The Storms of Sorrow Should Never be Wasted

How true is the saying, “All sunshine makes a desert?” God knows that if you never experience the storm of life – if the rain clouds never release their water – you will never see flower gardens grow. 

You need to blossom in the areas of sympathy, empathy, and compassion, understanding, perspective, and wisdom.

Our God is the God of second chances. Whatever is in the past can be used for God’s glory.

The storms of sorrow should never be wasted. By God’s design, grief will better your heart and life.

Grief will make your tree of life grow and blossom so that you will be able to offer the shade of comfort and hope to others who are going through the desert journey of grief.

“God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. “ 2 Corinthians 1:4

Only Jesus Satisfies

Some people find this out early in life, some find it out later (26 🙋🏼‍♀️), and some of us find it out and simply start to forget. But that longing for something more, that looking for something to just make us feel complete and whole, or fill the void, just cannot be filled the way it was designed to be filled, unless it by Jesus Himself. God designed us that way, friends. He designed for us to be complete in HIM, so that we would never have to be apart from Him, and that through Him, we could do ALL the things He planned for us to do, and live a life of freedom, purpose, hope, and peace in Him.

Even as Christians I think we can forget how much we need Him. How much our spirits LONG for Him to fill that emptiness on some of those hard days. Because this world, relationships, even goals and so many GOOD things, can actually begin to make us believe that THEY are what we are chasing, and those are what will satisfy us, until we eventually begin to run on fumes and realize we’re feeling pretty empty.  It can be so easy to turn to other things when we are feeling this way, or lonely, or struggling with emotions, busyness, worry, or whatever it may be, but friends, let this be a reminder for those of us who know, and a nudge for maybe those who might be searching without even realizing it. Stop trying. Stop running. Stop trying to do life on self will, and run to things that will only leave you longing for more. Because Jesus is the only thing and Person who can fill AND satisfy. He is the only drink we can have and have our thirst be fully quenched. He is who God Himself, SENT.

If you’re human, you’ve tried the other things, and if you’re a Christian, you’ve found what truly satisfies. Maybe this is for the person who needed a reminder. Maybe it’s for the person who needed to hear it for the first time. Wherever you are, go to him, friend. Quit running. Quit doing life alone. Invite Him in. And let Him fill you from within. Again, again, and again. ❤️

@sarah.jean.armstrong

My Precious Daughter

My Precious Daughter,

From the moment I formed you,  I loved you,  Even while you were not in a relationship with me, when you rejected me and living in the world, I loved you.

When you gave your life to me, I loved you.  When you walked away from me like the prodigal son, I loved you.When you hit bottom and could no longer continue, I met you there and loved you. When my voice penetrated your heart, and you were finally ready to surrender ALL of yourself to me, I loved you. I have never stopped loving you.

My heart breaks when yours does. I cry when you cry. I have heard all your prayers.  I understood when you were angry with me and questioned my whereabouts. Even though some of your choices came with terrible consequences, and it broke my heart to watch you endure the pain from your choices because I am your Father and I love you.  I discipline as a loving father, and I knew that you needed that pain to find your way back to me.

I am your comforter, and I protect you at all times. There is nothing that has kept me from you. When you ran from me, I ran after you. You are MINE, and I love everything about you because I made you. My purpose and plan for your life has never changed. I was just waiting patiently for you to really know me, not just in your head but deep in your heart where my truths are planted and rooted deeply in the soil of my unending love for you. Now they are.

I know you are ready to serve me with your whole heart. I will use your testimony and the gifts that I have given you to touch the hearts of many and draw many to Me, to help heal the broken hearts of my hurting daughters. Here is my hand, take it, and I will guide, equip and prepare you to do the work that I have started in you.

With Everything I AM, I love you!

Your Abba Father

Heal So You Don’t Bleed On those That Didn’t Cut You

Sometimes we can feel like were being strong and doing the best thing we can do by ignoring some of the hurts we’ve been blown. That, if we just get over it and never give that person or what they did a second glance or thought, it will be done with, and we’ll just, move on. But the reality is, things have wounded us don’t just go away, but end up sitting there, deep down in our hearts, and eventually end up seeping into the relationships we have now, cutting the people closest to us in areas of THEIR heart, all because we didn’t allow God to heal the wounds we took in our own.

There’s a reason why you snap at your significant other sometimes, when they didn’t do anything to warrant it.

There’s a reason you might have trust issues with those closest to you, when they’ve given you absolutely no reason to have them.

There’s a reason why sometimes you feel so down, when you have so many reasons around you to be up. 

There’s a reason why you don’t want to be intimate with your husband, when he is everything you hoped for, and the man you dearly prayed for.

There’s a reason for it all, friend. And it starts with you, going back, and addressing whats been done and what you’ve gone through, so you can give it to God, and then allow the healing hand of Jesus to come in and heal and transform you.

Because God didn’t allow all that’s been done to hurt you and the relationships you are in, but to grow you, and draw you that much closer to Him, so you can shine even brighter, and reflect even more of Him. So don’t let your pain be a tool for the enemy. Let God use it to bring healing and Him, that much more glory.

Find what’s been done, friend. Address it. And then heal from it, so your relationships won’t keep suffering because of it. 💕🙏🏼🙌🏼

Let Go of All that Isnt’t & Love What Is

A few weeks ago my dad really hurt my feelings. Something probably so so small to other people but just so big to me. Like, I turned into a huge baby and couldn’t believe it. At age 34, I had no idea I could let something so small in our relationship affect me like it did. It wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t even something he thought about. It was just, how he does things and what his past and his life today has made him to be.

I talk to my dad often. I go to him a lot. The love that most all kids desire from their earthly dad (regardless of how old you are) is so real.

It took God’s help to accept that this is who my dad is in this area. To accept, that until HE changes his heart, this is how things will be. I told my dad he hurt me that day, and despite his precious heart telling me he was so sorry, I know he had a hard time seeing it. But I now see it. And today I know that I can either listen to the lies of the enemy telling me so many untruths about how I FEEL, or I can CHOOSE to believe all the truths of what God says and what I KNOW. And it helps. I can let go of what my dad unknowingly did and all I want him to still be, and grab hold of the fact that despite what he can’t always give right now, he loves me, with all the love HE has for me, and just because he isn’t always able to show me in all the ways that I want, it doesn’t take away from how much I mean to him, and how much he means to me. That helps, too.

When we want so badly for people to behave the way WE want, and be the people WE want them to be, it results in hurt hearts, unmet expectations, and plain ol’ defeat. But, when we can look PAST the things done, and PRAY to see what God sees, we can then begin to let go of what WE don’t see, and begin to love what’s there, and see glimpses of the people God created THEM to be. And hopefully, more and more, and with each passing day, that’s ALL we will eventually see. 💕 

Don’t Let the Little Bit of Good Forget the Bad

Isn’t it crazy how we can go through such heartache, such affliction, such turmoil at one point in our lives, or heck, even just days ago, and then all of a sudden, we start to forget how bad it was?  We forget crying out to God to help us, to rescue us, to do SOMETHING, and He does, only to find ourselves contemplating if it was even THAT bad? If things even needed to change?

Satan does a real good job trying to steal some of those awful memories and leave us only with the good ones, just hoping we will take the bait and run right back into who or what we were freed from. And friends, if we aren’t replacing what Jesus removed from our lives, with Him, and things that are from HIM, then satan’s tactics WILL work, and we will be RIGHT back where we were before. Brokenhearted, defeated, dirty, messy, and wondering how we ended back in the place we never wanted to be again.

You know the signs. You know the danger zones. And it can happen ever so slightly if you ignore them.

But you also KNOW the truth. It wasn’t good. It was actually terribly bad. And it is up to YOU, to remind YOURSELF of the bad when satan lies to you, and whispers it was good. It is up to YOU, to turn around, face him, and remind HIM of the truth, when he tries to tempt you with the lie. It’s up to you fill your heart and mind with Jesus, so those memories lose their power, and eventually, die.

Don’t return to the vomit. It might have tasted great going down, and whatever or whoever it was might have hooked you back then, but trust me, now that you have been free from them, or it, I can guarantee you, it won’t taste great again. It might have started good. But it ended very bad. And it will again.

Don’t forget how bad it was.

You’re free now, so STAY FREE. Because trust me, going back is NOWHERE you want to be.❤️

“Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” Proverbs 26:11.

@sarah.jean.armstrong

You Only Have to Forgive Once Resenting Is Everyday

And you’re the one it usually ends up affecting the most.

What would it look like if you just, forgave them? How much more free would you be, if you could just release whatever they have done, big or small, and finally be free of it?

Forgiving someone isn't letting them off the hook for what they did. It's simply taking them off of YOUR hook, and putting them onto God's hook. It's taking the weight of what they have done to you, and handing it over to God, so it doesn't have power over you.

God never asked you to deal with their sin, friend. He never asked you to make them pay for what they did. It could be big, or it could be something so small that you've been keeping to yourself and in your heart. Something, that maybe the other person doesn't even know quite what it is doing to you, but whatever it is, even if you don’t realize it, it’s affecting you. And you will feel and see how much the moment you let go of it. The moment you release it from your hands, and put it into God’s hands.

He asked us to forgive, as He has forgiven us. To let HIM get justice, as the great Judge HE is, over all of us.

Sometimes we won't feel like forgiving, and that’s okay, but forgivness isn't a feeling. It's a choice, one that God gave you, and me, so WE would be forgiven, and so WE could be free. Free of the endless thoughts. Free of heaviness in our hearts. And free of the injustice that we have been allowing to tear us apart.

So, what is in your heart that you know God is asking you to give to Him? Who have you been carrying on your hook, that needs to be released to His? I know it hurt you, but give it to Him, friend. And then watch the changes that will begin to happen in YOUR heart, when you know you have truly forgiven them.

***Some issues might be harder to do on your own, and if that’s your case, I’d highly recommend finding a Christian Counselor or mentor to help you in this area. ❤️

@sarah.jean.armstrong