I love what I do.  I love the people I talk to, and I would be completely honest in saying that I
want to be real-life friends with all of them.  I love the amazing way that the Lord works and that I get to hear their stories of
redemption. I love His faithfulness and the
way He pursues no matter how long it takes.  I love getting phone calls and emails from
people I’ve been talking to for weeks, days or maybe just that one time, and hearing
the excitement as they share how He’s provided, spoken to them or shown up in
other huge and unexpected ways!
 
Yep,  I absolutely
love it.

It’s because of this great love for these people that sometimes
I get a bit fired up…to put it lightly.

It angers me that intertwined with the stories of redemption
come stories of pain, hurt and suffering. It breaks my heart, and gets to the core of me, to hear how
Satan tricks people into believing his lies and that it’s somehow their fault. 

Lies that say they’re not good enough, smart enough,
beautiful enough, funny enough, athletic enough, skinny enough, tall enough, perfect enough.
Lies that
tell them they’re not sought after, loved, cared for, cherished, wanted, seen… 
Lies that bring on feelings of insecurity, shame, worry, hopelessness, despair, depression, loneliness, pain…
Lies that tell them because they’ve always felt like this, they will always feel like this…
 
And darkness hovers. 
 

But we are not meant to live in darkness. We are made to live in the light!  Makes sense why people are so much happier in the summer sunshine!  When we continue to walk in darkness or allow others to walk through darkness, we are allowing the
enemy to continue creeping in and telling lies.  Sorry buddy, not today!!

Eph 5:8-14 says,

for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk
as children of light 
(for the
fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),  and try to discern
what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful
works of darkness, but instead expose them… 
But when anything is exposed by the light,
it becomes visible, for
anything
that becomes visible is light
. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”
 
Exposing darkness almost always means sharing our most difficult struggles with someone we trust so that things in hiding can be brought into the light.  The Lord uses everything for good, and in our greatest challenges, He’s able to bring about our greatest triumphs, and through those He is glorified!!   As He brings us more into Him, He sees us as perfect, pure, holy, NEW!  Nothing that we could possibly do is beyond the grace He has for us.  And if He sees us that way, than we have no reason to fear what man thinks!  My gosh, He is so good! 
 
The enemy wants us to live in fear.  The sooner we bring things into the light, the sooner the Lord’s able to provide His peace through His presence. Confronting the darkness is necessary
in order to bring in the light.
Yes, it may be hard. In fact, I can almost guarantee that it will
be. Pray without ceasing. Be bold. Trust the Lord.  He’s there every step of the way.

Light will follow.

Beauty will reveal itself much like the flower blooms. Patience is needed.  The Lord is moving.

 He longs to bring healing to hearts broken and wounded.   He won’t force Himself
though. He’ll continue pursuing and wait
until He is invited in.  

And then it begins. 

Joy, peace, love, comfort, wholeness, rest, confidence, beauty, trust,
freedom
overwhelms
 
True and pure
identity as a daughter or son of the Lord, our God is found.
And the sun shines once again!
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
  – John 8:12
 
As we come to know Him more, our light reaches new distances.   Those in the darkness will
begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel..even if it’s just a
faint glimmer today, it will become brighter as they’re drawn towards it,
towards Him.
 
Choose to live in the sunshine!