Good Evening Beautiful Survivors!
Happy Spring to all of you!!! I absolutely love the Springtime! I always have! I have to say that Easter is my favorite time of the year. I love the newness of life that is everywhere around me; the chirping of birds, bunnies scurrying across my back yard with their little fluffy cotton ball like tails, the grass turning a beautiful shade of green, and the buds coming to life on my trees, while the daffodils peak their yellow heads through that cold, dark, and sometimes, still snowy, ground. They just seem to scream new life in the middle of the cold. It’s as if they are saying, “Move aside Winter! You’ve had your chance. Now it’s our time to come alive and bloom again!”
It’s usually right in the middle of winter, that the Springtime is the most inviting. It’s usually when we least expect it, that everything is transformed and brought to life even in the most turbulent of times.
It can be that way in our lives also. We can be going through the darkest time of our lives, with no clear picture of the sun ever shining again. It’s at that moment that God can do a mighty work, right smack in the middle of the darkest of days and turn everything around in a heartbeat!
Yes, life can get pretty bad sometimes. No matter who you are, there are just some seasons of our lives that we would rather not have to participate in, but life just doesn’t work that way. Everyone will have to endure some rocky waters once in a while. There’s no way around it.
What are you going through? Have you recently lost a loved one? Is your heart breaking tonight? You just can’t stand to see their empty chair one more time; Or have you recently been handed over those hurtful divorce papers? How could that one you loved and trusted so much do this to you? How can that unruly teen be so rebellious? You’ve loved them, spent years of your life praying for them, going to all of their ball games and you have such big dreams for their bright future, and they just want to throw it all away? Or how could you be losing your car or your home? You’ve worked too hard for all this to happen! Or is it you? Did you just receive that dreaded cancer diagnosis? Do you wonder what your future holds for you and your family?
I know these things can hurt so badly that they almost break you to the point that you don’t know how you will face one more day, but don’t lose heart. As hard as it seems, God is still in control and the sun will shine again. It’s times like this, in this winter season of your life, that you have to crawl across the dirt and reach for the hem of His garment. Let Him hold you close to His heart until He dispels all of the lingering shadows.
Sometimes, you feel like everything inside you has died, but it’s these times that you have to cheer yourself up and TELL YOUR HEART TO BEAT AGAIN!
I love the story in the bible how Jesus resurrected Lazarus from the grave. Do you know that Jesus really truly cares about everything that you are going through? You are not alone. Even though Jesus knew that he could resurrect Lazarus from the dead, He still wept. I’m sure you know the rest of the story. Jesus told Lazarus to come out of the grave. He came out with the grave clothes still on and Jesus told them to unbind the graves clothes and to let him go.
It’s time for you to take all of the old grave clothes off and come alive. Call out the dry bones to come alive! Rise up from the ashes and let Him give you new life and beauty for ashes. Sometimes, the scars we have are invisible, but the invisible ones can be the hardest to heal. Tell your heart to beat again. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Sometimes, what you think is dead, can come alive again and be resurrected. It’s time to get your hope back. Spring is here and there is newness of life all around you! Let God transform you into that beautiful butterfly that is just waiting to be set free!
Not too long ago, God gave me a beautiful vision of His glory. One day, I was driving my car and I was praying and I could picture Jesus smiling down on the earth. He had a beautiful crown on that sparkled with the most magnificent of colors and the rarest of jewels. He had a warm, inviting smile that just drew me in. It was enough to dispel every burden that I had ever known and heal every tear that I’ve ever shed. As He stood on heaven’s streets of purest gold, He had His nail-scarred hands pointing down as if to pour His richest blessings out on His children. So get ready! He is holding nothing back! It’s His perfect identity to lavish His children with the abundance of heaven’s richest glory! This is Who He is!!!!!
Give him all of your cares tonight. Let Him hold you in His lap like a little child. He loves you so much!! He is able to make a way where there is no way. Let Him dry your tears, lift you up, and give you the strength to stand once again. He will never let you down!!
I love you guys!
Brenda
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
John 11: 43-44