I wrote recently about feeling burned out and asked if any of you had ever felt the same way. When almost 500 of you responded, it seemed the answer was clear.
I told you I felt I was at the start of a new journey and asked if you’d go with me.
You answered yes.
Thank you.
As I’ve been thinking and praying more this past week about next steps it’s become clearer than ever before that there is only One who can lead our hearts to higher ground.
So I’m starting a series about what I’m learning, how God is leading, what it means to live differently–with less weariness and more joy, more peace.
How we can be more than “fine.”
It seems one lie often holds us back from even beginning…
Lie: We have to be suffering to please God.
Truth: God “delights in the well-being of His servant.” Psalm 35:27
Most of my friends have children. And there are times when their children experience hurt because of poor choices or simply being in a fallen world. But none of those parents want their children to live in a place of pain.
Our Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to live that way either.
Our well-being delights Him.
In other words, our joy brings Him joy too.
I think the first step is to simply give ourselves permission to have joy, to embrace grace, to receive love–even if our lives and our hearts aren’t perfect.
Perfection is never a prerequisite for God’s work in our lives.
We think, “I have to X and then I can feel better.”
And all the time it seems God is whispering to our hearts…
You are loved.
You are secure.
You are mine.
Let Me make it well with your soul…
right here, right now.
The first step to higher ground is believing we’re allowed to go there.
You are.
Really.
I am too.
Confession: I don’t know where this journey may take us.
All I know is I can’t stay where I am any longer…
And with all my heart, I’m asking God to show us the way together.
written with love for you by holley
p.s. I just got back from the Blissdom blogging conference. My wonderful friend Emily summed it all up better than I ever could in this post she wrote on her blog, Chatting at the Sky.
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Thanks to all of you who left comments on the When Your Heart is Hungry for More post last week.
Christina Arthur is the winner of the New York Times bestseller Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst!
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