authenticity Archives - Journeying Outside My Box

I Want To Tell You

July 22, 2024 By Rebekah 6

I want to tell you about my day - how it started out pretty tough and I knew the first few hours would be hard, but I was ready. And then it got worse - we haven’t had a meltdown around here for a while, and this day, which was already going to be rough, got the dubious “honor” of being a meltdown day. And I panicked and felt my stress level take off like a rocket. Then I remembered that we don’t have to be perfect - we just have to keep breathing, and keep doing the next right thing.

While the morning was definitely tough, the meltdown did subside pretty quickly. We were even able to talk through what had happened, how to maybe make things easier the next time, and how to keep going. And we did just that - we kept on going. The tough part of the day passed, without incident, and I could breathe again. And somewhere in my heart, the reminder that, this too, DID pass.

And there’s so much more to say there, but it’s not time yet.

It’s such a blessing to me that on my tough days, God has often sent a reminder that He is at work. I received an email from a precious friend this morning, just catching up a little and with some questions about a writing project.

Last week, I prayed specifically that God would open some more doors related to the writing side of my life. My prayer was pretty specific. And inside of a week, I’ve had two new opportunities - more on those later.

But how beautiful that God would arrange an answer to my prayer on what was going to be a tough day!

If there’s one thing I’m learning, and being reminded of again and again, it’s that God is still at work. He’s not limited by our understanding of things. He’s not bound by solutions we can dream up to any given problem. Not only that, but He blesses us tremendously in the times of soul-searching.

So while a lot of my day was frustrating, discouraging and quite difficult, what I want to tell you, really, is that I’m choosing to remember this day for the blessings.

When I look back, years from now, there’s no doubt that some of the tough stuff will still be there, ingrained in my memory. Some things stick with us, no matter what we do. But that doesn’t mean that today has to be “only bad”.

I found this quote this morning and I want to share it with you.

Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.
-Billy Graham

Maybe you’re going through a tough day (week, month…) as well. Can we be courageous together? Can I feel bold and confident watching you be bold and confident? Can you come alongside and gain strength from me as I wake up each morning and keep getting up?

I don’t always feel like I can make it through a day, but I want to tell you - I’m pretty sure we can make it together, you, me and God.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. -Isaiah 41:10

Join me - let’s try being courageous together. Feel free to share anything that you’re going through where you might need some extra courage, or situations where you’re choosing - courageously - to remember the good things. I’m praying for you!

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Filed Under: authenticity, having faith in God

I Believe In You

May 29, 2024 By Rebekah 0

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about believing in people - considering it from every possible angle that I can. Why? Well, because I’ve been in spots when I needed someone to believe in me, and I’ve watched others who have needed someone to believe in them. I’ve seen people flourish from a simple, “I believe in you,” and I’ve seen people wither as the world seems to turn away. I’ve known life stories that your heart doesn’t soon forget, and I’ve had my own experiences which leave me grasping for those who will believe in me or someone in my family.

I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you, in no particular order.

At one point or another, we’ve all been in need of someone to believe in us. Maybe it was a job interview, maybe it was just a time when we were feeling down and needed encouragement, maybe it was a major mistake we made and had to “pay our dues” to fix. But we have all been there - whatever that has meant to us as individuals.

We’ve probably all heard, “I believe in you,” at some point in our lives.

We’ve all wanted to believe the person telling us they believe in us, but when push comes to shove, we often find that we feel completely alone.

(But we can’t trust our feelings.)

From a different perspective, we have all known people who have benefited from someone believing in them. Maybe it was a child trying to make it across the monkey bars for the first time, maybe it was a new coworker on the first day at the job, maybe it was someone who has made choices vastly different from the ones we would have made - and lived to tell the story.

They all have someone they can point to and say, “They believed in me!”

Their life has been enriched, made better, because someone invested some time and energy into helping them succeed.

Just like Jesus.

He knew His role in coming to this earth. He believed in us long before we even knew Him. He invested time, effort, tears, and His whole life because He wanted us to have the opportunity to be with Him forever.

It cost Jesus His whole life to believe in us.

What does it cost us to believe in someone else?

Time? Definitely.
Energy? Without a doubt.
Effort? Sure.
Money? Possibly.
Love? Hopefully.

That’s a lot to consider, certainly. We all value our time - it’s extremely precious. Energy and effort - we don’t want to waste those. Money - we’re all trying to be careful there. Love - we don’t really want to risk getting hurt.

Consider, though…

That time? The energy and effort we’re trying to not waste? The money we’re all trying to save? The LOVE…?

We can spend those anywhere, on anyone, and the other person will definitely benefit.

But what if we spent them on a person who needed someone to believe in them? What if we invested in “the least of these” (Matthew 25)?

Yes, they could certainly take advantage, they might not live up to our expectations, they might leave us feeling frustrated or sad, maybe even broken-hearted.

Or maybe, just maybe…

We might be the world-changer in their life.

Because believing in someone might cost us. It might hurt. It might leave us frustrated and exhausted.

But maybe we need to consider the other person, and the difference it just might make in their life.

Is it more important to be “safe” or to dare to try to be a world-changer where we can?

Because that person who needs us to believe in them? We have the opportunity to change their world - just by believing in them. By simply NOT giving up on them.

It’s easy to judge (eh-hem…spoken as one who has done this too many times).

But an opportunity to be a world-changer for someone, to remind them of how amazing they can be, no matter what?

I’ll take it.

I believe in you.

I
Believe
In
You!

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Filed Under: authenticity, Hope

When Grace Rains Down

February 1, 2025 By Rebekah 0

Last week I shared “When Grace Rains” and talked about how the storms of life can soak us through. We sometimes beg God to move us, to bring us to safety and warmth. But he does not always do that. Sometimes he lets us stay in the storm, knowing that He will guard and protect us and bring us to safety.

But what about the times that grace rains like the long-awaited storm in a drought? What about the times that grace rains like a warm summer shower, like the rains my children like to go out and splash and play in? I’m finding that sometimes grace rains, but other times - precious, sacred, and holy times - grace rains down!

Sometimes God opens a door and makes a way for us after what seems like a spiritual drought. Our souls may feel dry and desolate, but with the door that God opens, the refreshing rains pour down on us.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills. -Psalm 147:7,8

Oh, friend - I am standing in that downpour of refreshing, life-giving rain today!

No, my life is not perfect. No, I sure don’t have it all together.

But God has a plan for my life. I don’t know what it all is, but I do know His faithfulness, made new in my life.

The road I’ve walked, to get here today, is a personal journey that God had for someone dear to me, and so I was able to learn something because I am on a journey with that person. I am still learning so much as a result of all this; it’s safe to say that my life will never be the same.

That could be a negative - my life will never be the same. I could absolutely look at the circumstances and make that a negative statement. “My life will never be the same!”

Or, I could look again, with eyes focused on Jesus, seeing Him at every turn in the road, and humbly proclaim, “My life - this one, amazing life - will never be the same!”

The thing is, we can have that every day. Each morning that God wakes us up is an opportunity to stand up, open our hearts to God, and thank Him that because of His gift of salvation, our lives will never be the same!

Sometimes grace rains, and God uses it for our growth. Other times, though, grace rains down and we have the opportunity to soak in the goodness of God’s love.

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Filed Under: authenticity, dealing with feelings, having faith in God

My One Word

December 31, 2024 By Rebekah 18

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Happy New Year! Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I don’t have a lot of success with sticking to them, so I really don’t make any. I love the concept of one word to focus on in the new year, and this year my one word is HOPE.

This past year has been so rich and full for me - many amazing signs of growth in my own life, within my family, at my church. We have seen God’s hand of blessing in many areas.

Last year was also a time of some incredible difficulty in our home, and one that we won’t soon forget. However, I can already see God at work to make things better, less awful, more holy.

And that gives me HOPE.

I love this passage in Isaiah 43:16-19 -

This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

Wow! God promises them that He is doing a new thing, despite all the hardships they had faced.

I am counting on God to prepare a way for me in the new year. I am trusting that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that He will shepherd me and lead me in the new year.

Because I have spent some time feeling broken, and not knowing where else to turn, and God has to be enough. I have to trust in Him to prepare a way, to help me perceive the new things He is doing, to provide streams in the wasteland.

My hope, my one word - my Hope - is in God.

When my heart was overflowing in His goodness - Hope.

When my days were long and very normal - Hope.

For those days I could not move - Hope.

To remind me that He was making a way - Hope.

As I stood at the doorway to 2014, it was a good time to look back, to thank God for the Hope he provided. It was also a special time to thank Him for the many times that He made a way for me, to remember the streams He provided in the wilderness days of my year.

I’m entering 2014, taking all the God-moments from last year, and looking ahead with One name on my lips - Jesus - and with hope in my heart.

Hope. It’s my one word for 2014.

Happy new year, dear friends!

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Filed Under: authenticity, having faith in God, Hope

The Prodigal Son’s Brother

December 6, 2024 By Rebekah 6

The story of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15:11-32, is probably pretty familiar to most of us. The younger son decides he wants his share of the inheritance. He heads out into the world and soon squanders it all. A famine hits the country and the son has to take a job feeding the pigs. Finding himself to be so hungry that he is willing to eat the food he is feeding to the pigs, he considers his own father’s servants, and how well they are cared for, and decides to return home to his father. He is warmly greeted, celebrated, and loved! What a wonderful picture of God’s love for us - while still in our sin and worldly-ugliness, He runs to us, forgives us, and the angels rejoice that another sinner has come Home!

But what about the brother of the prodigal son?
He never strayed; he didn’t run out and squander his inheritance.
He didn’t leave his father’s side.
He wasn’t celebrated, but watched the celebration for his brother.

All that we are told about the older son is that he stays - he remains with his father. He questions the celebration for the wayward younger brother, and becomes angry when the details are shared with him.

When his father comes to him, his reply seems so appropriate - so raw - so reflective of his frustration:

‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ Luke 15:29,30

How do you feel about “death-bed conversions”? People who have had their whole life, who have heard of Jesus, who have ignored Him, and then choose Him in the last moments. Their lives may have been ugly, filthy, seemingly worthless - and maybe they have even gone against every social, moral, ethical and scriptural rule in their treatment of people. Yet, for some reason, they decide to accept Christ in their final moments.

I am thrilled for them! Our lives - yours, mine - we’re just one mistake, one poor choice, one unguarded act - away from the same kind of life that these others have had. Wouldn’t we still want the hope - the Hope - of salvation if we were the one facing our final moments?

Now, the prodigal son may not have been in his final moments on earth, but he was pretty close to being without any hope. His money was gone, there was a famine, his access to food must have been severely limited if he was considering a meal of pig slop.

He was almost without hope.

And then he made the right choice - after so many wrong choices. He realized that what he thought was hope turned out to be hopeless. He realized that when he had put hope in his own abilities, it turned out to prove hopeless.

And then he realized the true Hope - his father, his salvation, his source of life. His capital-H hope. And so he did the only thing he could - he went home to Hope. And what happened next?

Hope came running.

So he got up and went to his father.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20

And he was saved. And safe. And full of hope - and Hope.

The older brother - the one also hurt by the younger brother’s decisions - he is filled with anger. Here stands his brother, who has made wrong choice after wrong choice, who has hurt the family, probably ruined reputations, squandered wealth and riches.

…and that younger brother is welcomed home…
to hope.
And to Hope.

I have been a Christian pretty much all my life. I grew up in a Christian home, I was taught about Jesus from the time I can remember. I chose Jesus very early on, and really didn’t waiver. That is my testimony - that I found God early, and really never let go of Him. By some standards, it’s a rather boring testimony. I don’t have story of miraculous rescue from addiction or struggle; I didn’t make horrid choices. I stayed with Jesus.

But really - that’s a beautiful testimony, isn’t it? God is faithful - God has remained faithful! And I have been saved, safe, and protected from so much that others have had to struggle with.

What about those in our lives - yours and mine - who have squandered their Father-given gifts? I am so quick to extend grace - and Grace - to those who I don’t know; to those whose issues or worldly-wrongs haven’t directly affected me. Do you find the same to be true?

Why can we extend grace to those we don’t know, yet we struggle to extend grace to those we do know? Why did the prodigal’s brother have such a hard time forgiving his own sibling, but may have forgiven a stranger much more quickly?

Maybe because pain is very real. Maybe because for as much as we would like to view ourselves as Christ-like, the reality is that we’re still human. We aren’t actually Christ. We can only ever be Christ-like.

When we are hurt, angered, betrayed, it’s human nature to put up walls, to defend our name, our honor, our own life. We want revenge, or justice, retribution, vindication. We wonder why, when we stay on the straight and narrow, bad things happen to us. But isn’t that the way of this cold, cruel world?

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus lays it out for us - we will have trouble in this world. At the same time, isn’t that the key, dear friends? We will have trouble in this world.

“For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come.” Hebrews 13:14

This world is not our home. We were not created for this world. We were created to live in this world for just a little while, and then to have eternity with Jesus! And so we will have trouble here - because this isn’t our home. This world is just our journey to our Home.

And so for me, and for you, we will suffer; we will endure heartache and hardship. It’s meant to point us to Jesus - to help us keep our eyes on Hope and Home.

And our Father, who created us, knows our hearts. We can express all of our feelings to Him. We can tell Him, as the older brother did, just how angry we are at the seeming injustice. We can point out how we haven’t strayed, we haven’t been a black mark against the family, we haven’t disgraced our father, or our Father.

And I love the answer that the father gives to the prodigal son’s older, more faithful, brother:

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Those of us who have the testimonies of staying near to God, as the older son stayed near to his father, we have access to God - we always have. We have all we need in Him - we always have. We have all of who He is, working on our behalf - we always have. We have all of the things that God can provide, and all He can do for us - we always have.

Isn’t it just like Jesus to tell such a story of hurt, betrayal, anger, frustration, faithlessness and faithfulness, and then to end with the only thing that’s truly important?

At the end of it all, isn’t salvation the only thing that’s truly important?
Isn’t that the only thing that’s truly of worth in this life?

When you are hurting, and when I am hurting, whether it’s pain from a loved one, or from someone who doesn’t even know us, let’s remember the end of the story - this story in Luke, and this story in life. Let’s remember that while our lives may look like that of the prodigal son’s brother, we are one step, one action, one unkind choice, away from being the prodigal ourselves.

Dear friend, and to my own dear heart,
if you or I were the prodigal,
wouldn’t we LONG for the Father to see us a far way down the road
and come running to receive us Home again?

Friends, truly that’s all that matters, isn’t it?

Salvation.

We can be saved, from pain, from fear, from hurt, from death.

The end of the story is life.

Life.

Who can we take with us? How many other broken hearts can we gather and take Home to the Father? The Father is waiting - whether we have remained steadfast, or whether we have taken every path except the right path.

Luke 15 is made up of 3 parables, each one talking about loss of something precious. In each parable, Jesus describes the rejoicing over the salvation (the finding of) the lost item. Those who don’t stray, those who remain faithful - their reward is in heaven. The angels have already rejoiced over their choice of salvation. They were lost and then they were found. Just like the prodigal.

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:7

If I was lost, or if you were lost - no, when we were lost - heaven rejoiced over our salvation! Remember, trouble is ours in this world - anger, frustration, pain, hurt. But this world is not our home. Our home is with our Father, whether we are the steadfast brother, or the prodigal brother.

Our Home is with our Father.
And He saw us a long way, far off down the road,
and gathered us up when we came running to Him.
And He will do the same for all of us,
prodigal or steadfast.

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Filed Under: authenticity, dealing with feelings, having faith in God, real life

God Gives Good Gifts

November 24, 2024 By Rebekah 4

If you’ve been around Christian circles long enough, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “God gives good gifts,” and I certainly would agree with that! But I think our perception of a gift is often based on our cultural norms: a beautifully wrapped package, often a bow on top, inviting and enticing!

What about when you get a gift that looks like this? Do you still think God gives good gifts?

Some gifts don’t come packaged beautifully. They lack the gorgeous wrapping, the bow, the sparkly tissue paper, or the overall presentation of beauty. They are not what we might consider “a gift” but rather, “something we got handed.”

Recently, I was handed “a gift” that looked more like the rock in the picture above. Anyone who knew about this “gift” would probably agree that, in the world of gifts, this was a dud, a rock.

So many times in life, there are no solid answers, except for, “But God….”

God can come into any situation and transform the dull, the ordinary, the “are you sure this is really a gift?” into something beautiful.

But - it takes work.

Sometimes the things that God wants to do in our lives can be painful. They may seem to stretch us to our limit to where we almost snap. Or they may cause us to feel hard-pressed, almost to the point of almost cracking. We may feel that our very soul is being chipped away at, bit by bit.

But, oh, sweet soul -

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. - II Corinthians 4:7-9

We don’t go through tough times simply because God has it out for us, or because He wants to see us struggle. No, He always has our best at heart.

That’s the difference between our limited perspective and His infinite perspective: He can see what we cannot. He knows why we need to go through the rough times - the pressing, the stretching, the chipping away.

That “gift” that we were handed, the one that really looks more like a rock…have you ever seen a geode? The picture above is the exterior of a geode. By only looking at the outside, we can pretty safely assume that it’s just a rock. Nothing special.

But when someone takes time to open up a geode, the ordinary-looking, dull, boring “gift” - well, the inside is just amazing!

Remember - what God does, He does well. The next time you’re given a gift that looks ordinary, or dull, or even ugly, take some time and consider that gift. Ask God what He wants you to do with that gift, and what His will is in giving you that gift.

You may even feel that your own life is nothing exciting - just dull, ordinary, not beautiful. But remember, God’s working on your heart - on those parts of you that He can shape and mold into something beautiful for His use.

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. - Job 23:10

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Finding My Voice

November 20, 2024 By Rebekah 1

How do you process life? How do you take what has happened to you and transition it from an event that occurred, to a milestone of the heart? For me, it’s through writing. At least, at this point in my life. I suppose that makes me a writer.

Lately, though, my posts here have been very infrequent. Why? Because just after I posted this (one of my all-time favorite posts), I had a real-life experience with brokenness. The things that happened found me stuck, very stuck, in terms of trying to find my voice again.

I spent the days trying to keep life normal, and the nights trying to catch up.

I wanted words to come, words that I could share with you to encourage you and to hide behind. But the words would not come.

And so I took the advice that I would give to any of you - I sat with my feelings. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

I still sit with my feelings.

I trust that God will do something with what sometimes feels like a jumbled mess inside my heart.

I know He will.

How do I know? Because He already is doing something! I’m not sure what, but I know He’s at work.

And so I’m writing tonight - not so much for you, but for myself. I’m getting words on paper (well, sorta!) and I’m working on the things that go along with my writing here (photo editing, general editing, paragraph formation, and using my own voice). I am letting the words out of my heart, and I am not so concerned with much in the way of editing them tonight.

What does my voice sound like?

I hope that it is full of love and encouragement.
I trust that my voice is full of hope.
I want my voice to be one that encourages you to share your story.
As a mother, I want my voice to instill worth and value,
dignity and morality.
I pray that my voice inspires you to see past me, and to see Jesus.

But having temporarily lost my voice, and now struggling to get it back, my voice feels shaky. My voice feels quiet. And I don’t feel brave to attempt my writing too often.

That’s why I’m writing tonight, though - because sometimes we have to push through the fear, through the uncertainty, through the doubt and try again.

And so I am going back to what I know - to the One I know - and I want to tell you, despite the muck and mire of where I’ve been, that -

God is faithful,
Jesus still saves,
the Holy Spirit still provides comfort,
the body of Christ is a sure support,
family are forever,
friends still provide meals,
Love still wins,
and
God never fails.

Tonight? That’s my voice - hopefully full of hope and reminders of God’s goodness in all aspects of our lives. God is always at work, but we can’t always see what He is doing. It’s not for us to see it all. (After all, He is God; we are not.) But it is for us to trust!

And tonight, I want to leave you with one of my favorite passages - I pray that it blesses you as much as it does me. A friend and I were discussing this passage recently. Take your time as you read through this probably-familiar passage. Let it sink into your heart, and ask God to make it even more meaningful.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
-Ephesians 3:14-21

Thank you for walking with me tonight as I push through to get my voice back. It’s definitely coming back, and I’m following what I believe God has for me and for us here.

Much love to you, dear friends!

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Filed Under: authenticity, writing

A Glimpse

November 19, 2024 By Rebekah 2

Walking this road isn’t always easy. Many times people will see us for just a brief amount of time, and all looks well. When you get just a glimpse into someone’s life, you have to remember that it’s just that - a glimpse - and that reality may actually be very different.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year - Thanksgiving is just around the corner, followed by all the festivities of Christmas. And yet, today, November 19th, our tree is already up and decorated. Why?

Because a glimpse into our lives will tell you that all seems to be going well. It is. But when you dig just a little deeper, if you look for just a little longer than a glimpse, you’ll see that we will hardly be home in December to enjoy the festivities and trim the tree, and have a “normal” Christmas season.

Why? Because life still goes on. Because when we have 14 school days in December, and we have to be at therapy for 13 of them, in addition to our regular schedules, that doesn’t leave much time for extras like trimming the tree.

One of the things I work so hard at, is trying to keep life “normal” for our family despite whatever our therapy schedule looks like.

How do you keep life normal, though, when “normal” seems anything but?

I don’t know. I don’t think that version of “normal” actually exists for our family anymore.

And that’s okay - please know that! (Because our new version of normal? It’s pretty awesome most of the time!)

But this parenting journey - this one that we’re on? Today, it seems impossible.

Today? Today, I see that I still have Christmas shopping to do. And I will have to go grocery shopping. My kids want to do some Christmas baking, and they’re going to want to see the Christmas lights around town and even down in the city. They’ll ask for extra time to watch Christmas movies. And they’ll ask for some of our other fun traditions.

Me? I’ll juggle the return of phone calls and emails in the therapy waiting room. And I’ll juggle schedules and I’ll probably mess things up - at least once. But, I’ll be thankful that people don’t count my mistakes. I’ll be grateful for the effort that everyone is contributing to help make this work out for us.

If you take a glimpse into our lives, you may find us frazzled at any given point. I can’t begin to tell you the toll that this takes on our family each time we prepare for these 10-day intensives. But to add on the re-evaluations and some additional things that have popped up? Really makes me want to just stop and hide out for December.

But that’s just a glimpse. It’s not the whole picture. How can it be the whole picture?

This morning I woke up to a post from a new friend, called “Looking for One More“. (Go read it - really, go. I’ll wait!)

She has a quote in her post from John Piper, and it says, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” The overall theme of the post is to look for one more - just one more - thing that God is doing.

It’s a perfect reminder for me - to realize that, in this hard time, God is doing so many things around me. I must look for one more. Just one more!

The thing is - when you look for just one more thing that God is doing, you see it. And then another. And then another.

Until you almost can’t help but to see God in everything that is going around.

And when you see God at work in so many different things, you realize something.

Come close; listen intently.

You realize that you’ve only had a glimpse - just a glimpse - of God’s goodness.

And…

It leaves you wanting more.

So, friends, whatever life is throwing at you, will you look, like my friend, Tresta, shares, for just one more good thing? Remember that what we see, in our own lives, in others, in the world around us, is a glimpse - just a momentary glimpse - into the reality of our lives.

When life is storming, and you’re not sure which way is up, will you close your eyes, open your heart, and remember that God loves you?

And then look around, find God at work in the small things - and the big things - and remember that you’ve had just a glimpse of what God is doing!

Friends, God loves us, and life can be big and scary and overwhelming.

But if Tresta can remind me to look for one more thing, and I can remind you to look for one more thing, and you can remind your friend to look for one more thing, think how much joy we can carry in our hearts!

And the joy that comes from looking for one more thing? Yup, you guessed it - it’s just a glimpse of the joy that we can have with Jesus!

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
- II Corinthians 4:18 NIV

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Filed Under: authenticity, special needs family

Do Not Move

November 10, 2024 By Rebekah 8

Do not move.
I desperately wanted to escape.

Open your eyes.
All I wanted was to hide.

Do you trust Me?
I’m sure trying.

Look around.
What are you doing?

This isn’t yours to carry.
It sure feels like it.

Do you trust Me?
I’m trying, but I’d sure rather run and hide.

Do not move.
Okay, I will wait.

Open your eyes.
What am I looking for?

Me.
How will I know if I see you?

I am always there.
Yes, I know, but….

Do not move.
I’m trying to trust.

Just breathe.
I’m lacking hope.

I am Hope.
I think I see You.

You’re just seeing Me?
I think I’ve seen you all along.

Yes, and I will not let you go.
I will trust; I won’t move.

Watch and see what I am going to do.
I’m still trying to trust.

Remember, I can make masterpieces out of messes.
I’m sure trusting in that.

Are you trusting Me?
I’m trying, but some days it makes no sense.

Do not move; stay with Me.
I’m learning there’s nowhere better to be.

I’m reminded that You are refreshment for a dry, weary soul.
I’m learning that You are light in the darkest of nights.
I’m seeing that You are hope for those who have lost their way.
I’m discovering that You are the hand to hold in the midst of danger.
I’m finding that You are encouragement for a heart in despair.
I’m grasping that You are grace for the needy.
I’m sensing that You are salve for the broken-hearted.
I’m understanding that You are all I need.

Then you are doing well.
I am?

You have not moved.
I’m trying to stay with you.

Have you seen me?
Everywhere!

How’s your hope?
You are my Hope!

Do not move.

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Filed Under: authenticity, finding peace, having faith in God

I Thought I Knew Brokenness

October 18, 2024 By Rebekah 10

A few weeks ago I wrote Beauty in Brokenness. Two days later, my world, as I knew it, was falling apart in front of my eyes. I had no idea, as I was writing that post, of just how much I would need those words for myself. So much of what I write is for all of you, as I share my life stories and experiences and any bits of wisdom that I might have. I thought I knew brokenness, but I’m really just learning.

This post isn’t going to answer your questions about my brokenness - I’m not there yet. (Please *do* know, though, that we are all healthy, and this is just a personal issue that I am struggling through right now, and in the end, all will be well - because God is here!)

What I am hoping to do here is express a little more of my heart.

In Beauty in Brokenness I shared about how we are broken - but wanted by God; imperfect - yet chosen; we’re claimed, tended and so we flourish.

This has been so evident in my life the past two weeks. I’ve been through every emotion that I could imagine.

I have been in a pit, one that I didn’t put myself into, and one I never wanted to be in. I have wondered where God was and how this could possibly happen to me, even though I realized that the problem was not mine and I owned no part of the problem. Still, how could God let this happen to me?

But - this situation is not about me. It is about someone I love, and God. It touches my life because I love this person, but it is not a punishment for anything I have done, and it’s not a reflection of who I am.

And when I realized that, I found God.

Everywhere.

“…because God has said,
‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
-Hebrews 13:5

From the immediate help of the only ones who could truly help me, to the kindness and support of friends who did not understand but came when called. God was there.

God was in the building I had never visited before, with a person I never intended to have to speak with in my entire life, who paid a debt he did not owe, as a symbol of kindness to my family.

God was in a parking lot at a location I’d never been before. Not only was He there, but He was there in the form of a couple who had been together forever. I watched as the husband lovingly took care of the wife - his Veronica. She had some physical and mental issues, but there he was, years later, loving his Veronica. I can’t tell you how much God was in that meeting.

God was in the park where we had dinner with a friend who offered some much-needed support. God was even there late at night, when I could not sleep, and needed a couple of friends.

I was in the pit. I was reaching for hope as I sank farther into the pit. So alone. Desperate to wake up from the nightmare, yet realizing that wouldn’t happen. Careful to protect my children, willing them to unsee what their eyes and hearts had to see. Gasping for breath when the world fell down around me, searching for any part of my heart that was not crushed. Vehemently stuffing every emotion I felt, in order to make it through a day. Begging for sleep to come, though my heart and mind would not stop. Desperate. Sinking. Broken. Ferociously grasping for any hope. Alone.

And yet, not at all alone.

And as I hit the bottom - the place I never planned to be - do you know what I found?

Hope. Not hope, but Hope. Capital H, Hope. Because hitting the bottom means that I landed in the arms of Hope.

And Hope gathers all the pieces of brokenness, carefully cleans them off, lovingly looks at each individual piece, and gently crafts the pieces back together. It’s not the same. What’s been broken can never be put back together without evidence of the damage.

It can’t be the same. I won’t be the same, not ever again.

But by the grace that Jesus brings, the broken can be better.

As God takes my heart, my life, and picks up the pieces that have broken, He is carefully cleaning each jagged and broken piece. He is smoothing the rough edges, He is pouring His love into my life as the glue that will hold each piece together. He is holding me, piece by piece, as I wait on Him to make me whole.

And that’s what God does - and that’s what He promises to do.

I thought I knew brokenness.

I found more of Jesus!

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Filed Under: authenticity, dealing with feelings, finding peace, having faith in God

I Want To Tell You

I Believe In You

Consider, though…

Or maybe, just maybe…

I
Believe
In
You!

When Grace Rains Down

My One Word

The Prodigal Son’s Brother

God Gives Good Gifts

Finding My Voice

A Glimpse

Do Not Move

I Thought I Knew Brokenness

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