Someone to trust.

Who do you trust?

How often are we let down by those we love and care for? If you are married, I know your spouse has let you down at times. If you're single, I know you've had a relationship or friend who has let you down. The people who are closest to us, the ones you would never imagine would let you down, do just that.
It's normal, after the fall of mankind all humans have failed. I fail all the time. I have let the ones I love down by either a harsh word or by not saying anything at all when I should have. It's so important to let the ones you love know that you appreciate them and all they do for you. It is often a struggle especially with someone that you know you should love but you find it hard to.

I'll take this opportunity to tell those of you that I may have let down that I'm sorry. I know who some of you are, others I admit that I'm not even sure when or how I may have let you down. So please forgive my ignorance and know that I do love you and appreciate who you have been in my life. I have come to realize more and more, however, that there is a season for everyone in your life. Some people are supposed to be in your life for a certain time to perhaps teach you something and then their time is over. I know that sounds harsh but I know this to be true.
The person I used to be is not the person I am today. I have distanced myself from many things because I know that I am weak and can easily stumble and be pulled back into the person I don't want to be. It is better for me to keep away from everything I used to do in order to continue on the path God is leading me on.
There will always be a special place for you but I am weak and know that the world can easily and quickly consume my mind again if I do not keep away from certain things. I do not trust myself.

The only One worthy of complete trust is Jesus Christ. Everything we try to do ourselves will fail. We cannot live by our own strength. No matter how much it may seem like we can or how much it seems that we don't need God in "this situation" or "that situation," it is simply false. The Bible tells us that God cares about everything we do and wants to be involved in all of our goings on.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

There is no better person to place your trust in than Jesus because He will NEVER fail.

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” - (Deuteronomy 31:8)

If we would only fully trust Him and Him alone, we would no longer worry about anything at all. His promises are true, He is the only One who will fully keep ALL of His promises. 

Christ Alone is worthy of our trust.

So, again I say, who do you trust? Someone or something that will fail? Or the only One who will NEVER fail you, NEVER leave you? The only One who loves you with an unstoppable and undying love that will heal every pain and fill every desire in your being? 

I know the One that I trust and I tell you, from my own personal experience, He truly is the only One who never fails.  



"God you pursue me with power and glory
Unstoppable Love that never ends
You’re unrelenting with passion and mercy
Unstoppable Love that never ends

You broke into the silence and sang your song of hope
A melody resounding in the deep of my soul
You have come running
You tore down every wall
All the while you’re shouting,
“My Love you’re worth it all”

No sin, no shame,
No past, no pain
Can separate me from Your love
No height, no depth,
No fear, no debt
Can separate me from Your love"

-Skyler and Kim Walker Smith (Unstoppable Love)

"Love will never fail, He will never fail. He says, in all your hurts, in all your pain, I'll never leave, I won't forsake. You're My child and I'm your God. Come and rest in My Love."

Ask Him to help you find rest in His Love. Trust Him and He will lead you the way you should go.

-Brit

White as a Christmas snow.

It is the day before Christmas 2013!

I thank my Lord and Savior for this life.

In the past, Christmas's were very difficult for me. I'm sure I'm not alone, I KNOW I'm not alone in this. So much of the time holidays are associated with spending time with loved ones. Typically holidays make a single person feel all alone. As you know, I'm single. Yes, I have family and friends but at 26, I don't have a husband or kids to enjoy Christmas morning with.
I can remember the feeling of loneliness I have felt during Christmas's in the past but just like most other things in my life at this point, this year is different. God has done great things for me, so many great things. I am so amazed at the fulfillment He has poured out on me in all aspects of life. I can't put into words right now everything He has done, if I tried I would be writing until next Christmas. But because of all He has done, I desire nothing more than to pour my entire being into Him. It is only because of Him that I have so much peace and joy inside my heart. The realization of how much I have failed to find such a peace in the past leaves me ashamed because I should have known better. But, even though, as I've stated before I grew up in a Christian home, that didn't mean I truly gave my all to Jesus. I thought I was "good" with God, oh, I said the prayer, prayed sometimes, went to church, sang the songs, took notes in my bible, listened to Christian music (most of the time), but then come Friday night, I was out at the bar sipping something I shouldn't have been. Behaving in ways I shouldn't have been and seeking attention that, in the end, left me feeling empty.
I wondered why I was still alone, why God didn't bring me someone to spend Christmas morning with yet. Looking back I completely realize, if I had gotten married to any of the people I spent time with...well..let's just say I'm glad I didn't settle for anyone.

God didn't and hasn't yet brought me my future husband because I am not yet ready for him. He is not yet ready for me.

Clearly, in the past, I was trying to do things on my own, seeking the wrong things, doing things that God did not want me to do because He knew it would only leave me empty and ashamed. He doesn't want us to feel lonely, depressed, or broken. He loves us too much for that, He came as a little baby to die so we no longer had to be ensnared in such ugly things.

Our world thinks God wants to restrict us from having fun and enjoying life but that just isn't true. God knows that the things the world tells us are "fun" and bring "enjoyment" actually leave us feeling hurt and confused.
I think about times when I wanted to indulge in much alcohol, I usually was feeling somewhat sad about something or perhaps in a happy mood and thought drinking would just make my mood more happy. I can admit that for a time it seemed to, but in the morning, after I realized how I behaved while under the influence, I was embarrassed and ashamed. In my sober mind, I probably wouldn't have chosen to do such things.

My point is in all of this (because I can tell many many stories) is that I am not lonesome during Christmas this year. My soul knows its worth and I am abounding in joy because of what my King and Savior, Jesus has done for me.

Every day, I know will be a new adventure that God has planned and that is exciting to me!



Merry Christmas Eve.
May your hearts be filled with the endless joy and love that ONLY Christ can give.

-Brit

If you think I'm radical, I thank you.

For my entire life I've known things about Christ. How He is with us in all situations and cares for us. I just never lived that way. I never lived to show people His love. I've walked through this life blinded and poisoned by the world and what it has to offer. Without Christ, the world offers me nothing of any significance.

I know that God has a different plan for everyone and many times that includes marriage to the one He has for you. Someday, maybe He will bless me with that but if not, I know He will fill my every need without a human husband. I'm saying this because I don't want you to feel offended by what I'm saying or that I'm against marriage or something. I'm not, and trust me, I'm not bitter. Believe me, I used to get very very bitter when it came to relationships. When I wasn't in one, I strongly disliked them and therefore, offended many people who were in them. So I guess you could say that this is me assuring you that if you are married to the one God gave to you then that's great and praise God for that blessing.

From the time I was in about eighth grade I sought attention from boys because I thought that it would make me feel better about myself. I thought I could find belonging if boys thought I was attractive, etc. I thought I would find my worth. From that point on, in relationships with boys is where I believed I would find everything I needed. Throughout many years I was in and out of unhealthy relationships with guys that couldn't care any less for me. I was so blinded by what the world told me. Think about all the movies you watched as a little girl. Disney movies told us that in a man, you find your worth. When you are in distress, don't worry, your prince will come and rescue you. (Our REAL Prince is Jesus Christ, but more on that later.) As a girl, I wanted to feel wanted. I became aware of what boys were looking for and this goes for the boys that are still truly boys even into their 20s and 30s and probably older.

^"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me." - 1 Corinthians 13:11 

Where are the people who claim freedom in Christ and truly live it out in a radical way? In a bold, not ashamed, against the evil in this world way? 

I admit completely that I fail at this. I'm nowhere near perfect and I struggle to be bold much more often than I should. In such a fallen world it's hard. It's hard when the media is obsessed with "celebrities" and the "sex sells" attitude. It's hard when the evil in this world seems to overcome good. But alas, ultimately it does not. Christ has overcome evil, He has overcome death, He has overcome the world. 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”- John 16:33

So even though this evil world can be difficult to live in, we can always have the hope that God is in control, nothing can take Him from us.

If Christ is in us then we have also overcome evil. We just need to learn to truly rest in the peace of that. We must remember that Christ has beaten death and if we are His children, we have also. 


"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" - Galatians 5:1

With Christ in us, we are no longer burdened by evil, we are free.

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:36

My Prince has come.

He has made me free. He has forgiven me for all the things I have done against Him. All the years I tried to find my worth in a man when all along Jesus was reaching His hand out to me, waiting for me to reach to Him and take it. All the years I turned my back on Him and thought I could do things by my own strength or the strength of a man beside me. If that were true and possible, tell me, why has it always failed? Is it because we gave up to easily or never truly cared enough for one another. I suppose that's part of it. But ultimately, it was because God wasn't welcomed in the relationship. I have always tried hard to make something work because I thought that then, and only then, would I feel worthy of life. Nothing could be further from the truth.
And the truth is, it is ONLY in Jesus Christ that I have found my worth. It is ONLY in Jesus Christ that I am free from living a life of pain, misery, depression, unworthiness...
Walking with Christ doesn't mean that I don't have hard days or days when I get down in the dumps. But it does mean that even on those days, I know who is in control. I know who holds tomorrow. I know who created the world, who created me, who created you. I know who is holding all things together. Jesus NEVER fails. I can look into the night sky, captured by the moon and stars that He has placed there for our enjoyment. In them, I see a small glimpse of Him and His beauty. I can't begin to imagine what it will be like to see Him face to Face. I look forward to that day. And while I'm here on this earth that He has created, I have a hope and a joy that no man can take from me. I have a hope and a joy that no man can give to me. A hope, a love, a joy, that ONLY comes from Jesus. And it was a gift given to me. Nothing I earned. Looking back at my life, if I thought I could earn this gift from God. The gift of eternal life, I would come no where close. I would be in the depth of hell forever. I am overwhelmingly thankful for the gift of Jesus Christ. I am saved, rescued. You can be too. The gift is offered to you as well. God created you and He loves you. He loves you more than any man ever could. He is different then any other man you've known. Don't compare Him to the experiences you've had with other men. Even the most godly man can't compare to Who Christ is.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," - Ephesians 2:8

Jesus Christ came to this world as a baby, a helpless, humble child. He came because He loves you and wants to have you with Him in His Kingdom for eternity.

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:39

"For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” - John 6:40

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." - John 10:28

"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." - Romans 6:22

"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." - John 17:24

Now I ask you, look back on your life. Where have you found your worth? Are you truly fulfilled with that? Has it never failed? Does it/he/she offer hope, love, grace, mercy, eternal life?
You have a choice to make. A new year is coming, make it a year that counts for eternity.

Choose Christ. He chose you even when your back is turned to Him.

Brit 

Reinvention - made new in Christ

Many times as the year comes to an end people get an itching to change something in their lives. Whether it's weight, lifestyle, jobs, location, relationships, etc. The list can go on and on.
Change can be a great thing. Especially if it is something negative changing to something positive.

I am extremely thrilled in this new life that Christ is leading me through. Growing up in a Christian home all my life, I believed I knew who God was and what He's done for me and my family. Of course, I have seen a lot of evidence of Him working in the lives of my loved ones as well as my own life throughout the years but something is very different now.

I think I will begin to blog a little more now because I want to share what God has done and is doing in my life. I believe He is planning to use my story to help at least one person out there. I'm not sure how bold I will become with everything I share but I trust that with the Lord's leading the right words will be written.

There are many things that some people don't know about me, secrets I've been hiding for years. Secrets about things that God is in the process of healing and I feel nothing but gratitude and freedom ONLY because of what He has done for me and will continue to do. I'm not even sure if I will ever end up sharing some of these secrets I'm referring to and again, God will lead me when the timing is right. I do however, have a deep desire in my heart to share the unconditional love, grace, and mercy God has given me in hopes that you will realize, He wants to give it to you too. That He loves you and there is NOTHING you could ever do that would change that.

I hope that someone will stumble upon this blog at just the right time and that God will use it to change something inside of you. He has changed everything in me, in the best possible way. In a way I never even imagined could or would happen.

Change is good, let Christ change you.

Ask Him to forgive you and give your life to Him. I promise you, it's the most important choice you will ever make. Living a life lead by Christ is the most amazing and exciting adventure you'll ever experience. There is nothing on earth like it because once you are a follower of Christ, you are no longer of this world, your home is in heaven and until you are there, Jesus has a plan for you that will change everything.

Let God make you a new person and lead you on the adventure of a lifetime.


Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
-2 Corinthians 5:17 :

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. - Ephesians 2:4-5

-Brit

Camp Life

I am so glad to have a wonderful and beautiful camp on a lake to go to. My parents worked hard to build a place of serenity and peace and have done a wonderful job.

I always enjoy myself there and find it so easy to see God in all His beautiful creation. For me, it's easier to feel Him while outdoors and surrounded by everything natural that He has made. He is such a creative and incredible artist. The Perfect artist.

I'm so blessed to be alive and free. Life can be so difficult at times but I can praise Him for always taking care of me and giving me all I need.

Hallelujah.

Feeling His Love abounding.

Gloomy days always make me feel a little down in the dumps. More recently, however I haven't been feeling sad at all. God is doing wonderful things, like usual but I am finally realizing how He's working in my life. I know He always has been but I honestly forget to acknowledge Him as much as He deserves. There have been some new people He has brought into my life and I am so thankful for them. He knows my heart, He knows me so much better than I know myself and I'm so grateful for that. I can't live this thing called life on my own. I don't know how some people do it.

Christ is the only reason anybody is walking this earth but we forget that fact so very often. I've made so many mistakes and find it so hard not to fall into the lies of satan's world. My heart and mind have such a tendency to feel down in the dumps...lonely, confused, scared, forgotten. Satan can so easily sneak in and begin to tell me over and over that I'm not worthy and it's pointless to try. I will never be enough. He is a filthy liar.

I looked up a few verses on loneliness because the lie in my heart today is that I am all alone and no one needs me.

John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)

 Deuteronomy 31:6
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (ESV)

Psalm 62:1-2
“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

And one of my favorite reminders:

Romans 8:35-39
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)

Nothing can separate me from the Love of God. It doesn't matter what happens in this life; the trials that come and the pain that leaves me in tears, my Father never leaves me. It doesn't matter if I am left and forgotten by every human being on this earth, Christ will never leave me. Ever.

A lovely song by Esterlyn:






Lyrics:

If you're lost in a heartache on your own, oh
And if you're caught in a mistake and all alone, oh
If your soul is searching out
And your whole world's turned around, oh

If your faith is burning out
And love leaves you in doubt
And you know there's something more

Come to me now, lay your burdens down
Come rest in my arms
Feel my love abound

Come to me now, lay your burdens down
Come rest in my arms
You were lost, now you're found

When you're feeling forgotten on your own
When your soul is searching out
And your whole world's turned around

If your faith is burning out
And love leaves you in doubt
And you know there's something more

Come to me now, lay your burdens down
Come rest in my arms
Feel my love abound

Come to me now, lay your burdens down
Come rest in my arms
You were lost, now you're found

Come as you are, just as you are
I'll give you peace

Come to me now, lay your burdens down
Come rest in my arms
Feel my love abound

Come to me now, lay your burdens down
Come rest in my arms
You were lost but now you're found


Oh now you're found
Oh now you're found....