The Path That Brought Me Here

I have avoided writing this page for a couple of weeks, I didn’t know what to say. I could tell you lots of facts about me, and you would know what’s important to me, but I think the question I really need to answer is why on earth would I put another blog into the already crowded internet world? And why on earth would I think anyone would want to read what I have to say? And those are fair questions, so let me see if I can answer them. I’ll start with the first one.

Why would I put another blog into the already crowded internet world?

Plain and simple, I love God and I love His word. I love to write and sometimes God shows me the coolest things, in His Word and in nature and I just want a place to record them. And, if He encourages someone in the process, that would bring me so much joy. I know what scars can do to the heart. I know what living life with a filter of shame is like. AND, I know how God, through His word, can completely and utterly transform a life. I know how He can take someone who is surviving and clean up their messy hearts, full of unforgiveness, bitterness and shame, so that they learn to thrive and live a life of joy. Why wouldn’t I share that?

But why would I think that anyone wants to read what I have to say?

Well, I don’t. I’m not doing this for followers or epic numbers of readers. I love to write and God keeps nudging my heart to put it out there. Nothing in our lives is beyond hope and redemption. He really does bring beauty from the ashes. What I am hoping and praying is that somehow, somewhere, God will use what I write to encourage and to give hope to someone who is longing for more than just surviving.

The Most Important Part

God met me in the chapel of the funeral home, when my grandfather (Pop) passed away. I was a broken, hurting young woman who was desperately looking for answers to fix myself. I had grown up in the church but I thought ‘religion’ was about following the rules, I thought salvation was about a fire insurance policy so I wouldn’t go to hell.

But a man at Pop’s funeral said, “He was the man that was the most like Jesus that I’ve ever known.” And I realized then that all of those years, when my grandfather had loved me so well, he was reflecting the love of my Heavenly Father and it wasn’t about rules at all.

In the days that followed, as I dug into God’s word, I learned that what God really wanted, what He made a way for, through Jesus, was the ability to have a relationship with Him. That’s a lot to wrap your brain and your heart around, it requires faith, but these last 26 years have brought me to a place where I keep growing to love Him more and more.

My Greatest Blessings

And through it all, I have been blessed with some of the most amazing blessings…

A husband of 34 years, who loves me and teaches me so much about the unconditional love and grace of God…
4 amazing children that I love with all of my heart
1 (and soon to be 2) daughter in loves that make me feel like we won the daughter in love jackpot
2 grandchildren that light up our lives and fill them with so much joy and wonder
My mom who is one of my biggest cheerleaders
An extended family that has wrapped me in the love of God for years
A loving church home that makes me want to know Jesus more
And friends too numerous to count that have blessed me and my family with their love and friendship

My Prayer

My prayer isn’t that you’ll just read my blog. My prayer is that you’ll see God in different ways, that you’ll want to know Him more and in knowing Him more, you’ll discover how much you are loved. That is what changes lives… realizing that you are lavishly loved and loving others with the overflow of that love.