It's a Jungle Out There

The past several months have felt as messy as the flower bed in our front yard had become.  I sighed at the overgrown bed of weeds in the front yard as Scotty and I sipped our coffee on the patio.  The green elephant ears that once stood tall with bright red blooms were now dry and half eaten by pests.  The flower pots that once grew basil and lavender were hidden in a jungle of overgrown wild grass and stickers.  Kinda like life some days.  Sticky.  Dry.  Tired.  Overwhelming.

 

  

I put my headphones on and spent the morning watering the ground to soften the dirt.  It was just me, my thoughts and my music.  Sometimes you have to shut out all the noise and water the dry, thirsty soil of your heart.  I spent the time praying and drenching myself in music that reminded me that God is always good and I am never forsaken.  A few hours later, the flower bed looked clean and fresh and my heart was a little lighter.

The circumstances I have found myself in have humbled me deeply and have brought me to my knees.  Sometimes life doesn't turn out as expected and we are forced to adjust our sails.  There have been hard-getting-out-of-bed days and I-can't/don't-want-to-do-it-anymore days.  Then there have been days that I have found myself so deeply grateful for the people God has placed in my life during this season.  I want those days to happen more often.  It is a choice, you know.

  

 

It hasn't been all bad.  In the middle of stormy waters some pretty awesome things have happened, like a vacation and seeing our son and an amazing gift for my mom.

When you have a blog about faith and grace and encouragement, what do you do when you're the one needing the grace and encouragement?  When what you write is about what's happening in your life but what is happening is all consuming and exhausting, and you are not quite ready to write about it yet ... what then?

That's when I step back and stay quiet.  But here's the thing - I miss you.  I miss writing.  So here I am popping in to tell you that although there is a lot going on - I'm okay.  Really.  I know where my hope is.  I know that joy is just around the corner.  I'll write more later.  Promise.

The words may be few in the coming months, but I'll be popping in here and there - maybe for a five-minute Friday or when I have a burst of thought that I can't keep in.  Let's keep our hearts and eyes and ears open.  There are so many who are going through a difficult time.  Let's be kind and lift one another up in prayer, okay?

Love ya!

- Liv