Rain, Rain, and more Rain

When will it stop raining?

Whether you live in the south or have been closely watching the weather, you know that here in the south we are literally taking on water. It has been raining more often than the sun has been shining. We are asking, when will it stop raining??

I think rainy days are days to rely on a power greater than yours. It easy to wake up realize its raining and crawl back under the covers, but I think we forget that God made rainy days as much as sunny ones.

Psalm 118: 24, says,

“This is the day the Lord has made….”

It doesn’t say anything about the weather of those days. Every day God has made, so we should thank him for what we have. We need to praise him for the rainy days as well as the day when the sun is shining. I know how much the weather can affect your mood, but rainy days  make us have to look for the Sun within. The verse continues,

“let us be glad and rejoice in it.” NLT

No matter how hard the rain is today, let’s be thankful that the rain is here to refresh the earth. I LOVE rainy days; I feel like they refresh my soul. It’s a time when I have to rely on God’s power to get through the day.  When the sun is out it’s easy to find God’s presence in the mundane, but when its’ raining you have to hunt for it. Today, I’ll will most likely get irritated about having all three dogs inside, but when that arises, I have to remind myself of Psalm 118:24. Wherever you are reading this today, whatever comes your way remember,

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  

 

Beautiful Rejection

 

Have you heard that rejection is just God’s protection?

When we get rejected from something, I like to think God is working on our behalf for something bigger. However, the blow of rejection can tear you down. The biggest form of rejection I have ever faced came unannounced in the word, ‘uncomfortable.’ I received this news from a mutual friend of mine, on behalf of a guy. The dude was uncomfortable around me. to be honest, I had forgotten the depth of this rejection until God reminded me of it while I was typing this post. Just typing it makes me feel icky. That rejection taught me how strong I really am, what I am made of.

Reject defined by Merriam-Webster is, ‘refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose or use.’ When someone doesn’t want to accept us, we start questioning our worth. Have you ever heard; you are worth more than sparrows? To be honest that confused me until I looked up in the Bible. Matthew 10:29,

“What is the of two sparrows-One copper?” NLT

You are worth more than one copper coin to God. You are priceless to Him. verse 30 says, “The very hairs on your head are all numbered.” NLT

Mind blowing, right?

“So, don’t be afraid you are worth more to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”-Matthew 10:30

Rejection hurts. That’s a fact. No matter where it comes from, rejection can really beat you down. But you can decide whether to wallow in rejection or rise above it.

When I was spoken the uncomfortable which still produces so many questions. I wallowed in that elimination for probably too long, but when I realized that there was nothing, I could do to change the way he felt about me; I left that icky feeling at the foot of the cross. Beautiful things happened.

When we leave our worries and cares at the cross, that’s when rejection turns into beauty. Peter wrote,

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”-1 Peter 5:7 NLT

The best way we can try to apply this verse is have an open hand to new things. I will hold on to things for WAY to long and pay for it later. If we have an open hand, I think we are also letting go our control of life. That verse doesn’t say keep some of your worries back so you can worry over them. No, it says give ALL your worries and cares to God.

 Another way to say that is,

Let go and let God.

Let go of your feelings about being rejected and let God control what happens next. It’s okay if that scares you, because I’m not one to let things go. I need let go and let God control things. But that’s a better thought than actually doing it. I’m leaving my hand open, releasing control and letting go.

Rejection can be beautiful when you let go and let God.

Maybe you didn’t get into the college you wanted, or maybe that guy dumped you, or that job you had your heart set on didn’t go as smoothly as you expected, all that rejection can lead to God’s best for you. And that’s beautiful.

“Now all glory to God, who is able through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish INFINITELY more than we can ask or imagine.” -Ephesians 3:20, emphasis mine.

Until next time,

Stay strong

Mary Hannah

 

 

if this post encouraged you I’d love to know, leave a comment. It can be the thumbs up emoji, if you want. MH

Finding Purpose

I was talking to a friend on the phone yesterday and finished the conversation like I ended any conversation with friends.

How can I pray for you?

My friend said she needed wisdom and discernment to find her purpose.

That resonated with me. How many times have I asked God to show me my purpose, the plan he has for me? it would be easier sometimes if He left behind a roadmap, but He doesn’t; we have to have faith that we do have a purpose and He does have a plan.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”-Jeremiah 29:11

We read in the Bible that God has a purpose for us and all these plans, but we feel like they are far away. Like when you lay your phone down and then forget where you put it. Panic is running through your veins as you franticly run through the house searching everywhere for your phone. Your thought is,

If I lost my phone, they won’t be able to get in touch with me.

The same is true with our purpose. If we can’t find it, what’s the point of life. We have to have a purpose, or we feel worthless. I have been there I know what that feels like. I  thought that my purpose was too far for me to keep looking and I became depressed to the point of seriously considering drowning myself in our lake-that’s really a pond, don’t judge us.                                                                                                                                 But God, aren’t those two beautiful words, He stopped me and sat me on solid ground (see Psalm 40:2). When you start thinking that you aren’t worth it, that’s a dangerous place to be. I am writing this post to hopefully encourage those people, who are thinking that way.

I believe every life is created on purpose with a purpose. If you want to write that down, you can just remember where you got it. 😉

To the church in Galatia Paul writes, “But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him.”-Galatians 1:15

Before you were born God had a plan for you. We came into this world by grace for purpose. It’s not when we are born, God forgets about us. Nope, He is surrounding you. You can never escape His presence (see Psalm 139:7), He is ALWAYS there for you. Fighting for you (see Exodus 14:14) hope to press on (see Philippians 3:13) and the ability to praise Him in the storm.

There is a purpose for your life at any season of life. Whether you are in high school, trying to figure out what you are doing after college, or in retirement. The purpose is out there you may have to dig for it. I believe that God has called me to be a writer for His name. I have tried the whole college thing and it wasn’t a right fit for me, but if it fits you. You do what is best for you. I believe with all my heart that my purpose is to be a writer for His name. Did I know when I was in middle school, that I was going to be a writer for Jesus?

NOPE.

Did I know when I graduated high school?

NOPE.

I was searching for my purpose after high school. I was looking under every pillow and box in every in my house. It wasn’t there and that was when I wanted to take myself out of my problems. Solve them all, actually that would have caused a lot more problems for everyone else. I couldn’t find a purpose anywhere and felt worthless, incompetent. I felt my homeschool education was not worth anything in this world. I was looking all the wrong places for my purpose.

Mary Hannah, where did you find your purpose?

The Word of God.

It wasn’t until I let go of my plans for the future, that I found a purpose. It’s bursting with purpose for you, you just have to look and meditate, I promise its coming. Be patient.

“But I am trusting you saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands.”-Psalm 31:14-15a

We don’t hold our future, He does. You can choose to give it to Him, let Him mold your future, or you can hang onto YOUR goals for the future, leaving God out of the equation. The decision is yours.

Until next time,

Stay strong

Mary Hannah

 

If you need help finding your purpose or just someone to chat with, leave a comment and I would be happy to help.