h e a l i n g . . .

We are all broken.

Last year, my Nannie fell while she was out in the horse pastures. She landed on her right hand and broke two major bones in her wrist. One titanium plate and eight screws later, she spent many weeks recovering from her surgery, and going to physical therapy. After the first pain meds wore off, the healing process was extremely excruciating. And it was a long drawn-out recovery. Her broken bones did not heal overnight. It took months of carful dedication and focus to regain the movements of her right hand. She is right handed and during that healing time, my Nannie had to learn to use her left hand instead. 

We are all broken people. Both physically and mentally. We’re bruised and tattered, torn and shattered. We are sinners. The advisory laughs when we fall for the sin he has laid as traps for us. But God, He cares for us so much that He has made a way for us to conquer. God has already overcome satan. And with His help, so can we.

I think that sometimes we forget how Jesus is such a powerful Healer. Sometimes we assume that He only performed miracles and healings when He was physically on earth. 

God still heals and performed miracles today. There is power through prayer!

When you feel broken and defeated, let God heal you. It might not be instant healing like we read in the Bible stories. It might take weeks spent recovering. Maybe even continual support from family or friends. Healing our brokenness is going to be painful. It could take months or years to heal completely. It WILL take carful dedication and refocusing on God. 

God uses our healing time to teach us. Just like Nannie had to learn to do things with her non dominant hand, we will have to learn some new things too. Through that learning process, we will become stronger and more capable for future times when we need healing. Sometimes God uses past pain to shape us into the people we are today. We don’t know what is up ahead, maybe God is teaching you something now so that you can be better equipped for the future. 

Learning to be left handed through her recovery time was not easy for my grandma (Nannie). Simple tasks such as opening lids on jars or fixing her hair were 10x harder to do and took 10x longer to complete. I will guarantee that healing will be difficult and painful. But when we start to heal from either physical pain or from a storm in our life, it’s so important to know that God is right along side us doing the healing. 

And more than just wanting to be healed, we should be looking to the Healer. 

~Sure, these obstacles that we face feel like high Mountains, but our faith in God can move mountains. (Matthew 17:20)

~And our trials are as gigantic giants blocking our joy, still God defeats the giants. (1 Samual 17)

~Ok, so the storm is boisterous, but our God speaks and the waves obey His voice. God calms our storms. (Psalm 107:29)

God is greater than anything you might be facing today. Trust in Him, and let Him have control. Open your heart to healing. Ask God to heal you. Instead of turning to worldly things, turn to God for His love and support. Let the grace and forgiveness of God wash over you, and let it be the screws that hold your brokenness together! 

Psalm 107:29

“He calms the storm, So that it’s waves are still.”

How is God healing you? Is there anything you would like me to pray for you about? Have you ever heard the song I included in today's post? What has God been teaching you lately?

Such Great Faith // A Story Poem

Such Great Faith

Written by Brooklyne

A weary journey 

Coming down from the mountain 

Followed by many 

The Son of God 

The Savior of the world

The Healer, but rejected by most

A multitude crowded in so curious 

A multitude sick and hurting

A multitude there to condemn and judge

A leper who was desperate 

A leper who believed 

A leper who had such great faith 

Leper

I am no better than a rodent

People, old “friends” stare and point

I hear whispers before they run away

I have no cure, but am destined to live 

A life of loneliness and misery 

I am worthless trash 

I had heard the rumors 

That there was a Man 

Someone who healed the sick 

Who welcomed the rejected 

A Master who’s touch was of Power 

A Man different than the rest 

I looked at my tarnished skin

How could I not at least try? 

I gathered enough courage 

I would have elbowed my way towards the Man

But I needn’t shove my way, for they scattered 

When they saw the likes of me

He saw me too, so I bowed to worship

“Lord, if You are willing, 

You can make me clean.” 

My simple plea left my lips 

Before I could think twice 

I bowed before the Man who could free me

I was taking a chance

But one worth taking

For the Man named Jesus 

Reached out His hand toward me

And I felt His healing touch 

“I am willing; be cleansed.” 

I look at my once red, white, and blotchy skin

It was now clean and new

As a newborn child, soft and unblemished 

I looked up into the Man’s eyes 

Eyes that searched my own tear-filled ones 

What kind of Man would touch a leper like me? 

Only the Son of God, the Healer, the Savior of the World

~~~ Poem inspired by Matthew 8:1-4 ~~~

What did you think of this new poem style/layout? What is your favorite story in the Bible where Jesus heals the sick? Comment below! 

Icy Branches

One month ago, we were driving into town the morning after a night of sleeting rain. Everything was coated in ice. Like, everything was completely incased in ice! Grass, trees, cars, houses, anything that was out in the elements all night was icy and slick.

As we were driving, we saw at least five or six trees that had actually lost their branches because they had been so weighed down with ice wrapped around them. When I looked outside the window of our car, I noticed that every tree had branches that were drooped and hanging lower than normal. The trees that still clung to their fall leaves had been even more weighted, and those trees were the ones to loose their branches.

Do you think that we are similar to these icy branches? When we are faced with trials and tribulations in our lives, we feel a heavy weight bearing down on us. The trials that we face are just like the ice on the branches, it is cold and restricting, making us feel heavy and tired.

God sometimes asks us to let go of certain things that we wish to cling to because He knows what is going to be ahead. The pretty fall leaves had to die and fall from the branches. They had to let go of their leaves just as we, as humans, have to let go of our selfish wants, letting God look out for our needs. Now, let me clarify here, I’m not saying that we should let go of our dreams and desires, I’m saying that not all of our dreams fall in line with God’s plans. Sometimes we have to let go of our plans in order to see more clearly His plans.

If the autumn leaves had not fallen yet, the winter ice would have more to cling too, creating so much weight that the whole branch would have to give under the pressure and break off. When we don’t listen to God’s design for us, and we cling tightly to our “leaves” then when those trials come, and we have so much weight on our shoulders, we will break under the pressure.

God has designed the leaves on trees to fall off and die to prepare itself for winter. Even though the crunchy leaves seem hopeless, they are not. When they have fallen, they decompose and provide nutrients to the very tree they had fallen from. Leaves have a important purpose. Just like we ARE mean’t to go through certain seasons in life as the leaves do. The leaves bloom, bud, grow, change, and eventually fall away. But each of those seasons weren't lived for no reason. The “leaves” in our life that had once fallen away, those past experiences will help us in the future seasons in our lives. 

So, you ask, what about the trees that have kept their leaves attached and the ice has made their branches break, where is the metaphor in that? Is there hope for those trees? 

God is a God of second chances. Even third, forth, fifth chances! His everlasting love has made it possible for us to be forgiven. There is hope. We all have broken “branches” but guess what, as long as we believe that God is the Healer of those branches, then we will be healed. That very same part of us where the branch had fallen will grow a new branch. One that will be nourished and grow stronger than the branch before it. 

Notice that the ice weighed down ALL of the trees, not just the ones that still clung to their leaves. Trials come to ALL people, whether they are ready or not, but it is up to us how we will choose to deal with those trials. Will we bend under their weight? Most likely. Will we break? Well, that is up to us.

Remember that all of the trees bent under the pressure, but only those who kept their leaves broke. It was the trees who had prepared themselves by letting go of their leaves that were able to pop back up when the Son melted it.

Next time you are weighed down by a trial in your life, let the love of God melt away the ice that is keeping you from flourishing. Know that “This too shall pass.” And have faith in the future God has planned for you! 

Have you ever felt the weight of a icy branch in you life? Do you see the comparisons from these branches to our lives? How can we learn from our past mistakes? Do you believe that God has the power to forgive us when we break under pressure? Lets talk in the comments below! 
❄❄❄
Also, quick announcement, today marks my third year baptism anniversary! Three years ago, I remember sitting on the tractor with my mom and thinking about getting baptized. I asked myself, "What is holding me back?" and then I realized that nothing was. On December 12, 2015 I made the very important decision to get baptized. That day was and always will be so special to me.

On The Other Side Of Pain

On The Other Side Of Pain

Written by Brooklyne

On the other side of pain 

You grow stronger

On the other side of pain 

You grow tougher 

On the other side of pain

You grow closer

On the other side of pain

You grow wiser 

~~~

Whether emotional or physical

On the other side of pain 
Pressures will refine you

On the other side of pain

Whether long or short lived 

On the other side of pain

You will withstand the test 

On the other side of pain

~~~

Throughout the pain you endure

You make a choice 

To suffer and suffer

Or to suffer and grow

Throughout the hardships you face

You make a choice

To give up hope 

Or to fight through the pain

~~~

The pain will not last forever, and if it lasts

You have not healed 

Wounds will fester  

And you grow weaker

But if you heal, if you let God heal you

You have made the choice

To learn from pain 

And you grow stronger

~~~

Against all odds

Despite all opinions 

Facing all fears 

Enduring all pain 

When you get on the other side 

When its all over and gone 

When the pain is in the past

When you are free from the burdens 

~~~

You will grow stronger

You will grow tougher

You will grow closer to Him 

You will grow wiser  

You can conquer 

You can succeed 

You can learn 

You can listen 

~~~

Choose to fight through the pain

Let God heal you

Grow through your trials 

Because on the other side of pain 

You will be stronger 

Give your burdens to Him

Make the right choice 

Grow through your suffering 

Because on the other side of pain 

You will be stronger 

~~~

If you are hurting. 

If you are dealing with pain 

Whether a broken bone or a broken heart,

Give it to God 

Because the ultimate Physician 

Will lift your burdens and heal your pain 

Keep fighting, and once you are on the other side of pain 

You will realize that you have grown stronger! 

Because pain and sin have entered the world, we have to suffer. But we have the ability, with God's help, to turn our suffering into growth. This morning was very sad for me and my family, last night something got our bunnies. Death of even the smallest creatures is so hard. I can't imagine losing a loved one. I wrote this poem the other day, and now I know how real it is. Everyone is going through something, whether it be physical pain or emotional pain. And although pain hurts and is hard, God WILL comfort us if we let Him. He has the ability to heal us, and we CAN grow from our pain. 

Have you ever grown stronger on the other side of pain? How can we let God heal our pain so that we can become stronger? How do we move past our pain and learn from it instead of dwelling on it? What did you think of this poem? 

How is your September going? Are you looking forward to cooler days? 

Lets take a vote on whether or not I should write a post of our latest fun in the mud?! Y'all want to hear about our tough mudder experience? P.S. This is my 30th post!!!
Lets talk in the comments! 

God's Way, Not Ours

A few months ago, late at night, my Dad decided to put together a bike he had bought for me that day. I had needed a new bike because my old one was to small and we were getting ready for our triathlon. Go HERE to read about the triathlon! 

Anyways, I like putting things together, so I decided to help him. The bike came in a big box and was already halfway assembled. Unwrapping the protective bubblewrap, styrofoam, cardboard, plastic and zip ties that covered the actual bike took quite awhile.

Once it was all laid out, the handle bars, seat, and the front tire were the parts that needed to be attached to the main frame. This bike came with instructions on how to put it together and a few tools. Laying on the floor, the bike didn't look much like a bike to me. It’s pieces were scattered about in various piles and looked more like a mess than a bike. 

The directions went something like this. It showed a diagram of the bike. Named bike parts using the alphabet, Part A and Part B etc. Then over the next few pages, it gave us the steps and order to accomplish these said steps. It even had pictures. Going to be easy, right?

This was our first time to assemble a bike, in the past, we had always just bought the bike already put together. Since this was a first time thing, we had to keep close attention to the instructions. It told us to attach the handle bars first, so we took the bolt cap off and slid the handle bars down into the frame. There was a line on the handle bars that said how far to push it down. That went fairly well, moving us along the list of steps in the instruction booklet. 

Next up was the front tire. This proved to be more difficult. All we had to do was put the frame over the tire and where the spokes met, tighten and secure it to the bike. The problem was our bike frame was too wide to correctly fit over the wheel. I wondered if we had the wrong part, maybe the manufacturers gave us the wrong size tire or frame? 

My Dad tried to force the frame together to make it smaller, but it still was too loose fitting over the tire. We tried different methods of securing it, but nothing was working. Stumped, I went back to the instructions. I carefully reread over the steps and realized that we had overlooked one small, teeny tiny step. Our problem was we needed to put this certain part on the tire BEFORE putting the frame over it to attach it. We were trying to put it on AFTER. Once we realized how to put it together the right way and in the right order, we finally finished the bike!  

Then, after we put on the seat, it was time to test out our bike assembly skills. I looked over the bike and knew all the bolts were tight, I knew everything was locked into place, I knew it was ready to be tested out, but something gave me hesitation. What if we put it together wrong? What if when I sit down, it all crumbles back into a bunch of pieces again? The visual of me lying in a mess of broken bike parts did not sound appealing! Pushing my doubt aside, I climbed up on the bike anyway. I was choosing to trust that it would hold.

 And it did! I now had a brand new bike! 

So you might ask, what is the reason for this post? How can I apply how you put a bike together to my life?

Well... 

Have you ever felt like you live under a protective layer of bubblewrap, styrofoam, cardboard, plastic and zip ties? Ok, not literally. You know what I mean. 

Have you ever felt like you hide your mess of disassembled pieces under that layer? 

Have you ever felt like you just want to lay the real you out all across the floor and see the scattered piles and pieces? Your worries, your fears, your wants, your hopes, your thoughts, all the jumbled mess. Even if it doesn’t look much like how it is supposed to look. 

Where is our life going? 

Do we get a book of instructions to know what happens next?

Have you ever felt like you overlooked or skipped a seemingly small step, but it turns out a 

important one? 

Have you ever tried to put the blame on someone other than yourself?

Have you ever felt like you tried to force it to work?

Have you ever went back to the instructions and realized your mistake?

And then, have you ever felt like you now know, the right way and in the right order?

Have you ever had to push aside doubt? 

Have you ever had to choose to trust?

These are questions that we all have to ponder ourselves. But I will say, we couldn't have put the bike together without taking all the bubblewrap off. Only after we saw everything laid out and unwrapped, could we move forward and build the bike. We can't move on and live the life that we were meant to live without letting go of our outer mask. Our so called protective layer of bubblewrap.

God sees through the bubblewrap. God know’s everything from our smallest worry to our biggest fear. He know’s the dreams that we have and the plans that we make. He sees all of this! He sees the good and the bad and loves us just the same. He loves us because we are His children. We are His chosen people (1 Peter 2:9)  And He has a plan for each of us. A unique and beautiful plan. One that turns our messy and scattered piles into someone that we were meant to become. God can make us whole. 

We need to realize that not all of our plans are His plans. His way is the right way. We might think we have it figured out. We might think we can just skim read through the instructions and be good. But we will miss the important steps to building our characters and the life that we long to live. We need to read and follow our instructions very closely. 

~The Bible is our Instructions and our Directions. It tells us steps and shows us how to live. 

John 14:21 

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

~The Bible is our Guideline. It give us a perfect example. 

John 13:15 

“For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”

1 Peter 2:21 

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us and example, that you should follow His steps:”

~The Bible is our Map. It tells us where we are going if we follow in Jesus footsteps.

John 14:1-3 

“Let not you heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

~The Bible is our Recipe. It gives us the ingredients for how to live.

John 15:12 

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

Lastly, we have to choose to trust. God’s got us. Don’t let our doubts creep in and tell us otherwise. God has a plan and is in control. Take each day one step at a time. Lets strive to read through our instructions God has given us. Lets open up and let Him come in and create in us a new heart. Lets ask him to give us peace and help us trust in Him. God is not finished with us. Lets choose God’s way, not ours!

Proverbs 3:5,6 

“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 they paths.”

➳✩➳✩➳This was really deep, wasn’t it? Have you ever put together a bike before? 

What are your thoughts on God’s Way, Not Ours? Can you relate to anything I said? Have you ever felt like you don't know how to trust? 

Have you ever felt like you don't know how to find the peace that surpasses?
 If you have read through this whole post, 
I want to say thank you and your amazing! This was a very long post and if you have persevered, then I give you a two thumbs up! 
Lets talk in the comments! And, ya'll, this is my 20th post!!! ➳✩➳✩➳