Beauty from pain...

I sit in the darkness waiting... 

just waiting for Your promises to shine Your light on me.

Because, I've shed too many tears 

& the pieces of my broken heart
have scattered in the wind. 

I can't do this on my own...

Can you hear me?? 

I'm finally ready to let it all go, 

to let You have all control.

Because, When my heart was broken 

You didn't just put a band-aide on it, 

walk away & let it heal on its own;

With the painful scars left for all the world to see.

No. You picked up the pieces of my heart so lovingly...

You put me back together, 

You made me whole again...

You washed me Pure.

& now my heart is forever in Your hands.

Somehow, Someway, Someday

I know,

You will take all my pain away.

You will turn my tears of anguish into tears of Joy

From the ashes, From the pain

You create a beauty that cannot be found any other way.

Our Miracle + Our Saviour = Jesus!!

Jesus is our Miracle every moment of every day... 
When you feel lost & alone Jesus is right there carrying you. 
He will never let you go..
He will never stop loving you...
He will never stop picking you up when you fall...
His goodness never ends & His mercy is unmeassurable.
There are just no words to express, in any language, how Great & Awesome our God is...  

To begin again...

    She listened to all the wrong voices, She answered all the wrong calls. She gave her heart away to the wrong boy and before she knew it, she was in over her head.

One night he left bruises on her arms, her throat, and her face. (You know...the kind you can't explain to your friends when they ask, 'What happened?!?') But the next day he said he loved her, said he was sorry. He said he would die if she didn't forgive him (& just for affect, he pulled a revolver out of his pocket) He said he would rather be dead than hurt her again... He said it would never happen again...

     ...until it did. 

 So for weeks at a time she hid away in shame; avoiding the pitying looks, shocked expressions, and concerned whispers. She avoided the ones who loved her, who wanted to her help her. She just couldn't leave him and she knew that that was what they would try to make her do. She was afraid...not of what he would do to her, she knew he wouldn't put that much effort in finding her if she decided to leave. But she was afraid of what she would do without him. Her world revolved around him. He kept a roof over her head, food in her belly, and clothes on her back. Where would she go?? What would she do with out him??

Then one day...it was all over.

She wakes up one morning...and he's gone. No note, no goodbye... the only sign that he ever been there was the dirty socks he'd left on the floor. 

The relief she feels goes hand-in-hand with the terror she still can't escape. She has been handed her freedom on a silver platter and she has no idea what to so with it...

Where does she run to...?? Where to begin...again?? The best place to start is always the beginning. 

I'm a Survivor

I will make it

This cold floor will not keep down.

I will fight for what I know I deserve.

I will not give up, 

Because I have found a place of Redemption, 

I have found a strong tower to run to. 

Now. I know I am safe. 

The fighter of all my battles,

The one who will never let me go...

His name is Jesus!

And He is teaching me

To begin again...

 

Siren's call...

The waves crash violently against the rock's,

Out of the storm, voice's rise; 

Drawing me closer & closer to the teeth like rocks

but... the voice's are so beautiful

full of peace and hope that I just can't resist.

There is one voice above the rest that calls to me alone.

It is so sure...

Who could doubt the voice of beauty and truth??

Which is her very essence.

You might not hear it but I do, 

The voice that calls to me & to me alone

has coated her promises with a sadness she tries to hide.

In her irresistible call, she also warns:

"Turn back! Live! Come no closer..."

But my mind is muddled, 

as I hear an even stronger, louder voice drawing me near,

"Come closer, come to me, I will save you

...& you will save me.

Come closer, brave one, 

all will be well."

Not for a moment....

God is with us  through every storm, every trial, every sorrow. I know I could never make it on my own and don't want to try. We are not the forsaken...we are the Blessed and Wanted and Loved!!!

Not for a moment ~ Meredith Andrews

Verse 1
You were reaching through the storm
walking on the water
even when I could not see
in the middle of it all
when I thought You were a thousand miles away
not for a moment did You forsake me
not for a moment did You forsake me

CHORUS
After all You are constant
After all You are only good
After all You are sovereign
not for a moment will You forsake me
not for a moment will You forsake me

Verse 2
You were singing in the dark
whispering Your promise
even when I could not hear
I was held in Your arms
carried for a thousand miles to show
Not for a moment did You forsake me

And every step every breath you are there
every tear every cry every prayer
in my hurt at my worst
when my world falls down
not for a moment will You forsake me
even in the dark
even when it's hard
you will never leave me
after all

not for a moment will You forsake me

Its just a game of... Hide & Seek

If I hide...will you seek me??

Will you search for me, no matter how long it takes??

I wait for you alone in the dark...

its the perfect hiding place & you'll never find me.

...but I hope you do.

I wait forever for you (Literally!),

but you never come.

When were the roles reversed?

When did the hider suddenly become the seeker??

But I promise you this:

I will search for you and never stop.

Cause, for you, I will search every corner of the earth.

For you, I will stop hiding in my shadows of shame and fear.

Because, for you, I would do anything, 

I would give anything...even my life. 

Ready or not...here I come. 

Child lift up your head....

   Sometimes this world does unbelievable, unspeakable things to the ones we love and to us. And we can't understand why this is happening to us, why this is happening to them....???

'It's not FAIR!!" I shout at the sky, in my room on my knees crying out to God. With my lips I don't blame Him but in my heart I am asking 'Why? Why did this have to happen??" I ALWAYS get an answer from God... even if its not always the one I want to hear. He says "Trust in me, Trust me with this. I will carry this for you. Just give it over to me. Surrender to me! And watch what I can do." 

We serve an understanding God... Amen! No matter how many times we hang our head in shame at the things we have done in our past He lifts us up and reminds us that He has set us free! We are no longer held down by the chains of sin, we are washed pure, sanctified by His blood. And I know His blood will never lose its power to heal the brokenhearted, to heal the sick, & to convict the lost. Our God is not limited! Let Him use you for His glory!!

Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave

Seems like all I can see was the struggle

Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past

Bound up in shackles of all my failures

Wondering how long is this gonna last

Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son

Stop fighting a fight that's already been won"

I am redeemed, You set me free

So I'll shake off theses heavy chains

Wipe away every stain now I'm not who I used to be

I am redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy

Named by the voice of my shame and regret

But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"

I remember oh God, You're not done with me yet

Don't let your past stop you from being used by God. He created us with a purpose. If you're 5 or 100, God can use you. Don't give up...just give in. Give in to His love and strength. His way is perfect....