Believe Manifesto

Our struggles almost always take root in our childhoods, and those struggles can go on to entangle us our entire lives. Or, if we are brave enough to face them, they could be the greatest weapons we have to help set others free.

We talked about suffering last week in our journaling and those hard, difficult moments we all have. The point Jennie is really trying to hit home with us is this: there is beauty in that suffering, and that suffering is what Jesus came to save us from. He bled on that cross and endured the suffering and sin of the whole world so that we could have the choice to accept him into our heart and someday spend eternity in heaven. But the hardest part of suffering is the now–while you are in that suffering it is so hard to look up and out and not focus on ourselves. I read something over the weekend that mentioned how when you practice gratitude that it’s almost impossible to continue to focus on ourselves and the hurt. I need to work on gratitude, I need to pray to God every day about the things I am grateful for…because when we do it humbles us but it also shows God where he can fill our holes–fill us up! In Romans v. 5 By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ we have peace with God. By faith we have been made acceptable to God–he accepts us as long as we have faith in him and Jesus Christ.

The deep holes I was working to fill would eventually define what I would most desire to give away to the world…In the very best of stories there is a moment that is so dark that you are unsure how the characters or your own soul will ever recover…Very few cruel stories ever leave you there, but the best of stories always go there.

All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love. v.5 Some days I know we feel absolutely broken, the hurt is to much to bear and we feel like we are being crushed. What I love about God is he will fill our hearts, give us renewal, healing and new beginnings. When this happens that’s when we can use this for his glory to help others. Last year I really felt crushed…it was about this time last year. I didn’t think that I could see renewal, change or anything good come out of what was happening in my life. But as I looked to God in prayer, he healed me–he took the hurt away. Now as I look at what I went through I am in awe of the transformation. If you look around, look at these stories in Restless, stories of others around you and stories in the bible you will see HOPE. I want you all to feel hope for better more beautiful things in your life to come–it will come, we just have to look up and out!