer and deeper.

I want to let Him love me more. He longs for me to let Him love me more.


This is the best and most beautiful time of my life.
I am so thankful God is doing this."




 " Letting go of Matt is one of the hardest things I've ever had and have to do. Mourning the loss of him, the one I love and one I want to love forever as his wife, is unlike anything I've ever experienced.

I love him.

And every second, even though I don't even want it there, he's on my mind.
I remember all the beautiful memories. Every one, again and again and again. They won't leave my head.

The way he loved me. The way he delighted in me. The staring. The dancing. The way he took me in his arms, spun me around and threw me in the air as I laughed loudly. The way he took care of me. The way he listened. The way he was always there. ... Just plain him. How much I love HIM and everything about him.

It's hard, sad, and painful.

But all I can do is take a deep breath and know that the best thing I can do out of love for him is let go of him.

He really truly knows that this is what God wants. For us to not be together.
So I trust him, and I trust God.

I trust we are both right where we are meant to be.
And I am thankful for where I am. Right in Jesus's arms. My eternal Lover. My Savior.  I will forever be in His arms, and that brings more comfort and joy, in the midst of the pain, than I can ever say thanks to God for.

I just have to take a deep breath and trust Him.

I am happy for Matt. Happy for both of us. I just want Matt to thrive. I want both of us to thrive, with God. And I know God's plans are far far better than my own.

So, even when it breaks my heart, I will trust Him. And I will thank Him.
And I will keep asking Him for the strength to let go of Matt.


I will forever be thankful for the time I was blessed to have with Matt. That man is and always will be an amazing man of Christ to me. I am thankful that he is still my amazing brother in Christ and that we are still friends. :)

I could go on forever about all the ways he helped me. We both know the relationship was truly from God. We are both incredibly thankful for it, for all the ways we helped each other grow closer to God and just helped each other in so many ways. We both have no regrets at all.

Matt helped me feel more and more free to be ME. My complete and total self, without any fear. He delighted in me more than I can even believe!!!!!!! He showed me God's love for me more beautifully than I've ever seen it before. I am so thankful for those glimpses. I know God's is far far far greater than Matt's, but the way Matt loved me really gave me glimpses I've never imagined. I never imagined someone would love me the way he did.

He was always there. My best friend. The person I vented to about everything. The person I was my complete self with without worrying I would hurt or offend, without holding anything ugly back at all but just letting all the ugliness shine through.

He brought me so much joy, laughter, and just amazingness to my life that I've never had or imagined before.

He just plain really loved me. And really loved me beautifully.

I will always always be thankful.
Thankful I got to learn more about what it means to love and be loved.

I just want the best for that man.
The best for both of us.

I want both of us to go where God wants us and to love who He wants us to.

I trust this is all for the best, even if it's not what I want.

God helps me let go every day.

And forever and always I will be thankful.
Thankful for the gift of Matt in my life.
Thankful for the chance to love, learn, and let go.

God is good. And God is faithful.
His love gives me strength,
is my hope.
Is my all."










So yes... overall, I miss Matt. A lot. Every single day. And I do still wish we were together each day, but as I do, I know that I am happy to let him go. It's what he needs. What he wants. And I have to trust that it's what God wants to.


Every time I feel sad each day or miss him, I just choose to be thankful.Thankful for the times we had. The beautiful glimpses of God's love. The chance to love him and the way he loved me.


 



I am thankful for that man.


Happy for him. Happy for both of us.



All I can do is focus on the moment. The second I'm in, and love people in it. Love the kids at Hope, my family, my friends,whoever I'm with. And most of all love Jesus.



My alone time with Jesus was the best time of my day when I was with Matt, and it remains the best time of my day still. I miss Matt. But, I trust that God's got me. And I have Him. He is mine.


I am happy to let that man go. And thankful I still get to be his friend, his sister in Christ. That's truly what I see him as now, my brother in Christ.


I am just trying to embrace each and every moment in this life, this adventure with Jesus.

Thankful for what I've had and excited for what's to come.



Most of all blessed and excited to love.





Thank You God for everything.
And thank You for continuously teaching me that sometimes the best way to love someone is to let them go.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

this summer.





God did. And is, every day. 





What would I do without that?


Without God's help letting go?


Without the ability to always rest in the fact that God's in control?






Every day of my life, no matter what the season's been, I would've been hopeless every single day without the ability to trust that God's in control. To know He's here. To know He loves me. To know everything will be alright.

Instead, thanks to Him, I have peace.


Incredible peace.



Oh how I can never thank Him...


I can never thank Him... !!!





... 
Thanks God. 

Saturday, August 11, 2012

missing grandma.




Grandma Who
 Grandma who loves us
and knows how to play
who is a warm slice of apple pie, saved just for me
who is beautiful songs about Jesus and Heaven sung at her request
 is stories of past parties and her schoolhouse days
who is a bag full of goodies, packed for the road
 is a peppermint patty
a warm hand to hold
who plays the "kitty game" with me
saving me from crocodiles with a pillow and a soft "meow"
who is a bright smiling face tenderly scrolled in blank ink
 is not just one but three ooey-gooey caramel roles
that leave my stomach full of warmth
who is a newsletter sent in the mail to keep us in touch
is a little black and white bear called "Whoo Whoo"
a symbol of shared love
who is a sly little smile behind sparkling, laughter filled eyes
is an exclamation of "Yahtzee!" after one roll of the die
who is Mass watched with grandpa every day
is a miniature fork and knife, cute as can be
who is the electronic BINGO game we ask for the most
is a pair of fuzzy red socks covering wiggly toes
who is a slivery bit of cherry jello with bursts of marshmallows on my tongue
is a gingerbread man drawn with buttons and bows
who says she can't believe we are getting so tall
is a peanut butter and banana sandwich or a bowl of lemon creme pie pudding
who is the picture of smiling Jesus that she loves on her wall
who is a competitive game of Scrabble, which she usually wins
is a bowl of chicken noodle soup after a long day's drive
 who is a tiny frame but an enormous heart
is a ripped open envelope filled with a kind birthday note
who loves us
loves grandpa
and loves Jesus with all her heart
who is dear and precious
who forever holds a place in my heart 



























Monday, August 6, 2012

what I did for love.


Relating to how I feel about everything currently going on in my life, everything that I've done and will do and just to my heart...

this song is one of them that speaks it.


After going to my sister's musical "A Chorus Line" on Thursday night, I sung the song in my head all day Friday. Couldn't get it out even when trying. I just couldn't get over how much it relates to how I feel about what I've done, am doing, and will do for God and for the people I love. Also for the things I feel God calling me to do, the things He's made me passionate about. ... Love. Really that's the only way I can describe it.

What I did for love.



Tonight when I went to the show for the second time, I could not hold myself back from crying. No one noticed, but a large amount of warm tears streamed down my face and my body shook. I felt like I was radiating heat of me, my face was so hot from the intense emotions of how deeply this relates perfectly to how I feel about what I am currently going through. It also relates to how I feel about life in general. How I feel about each day/about the end of each day. How I feel about the things I've done and do and why I've done them.


I want to and know I will feel this way forever.

























This song really relates to how I feel about everything I do for those I love. For the family I love. The friends I love. The kids I love. The God I love...  For the unique things I feel Him calling me to do/ I feel I may have been made to do.

It inspires me. Reminds me what truly matters.
  



"Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
                 -1 Corinthians 13:13

Sunday, August 5, 2012

what He says...


 Isaiah 43





1 "But now, this is what the Lord says—
    He who created you, Jacob,
    He who formed you, Israel:
'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;


I give Egypt for your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,

I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west.

6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.


 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,
    who have ears but are deaf.
All the nations gather together
    and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold this
    and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
    so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”

10 'You are my witnesses' declares the Lord,
    'and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.
11 I, even I, am the Lord,
    and apart from me there is no Savior.
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
    I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses,' declares the Lord, 'that I am God.
13     Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
    When I act, who can reverse it?'”

Wednesday, August 1, 2012


Every day I am struggling, questioning, talking to, talking to and praying to God... asking Him for help. Telling Him I desperately need to hear from Him, knowing that I am so filled with lies and just so confused/far from the Truth. So in need of Him...

And well, basically what He's been doing, showing, and saying to me every day has been making me feel exactly like every lyric of this song:











I love the way You love like no other
It's got nothing to do with anything that I do
Time and time again You forgive me
So this time I choose to stay here with You

Hold me
Pull me just a little bit closer
I don't wanna lose this moment
Your love has covered me
And now I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I just can't get over You

Here in the arms of my Father
Only grace can be found

So I lay my fears down
Nothing is the same anymore
You've changed me from the inside out
Now my heart is beating and it's singing, won't You...
Hold me
Pull me just a little bit closer
I don't wanna lose this moment
Your love has covered me
And now I can't get over You
I can't get over You

I can't get over You
I just can't get over You

I can't get over You

I can't get over the way
Your love stays the same
, oh Lord
I can't get over the way
Your love stays the same, oh Lord

Even through the good and the bad times,
You stay the same

So my song will remain
Lord...

Hold me
Pull me just a little bit closer
I don't wanna lose this moment
Your love has covered me

And now I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I just can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
There's nothing I can't do
I just can't get over You

I can't get over You.