Launch Day & Clinging to Jesus

I wrote this post yesterday, April 21, 2021, the day I launched this amazing thing!! Be encouraged and consider your own story as well as you read!

Today is launch day for my blog! How wild and crazy to actually say those words. It has been a journey these past 3 months of finally stepping out and starting my own website, my own little piece of internet that is mine, and a place where I can write the content that God has laid on my heart… to share with all of you… in order to encourage you and strengthen your faith from all the trials and difficulties I’ve walked through and how the Lord has been there thru it all- through the tears and the pain, the grief and the crying out for relief from it, praying for respite in the storms… Thankful then for the lulls in the storms and short periods of breathing room, to live and feel normal for a tiny bit of time before the next big thing hit…and then another hit. I can’t tell you fully why our family has been hit so hard so close together, one thing after another, but one thing I do know, God is still there. He is still sovereign. He is still on His throne. He is still worthy of my praise. I still choose Him. Those are truths that are present in the midst of your battle, your journey, your pain, your grief too. God’s character is constant and does not change- a truth that can be clung to when in deep pain or trial. 

In fact, in the deepest, most weakest moments, clinging to Him and His strength has been what has gotten me thru. My faith in God. My hope in Him and clinging to truths about Him. He has been my rock and my fortress. He has been the protector over my family, and the One I’ve cried out to for- LIFE- repeatedly. As I’ve prayed for His protection over my husband’s life, over my son’s life, over my daughter’s life- all for different life & death health battles we’ve walked through with each of them in a short few years. And God has been there in the midst. He has been present; He has been close. It has been hard. I won’t sugar coat that or give a quick Christian platitude to brush over it (like: but God is good) though that is a definite truth also. I want you to know that it’s okay to sit in the pain and the grief and the fear and the difficult for a time. It’s okay and in fact- HEALTHY- to not ignore the pain & difficult, to not minimize it, to not downplay it, or brush it off so as not to have to deal with it. It’s not comfortable to deal with the hard. But it’s extremely important for us to do so in order to heal from the pain. To interact with the pain, to talk about it, to seek out therapy and wise counsel, to be honest with trustworthy friends, to talk to a pastor, to journal about it (yes, there is power and healing in writing out your thoughts and feelings), to open your Bible and flip to the Psalms and find solace and comfort in reading how David dealt with his feelings and pain and despair. He told God everything. He was honest. He was contrite over his sin. He sought out God, and God called him a man after God’s own heart. What an amazing and comforting example of how to interact and deal with your pain and difficulties. To be upfront and honest about them before the Lord and ask Him to come to your defense in all things, to save you, to protect you, etc, etc. And for you to continue to trust Him in the midst. 

And so, on this monumental day- LAUNCH DAY- I am amazed and humbled and standing here with open hands before the Lord as I lift this blog up to Him- for Him to do with it what He will- to glorify HIS name, to make HIS name great, to point people to Jesus, the only true hope and comfort in this world- to use my story and God’s faithfulness in it to paint a picture of truth and hope and joy that will not fade- to spur you on dear friend to keep running the race that has been set before you with perseverance (from Hebrews 12:1) and to fix your eyes on Jesus who is the pioneer and perfecter of faith (from Heb. 12:2). I don’t know exactly what my life or this writing/blogging journey will look like- but God does, and I am thankful for that.

God put this desire to write and blog idea of choose joy in the midst on my heart 8 months ago. That desire had to be put on the backburner of my heart as yet another scary and difficult health battle hit us 1 month later, and we were fighting through that crisis for the next 3+ months. I honestly wasn’t sure if this dream would be realized or not…Life was difficult and overwhelming and wearying… But God was faithful and provided respite and a lull for us again finally. For the last 3 months, now, I have been working behind the scenes to ready my website for launching. A lot of hours and work has been poured into it, and I’m thrilled to finally be here at this moment! LAUNCH DAY!! Woohoo! A dream realized. And a prayer that God would use it to find those who need to be encouraged, who need hope, who are desperate and crying out for help, and for those who need to continue to persevere in their faith in Jesus, clinging to the only One who gives hope and brings joy. Jesus. The One who saves.

Happy Launch Day friends!