Because We all Need a Corner

a little over a year ago, i was in a sad place. 

i had loved and i had lost.

it was good. 

it was gone.

i was fighting sadness, beating back lies about who i was, about why things didn't work out, about who God was. and in the midst of the wrestling, on the days when i couldn't tell the reals from the not reals and before i knew that God doesn't waste anything, and during the nights i spent on my kitchen counter, 

i had a corner. 

my corner dug in around me, got down in the ashes with me, put up tents in the sadness, and vowed to sit through it with me, all the while encouraging and praying and believing. 

just like my friend Marri, i believe that when we speak encouragement to one another, we are passing courage. we literally pass courage to each other. we literally tell one another to be brave, to fight, we pass hope. the Body repairs itself. in the disorientation, my corner aligns me. 

there are valuable pieces of every story and this is one of my deepest values. and what started out as a painful journey turned into my richest one, because i learned the value of bringing people in close. me // an introvert with isolation tendencies.

we're not made to live in fear, we're not made to live in uncertainty. we're made to abundantly adore our Creator and glorify Him in the deep joys of the every day. 

but life is hard

ministry is hard

relationships are hard

and it's those days when we cannot place a thought if our lives depended on it and it all feels weird and like a mess and we're not sure how to climb out.. 

one step at a time

this will all be an asset to you

treatyoself

God is always good and you are always loved

proud to fight the good fight alongside you

be encouraged

it is okay

live well

and then i promise your tank will be filled.

and then after encouragement gets passed to you, pass it on to someone else. 

and then laugh a little. i promise that laughter is a light and a healing and a grace. God is a God of joy!