Faith Archives - AllForHim28

Thankful for the Scars

February 23, 2018 13,099 Comments

Recently I came across this song by I AM THEY while YouTube was on auto-play in the background while I was studying. I wasn’t in the best mood that day, but this song hit me and I really wanted to share it with you.

Throughout life we all gets scars in some form another, whether that be physical or emotional. Maybe you’ve self harmed, maybe you were physically abused. Or maybe you were emotionally manipulated and beat down, maybe you have a broken heart. Whatever your story is, wherever your scars came from, know that they are nothing to be ashamed of. Scars tell stories, most importantly they tell stories of survival.

The lyrics of the song posted above say . . .

“Now I’m standing in confidence, with the strength of Your faithfulness. And I’m not who I was before. No, I don’t have to fear anymore, So I’m thankful for the scars, Cause’ without them I wouldn’t know Your heart. And I know they’ll always tell of who You are, So forever I am thankful for the scars.”

When we’re going through the trials of life, the light at the end of the tunnel seems lost, and oh-so distant. But it is those moments that give us the opportunity to find victory. Let me explain what I mean.

It we were never challenged in life and it was always “easy”, what would make us want to chase Jesus? If we could do this life on our own, why wouldn’t we? There’s a quote that my high school small group leader once said to me and it has stuck with me ever sense.

If the devil isn’t testing you, that means that he isn’t afraid of you.

I can’t be the only one who has gone through hard times and asked God, “Why me, why are you letting this happen?” Going through those phases of anger, and then crying out desperately because doing it on my own just isn’t working anymore. — And you know who always shows up, despite the burdens I carry and the scars I wear? — It is in the darkest moments of our life, open wounds and all, that make us need and want Jesus more than ever. The battles we face open doors to pursue Jesus with a new desire.

Not only that, but Jesus bears the scars you and I were meant to wear. He died that death, because he loves you. And when you run to him with your scars, he opens his hands and says, “Me too.”

We have a God who meets us where we are, who carries us always, and who willingly died the death we deserve. So, “I’m thankful for the scars, cause without them I wouldn’t know [His] heart.”

@AllForHim28

Faith, Love

Silent Love

November 30, 2017 13,724 Comments

The other day in church I found myself memorized by the sign language interpreter, watching her almost the entire time. I was completely captivated. The preacher was talking, and if I’m being honest, I started to get lost in thought, but all of a sudden I got it. Love is not what you say, it is what you do.

I have heard this so many times, and I’m sure you have too, but have you ever took the time to think about it?

Sometimes people who say they love you, don’t act like it. Now I’m not saying that we all have to be perfect and never make mistakes. I’m just simply suggesting that maybe we need to start paying more attention to how we act.

It’s not about the long paragraph you write your significant other about how amazing they are, and it’s not about telling someone you’re going to be there for them. It’s about showing your girlfriend/boyfriend that they are amazing and treating them that way. Take them out, do random little things, pick up their favorite pizza and a movie for no reason at all. Show them what they mean to you. As for being there for someone, actually do it. Check in on them, take them to coffee or lunch, or whatever else you want to do to show them what they mean to you.

Jesus died the death that we deserve, why? Because he loves us. He didn’t just say “Oh I love you”, and that’s it. He sacrificed himself for you, for me.

And that’s what we need to do. We need to have the kinda love that doesn’t require words, we need to have silent love.

Faith

Thorns

October 19, 2017 No Comments

It’s so easy to start to let your emotions guide your life. And while they are definitely an important part of enjoying and living your life, it can be so toxic to let them control you. When life gets good, we have this tendency to stray away from God or let our foot off the gas pedal if you will. For some reason think that we are the reason our life is good, that we did this without God, and that is just so not true. Good things come from the Lord, and we should not ever try to take credit for that.

I saw a quote the other day, “When life is a bed of roses, don’t forget who wore the thorns.”

This is the gospel in the purest form. He loved you so much, that His son died the death you deserved, that you still deserve. We have a good good Father, who shows us the most unconditional love, the never ending forgiveness, and amazing grace, all with no hesitation.

So next time you find yourself in a season of pure bliss and complete joy, instead of doing what you might normally do, stop and think about the price Jesus paid so that you could live the life you’re living today. He paid it all, for you.

Faith, Life

What’s the Purpose?

July 19, 2017 15,083 Comments

Sometimes I look back at my life, the things I’ve been through, the people I’ve lost, and I get so upset because of how much I miss them. So angry because of how hard some things were. Losing grandparents, best friends, an ex boyfriend, a community to belong, and the opportunity to attend certain age-specific church camps. Going through seasons of depression, heartbreak, you get my point. But more recently I have realized that there have been far too many days that I have let these things bring me down and get in the way of chasing joy.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – 12 says

“Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses. He sets the time for birth and the time for death, the time for planting and the time for pulling up, the time for killing and the time for healing, the time for tearing down and the time for building. He sets the time for sorrow and the time for joy, the time for mourning and the time for dancing, the time for making love and the time for not making love, the time for kissing and the time for not kissing. He sets the time for finding and the time for losing, the time for saving and the time for throwing away, the time for tearing and the time for mending, the time for silence and the time for talk. He sets the time for love and the time for hate, the time for war and the time for peace. What do we gain from all our work? I know the heavy burdens that God has laid on us. He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does. So I realized that all we can do is be happy and do the best we can while we are still alive.”

I still struggle when it comes to patience and recognizing that every season has a purpose, but this section of scripture gives me so much peace and hope. I don’t want to get too deep here, but I have lost a few people I never thought I would in the past few years and saying goodbye to someone still alive is one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do. Some of you can totally relate to that. It is also extremely difficult to accept an apology that you will never receive. But my point is that even though doing those things and dealing with the struggles of life can be extremely difficult and exhausting, it is essential to becoming who we are meant to be.

Everything in my life has led me to where I am now. My choices, my heartbreaks, my regrets. If I had done things differently or decided to just quit when things got hard, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I might not have met who are now the most important people in my life. I just think it is so important to hold onto these versus and to be able to recognize during life’s trials that God’s got this. He’s got us and in Romans 8:18 we are reminded that “The pain that [we’ve] been feeling can’t compare to the joy that’s coming.”

So, whatever you are going through right now I hope that you can find peace in that this season has a purpose. It might not make sense right now, but it will one day. Hold on to God and Hold on to hope. Everything is going to work out.