this Goodness overwhelms

Oh friends, life is full of so much goodness,
Even when there is so much heartache and challenge all around, the goodness of Jesus acts as a constant stream reminding us he has us right where we are.

The Lord has blessed us in such sweet ways during the last season of our life. There has been heartache, struggles, and challenges that I have not shared here out of respect for those I love the most, out of honor for what the Lord has been doing, and allowing the Lord to bring true freedom.

Y'all the Lord is so amazing. I get excited that the enemy tries desperately to steal the joy out of my heart, the peace from my mind, and the freedom in my soul that belongs to Christ because that means I must be doing something right. I'm not at all praising myself, oh my, please don't think that but I know that when God is working in my heart, in my mind, and in my life so is the enemy... or at least he's trying to distract me. The Lord is faithful to stand on our behalf, always fighting for us.

This post may not have any true theme other than I just want to remind you that God sees you. He knows yours heart. He sees where you are. He knows the struggle, the challenges you are facing. He sees that you are in darkness unable to find his freedom. The Lord longs to bring you peace. joy. happiness. freedom. restoration. he wants to use you. breath life directly into you. bring purpose into your life. walk you to a new place with him. set your feet dancing in the middle of your mourning. give you a voice when the enemy tries to give you silence.

Celebrate him in the middle of it all. He is worthy. Psalm 30:10&11.
~brit

Moving

Sometimes during life it is difficult to see the bigger picture when you are in the thick of it. When life is so overwhelming and situations simply do not make sense it is nearly impossible to see God moving. Instead it is easy to see the enemy at work. We tend to allow doubt to settle in our minds, hearts and believe that God is no where in the middle of the mess. In the middle of the work he has called us to do. We lose sight of our calling when it becomes difficult. 

This last week the Lord has allowed me to see the full picture. In regards to areas of life that I've desperately longed to see the meaning behind in situations my heart never understood. Over the last few years my faith has grown an incredible amount. Looking back at the trials the Lord has walked us through I see the full picture today. I know what he was doing now when in the moment I remember crying out to him asking him where he was. Over the last few years there have been times we have found ourselves at a loss for words. Feeling defeated. Many Saturday nights Johnny and I would go the the church laying ourselves at the altar just asking the Lord to show us the bigger picture. As Noah ran around the sanctuary we were emptying ourselves before God, allowing him to refill us to carry us through the circumstances. Most times we continued on through the battle never understanding the full picture. Unable to see the Lords work.

At times I would feel like the Lord left.

He never left though.

 He was always there. 

Faithful. 

True to me. To us. To those we were fighting for.

As believers we trust the Lord stepping out in faith as the Holy Spirit prompts our hearts to move. There have been times God has asked me to encourage someone in specific ways. At times I've felt silly or awkward in the moment but I chose to listen. Never seeing the outcome of obeying until years later. 

There have been times when Johnny & I have given ourselves to serve in situations that we knew God asked us to. However, it was hard and at times, the work felt pointless. Years later we have seen the complete picture. Gods faithfulness because we obeyed.

"The Lord allows us to see things later to encourage us to keep moving forward" 

My mother in law encouraged me with this a week ago. I've been beyond blessed by my husbands mother, Jane. In situations where I literally feel lost I've simply asked her to pray for me, at times she doesn't even know what is going on. However she responds with the exact words needed. She encouraged me to remember to obey the Lord when he prompts my heart to move in a specific way even if in the moment I'm unable to see the purpose. She reminded me that later the Lord will allow me to see his plans at work to encourage me to keep moving in serving him. 

My heart today is that you are encouraged by my mother in laws words. That regardless if you are the one in the middle of a huge battle that you do not understand, keep moving forward in the Lord. Perhaps you are obeying the Lord, serving him the way he has called you to, but you feel like your work his pointless. Its not friend. I promise. Be encouraged that you will see the full picture in the Lords timing.

Know God has not left you! 

~brittany

Will You Sit with Me?

On any given morning my four year old stumbles across the room heading in my direction to ask me, "Mommy, can I sit with you?" 

Every time his sleepy voice ask that simple question my heart gets full. I scoop him up close to me. Grab the fuzzy green blanket nearby pulling it around the two of us. Wrap my arms around his little self. Kiss the back of his precious blonde locks. There we sit. 

He is mine. A part of me. 

He came from me. Of course he can sit with me. 

I want to spend time with him. Loving on him. Making him feel special. 

My hope is for him to know that he can come sit with me any time he likes. As much as he needs me.

Because I am his.

A few mornings ago I realized this is how God feels about me. About us.

He loves us. Adores us. Cares for us so deeply that he wants to spend time with us.

As much as we will allow. As often as we will ask, Father can I sit with you? He will say yes everytime.

Sometimes in life there are times that are so hard to feel the Lord.

To really know that he is with you, right next to you, walking through life with you.

I've been thinking about the times lately in life that I remember feeling like couldn't pray. Feeling as if I could not get Gods attention. There have been times when I literally felt as if God was ignoring me. Passing me by to go to someone else. Not hearing my desperate cries to him.

Early this week I was reminding a lady to simply ask the Lord if he will come sit with you. He will always say yes. Allow him to sit with you. Even if you don't know what to say. Even if all you know how to do is be silent with him. Allow him to embrace you while you are quiet. Listen for his heart beat. Just sit with him. He desperately wants you to ask. He wants you to let him in. 

I'm thankful that in those desperate times when I just needed the Lord to wrap his love around me, that I asked him to sit with me. Sometimes we can get caught up in the idea that God knows what we need so he just should answer us, show up when we cry out. The Lord has been gracious to me this year in teaching me sometimes he wants to sit with me. Not just intervene to deliver me from my cries in those moments of need. He wants me to ask him to sit with me, spend time in his presence. This has been the single most difficult lesson I've had to learn. To be patient in waiting for him to show up. To be gracious enough to spend time with him instead of demanding that he deliver me from the dark places. I wish I could say my attitude was pure during these times, but it was not. However, God still loves me in my ugliness in the waiting. Teaching me how to celebrate in the desert. Out of my desperation a deeper intimacy with him has grown. 

I want to always remember to ask the Lord to sit with me.

~Brit

Celebrate. Never Silent.

My words for the new year came at the beginning of the month while spending some alone time with the Lord at our kitchen table. I desperately needed some encouragement from the Lord. 

my healer, my savior, the one who truly renews my strength. makes me brave. 

the one who has held me tightly the last 4 months, whispering in my ear, 

"I have you" in moments when my health felt uncertain. 

Noah was sitting across from me coloring.

Olivia was snuggled up to my chest in the sling.

I simply asked the Lord to guide my time with him and he led me to Psalm 30.

I read it all. I've read it before. 

This morning was very different.

This time the words - my worship to the Lord. 

The words were crying out from every ounce of me.

I read it all to Noah, not sure if he would actually listen. He did. 

His response, "Oh Mommy that makes my heart very happy. Read it again."

Psalm 30:1-3

I will exalt you Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up

from falling into the pit of death. 

....

vs. 8 

I cried out to you, O Lord.

I begged the Lord for mercy saying, 

"What you will gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? 

Can my dust praise you?

Can it tell of your faithfulness?

vs. 10

Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord."

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.

You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with Joy,

vs. 12 

that I might sing praises to you and not be Silent.

O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

....

2014 is a year for me to Celebrate. Never be Silent. 

My God is my healer. 

Year after year. Day after day.

He has rescued me many times when the enemy 

has tried his very best to triumph over me. 

God has set me free. 

Giving me new praises each day.

Called me to trust me. 

To be brave in him.

So, how can I be Silent? 

I'm ready for this year of exploring every avenue the Lord presents for me to share him.

His life. salvation. his mercies. joys. healing. faithfulness. 

To celebrate his goodness with grace in little & big ways in my everyday life. 

 It is possible to celebrate life.

Celebrate God even when all the things aren't just as we may want them to be. 

It is a season to celebrate. Right where we are. Right in the midst of it all. 

Thankful for a God who is constantly doing a new thing in each of us. If we just let him.

~brit