“God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when the morning dawns.”

So it’s been a while since I wrote my last blog. I usually feel the Holy Spirit stirring a new blog in me when one, I’m abiding in Him, and two, when I’m going through something myself that God wants to use to encourage others. This morning as I was making myself (yes, I had to make a choice this morning to on Netflix and start packing boxes because we’re moving in two weeks or CHOOSE to sit down and spend time with Jesus) and I was reminded of the verse that I literally have tattooed on my body.

I don’t know why I love this verse, it’s not even really referring to a woman per say, but it gives me POWER or strength when I read it. I had a friend design the tattoo for me so that it has a small anchor at the end of the verse. I did this because if I can truly understand and live out this Truth, then it will quite literally anchor my soul through any storm.

Though the earth gives way, the waters roar and foam. Preceding my favorite “girl-power” verse are these words: “God is our refuge and strength, a very PRESENT help in trouble.” It’s saying that even when the world is going cray-cray, even though our world seems upside down, even when we’re going through something that seems crushing, He is greater than any storm, and therefore we can have this HOPE that He will overcome it, that this too shall pass, He will redeem our situation and we will be stronger, better, more beautiful because of it.

I thought man, this is super fitting given the (I really want to say bat-sh#@t) crazy times we’re living in right now. I mean, we’re in a global pandemic; we all just came out of months of quarantine. EVERYthing is different for our kids with school. We’re amidst a nasty political campaign with media manipulating us at every turn, and on top of all of that there’s a race divide that’s heart-breaking to say the least. Really, during the quarantine, there would be days I’d be fine, and then there would be days I would just cry. Not to mention we are all going through our own personal storms too! I have so many friends who have lost jobs, their husbands have lost jobs, having to make hard decisions about their businesses, loss of loved ones, infertility is still a very present storm for many of my friends, loss of babies, and the list just goes on and on. So amidst these storms, there’s something we can grasp on to.

PEACE. People have asked me time and time again, how are you this okay given what you’re going through, and I can honestly say, I have no idea. But really I do have an idea, I know that my peace comes from Him. Even in the most crushing moments when I thought my marriage was over or we lost another baby, I had this weird peace about it all. I couldn’t even pray for myself because of the weight of it all, but I have the Holy Spirit inside me praying for me, and I had MANY friends praying (if you don’t have any friends who will pray for you, get them now.) on my behalf and I had a super-natural peace despite my sucky situation. The verse that almost seems cliché because we hear it so much is TRUE. Do not be anxious about anything…but by prayer, make your request known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding (meaning we don’t understand it or where the heck it comes from; it makes no sense) will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Y’all, I have lived this out MANY times and seen it to be true. 

HOPE. When we are in that storm, big picture or our own personal storm, we can have hope, even if it’s the size of a mustard seed. If we believe, even with a tiny bit of faith, that He will redeem our situation, we will one day look back with JOY and not take it back because of where it led us, then we can hang on to that hope for dear life, and it will get us through anything. It’s like our little tiny anchor that no matter how much the storms rage around us, we know we won’t be moved because we have a good Father who loves us and is making a way for us.

Beauty Out of Ashes. Can I just say, in a world of air-brushing, social media influencers, and the media, it’s easy to think we’re supposed to be perfect: Perfect moms, perfect women, perfect lady bosses, perfectly groomed with extensions and lashes (which I’m all for as long as it’s not about comparison or filling a void). But I’m sure you agree with me, the most beautiful women I’ve seen are the authentic ones. These women are raw, real and maybe a bit scarred. And this is the most beautiful because we can ALL relate. These storms we go through make us MORE beautiful because like a phoenix (oh man I just got so pumped and want to go be Mulan now), we rise from the ashes even more beautiful than before. I have weathered many storms, and I can honestly look back and see how much God has grown me through them. I’m stronger and more confident because of them. I have more faith, and care less about this world, and that my friends, makes anyone more beautiful.

To wrap this blog up because most of you probably stopped reading many paragraphs ago, is to say don’t lose hope. Keep your eyes on the One who can move mountains because He loves YOU, and will make a way through. Even if you can’t pray yourself, He is working in and through it all. Pray (even if half-heartedly) for that peace He gives so freely, and watch how your perspective changes. Have hope that this too shall pass and wow, I can’t wait to see how beautiful you will be on the other side.