Finding Faith in the Mess
Life likes to get in the way of our hopes and dreams. It swoops in and derails us pulling us away from what breaths life into our souls and into stress and chaos. What if continuing to live out your dreams, those things that sit …
How I broke free from the American Church and found my faith. themessymingling.com I never realized how much the Church had a hold on my faith. Not a particular church. Just the church in general. The ways, the rules, the traditions all seemed to lead …
A few times in history, we unite in emotion and human will. Events occur single-handedly stopping time. We unite in feelings, thoughts, and an unstoppable motivation to do better and be better for humanity. For my generation, that time is 9/11. For others, it’s Kennedy’s assassination or the attack on Pearl Harbor. Those around the world are united fighting for the wane of suffering. It’s there. For all of us.
***DISCLAIMER***
I found this post from a few years ago. Funny how words of the past have such meaning today. I pray your soul feels its worth this season.
There is another time in history in which all humanity stopped and gasped. I often wonder what it felt like the night Christ was born. CNN was not there to report on the horrific birth conditions. FOXNews didn’t show up to share the good news. It was a quiet night. But, I still wonder if the earth shook. Did it stop on its axis?
One of my very favorite Christmas songs is, “O Holy Night.” One line in that song clenches my attention like no other.
“And the soul felt its worth”
The Lord appeared and the soul finally felt its worth.
Do I feel my worth? Do you?
I wonder what you and I would feel that beautiful night the sky beautifully lit with stars as far as the eye could see. Would we feel our worth the moment our Savior was born? Do we feel our worth the moment we decide to follow Him? Do we realize that his birth was meant so we may feel our worth?
This season, when I look to the night sky remembering a baby born in a manger to a teen mom, I want my soul to feel its worth. If I don’t allow myself to feel my worth in him, then his birth is meaningless for he came for me; for you.
I pray we all exhale Christmas morning. That our breath reminds us of our fullness. I pray we feel united in the glory of God when we look up at the vast night sky spotting the North Star. I pray we find our worth as we walk through the journey of this advent season. We are worthy because a teenage girl unabashedly said yes to God. We are worthy because a teenage boy decided to walk alongside his pregnant fiance. We are worthy because he was born. Feel your worth this Christmas for through him and by his birth, you are worthy.
” O holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name”
Love & Blessings,
Meg
I walked upstairs and started picking up. I walked into the game room and noticed the Little People nativity. This is one of my favorite Christmas items. We have had it since my twelve year old was a toddler. The boys flock to it every …
I have found one thing that we can all agree on. Gasp. I’m being serious. What is it?
F E A R
We are dealing with fear in some capacity.
Some of us are afraid.
Some of us are not.
Some of us are having a difficult time dealing with those that are afraid.
Where does fear stem from? I think I know the answer to that, too. Fear is rooted in our souls. What does that mean? Well, some of us have reconciled our souls. Some of us have not. When are souls aren’t reconciled, fear steps in and can strangle us like a weed.
rec·on·cile/ˈrekənˌsīl/verb
Our world right now is shouting fear at us from every angle. Many of us are scared. Some of us are terrified. Others are at peace. How, you ask, are people at peace? They’ve reconciled their souls.
What does it mean to reconcile your soul? It is an eternal perspective. Reconciling your soul is surrendering to Jesus; believing that He is your Savior. Jesus is the one who died on the cross and was raised on the third day. Reconciling your soul means this is not your home; not your everything.
When we reconcile our souls to Jesus, we find peace. The world can be spinning around us and while we are aware and effected, we are not moved. No matter what happens in this life, we still have hope. We know that our soul is at peace in Jesus. Heaven is our home. This is not all there is. (Thank God. No, really. Thank God.)
Maybe it’s time you reconciled your soul. You’ve tried to control all that life has thrown at you to no avail. Your soul has twisted and turned deep within you and you are tired. Exhausted. You feel like there is nothing left. But, there is. There is Jesus.
In a world that feels like a spinning top that just won’t stop, now is the best time to reconcile your soul. Surrender to Jesus. He is the peace you’ve been longing for. He is your hope. He is your future. Heaven is your home.
themessymingling.com
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" Acts 3:19
"For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" Romans 5:10
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.…" 2 Corinthians 5:17-19
We just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary two days ago. I wrote this post back when we celebrated 15. It still holds the same value today as it did a couple of years ago. While there is no secret pill to take to have a …
The moment they uttered those words I thought of Jesus. In the middle of an Avengers movie, I thought about my faith.
My boys are about to all bump up a year. We are heading into birthday season. But, right now they are six, seven, and ten. They have gone to church since they were in my belly. They know who Jesus is and what he did for us. My biggest concern, I think I can speak for both my husband and I on this, is that our children’s faith will be because of mom and dad and not their own. I think I fear this more than I fear them walking away from God all together. I want Jesus to be real to them. I want them to feel him in their guts. I knew this movie would be a stepping stone to get them there.
Let me start by saying that I was somewhat terrified that I may scar my children for life by showing them such a graphic film. That, or they will have nightmares for forever. I was apprehensive and held my breath during certain scenes. But, let me just tell you, if you want Good Friday to be real to you, watch this film through the eyes of your children.
I had one kiddo fall asleep almost instantly. I need to give this kid some grace though. We were all up extremely late due to a sleepover last night and the boys woke up this morning before the rooster crows. I am surprised any of us lasted past 6pm tonight.
Another child, my thinker, watched and was not horrified. Instead, he accepted what Jesus did almost in a way of completely understanding the fact that this absolutely had to happen to dissolve us all of our sins. Like, he completely got it on an academic and theological level (totally his dad). I do think his seeing Jesus’ body tattered and torn will be forever etched in his memory, just in a different way than maybe I see it. And you know what? That is the most incredible thing to me because its HIS.
My last boy lost it. And when I say lost it, I mean he was sobbing uncontrollably at parts. Full body convulsions with guttural sobs (this is his mama in him). Watching Jesus being beaten and hung on the cross absolutely wrecked this kid. My heart was ripped right out of my chest. Watching him come to the realization of the gravity of what his Savior did for him because he loved him that much was the most gut-wrenching yet overwhelmingly amazing moment. Seriously. Besides my own salvation, marrying my husband, and birthing my children, this moment is one of the most sacred moments of my life.
I didn’t know what I’d get showing my boys this movie but I am glad I did. Good Friday never looked so sacred before in my life. I have fasted on Good Friday, gone to church, spent time in the Bible and in prayer but nothing has compared to watching my children see their Savior do what he did for them, for me, for you.
I wonder if this is what Jesus feels when we finally wrap our heads around the magnitude of what he did for us; what we can wrap our little human minds around anyway. I honestly believe our children teach us more about faith than most things. Tonight was no different. I go to bed feeling completely wrecked but so very whole all at the same time.
Oh, how I pray that my boys’ faith doesn’t stop in this moment. Rather, I pray it’s a catalyst for a deep and wide faith relationship with their precious Savior who loved them so much that he was ravaged for them. I pray that they may find an exorbitant amount of hope knowing they weren’t meant to live in Friday: that they may relish in knowing Sunday’s coming.
I pray this for you, too. That if you don’t know a Savior that loves you so much he would give his life for you, that you may find him. I pray for those searching to find the One who seeks and saves the lost. I pray that Jesus may be so very real to all of us and that Easter is every day not just once a year.
Sunday’s Coming.
Love & Blessings,
Meg
Oh, 2018. I could write an entire blog post just about the bad things that have happened this year. Floods. Illness. Death. It seems especially difficult on the back side. But, there is a part of me that wants to hold onto you for a …
