In Genesis 1:1 what is the FIRST thing we know about God? Hecreates. It’s literally the first sentence of the Bible. Our God loves to create: to make, shape, form… it’s Who He is. He is a creator.
Something that brings me so much joy in life is watching people create: using their passions, gifts and talents to put something beautiful into the world that makes people smile, feel, cry, laugh, dance. Whether it’s music, art, dance, cooking, decorating, writing, gardening, teaching, organizing, sewing, knitting, etc. the list goes on and on. Creativity is on display in so many ways in our daily lives. Every time I see someone working with their hands and leave something or someone better than how they found it I can’t help but see God. His character and image is seen in us when we create. Whether people acknowledge God in their work or not, we are made in His image: His fingerprint is stamped on us.
When we create we are doing the very first thing God did.
Now, obviously it’s not to the extent that He created, haha. In 7 days He created everything. We cannot create something out of nothing. But, think about it: God could’ve created everything and then made us without the desire to create. We could’ve just used the things He put on the earth without the skill set, desire, or knowledge to build or make new things out of what we have. But no! He made us to make and create, to continue doing what He did at the very beginning. I can’t help but smile, thinking about how happy it must make Him when He sees us enjoying what He’s created and creating things ourselves. It’s a reflection of who He is.
If you have a passion, something you’ve enjoyed doing but have been too busy, too distracted, or too discouraged to pick it back up: I hope this encourages to you. It doesn’t matter how good you feel you are; don’t compare yourself to others around you!
Maybe you’ve been curious to try something new but you don’t consider yourself to be a “creative” person or you’re embarrassed to be a beginner. Let this be your reminder that sometimes we don’t need to create for a certain outcome or result. Creating without the intention of posting, sharing and making content is so freeing! Sometimes we just need to pick it up, start and learn because God wants to teach us something in the process. Creativity has taught me to slow down, rest, recharge and enjoy the journey. Perfection is never the goal. I think creating itself is the joy and goal. There is so much value in doing what brings you joy and the reward of working with your hands. It is never a waste to create.And don’t let anyone (or yourself) tell you otherwise.
God’s creating didn’t stop in Genesis chapter 1 & 2. He is still a creator and creates around us everyday. He causes the sun to rise and set, painting the sky with beautiful colors. The flowers grow and bloom. The waves crash and the wind sings. He creates soft hearts out of hearts of stone. He makes us new creation. He writes stories of victory out of stories of defeat. He makes beauty from ashes. And He builds and restores lives that were once broken <3
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah 40:28
“create in me a clean heart” Psalm 51:10
“therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
“and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:3
We all know gratitude is something that should be woven into the fabric of our days, not merely something we do once a year on a holiday, but because it’s been on the forefront of my mind here are some post-thanksgiving thoughts…
A verse that always comes to mind concerning gratitude is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which says: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
While I love that verse, I admit it’s not something I naturally live out… giving thanks, for everything?? like, every thing…. What does that look like? How is that even possible?
I want to be thankful for the hard things, for the painful things, the losses, the tears, the stories that have yet to be finished, the relationships that have yet to be mended… but I can’t say I’m there yet. Am I supposed to be thankful for those things? As I’ve read that verse over and over, I’ve realized that I don’t think that’s exactly what it’s saying… hear me out.
Here’s something that stands out to me: it says IN every thing, give thanks. It doesn’t say FOR every thing give thanks… there are evil, dark, unjust, horrible things happening every moment. Tragedies, catastrophes, disease, war etc… I don’t think this verse is telling us to be thankful for everything. But I think it is saying that IN every thing, in every situation, we can find a reason to be thankful.
Why?? Because “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) You see: God is not saying that everything that is happening is good, but He is saying that He will work all things FOR THE GOOD in our lives. That’s an important distinction that also displays the mercy of our Lord: how in the midst of such evil and pain we can have confidence, knowing that He is working FOR OUR GOOD. He has not forgotten or forsaken you, He is working, even when you can’t see it.
For some time I equated being thankful with being happy. I thought, in order to give thanks, I had to be happy for the things that were happening. If I didn’t feel joy or happiness then I thought I wasn’t truly thankful. But, now I’m seeing that you can still be thankful for the good God worked in a situation, while mourning and grieving the fact that it happened in the first place.
With that being said, I’ve found myself being thankful for different things this year… I’ve whispered “thank You Jesus” for things I never would’ve imagined I’d be thankful for five years ago. I’m thankful for things that didn’t happen…for timing that wasn’t right… for the waiting… for doors that were closed… for endings that broke my heart…
I want to clarify and say that I know I run the risk of sounding overly positive, attempting to romanticize things or see the world through rose colored glasses…but please know, that is not what I’m trying to do. I think one of the beautiful things about time, and how God uses it in our lives, is how it brings perspective. And that’s where I’m coming from: I’m realizing that the passing of days doesn’t lessen the impact of loss, but it does allow us to look back and see what has come out of such despair. To see things that would’ve never been possible without the valley. I don’t want to minimize the hurt or make it sound like you need to rush to see the beauty when you’re surrounded by ashes. Not at all. But I am saying that one day you will look down and see signs of life sprouting up from the same ground you swore would always be barren. If there’s anything I’ve seen my God do in the lives of those who love Him it’s the way He brings beauty out of something that was anything but beautiful. He brings hope to the hopeless. My faith is not in circumstances or an outcome, it is in the One Who I know will be with me through it all. It is the confidence and trust David spoke of in verse 4 of Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
There are still situations in my life that are full of uncertainty…things that I am not thankful for, but I want to be thankful IN these things because I know God does not waste our pain. Today I can say that I’m thankful God didn’t let me get my way. I’m thankful He didn’t let me follow my idea of what was good. I’m thankful for how He’s worked in my life and in my heart when all I saw was a dead end, a crushed dream, a broken heart, a “no” or a “not yet.” In spite of my unbelief and my doubt, He never left me.
For so long there were things I desired sooo bad, expectations I was holding onto so tightly with no intention of letting go. For a time I was so focused on things that weren’t happening in my life that I allowed them to gnaw away at my contentment and peace.
But, today? I’m able to look back and praise my Lord in the midst of the things that haven’t happened. I’m not perfect at it, and still struggle, but it’s a little easier. Now I can see: if things had happened the way I had wanted or expected, life would look sooo different today.
He’s slowly taught me to loosen the death grip on my expectations and surrender the timeline to Him. When He says “wait” it’s not because He’s withholding something good from me, it’s because He has something far greater and better than what I currently want for myself. I’m seeing His better plan unfold and I don’t take it for granted.
Without the closed doors I wouldn’t have been able to walk through the ones He opened for me. Without the endings I wouldn’t have experienced the new beginnings He’s writing.
Don’t get me wrong, there are things I’m still struggling to be thankful in. Things I know aren’t finished, stories God’s still writing. He’s not done yet, but I’m learning to be thankful in the hard things that I don’t understand and I want to praise Him in faith, before I see the ending.
Following Jesus has been the most freeing, joy-filled journey. I’m so grateful God’s plans were different than mine. Different than other’s plans for me. Day-to-day you don’t notice much change, and that can be frustrating, but one day you’ll look back and see how far He’s brought you, all He’s done, and the work He’s done IN you. He truly keeps surprising me and His plans are never boring. Knowing He’s always working behind the scenes is so exciting. He’s never sitting, baffled about what should happen next. He loves you, and His plans are not to harm you or destroy you.
Can I encourage you? If there are things in your life you’re looking at and could never imagine being thankful in: be honest. Be honest with God and ask Him to help you praise Him for what He’s doing that you cannot see. That’s something I want to be better at: I want to praise Him before I see the outcome or the victory. You probably won’t see it today, possibly not tomorrow…but in a year? in three years? In eight years? Who knows…one day you’ll look back and have a better perspective of what He was doing all along. Be sincere about what you’re struggling with. Be vulnerable and don’t try to hide your emotions from Him. He’s big enough to handle all your anger, doubt, frustration, disappointment…
If there’s anything He’s done in my heart: He’s infused it with so much hope. He’s brought people into my life whose stories are amazing who I never would’ve met if I’d had my way. Jesus has brought me people to increase my hope in Him: hope I could never fake or manufacture myself. He’s given me hope when I didn’t have hope for myself.
So, my challenge for myself and for you is to thank Him for the hard thing you’re in. The thing that hurt you, that you wouldn’t have picked to be written in your story. Because those are the VERY things He uses to display His glory and you would never have the chance to see such beauty without the ashes.
It’s only by His hand and His grace that we are here today. I want to spend every day thanking Him, in what I don’t understand and in what I can’t explain.
“He has sent Me [Jesus] to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1b-3
it’s been a minute since i’ve been on here… honestly, it’s been hard for me to press “publish” on other drafts cause I feel like they’re only telling portions of a story I haven’t been ready to share about, until now… (insert dramatic music. jk)
To share what’s ahead does requires some backstory, so here we go…
The beginning of 2022 I had to end a relationship and it really crushed me. I was crushed, not because it had been long-term, but because I had such high hopes for how it would end (or I guess… not end). Breaking off that relationship was the last thing I wanted but knew I had to after seeing a pattern of dishonesty and distrust.
Walking out of that I felt disillusioned, confused and stuck. Stuck in every way and in every area of my life: physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally… and everything felt dark. Things I had always enjoyed felt empty and I did not feel like myself…I felt helpless. And I cried. A lot.
Through the care of my family, prayers my parents prayed behind closed doors, encouragement from friends, and God’s grace, Jesus pulled me out of that dark place. He was the light showing me the way out and He replaced my confusion with clarity. He brought people I barely knew, but are now close friends, into my life to hold my hand and help walk me out.
The “stuck” feeling that had defined me started to shift: Physically, I realized that I didn’t want to wait to do things that I had always envisioned doing once I was married. I started traveling with friends, taking trips on my own and was embracing the freedom and excitement of this time in my life. Emotionally, I was feeling like myself again and had moved past the regrets of that relationship. And mentally, I started going to therapy the beginning of 2023 after debating for a loonngg time whether or not I should go (little tip a friend shared with me: if you’re debating, that means you should go. Therapy has been a huge answer to prayer and it’s been one of the best *and hardest* decisions.)
But, one thing didn’t go away was a feeling of being spiritually stuck. It’s like I was numb. I had, pretty consciously, built a wall between me and God. I knew God loved me but, when I was brutally honest, I didn’t know if I could trust Him. My heart felt guarded and I was scared of anything that could cause a repeat of the kind of pain I had experienced.
During this time I was wrestling with some honest questions that were swirling in my head towards God: “Why didn’t You protect me from that hurt? Why did You allow me to pursue that relationship if You knew it would end that way? Don’t You know I already feel betrayed enough? My sister leaving, now this? Can I really trust You?”
I’ve struggled with trusting God, especially after walking through church hurt… In 2017 my family and I left a church we had gone to since I was 8 and had attended and served in for 15 years. Moral of that story, I’d encourage you to do research before attending or supporting Calvary Chapel Cary, here’s an article explaining only some of the reasons why: https://julieroys.com/calvary-chapel-pastor-addiction-abuse/. I still hear stories and am meeting people who have walked through the spiritual manipulation and neglect that is perpetuated by the “pastor” and leadership within those walls, 6 years later.
Experiencing betrayal, manipulation and deception in church, the very place that should be safe and free of those things, has caused me wrestle with God. Then, experiencing it in a relationship that I had such high hopes for, caused me to wonder if trusting God was safe, could He really be trusted?Wasn’t He supposed to be protecting my heart?Protecting me and my family? My sister?Not allowing these things to happen?
Any loving parent would do anything to keep their child from being hurt, right? So how could my Heavenly Father allow this?
I didn’t understand how He could allow me to start walking down a path that would end in a breakup or heartache… Couldn’t He just put a big “HURT AHEAD” warning sign at the start of the path so I could avoid it all together??
As I’ve been honest with these emotions, asking God what He was doing, I am learning one thing… He isn’t trying to bubble wrap my life to keep me from making mistakes or avoiding hurt and pain. For a long time I had thought that was His job.
A huge lightbulb went off for me when I realized that walking in faith doesn’t equate to avoiding hurt.Sometimes walking in His will means you will be betrayed (like He was) and experience pain. If my heart is broken or a situation ends unexpectedly, it isn’t because He’s abandoned me…no, He is with me, protecting me within the pain.
See, I mistook His protection as meaning I would be protected from hurt, protected from pain, and never experience them. But that’s not His protection at all. His protection is in the midst of the hurt and the trial. Whatever feels like it’s going to destroy me in the present, is working FOR ME eternally.
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” 2 Cor 4:17-18
Looking back on that relationship, I prayed multiple times for God to reveal things about his character and, if there were red flags or things that needed to come to the light, I prayed for God to show me. And God did! Within 4 months I had my answer. But, when that answer wasn’t the one I had wanted, I was devastated.
God’s protection means that all these things (heartbreak, crushed expectations, confusion, betrayal, loss, pain, death, destruction, etc) don’t have the final word.What the enemy intends to destroy you, God redeems and purposes for good and growth in your life! “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day…” Genesis 50:20
When He says “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17) that doesn’t mean weapons won’t be formed…they simply won’t prosper!!
I’m also really glad that God doesn’t bubble wrap our lives. You see, we bubble wrap things because we’re afraid they could be broken. But, unlike us, God isn’t fearful and He doesn’t want us to be!! If He sees the end from the beginning and He’s not afraid, then I don’t have to be either!! He tells us that perfect love casts out all fear.
1 John 4:18 says “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
Walking with Jesus should give us SO much confidence: because we know that He has only good things for us (Romans 8:32). He will show us when we are settling for less or going the wrong way. When He loving asks us to surrender something (even if it’s something that seems good!) we can trust that it’s because He has better for us. Even when we question His judgement, or wonder why it has to be so painful, we know that He loves us and He works everything, especially the pain, to show us more of Himself and develop character, trust, and faith in us.
Life doesn’t come with a pain-free guarantee, even though we frequently do everything we can to avoid it. For too long I was scared to do anything because I thought that pain or unexpected outcomes were a consequence of doing something wrong. But then I realized that the Bible is full of examples of men and women who were in the middle of God’s will and they experienced hurt and pain. Jesus is the ultimate example of that! God’s perfect will and plan for Jesus was death on the cross. But what looked like destruction on the outside wasn’t the end of the story. Redemption came through His death; which tells us that when things need to die in our life God is still working and He is still redeeming.
My dad has recently been saying: “Don’t write a period where God has placed a comma.” And that’s so true. He’s not finished.
To end, Isaiah 61:1-3 sooo richly describes God’s purpose in sending Jesus: “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
You see how that ends?!? THAT HE MAY BE GLORIFIED.
Jesus’ purpose was to glorify God and His death on the cross, the thing that brought Him the most pain, was a part of that. These verses don’t promise protection from a broken heart, from captivity, from mourning, from ashes, or from heaviness. But those verses DO promise JESUS amidst those things.HE is our healer, our freedom, the One who comforts, who consoles, our oil of joy, our garment of praise… we can be courageous, unafraid, and unmoved by the trials that tempt to sweep us away because our victory is IN HIM: “But thanks be to God, who gives usthevictory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 15:57.
When we hear His Word, and walk in it, we will be like a house built on the rock, not on the shifting sand (Matthew 7:24-27). As the winds blow and the storms rage, may He be glorified cause He is our anchor, our firm foundation. <3
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.” Hebrews 6:19-20a
“For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Deuteronomy 20:4
For a long time I had the mindset that I could earn what I wanted if I was “good” enough, said the right prayers, went to church and read the Bible consistently. Even tho I probably wouldn’t admit, my relationship with God was more like a checklist and I was always trying to earn His approval (instead of living in the approval I already have through Jesus). Because of this mindset I thought that, if I was doing all the “right” things, then God would hear my prayers and grant me the desires of my heart.
Have you ever thought, like me, that the purpose of waiting on God is to get what you want?? That, if you just wait with enough patience and faith you can earn the outcome you are hoping for?
At times I have thought that waiting on God meant that He was obligated to give me what I was waiting for because I had earned and deserved it.
There’s also a temptation to have this thinking towards relationships…that, if you’re honoring God, are waiting patiently, and are content in Him then He is obligated to bring you a spouse. But, if you are wrestling with God’s timing & struggling in singleness, then He’s going to withhold from you until you are content and ready. Like there’s a secret code He’s waiting for you to unlock before you’re ready for marriage.
This thinking is soo harmful because it causes us to become focused on ourselves and our actions leading to self-righteousness, entitlement, or condemnation. And, most of all, it takes away from God’s grace that we can never merit!
One of the most freeing truths about the Gospel is that God gives good gifts to His children by His grace and grace alone. The greatest gift of all, salvation, is a display of His amazing and overwhelming mercy and grace. When we realize that our walk with Christ becomes a joy and our relationship with Him is an outpouring of love and gratitude for all He has done for us that we could neverever earn.
As we wait on God and walk in His grace we see that He is all we need. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true. Maybe you, like me, have been waiting on God FOR something or for Him to DO something. But, as you seek His face, you find that all you need is IN HIM. There is nothing good that He is withholding from you (even if it may not feel like that at times).
SO, here’s a thought I’ve been pondering…What if waiting is the destination?? You know that corny quote “the journey is the destination” haha it’s kinda like that (but hopefully a little bit less corny.)
Waiting on God is right where He wants us… Perhaps that’s why scripture repeatedly says “wait on the Lord”NOT “wait on the Lord until He gives you ______.” You may feel like you’re stuck in an in-between, pointless waiting season; but what if that is EXACTLY where God wants you?!?!!
During the waiting Jesus works in our hearts in ways that He cannot do otherwise. Romans 5:3-5 says “knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” He produces character in us when we surrender our suffering and waiting to Him.
Although this is something I don’t always want to acknowledge, waiting is not a season we graduate from this side of heaven. He wants us there for the rest of our lives:trusting and depending on Him for everything. Waiting on Him for e-ver-y-th-ing.
Have you ever thought that your season of waiting will end once: – you graduate college – you move out – you land your dream job – you get a boyfriend – you get engaged – you get married – you buy a house – you have kids – your kids have grown – your kids move out – you retire …the list goes on and on
But, what if the waiting doesn’t stop when we get what we’re “waiting for?”
The truth is, our flesh doesn’t want to wait…we want to rely on ourselves and, when we’re honest, we don’t want to wait patiently for anything. But, as we wait, we must continually surrender our story and our journey to Jesus. We may never understand why the journey of waiting has to be so long, but we can trust that He is in control.
This instagram caption was a big realization to me: “the moment we refuse to romanticize our hurt or strangle it until it produces purpose, is the moment we see who God is and what He’s capable of doing with and in the midst of our deep pain … have the courage to believe that telling the truth about your suffering will make way for God to reveal the truth about Himself.”
Sometimes I’m so bent on figuring out the purpose of the season I’m in so I can move on. I often think I can rush the waiting by learning the lesson God is teaching me so I can “pass the test.” But that leads to feelings of failure and it can be hard for me to be vulnerable in the in-between. I don’t want to sit in the pain or feel like I’m not doing enough. But it’s through the pain and the honesty that God can reveal Himself in ways I wouldn’t know otherwise. Being honest before God, and being vulnerable with others, releases you to walk in the joy and the sorrow of each season and walk through that with others. Because every season has its beauty and it’s difficulty.
Waiting is not some cruel exam that we are doomed to retake until we pass.
Waiting is part of the journey with God. And, in His kindness and grace, the waiting is never in vain. We can trust that He is working and moving, even when we can’t see it. Most importantly, we can rest in the fact that our God is never in a hurry and He is never late. He wants to be our everything. The goal is to wait on Him, not on an outcome. He is the prize and the reward; the One who is worthy of our trust and our faith. When the outcome does *or doesn’t* go the way we hoped, we still need Him, every second, every minute, every hour.
If you’re seeking contentment, fulfillment, or satisfaction in ANYTHING else it will leave you empty and searching. As you wait on Jesus you will find that HE is the One you have needed all along. In the waiting, He can show us things we couldn’t see before …things we maybe didn’t realize we needed.
So… don’t rush, don’t fret, or allow anxiety to rob you of the blessings He’s given you today. If you have been walking in condemnation, thinking that God is withholding from you because of what you are *or are not* doing, I pray you are released to walk in the grace and freedom He has for you. Continue to wait on Him and enjoy the journey. He is both the journey and the destination. He is everything.
“All things were created through Him & for Him. And He is before all things & in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:17
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27:14
