“Out of the Shadows…”
Let me tell y’all where I have been as of late, now what I love about the topic at hand is that it’s not mine, one of my sisters in Christ recently themed a beautiful picnic we had around “Out of the Shadows”, and it resonated so well I could have taken a lap around the park! Kayla ate with this theme and here’s why; at the time of this beautiful fellowship, we were having I was present in one of the darkest and lowest seasons of my life. Ya girl was not ready, yet she prevailed. Often, we don’t understand the things we are going through or how we got there, and it feels like the weapons that form get to a point where they want to try to prosper. Nevertheless, I was in a place that truly God himself was carrying me through even when the tunnel was so dark I didn’t know if I would make it out. I didn’t realize it then because my vision was so skewed but that’s just like the enemy, isn’t it?! To ruffle feathers and bring confusion and disdain to our minds and lives, but I Thank God for the community because it fuels, feeds, and prays.
I needed to be surrounded by my sisters in an environment of love, peace, prayer, and uplifting. It’s amazing what a difference it makes being in a community; sharing/listening to the testimonies of others and hearing how God is moving, how he is carrying them through, and how he has even brought them out. It’s that assurance and testament that if God did it for someone else, I know he can surely do it for me. It’s kept me keeping my eyes fixed on Him no matter what it looks like …
Things I have been reminded of/re-learned in the last month:
God loves me + God chose me
I know too much about God to be talking/thinking the way I sometimes do
My hope remains in God, therefore as long as I hold on to that all will continue to be well
Moments that help me stay present to keep me grateful (quality time with my loved ones + nature are a big deal to me)
“The Blood Still Works” - songs that I heard growing up sound so different to me now and hit a different vain
God reminded me of the light I carry and can never lose (thankful for my sister-in-love, Morgan)
I need to trust God with my broken parts (He is the Potter)
The plan for my life is already written
God is carrying me, and His reassurance means everything to me
I love that God is always speaking, and I am sensitive to how he communicates and reveals the things I need to hear when I need to hear them. Coming out of the shadows after being hidden, after overcoming, while being molded and sculpted, after a season of pruning, in what may have felt like the trenches; makes ALL things new. To have been in the midst of a current and stayed afloat even when it felt like drowning is the testimony. There is nothing too big that God can't carry for you or pick you up out of, you don’t have to bear anything alone [ see Jeremiah 32:27]. You learn in this place, when you’re so enveloped by your circumstances and emotions if you keep the gateway to God open and stay in active prayer with Him, He will walk with you through it. Like myself, if we aren’t careful, we will find ourselves almost wearing what we’re going through when we should be wearing the full armor of God.
Be willing to tell your story of how God brought you out of the miry clay, you know the place only He could reach [Psalm 40:2] and get you out of. You are still standing, and you are a testament to help someone else who may be going through the same thing you currently are or have overcome. When you walk in the light the shadows disappear, and you don’t focus on what’s behind you. Putting your things down and bearing witness shows strength and confidence in God. If I have learned anything it’s selfish to not share how good God is, or how he’s blessed you. To hold out on telling of the goodness of God is not only a disservice to God himself but a disservice to yourself, that’s something to boast about, I know when work is done in my life, I want everyone to know how marvelous He is and that his word is true “We can do all things through Christ that strengthens us”.
Captured by Gabrielle’s gallery