Life's been crazy for me, as I'm sure you can all understand. Lots of stress and lots to do, and not much time to do it all. And as the holiday season gears up, I know it's only going to be crazier.
And it's not just my life, but my faith, too. I've been feeling distant and icky inside and I hate how easy it's been for me to turn to sin instead of staying strong and clinging to God and His truths.
I was weary this past weekend, ready for a revival and refreshment. And when I opened up SheReadsTruth Saturday night, I knew instantly that God was listening to me, even though I hadn't yet said one word.
The season of Advent is one that I celebrate with my family and have been since I was a child, lighting a wreath of candles, singing Christmas music from our old hymnal books, and just remembering the reason for the season. But that tradition became too much of a routine recently, I was just going with the motion and didn't let the truth of His arrival on earth sink in.
Reading SheReadsTruth not only invigorated me, but made me realize how much He wants me. How much He wants me to come to Him, despite my burdens, my sin, my attitude. Jesus wants to heal, to forgive, to love and all I need to do is come. Simply come.
And when I realized that it was that simple, I did. And it was one of those moments that deserved a blog post, if you know what I'm talking about. It was a moment that reminded me that we're all human and all in need of Jesus, our Savior.
My hope for this season (among these other holiday goals!) is that I remember how He came to this sinful world not to scold or condemn, but to love, heal, and invite us into His arms.
And my hope is that you feel that, too.
Good stuff. And I'm loving the SRT Advent devotional, and it's only just begun. :)
ReplyDeleteI love SRT and it is. He is amazing. Praying for you.
ReplyDeleteI found your blog through the Lady Okie pretty recently and have been enjoying your posts! This post just hit home for me today; I too have been feeling kind of icky and distant, and you are SO right, that He came to love and heal, not scold or condemn. Thank you for the beautiful reminder!
ReplyDeleteAmen!! I love these SRT plans... I'm hoping to really focus on one this season.
ReplyDeleteI have the same tree topper! And I'm loving the Advent devos!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! I was really excited about the Advent devotional and have loved just how good it's been so far. I have a feeling it's only going to get better!
ReplyDeleteSRT is AMAZING. I have loved just how relateable, truthful, and fun the SRT plans are. And you are sooo right, He IS amazing. And so much more than just plain amazing, too! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the prayers!
It's such a good one and I am so glad they're doing a plan on Advent. It's definitely going to be one I learn A LOT from! :)
ReplyDeleteAmanda is totally awesome :) and thanks girl, that makes me smile that a real blogger (you!) haha likes my blog name :) and isn't that the hard thing- learning often feels so crummy but then God turns it into something beautiful. I'm glad your weekend ended on the beautiful note :) happy December to you too!
ReplyDeleteGirl, we're BOTH real bloggers! If you blog, that definitely makes you an official blogger. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd you are so right--learning often does feel crummy (I didn't even really consider this past weekend as a learning moment) but God really did turn it into something beautiful!
I'm so glad that you got that check in your spirit!!! :)
ReplyDeleteLet us go to Him as He calls us and find that He is our Savior, Protector, Welcomer, and Captain!!! I'm glad we're sisters in Him!
Haha okay true I can call myself a real blogger, thanks :) and yeah I never see it as a learning moment till after it's all said and done with :p
ReplyDeleteYou are most definitely a real blogger--bloggers are all in the same boat, no matter how many pageviews/followers they have or the number of years they have under their belt! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I am so with you on that--it's usually in reflection that I realize just how great God is!
Amen, girl! Amen! :) So glad we're sisters in Him AND blog friends, too!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, thanks for the encouragement :) sometimes I lose that if I get too focused on comments, follows etc. thanks :) and it's so true He's pretty great, I wish I realized it more often than I do!
ReplyDeleteOh, you have no idea how much I can relate to that! I all too easily get lost in the numbers game but have to remind myself that my blog is my story and there is no one-stop solution to big numbers and such. :)
ReplyDeletep.s. I am loving our comment conversation. These kind of back-and-forth comments are some of my faves!
It's so true- I need to remind myself (daily, really) why I started blogging in the first place. It's all about keeping perspective which is not something I'm particularly good at!
ReplyDeleteP.s. I love comment conversations too! :D
I absolutely love your blog! I discovered this blog just yesterday and I just love everything about this blog. It's super clean and refreshing :) it would be greatly appreciated if you could check out my blog!!
ReplyDeleteUm, HELLO blogger friends! I'm glad you have connected, because you both are awesome! (Also, Sarah, in light of our email exchange a few weeks ago, I'm laughing at the fact that right away Kiki said she liked your blog name :) ha!)
ReplyDeleteYou are one of the most encouraging and positive people! I love it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amanda! I can honestly say that that is God in me!!! On my own I'm an anxious little worrier. :)
ReplyDelete~ Victoria
www.myjourneyforhim.blogspot.com
☺️
ReplyDelete~ Victoria
www.myjourneyforhim.blogspot.com
Thanks, Melanie! That means a lot! :)
ReplyDeleteGirl, you are SO not alone (in both the feeling of distance AND in finding that blogs and books bring refreshment and peace with Him). :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad that we've ALL connected! :) And that we all seem to love Sarah's blog name, too!
ReplyDelete"i've been feeling distant and icky inside" <-girl preach to the choir. me & jesus lately have been distant and i hate it.
ReplyDeletehmmm i love this post. Jesus did come, and He lived, and He died, and He saved and continues to save daily, hourly, minute by minute. amen and amen.
Sammmme. I knew it was bad but I just kept distancing myself more and more. But the SRT plan really hit me this past weekend and I am really feeling much better now. Praying the same for you!
ReplyDeleteHahaha Kiki to clue you in- I had emailed Amanda a couple weeks ago asking her honest opinion of my blog name because I've been thinking of changing it for a long time. Needless to say I haven't found anything I love instead of it so I haven't changed it. Your comment will probably help it stick around for longer too. Maybe forever until I find something else I love? Haha :)
ReplyDeleteI think you should stick with it! I get what you're going through, though. I did a major blog re-name last year after wanting a change. It's something that DOES happen and I know that if/when you discover a new name, you'll know it's the one!
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty much exactly what Amanda said so I'm sticking with it until I find "the one" :)
ReplyDeleteI've noticed in the last few months, which have been really difficult for me, that the hard times have brought me closer to God. From the outside looking in, my spiritual life probably doesn't look "right," but I've learned it's okay to seek God in a very personal way that works for me, even if it goes against the grain.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to what you're saying! I've found that in the moment, hard times are well, for lack of a better word, hard. But they're also the times when I feel the weakest and I feel my greatest need for Him. While they're not fun by any means, they're the times when I realize just how much I need Him and when I also feel the closest to Him (at least when I actually get to the point of acknowledging my need for Him!). :)
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