Not today.
Sister, friend, might I let you in on how God has been speaking to my heart today?
Envision this.
Satan, seated on his throne.
He prowls above like he has full authority, power, control.
Deceiving our minds, twisting our thoughts, our actions until doubt has consumed us to the depths of our souls.
Yet, Jesus is not afraid of our doubt.
He simply asked Thomas to come to Him in his questioning that Jesus might show Thomas that He truly was the Savior Thomas was having a hard time seeing.
There was no shame, in fact, I believe Jesus was quite happy with the courage of Thomas to be the one to ask what everyone else was questioning themselves.
When we come to Jesus, we find the victory, we find the faith.
So, as we envision satan on his throne, now expand to this.
Women.
Hundreds, thousands of women.
Arm in arm, hand in hand, linked together,
Rows upon rows of women.
Women who look to their right and to their left and declare that they will carry one another’s burdens.
For as two or more are gathered, Jesus is there, and when Jesus is there, victory is there.
We the women become overcomers.
So, there we are, masses of women FOR one another,
Staring Satan in the eyes, walking directly towards him, and proclaiming that victory is ours.
Depression no longer has hold,
Comparison has no grip,
Shame has released its chains,
Anxiety bowed down to presence,
No longer entangled by fear.
For together, we march towards Satan and declare,
“NOT TODAY.”
“NOT TODAY SATAN.”
Today we have victory.
Today we cling to hope.
Today we believe that God is who He says He is.
That He is faithful and true, the Author and Creator of all things.
The very giver of life and the sustainer of ALL I need.
A God who lives in abundance, not poverty,
A God who is for my good.
And when I am too weak to believe the truth for myself, my sister carries me back to the One who has the truth beyond measure.
Together we draw each other back to the wellspring of life.
So, march on dear sisters.
Do you feel weary or dry?
Are you struggling with depression,
Lack of purpose,
Loneliness,
Doubt,
Insecurity,
Victimhood,
Pride
Or gluttony?
Look to your right and to your left.
Let a sister in.
Get vulnerable.
Open your hands to grab that of the one beside you.
And together, you march on.
One foot in front of the other.
Encouraging your sister, and your sister encouraging you, in the truths that carry the faith,
That defeat the lies and cast the throne of satan into the fire of hell.
You have victory this day.
Not today satan,
There is no power for you here today.
Victory is written,
Love is written,
Joy is written,
Grace is written,
Peace is written here.
And hope abounds.
For we are overcomers.
We have victory today.
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Peaceful Lament.
Life is like the ocean.
Days where the sun beams steady upon us,
Reflections gazing far and wide of the majesty surrounding us.
The waters are refreshing, soothing to our weary souls.
But as tides turn and storms brew,
Sometimes as in a swift turn of the night.
The waters can overcome us.
Waves coming in quicker than we are able to take on.
Drowning begins.
With the surprise of the waves,
Hitting us time and time again where we least expect them to rise.
Before we are able to catch our breath another wave hits.
Bodies bruised, beaten, lungs shattered, breath suffocated.
We lose a bit of who we are.
The lament settles deep into our bones,
Agony cries out.
Questions arise within the darkness of the soul.
The identity we once knew, being reconstructed, tested, pursued.
The strength we thought we once had, washed away within the consistent rising of the tides.
For when the waves are tossing, true north tends to get lost within the waves.
But, true victory rises in allowing the waves to take you where they may,
To let go of the fight for control and let the current thrust you into the mystery of the journey.
To let the tears flow, the anger work through.
To release fear like fireflies, the release allowing the illumination into rest.
For we can trust that the creator of the very waves themselves has not forgotten us yet.
And as we let go, we learn to let peace in.
Within the darkness, peace settles.
Vastness comes in like a rushing wave. yet peace reminds us of a Creator who created the very waves that threaten our drowning heart.
We need only to lay down the fight, to let the emotions come, to get to the deepest spaces of lament.
The raw honesty in our bones allows us to look up and see the stars shining in the darkness.
It is the deepest spaces of lament that bring us into the fullness of hope.
For when God is all we have, we discover He is all we have ever truly wanted.
We discover there is no storm where His supernatural peace cannot reside.
The waves cannot rise so high that He cannot calm them.
The storms cannot rage beyond His capacity to sustain them.
The expanse of the suffering cannot surpass His level of faithfulness.
For Jesus will walk through the storm to bring the peace.
He will mark the very waves we thought would drown us as remembrance stone to sustain us.
To be the strength in us when we thought there was only weakness left.
To bring joy when only doubt and despair encircled our mind.
To be the way when we thought there was no way.
For as we turn our eyes beyond the waves,
We experience peace like the night sky touching corn fields,
Pink dust sprinkling the earth settling into the depths of blue,
washing us back to the waves.
And this time, we let out our sails and ride the waves.
The lament is still here, still heavy worn with sorrow and grief.
But as the surrender coexists within the storm,
As sails are raised,
We learn a peaceful lament.
Abide in the healing
Let go of the hindrances, the burdens holding you down.
Be fully present within the space you are currently in.
Abide there, soak in the aroma of the atmosphere.
Breathe it in deep, for healing may spring forth.
Allow the sun to rest there, illuminating you thus more, filling with joy and overflow of the heart.
Let it all go and experience the fullness of grace and presence.
Complete presence, renewal, peace. The overflow of the heart.
We do not know the happenings of the future, nor shall we ever,
It is beyond our capacity,
And yet, we can know, as we abide, complete peace.
We can rest in knowing that although we have hurts and struggles,
Pain sometimes more than we can bear,
Yet we can still trust that it has not been overlooked.
It is in good hands, in the hands of our Father.
And may we rest, as He knows the future, that it is for our ultimate good.
And may we rest in knowing that joy can exist too, amongst the pain.
It does not have to be one or another,
They can exist together, in beautiful collision of each other.
So may we come, abide with the one who knows us best,
And then abide with those whom we have community with.
Abide, around the table, in rich community, and rich healing.
For healing happens from within to begin,
And with friends to continue the healing.
Today, I simply wish that we each find out space to abide, then heal in the spaces we each need.
Abide within the healing.
Blossoming Community
I first met Elena several months ago through a creative group that I am a part of. I quickly realized that we were going to become great friends. Something about the way she carried herself, her overwhelming joy that just lit up the room from the moment she entered. I knew she was someone special right away, and as I have gotten to know her more and more over the last several months, it has only further solidified all of my initial thoughts.
But one of the things I most appreciate about Elena and am so grateful for is the way that she fosters community, fosters people being around a table together, spending intentional time with each other. This day in age when our schedules are over crowded, and our heart and relationship space even more so, what a beautiful gift to cater people back to being with each other, with tasty food in front of them.
Elena is a food and travel blogger. And from what I have tried out so far from her recipes, her stuff is so so good my friends! But the beautiful thing I love about Elena is her heart behind it all. She truly fosters joy at every turn. And she is a living example that joy and hardship can beautifully collide. Everyone's life has hardships and struggles, but Elena chooses joy over bitterness, community over reclusion. She chooses life and light over death and darkness, and I think we could each use more of these choices in our lives!
To find out more about Elena and her beautiful food blog, check her out here:
Things are Better Together
And one thing I have learned within my own life and journey is that things are better together. Here is a little letter to Elena and Ben, about the cutest couple I have ever met!
Elena and Ben:
Oh my goodness you two! Elena, I knew you were filled with joy, but when I met you Ben, I knew that you two were just perfect for each other. Ben, you are so full of jokes, laughs and smiles all around. The compassion, grace and kindness you show towards Elena is unmatched. Always speaking highly of her and encouraging her on in all that she does. Your words are seasoned with grace and love, a beautiful endearment for Elena. And Elena, full of true kindness, and I will say it again, joy. It flows out of you my friend. It pours from your heart, and comes out through action. And you too are so quick to speak highly of others, especially of Ben. You run first into his arms and enjoy the love that he brings. You each fill each others cups with compliments and grace, stepping hand in hand together to each new adventure ahead. And what a beautiful journey it has already been, hard in spaces, but beautiful all the more. So, may the years ahead be just as beautiful my friends. There will be valleys for sure, but may the mountains rise higher, and the inner joy fill the valley days. May you be able to rejoice in each other, and rest completely in the grace that is there for you each day.
Rest and Abide
This week, and this entire holiday season, I hope and pray you are able to rest and abide, to slow down, get still and allowing healing to take place where it needs, and give yourself grace to not do all the things this year. I hope you are able to spend time in wonderful community with your people and soak that in. Rest and abide my friends. Rest and abide. Presents do not fill the soul, but presence with our Holy God does. May we seek presence over presents this season.
~Laura
And don't forget to check out Elena's Beautiful company Savor Paradise!