mercy Archives - Jacque Watkins

How Your Story Can Change the World

May 10, 2013 by Jacque 10 Comments

Our stories are made to comfort others. And your story can change the world.

Where we’ve been, what we’ve walked through … all that pain and suffering, or guilt and shame, is never, ever wasted, when we surrender it to the Giver of all things and allow Him to use it for good.

Whenever I speak or write about my story, I’m humbled and amazed at the stories women share with me in return.

I hear of their deepest hurts, the tragedy of their brokenness, and the failures that continue to grip their lives with a strength they can’t seem to shake. They speak realities they’ve never shared with anyone before, and write to me with bravery and honesty … and also with their thanks, that I went first.

Being willing to go first is a gift–the gift of comfort.

Many tell me how they felt alone and thought they were beyond hope. And while the details of their situations are all different, one thread weaves through them all. A longing for the comfort of knowing they are not alone.

Sharing our stories lifts hearts, lightens burdens, & gives us hope that we are not alone. [Tweet that]

Let’s face it, after I share, there’s not much worse that can be shared. My story climbs into the top ten of the worst of the worst. But here’s the thing, my willingness to go first and the transparency of my words, bring freedom to imprisoned hearts.

Knowing where I’ve been and how God rescued even me, surprises and comforts and changes others, in ways they never expected were possible.

Our stories change the world.

Sometimes sharing with bravery and courage, in the face of the fear of rejection, is one of the most powerful risks we can take. And maybe, just maybe, it becomes one of the most comforting too.

Because if God did it for me, that means He can do it for you too.

When surrendered to Him, our failures scream the love of our God who never gives up on us.

Our pain resonates the unending mercy that is ours in Him.

And our brokenness echoes the grace He provides.

A gift that’s underserved. A gift that fills in the fractured cracks. A gift He uses to redeem and restore all things.

Your story can change the world because of the comfort others find in your words. [Tweet that]

May you take the risk and go first, and be exhilarated at all God will do!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.

Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings,

you will also share in our comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (ESV)

Have you ever shared your story?

What comfort did others find in your words?

I’m joining Lisa-Jo, over at her site today, to take five minutes and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. The challenge is to write for 5 20 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing, with the prompt she gives. And today, her prompt:

Comfort…

Filed Under: Adversity, Authenticity, Brokenness, Character, Community, Faith, Five Minute Friday, God's Love, God's Mercy & Grace, Guilt & Shame, Hope, Relationships Tagged With: brokenness, failing, forgiveness, mercy, realness

When You Need to Believe There Can Be Beauty After Pain

April 6, 2013 by Jacque 7 Comments

It is only in the after, that we might see any beauty at all.

After the snow melts. After the rain has come. After the bulb spends months in the dark cold of the ground.

After the leukemia, and the chemo, and the central lines … the hospitalizations, and the procedures that swirl life right down the drain.

After the loss comes, and the funeral music plays, and the long years of grieving begin. After the reminders continually spring up everywhere, mocking that life will never be the same.

It is only in the after, that we might see any beauty at all.

After the the bankruptcy and the moving and the profoundness of the loss. After waiting for a job and wondering how to buy food tomorrow.

After the mistakes and the failure, and the burying weight of guilt and shame that one day will need to be shed. After the dark nights crying, chests heaving, endless nights wondering if we’ll survive even just one more night.

It is only in the after, that we might see any beauty at all.

After the mess. After the pain. After all has come crashing down, and the darkness debilitates and the anger suffocates. Loneliness hangs on and depression hovers like a cloud. All the lost hopes, crushed dreams, and plans laid bare, lying shattered on the floor.

It is only in the after, that the cloud can lift and reveal His view. Beauty from ashes.

We can’t see it in the before … and it is obscure in the now. And even in the after, we may never be able to see the beauty in it, at all.

The scars of our pain will continually remind us and we may never know or understand the why.

But even in the now, we can trust Him … trust in His love and cling to His heart.

We can choose for our desperation to become dependence,

For our pain to become our purpose,

And for our hearts to beat after His.

And one day, in the after, may He give us the gift to see the beauty He brought through it … after all.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,

who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ,

will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:10-11 (ESV)

Looking back, how has God redeemed your suffering?

How has beauty come from your pain?

I’m joining Lisa-Jo, over at her site today, to take five minutes and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. The challenge is to write for 5 20 minutes flat ~~with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing~~, with the prompt she gives. And today, her prompt:

After…

Filed Under: Adversity, Brokenness, Character, Community, Failure, Faith, Five Minute Friday, God's Mercy & Grace, God's Promises, Grief & Suffering, Guilt & Shame, Hope, Relationships Tagged With: 1 Peter, aching, beauty, brokenness, failing, mercy, shame

Experiencing Joy

March 19, 2013 by Jacque 4 Comments

The times in life when I experience the most joy, are the times I sense God’s pleasure.

The times I’m close to Him, reading His Word, journaling my thoughts, and sharing with Him my heart.

The times He multiplies my efforts as a mom, filling in the gaps where I lack, and showing me there’s hope anyway.

The times I write my heart on pages, and my fingers tap out something that speaks more to me than anyone else, as if I needed to teach my own heart the truth first, without realizing it at all.

And lately, joy has come in facing the fear and dreaming God-sized dreams … in praying and longing for God to use me to help others find mercy and know His grace. It’s joy as I pray to be used by Him in ways far beyond anything I could dream or imagine … praying to sense His pleasure even there.

And you know what?

He’s doing it. He is bringing opportunities for me to be used by Him, and as I walk through the doors that open, I’m feeling His pleasure, and I am experiencing joy.

And in particular, today is one of those days.

Several weeks ago I was asked to speak at an online conference called A Woman Inspired. .. a conference where women come together wherever they are, log in for free, hear amazing encouragement from speakers and interact in an online community.

And the conference begins today, March 20th, and continues through Friday March 22nd.

I think you would really love to gather there and be encouraged in your faith. And the best part, there’s no cost! You can call in from a phone to hear the sessions, or log in from your computer wherever you are. All you have to do is register, so that you have access to the link required to log in.

And, if you’re not available during the live sessions, the mp3’s and downloadable and printable notes will be available to all registrants. So you can’t lose either way.

It’s FREE encouragement for the end of your week, and I think you’ll be so glad you registered!

And if I may humbly ask one thing?

Would you mind saying a prayer for me as I speak today, and for the hearts of the women as they will listen? That they would really know how very much God loves them and how He really can redeem all things. Perhaps you’d consider typing a small prayer out in the comments? Either way, I’d be so very thankful.

I’ll be speaking today at 10am PST. You can read the synopsis of my talk below, and click on the link to register too.

And if you listen in, let me know how you liked the conference … you can contact me anytime … I’d love to connect with you!

So what do ya say? Won’t you join me there?

Expectations that Bury: Steps for Digging Your Way Out

Do you find your heart buried with the weight of not being enough? Have you set expectations for your life, only to become frustrated and disappointed when they aren’t being met? Perhaps you’ve been hurt by life’s circumstances or struggled with personal failure, leaving you disillusioned by the life you’re now living … one you never expected at all. Join Jacque as she exposes the expectations that bury us, and some steps we can take to dig our way out and into the freedom and joy God intends for us all.

Click HERE to register for A Woman Inspired, Online Conference

Filed Under: Character, Community, Faith, God's Love, God's Mercy & Grace, God's Promises, God's Sovereignty, God-Sized Dreams, Joy, Relationships Tagged With: brokenness, joy, mercy, realness, When Mercy Found Me

Mended :: Beginning the Journey in Community {Week 1}

February 20, 2013 by Jacque 7 Comments

I’ve been broken and shattered.

And I’ve lived without hope … engulfed with regret and buried in shame.

In fact I remember being so broken and stained by the sin of my choices that I seriously wondered if I had stepped just beyond God’s love. Because for me, I willingly made choices that destroyed my life as I knew it. I had known better. And I suspected there was a special punishment for people like me. The despair hovered over my head like a cloud on a rainy day, drizzling doubt in a steady flow–doubt I may never be able to be whole again.

And yet, I think even in those times I would have been quick to offer hope to someone else in a desperate situation—to talk to them, sit with them, or even take a meal to them … anything to help them really know, that no matter what, God still loved them.

So what is it about our own hearts? Why do we find it so easy to encourage someone else who is feeling down and beyond hope, but refuse to apply that same hopeful optimism to our own selves?

Because the real truth is…

There is no brokenness that God cannot make whole.

None.

He is the great mender.

As soon as we invite Him in, He … in His great lovingkindness and mercy … mends our hearts and our minds–our very lives.

That’s not to say life becomes perfect. There may still be circumstances beyond our control, remaining consequences of situations we’ve created, or relationships that stay strained or tattered. But as far as our lives, He works … over time … taking the broken pieces of our very selves, mending them and making them whole.

Will we ever be the same once we’re mended?

No, never.

But we will be whole again.

Angie Smith, in this book Mended, is about to take us on a journey. And let me warn you, it may not be the smoothest ride you’ve ever been on!

But isn’t it true that anything worth having is hard and costs us something?

In Mended, Angie will engage us, the deepest parts of us, that we might begin this process of being mended by our God who loves us so. Through humor, the sharing of her own life, and challenges that will urge us to reflect upon our own, we will grow and change and be healed and restored, as we dive deep into the words she has written.

Are you ready?

Are you willing to open those dark closed rooms of your heart?

Are you ready to be brave in order to be whole … to revisit the pain in order to be healed?

Are you ready to let the light of God’s love shine into those dark spaces, that it might sweep out the cobwebs that reside there, and restore what has long been a painful, broken place in you?

This week we’ll be reading Chapters 1-4 and we’ll be discussing and interacting in the comments here and on our Facebook page.

Each Thursday we’ll meet at one of our blogs to discuss and share what we’ve been learning in our reading from the week.

Here’s the schedule for the coming weeks…

February 28 – Chapters 1-4 :: Denise

March 7 - Chapters 5-8 :: Tracie

March 14 – Chapters 9-12 :: Denise

March 21 – Chapters 13-16 :: Jacque

March 28 - Chapters 17-19 :: Tracie

April 4 – Chapters 20-22 :: Jacque

April 11 – Chapters 23-25 :: Denise

April 18 - Chapters 26-28 :: Tracie

April 25 – Chapters 29-31 :: Concluding Thoughts

We’ll meet and encourage one another like crazy! Because who wouldn’t want to be mended and made whole in community? Right?

And I’m guessing one thing’s for sure … you’re here because you’re ready for the mending! Whether it’s the very beginning of being mended or a continuing of the process that has already begun, I am so very honored to be with you on the journey, my friend!

So this week, let’s discuss our pain and our brokenness. Let’s be brave and bold and share with one another, as sisters.

Because anything we bring into the light loses it’s power and there is much healing in carrying each other’s burdens. ← Click to Tweet

Feel free to write your own blog post and link up below, share and discuss in the comments here, or share on our Facebook page.

I know I also speak for Tracie and Denise when I say, what a privilege it is to link arms with you all, in our journey together to be mended!

And we can’t wait to lift you up in friendship and prayer today!

As we begin Angie’s book, Mended…

Where have you been?

What caused your brokenness?

And what are you hoping to accomplish on your journey to be mended?

Filed Under: (In)couragers, Adversity, Book Recommendations, Brokenness, Community, Failure, God's Love, God's Mercy & Grace, God's Promises, Grief & Suffering, Mended, Relationships, Resources Tagged With: brokenness, lovingkindness, mended, mercy

Because of His Great Mercy {Link-up!}

January 31, 2013 by Jacque 4 Comments

I shared my story with you in December, of how mercy found me, with the hope that you would know mercy could find you too…

Because God’s mercy and grace change everything.

And then I began to dream of a community, where we share our mercy-stories and declare how His grace meets us in our daily lives.

A place where we link-up and stand arm in arm… joining together to declare to the world,

That through our tragedies,

Our brokenness,

And our struggles in the mud,

God is good and we are loved, no matter what.

Not because of what we’ve done, but because of His GREAT mercy and unending grace, which He freely gives over and over again.

And all we have to do is turn to Him, at any moment, big or small.

When we come unglued in the midst of a conversation, speak harsh words to someone at work, or lose it with our kids for the umpteenth time.

When we pull a selfish move no one will ever know, refuse to love because it’s easier to hate, or fail to give because it’s easier to receive.

In any moment, we can turn to Him and make a plea…not because we deserve to based on our righteousness, but because of His GREAT mercy and lovingkindness that never, ever end.

Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy,

and for your own sake …O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see…

For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness,

but because of your great mercy.

Daniel 9:17-18 (ESV)

And so today, let’s share with each other, linking both our hearts and our words in community…

Because mercy has found us,

And grace overwhelms us!

Link-up your blog post below, or feel free to share in the comments.

And if you’d be so kind to visit the person who linked or commented before you and leave some encouraging words…

Let’s encourage one another, reflect Him, and celebrate His mercy and grace in our lives!

Ready. Set. Go!

As you look back on your month…

What is one way mercy found you?

In what way did you experience God’s grace?

And if you’d be so gracious to include this community button in your blog post!

Filed Under: Community, God's Mercy & Grace, Relationships, When Mercy Found Me Tagged With: grace, mercy, When Mercy Found Me

For When You’re Exposed and Have Lost Your Words

January 25, 2013 by Jacque 35 Comments

I hear the pitter patter of the rain and see the clouds hang on the mountain, much like the words hang heavy on my heart. Where have they gone? After baring my soul to the world, braving the cold winds of exposure and judgment, what now?

January has left me behind…

Deadlines to meet and endless work to be done,

Gaps to fill from leftover December tasks,

Homeschooling lesson plans, post deadlines, and bi-yearly work re-certifications all due this month.

The tasks smother me and I lose my words.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t discouraged.

Frustrated to not have the time to write,

And more frustrated to not find words when I finally sit and make time for it anyway.

I watch the unsubscription notifications continue to come. They’ve heard my story, and I suppose there’s no reason to stick around. Stripped bare, then left. I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t matter.

Yet I know this … this is my calling—to shout of the mercy and grace of our God.

To allow Him to mend my most broken places … and I have … and for you to allow Him to mend yours too.

But if just being mended were the end, I would squelch the fullness of His work in me.

The mending is just the beginning.

Then comes the surrender … the obedience required to allow Him to use it for good … because He’s the only one who can.

And so, this God-sized dream of a community of mercy and grace,

This place,

Right here,

For us to celebrate the redemption He brings to the everyday messes we make,

May it become whatever He wants it to be.

And although I search for the words, I will continue to come, again and again. And I will never cease to tell of the abundant grace He gives and the mercy that finds us, in any moment, right where we are.

And if that means exposing my weaknesses, I will do it, as He calls me to … for His sake, that He may be glorified in me.

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak…

and I do all things for the sake of the gospel,

that I might become a fellow partaker of it.

I Corinthians 9:22-23 (NASB)

Do you find uncertainty after being exposed?

How hard is it for you to find your words?

And you’re invited to link up next week!

As we meet for the first time ever, right here, and tell of how mercy has found us,

even in the smallest of ways …

I’d love to see you there!

To read more about the link up, click here…

I’m joining Lisa-Jo, over at her site today, to take five minutes and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. The challenge is to write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing, with the prompt she gives. And today, her prompt:

Again…

Filed Under: Adversity, Brokenness, Character, Community, Five Minute Friday, God's Mercy & Grace, God-Sized Dreams, Humility/Self-Denial Tagged With: 1 Corinthians, brokenness, character, grace, mercy, realness

A Mercy-Found-Me Community {My God-Sized Dream}

January 9, 2013 by Jacque 14 Comments

This year I’m joining a group of sisters over at Holley’s place, as we pursue our God-sized dreams—dreams placed within our hearts by the One who created us, and guess what? You’re invited!

“And while our dreams may not be about something big, our God-sized dreams perfectly fit who we are, what we’re called to do and how only we can make a difference in this world.” ~Holley Gerth

As I’ve shared my story over the past month, of how mercy found me, it’s my deepest desire to know how mercy has found you too—to share our stories and stand arm in arm in this place, declaring to the world that through our tragedies, through our brokenness, and through our struggles and time in the mud,

God is good, and we are loved … and He will leave nothing in our lives unredeemed. ← Tweet that

I have dreams, both big and small. And as this year unfolds, I’ll be sharing some of them with you. And I’m hoping you’ll be daring enough to share some of your dreams with me.

But my primary God-sized dream this year is to build a community right here, in this space, with you.

I dream of a place where we reflect on God’s mercy and recognize His grace in our everyday daily lives. Where we intentionally look to see what He gives, how he cares, and what He provides.

I dream of a place here, where we write about our mud moments, share about our real pain, and encourage one another in the process, so that we can know we are not alone. To know that God is here with each one of us, working and weaving His plan in and through our lives.

I dream of a place where we’re not afraid to admit our weaknesses, not embarrassed to share our brokenness, and that every single thing shared will point back to our God who really does redeem and restore each situation, as only He can.

My God-sized dream, is of a community where we are filled with the wonder of His love, moved by the radical power of His grace, and changed by His generous and unending mercy toward each and every one of us. ← Tweet That

Oh imagine the wonder of us all … united … standing arm in arm, with our scars of this life exposed, transparent, and free. Not to wallow, or complain, or highlight shame or guilt or despair.

But instead, for those scars to declare to each other and to shout to all the world,

How God is with us,

And He is good,

And we are loved,

No matter what!

So here’s the thing. I’m gonna go out on a long, narrow, and very bendy limb, in honor of dreaming–to be true to my God-sized dream.

And knowing it’s a risk, I’m going to stare fear in the face and ask anyway…

Will you join me?

On the last day of every month, will you join me here?

Whatever your situation, however you’re found, let’s meet and give God thanks…

For the way His mercy finds us,

His grace lifts us,

And His power redeems it all.

Will you look back on your month and find some way mercy found you and God gave you grace?

Will you write something from your heart, stare fear straight down and dare to hit publish anyway? Will you boldly come and link up together?

Linking both our hearts and our words in this community…

Where mercy has found us,

And grace overwhelms us,

And how because of Him we will never be the same…

And if you don’t have a blog, will join in and you write your words in the comments?

Will you be courageous with me?

To allow our words to heal … not only your own hearts as we reflect and write, but the hearts of others too?

A community of friends, linking arms once a month, to give thanks for God’s mercy and grace.

THIS is my God-sized dream.

And I’m crossing my fingers, and holding my breath … will you be there?

I can’t wait to see what God’s going to do!

What are you dreaming about?

What is your God-sized dream?

Holley’s written an e-book to help us begin to pursue our God-sized dreams: The “Do What You Can” Plan, 21 Days to Making Any Area of Your Life Better

And she’s hosting a link-up party every Tuesday over at her place to help us all dream together!

Also, as a team, we are getting ready, dreaming dreams, and anticipating the release of her brand new book, You’re Made for a God-sized Dream: Opening the Door to All God has for You, launching in March.

To learn more about Holley, her books, and words of inspiration, go to HolleyGerth.com … You’ll be so glad you did!

Filed Under: Community, God's Mercy & Grace, God-Sized Dreams, Relationships, When Mercy Found Me Tagged With: connection, friendship, God-sized dream, grace, mercy, thanks

For When You Dream of a Community of Mercy and Grace

December 1, 2012 by Jacque 5 Comments

I’m still full of wonder at the mercy of our God—the fact that I don’t receive the punishment I do deserve, but instead am given grace—the gift of His unending and extravagant love I don’t deserve.

I wonder what it would be like for every heart to be found by His mercy and transformed by His grace. To really let it sink in how lavishly loved by God we really are. This is my passion.

And I wonder what would happen if there arose a community where we shared our experiences of how mercy found us and how we’ve been met by His grace.

To tell one another what God has done in and through us,

To encourage each other,

And to draw others in who desperately need to know.

I wonder how it would strengthen and empower our hearts to know that our pain and suffering, and our mistakes and failures, are never in vain when we surrender them to God.

I wonder how hearts would be renewed to hear they are not journeying alone.

To hear how God will, and has, transformed even the most horrific circumstances and used them for good.

To understand and know how He can redeem and restore any situation to reflect His goodness and love.

Because He IS that kind of God.

My God-sized dream tonight, is of a community here in this online space, where we are filled with the wonder of His love, moved by the radical power of His grace, and changed by His generous and unending mercy toward each and every one of us.

Oh imagine the wonder of us all … united … standing arm in arm, with our scars of this life exposed for others to see. Not to wallow, or complain, or highlight shame or guilt or despair. But instead, for those scars to declare to each other and to shout to all the world, that God is with us…

And He is good,

And we are loved,

No matter what!

Friend, I’m inviting you today to such a community … this community … that you may know you are never alone!

Has mercy found you?

How has grace changed your life?

Wonder…

Filed Under: Adversity, Brokenness, Character, Community, Failure, Faith, Five Minute Friday, Friendship, God's Love, God's Mercy & Grace, Grief & Suffering, Hope, Relationships Tagged With: brokenness, connection, friendship, God-sized dream, grace, love, mercy

Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good

November 22, 2012 by Jacque 4 Comments

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

He. is. good.

Do you believe He is?

Even through the job loss

The cancer fight

The care of an aging parent

Or the care of a special needs child?

Do you believe He is good?

Even through the loneliness and despair of isolation

The tension of your marriage

Or the rejection of a friend?

For some of us it’s easy to give thanks, but for others, this day is hard, and giving thanks is a sacrifice.

Because thanks is something you say when you believe you’ve received a gift. But what if that thing you’re given feels nothing like a gift? And what if believing He’s good is the hardest part of all?

Oh friend, may I encourage you today? No matter the triumphs or tragedies of this year…

He longs to draw you close.

He longs to open His arms wide and pull you into His embrace.

He sees who you are.

And He wants to make you more like Him.

Not because you’re not good enough just the way you are. Not. at. all. But so you can become more like Him–reflecting Him to a hurting and desperate world.

He longs to connect with you, and for you to abide.

And so He gives. ALL things.

And even if we don’t feel like they’re gifts,

He does care,

And He does know,

And He IS good.

So today, no matter where you are or what your heart is facing, please know…

He is good,

And you are loved,

Just as you are.

May we accept all He gives, trust in His plan, and offer Him the thanks of our whole heart.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Lord Jesus,

This Thanksgiving day we acknowledge You are good.

We lay down our selfish ways and limited perspectives,

and we surrender our hearts completely to You … no holding back.

We trust you and thank you for all you give and for all we have…

For making a way for us to be reconciled through Your death on the cross.

For giving us mercy–by removing the punishment we deserve,

For giving us grace–by offering your love and favor we could never earn.

This day of Thanksgiving, mold us and make us to be more like You,

that we may reflect You to a lost and dying world.

Thank you for ALL you give, we are so in awe of You.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen

When thanks demands a sacrifice, will you give thanks even then?

What are you giving thanks for today?

Filed Under: Adversity, Brokenness, Character, Devotional, Faith, God's Love, God's Mercy & Grace, Gratitude, Hope Tagged With: aching, brokenness, character, grace, growth, love, mercy, thanks

For You to Know His Mercy {A Brand New Place!}

November 18, 2012 by Jacque 59 Comments

My heart beats fast as I write, groping for just the right words to welcome you to this new place … this beautiful light-filled mercy-space … the one I’ve dreamed of for so long.

The place where I have the chance to meet with you–the privilege to invite you in, with the hope that even amidst your crazy-busy days you’ll sometimes say yes. Yes to come by and stay awhile with me, and the friends who’ll join us along the way…

To walk the dirt paths between the trees, and past the ponds, and stop to chat at the benches on the way.

To gaze at the flowers and notice the dew on the grass and be lulled by the sound of the rustling leaves.

To feel the fresh breeze blowing and take in the stillness of it all.

To slow down and reminisce…

about where we’ve been,

and what we’ve learned,

and how it all gets sorted out for our good…

by a God who loves us so much He just can’t help but bless like that.

We can walk even on days when there’s shade–when the sun is hiding through the trees, or when it’s blocked by the threatening dark clouds in the sky.

And we’ll remind each other even on those days, how there are times we don’t feel the warmth of the sun, but that we know it’s still there.

Above and beyond the darkness.

And higher than the obstacles in its way.

We’ll remember how it will shine strong again–and together that ray of hope will be enough.

We can remember together how our God gives beautiful gifts, and remind each other how all is a gift, even when it doesn’t feel much like one.

That we can trust in His goodness anyway, and hold our hands open and give thanks together anyhow.

We can talk and dream of what the future holds and be reminded that we have hope.

Because God made a way for joy to transcend our circumstances–

a way for hope to resurrect sorrow,

and for His grace rain over us all.

Oh friend … {sigh} I remember how this has been a long time coming–how I’ve been planning and dreaming, rearranging and preparing for these walks with you.

To finally tell you how mercy found me.

To share how it all happened,

And explain to you why I feel so passionate about mercy and grace…

Why I long to display the unrelenting and redemptive power of our God in this place.

But most of all, as we begin to meet here in this new and glorious place, I long for you to find mercy too…

For your heart to know that no matter where you’ve been, what you’ve done, or where you’re going, there is nothing that can separate you from God’s great love … nothing.

And if by chance you come by every now and again, won’t you plan to stay awhile?

We can watch the sunset as it slips below the branches of those tall strong trees. We can breathe deep while it sinks from the sky, and rest knowing that no matter what this day held, morning is on it’s way—a morning where His mercy is brand new and enough, for each and every new day.