Lessons Learned....

"When you are in the valley, dont be discouraged, dont give up on God, but rather remember every moment, because it is when you are on the mountain that you will truly appriciate the beauty of the valley." "Furthermore, remember your time in the valley, because most likely, it is when you are pulled from the valley and standing on the mountain that God will allow you to see the needs of those in the valley, your experience will help them through."

These are some paraphrases from what God is speaking to my heart lately. I read it in a devotional book the other day, and I cannot for the life of me remember which one it is, but IT CHANGED MY LIFE! I have also been reading Crazy Love, we are studying it in the Young Adult Sunday School class I am teaching. Francis Chan, the author speaks of a a young woman who he frequently sees leading worship at a college that he speaks at. Each time he is there, she has more passion and desire in her worship. One day he approaches her and asks her about it, and she tells him, "Everytime I go before God, because he is the creator, I ask him to create a new and fresh experience for me and for those I am leading to his throne." I cried when he shared this story. First of all because I am a worship leader and THIS captures what I want in my heart when I lead, but this girl took it a step further and she did something about it! She didnt let it become routine or mundane. Every chance she got to worship and sing was a gift and a new creation. I have been leading worship this way the past few weeks and WHAT A CHANGE! To ALWAYS come to God with this heart and passion. I mean it is has been there for me, but Im telling you, its renewed, fresh, brighter than ever before!

BUT...When I come to God in my devotions and in my daily living, I am trying to be intentional about this too. It is amazing that when we come to God EVERYDAY expecting him to do something great, what a change can happen. I have been struggling alot lately with not fully experiencing the joy of my relationship with God, because I have been bogged down with the hard things in my life. With the crazyness and busyness, and with watching many of my other friends suffer right now. ITS TOUGH. But see, that is where God is challenging me, YES ITS HARD, but I dont have to go through it alone! I have a God who loves me and wants to stand beside me through all of it! And he WANTS to make a new creation in me every single day. And so, these past few weeks, I feel that God has been beside me, he always has been, but I have been making it a point to notice it and rejoice in it!!

As I shared, the quotes at the beginning of this blog. I feel like I am starting to be on the mountain after a VERY LONG valley in our family, I wouldnt say we are at the top yet. Mom is still in a nursing home and not walking yet, but shes starting to talk more, shes smiling more, and HER CANCER IS IN FULL REMISSION! So we have alot to praise God for. I am still sad that my brother is in another country, but I am finally okay with it and enjoying talking to him over facebook and on the phone when we get to! My physical health still has its moments where I get super achy from arthritis pain, BUT PRAISE GOD I AM SO MUCH BETTER! I have lost 40 pounds. My thyroid levels are at the best they have been in a VERY LONG time! and my other blood levels are GREAT TOO! And God has been sharing with me alot lately that he is about to do some AMAZING things, that I cant even begin to imagine! So yes, I am coming up the mountain and I will just praise God for each day of that :)

What I have been able to do lately though is to help many who are in the valley right now. I am amazed at the people that God is allowing to go through struggles right now and that he has enough confidence in ME to help them through it. I just hope that in all of it, they see the face of God and not ME! Friends who have lost loved ones, friends who are going through physical health issues, friends who are suffering from anxiety and depression. and even friends who are watching their parents be sick and suffer. I NEVER thought about the fact that my valley was going to be not only for the purpose of helping ME become a bigger and better person in Christ, but that also it was to help lift up and encourage those that would be going through their own valleys. The scripture God has given me, I am able to now share with them. The words he has spoken to my heart, I am now able to speak to their hearts. Our God is amazing and I am truly greatful to know him!!

I love my God and I am thankful for the valleys that he allowed me to go through. I am thankful that he loves me so much that he does things for my good, even when I dont understand it. I am going to leave you with a quote from Crazy Love that I think we should all think about this week.

"If my mind is the size of a soda can and God is the size of all the oceans, it would be stupid for me to say He is only the small amount of water I can scoop in my little can. God is so much bigger, so far beyond our time-encased, air/food/sleep-dependent lives"

When we truly realize how big our God is and allow him to be so, some pretty INCREDIBLE things can happen and I CANT WAIT to see what God unfolds!!!!