Faith In Plain Sight

There are two pictures sitting in the windowsill above my kitchen sink.  I often find myself reading them while doing dishes at night.  One says, “Faith is knowing that life can be unpredictable but trusting that it will all work out for good.”  The other bears the poem Footprints, which you can find below.

Footprints

Author Unknown

One night I had a dream.

I was walking along a beach with the Lord, and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.

In each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints, side by side in the sand.

One was mine and one was the Lord’s.

When the last scene of my life appeared before me, I looked back,

and to my surprise, I saw that during the lowest and saddest times of my life,

there was only one set of footprints!

“Lord,” I cried, “you said that once I decided to follow you,

you would walk beside me all the way.

But during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints.

I don’t understand why you left my side when I needed you the most.”

The Lord turned an looked at me,

His eyes filled with love.

“My precious child,” He said,

“I have never left you.

During your times of trial, where you only see one set of footprints,

that was when I was carrying you.”

Have you ever looked at something you see every day but suddenly it takes on a whole new meaning for you?  Those pictures have been sitting in my window for more than a year now.  But this week as I read them again for the thousandth time while doing dishes, the words took on new meaning.  I have been walking through one of those times of trial that God has carried me through.  This season of life is absolutely something I never could have predicted.  When he and I started dating I truly thought we would make it through anything life threw at us.  I really thought our love would stand the test of time.  But here I stand, alone again.  Even in these months of feeling so very alone and bereft, there wasn’t a second that I stood alone really.  God was right here beside me the entire time.  He’s been whispering truth into my heart even as He’s been stitching it back together.  Scripture tells us that God works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  Not some things.  Not just the things that seem like they will work out for us.  ALL THINGS!  Even knowing that scripture and God’s promise to me through those words, I never thought there was any chance this situation would ever bring anything good my way.  The unbearable pain I’ve been in has drawn me closer to God.  He’s revealed to me a little bit more of the things He has for me.  He’s renewed my hope and strengthened my faith.  He brought me through the valley to stand on the mountaintop beside Him.    The only thing I had to do to get here was listen.

Are you listening for God’s voice in the midst of your pain?  Are you really hearing His whispered promises?  He is standing there right beside you.  All you have to do is let His voice guide you through the wilderness.

Godspeed,
Mollie <3

Only God can heal a broken heart, but there are things we can do to help foster self healing. This post is part of my series 31 Days of Self Healing. You can find the rest of the posts for this series here.

There is something therapeutic about a group of women gathered around a table.  It doesn’t really matter what they’re doing.  Eating, drinking coffee, crafting, painting, or just talking.  There is something that happens when women gather.

I am not a crafty girl, but when I leave my friend Katie’s house I feel like I am!  Sometime in early summer I got a postcard in the mail from Katie telling about some craft classes she was hosting throughout the summer.  I hung it on the fridge and forgot about it.  A reminder for the first class popped up on Facebook about a month after the breakup.  So I went, just to get out of the house.  And then I went to all the other classes throughout the summer too.

 

I had so much fun at these classes.  Katie calls her company Craft Therapy and that is an apt name for it.  I knew some of the women at these classes from church or from MOPS, others I hadn’t met till then.  These classes took place just a short time after the breakup, so I was still prone to bursting into tears for no apparent reason.  I didn’t phase anyone present at the classes with my tears.  Every woman understands the language of a broken heart.  Whether she’s actually spoken it herself, or has just stood beside a sister who was in pain, every woman understands.  These classes gave me something to look forward to and people to talk to when I needed to talk.  I love the feeling of having created something.  I am proud of all of my summer creations, but my favorites are the bicycle picture and the washi tape composition notebook! I may have a slight washi tape obsession now thanks to these classes!  I have a drawer full of it!  I love washi tape!  If you don’t know what washi tape is you can look it up on pinterest.  There are so many things you can do with washi tape!

 

 

Godspeed,
Mollie <3

Only God can heal a broken heart, but there are things we can do to help foster self healing. This post is part of my series 31 Days of Self Healing. You can find the rest of the posts for this series here.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  –Matthew 25:35

 

At the end of my days this is what I want people to say about me.  This is the kind of person I want to be when I grow up.  I have spent a lot of my time being selfish in these early years.  Truth is I didn’t really realize that I was selfish until fairly recently.  It isn’t an intentional selfishness, but one born out of being to caught up in how everything effects me.  Of not being able to see outside my little corner of the world.  I have seen examples of these kind of people at work in my life.  My ex is one of those people.  I learned from watching him for our short time together just what it looks like to truly love people.  He just loves people.  All people.  That is still one of my favorite things about him.

About a month after the breakup I had the opportunity to help a friend who had fallen off a roof and broken his back.  Let me start by saying that friend is fine, up and walking and everything.  But he needed a good bit of help once he got home from the hospital.  This particular friend isn’t one who likes to ask for help, but thankfully he felt comfortable enough with me to ask for the help he needed anyway.  I didn’t do a whole lot for him, just little things like the dishes and vacuuming.  I learned something from that experience.  It was easier to stop thinking about the great pain I was in during the times I was helping him.  When I was focused on meeting his needs I wasn’t focused on me.  When you are helping someone it makes it easier to step outside of your own situation.  It takes the magnifying glass off of you for awhile.  It was a good thing to be able to step away from all my many feelings and spend some time placing that focus elsewhere.  It’s something I need more of.  It’s in focusing on others that we become more like Christ.

This is my prayer.  Feel free to change it to meet your needs.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this beautiful life.  For pain that creates growth in me.  For the glimpses of promises that are left just for me to discover.  I thank you for my lasting sense of hope and of the moments of unspeakable joy that you create for me.  I pray that you would strengthen me in the areas where my faith is weak. I ask that you create in me a servant’s heart.  A heart that thinks of others more highly than myself.  Chase out all the selfish ways that dwell within me.  Bind my will to Your will for me.  Let me not take single step that is outside of your will for my life.  I thank you for the promises that your Word affords me and for the purpose you hold for me, now and in the future.  I pray all these things in the precious name of Jesus.

Amen

There are many ways we can be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Reaching out and serving His children.  I urge to listen to the Spirit’s urging and follow His call for your life, for your time.  You just might find a little healing through serving others.

Godspeed,
Mollie <3

Only God can heal a broken heart, but there are things we can do to help foster self healing. This post is part of my series 31 Days of Self Healing. You can find the rest of the posts for this series here.

Some days feeling like you’re drowning is all consuming, and you just need to feel better right now, if only for a little while.  Sometimes healing is about feeling better right now!  And worrying about tomorrow later.  This might sound cliché, but sometimes the simplest way to make yourself feel better is to simply take care of yourself.  Do something that makes you feel pretty.  Take the time to really concentrate on yourself.  Do what makes you feel better right now.  It’s ok to stop thinking about him for a little while and think about just you.

What is it that makes you feel a little better instantly?

A bubble bath, a shower, shaving your legs, dying your hair, painting your nails, going to a salon, buying a new outfit, getting a mani/pedi, putting on makeup and going out in public, just putting on real clothes, going home putting on comfy pajamas and lighting some candles…. the list could go on and on.

I had a rough afternoon yesterday and I needed a little bit of something to shake me out of my mood.  I headed straight to the bathroom and pulled out the box of hair dye I had been meaning to use for weeks.  The grey was starting to get to me.  I am pretty sure the amount of grey hair on my head has at least doubled since the breakup happened.  So, I dyed my hair, took a shower and shaved my legs.  I put on a face mask when I got out of the shower and painted my toenails in my favorite shade of polish.  Those are all little things, but they made me feel better after a bad afternoon.

Sometimes it’s the little things that work.  The little things may not make much of a difference in the long term, but sometimes it’s about doing what makes you feel better right now so that you can make it to later.  Sometimes it’s about shaking that feeling that you are never to feel any better.  Go ahead, do whatever it is you need to do to relax for a little bit, whatever it is that makes you feel pampered.  Do it!  Let it take you out of the midst of the pain if only for a short time.

 

Godspeed,
Mollie <3

Only God can heal a broken heart, but there are things we can do to help foster self healing. This post is part of my series 31 Days of Self Healing. You can find the rest of the posts for this series here.

A few months ago I started an exercise program with some friends.  A few times a week I would go to their house and we would do a video together.  It was fun.  But then there was a gas crisis and then I got sick and was in bed for almost a week at the beginning of October.  So our exercise sessions came to a grinding halt.  Those are valid excuses to use not to go to their house and exercise, but they are still excuses.  Because lets face it, the beginning of October was a month ago.  My body has started screaming at me for the lack of exercise again.  My back aches again.  Every morning when I get out of bed I am so very stiff for a good while.  I don’t have an ounce of energy.  All of those things had faded while I was exercising with my friends.  My body is telling me something I knew already, but have been ignoring.  When you exercise you feel better, not only physically but emotionally as well. Exercising produces this exhaustion that makes you feel so much better, lighter somehow, accomplished because you did something for yourself to make yourself better.  Endorphins work!

There are endless possibilities for what you can do to get moving!  Just pick something.   The photo below are some of the things I could think of to get you moving.  My kids love to take the dog for a walk to the mailbox with me.  (My mailbox is a half mile from the house.)  Here is a short squat challenge video that I like to do.  It hurts a bit, but it will have you laughing!  Definitely more fun if you do it with a room full of women!

Exercise isn’t only good for your physical and emotional health, but for your spiritual health as well.

Do you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.                  — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

There it is in black and white.  The Holy Spirit dwells within each of us believers.  We are commanded to be good stewards of the body He gave us.  The body that holds the Spirit that guides us through every step of the day.  He died for us.  I feel like I we can put in the effort it takes to get the body He lives in whipped into shape.

And if you need anymore reason to get moving think about this: There’s a guy out there who isn’t thinking about your broken heart and how he made you feel.  Doesn’t just a little bit of you want to make him think twice when you walk past him feeling better and looking better?  Happiness is the best revenge.  Besides, one day there will be another guy.  Don’t you want to be the best you can be for that guy?  The one God still has for you.

 

So, once the coffee kicks in and I feel a little more awake I am going to do that squat challenge video from above today and I already have a babysitting arrangement worked out with a friend so I can go to a Zumba class every Monday night.  I’m committing to feeling better and taking better care of the temple that holds the Spirit.  Looking better will be an added bonus!  Who’s with me?

 

Godspeed,
Mollie <3

Only God can heal a broken heart, but there are things we can do to help foster self healing. This post is part of my series 31 Days of Self Healing. You can find the rest of the posts for this series here.

Did you hear that?  Do you need to go back and watch it again?  Go ahead, I’ll wait.

There is a sea of voices competing with each other to drown out the voice of God in your life.  They are trying to derail you.  To distract you from hearing the Shepherd’s voice.  They are all trying to win at telling  you who you are and making you believe it.  Here and now when you are in the midst of pain, they think they have a hold on you.  They think you aren’t strong enough to stand up for yourself.  There is only one way to defeat them, to prove them wrong.  The Shepherd’s voice can and will drown out all the others.  You can stand on who He says you are and defeat all the competing voices, but you must first know the Shepherd’s voice.

I encourage you to dive into God’s Word and spend some time learning who He says you are.  It’s important that you do.  It’s important so that you know the Shepherd’s voice.  So you can recognize it and pick it out over the din of competing voices.  Listen so that He can tell you who you are.  So that you have a firm foundation to fight from when the world is coming at you.  It doesn’t matter who the world says you are when you can come back to the knowledge that YOU ARE HIS!  Who He says you are is the only truth you need.

 

Godspeed,
Mollie <3

Only God can heal a broken heart, but there are things we can do to help foster self healing. This post is part of my series 31 Days of Self Healing. You can find the rest of the posts for this series here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am joining the party over at the Fresh Market Friday link-up today.  Check it out here.

Forgiving those who you feel have wronged you sets you free.  I know that sounds wrong.  But really, think about it.  Worrying about you being upset isn’t keeping them up at night.  Chances are their life isn’t effected at all.  They may not even know you are holding onto unforgiveness.  It’s you who is turning yourself inside out worrying about it.  It can be a difficult task, this forgiving.  Good thing God is always there to lend us the strength and the grace we need.  He will not only help you to forgive, but to walk out that forgiveness as well.

Scripture is full of the command to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

–Colossians 3:13

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.

–Ephesians 4:32

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?  Up to seven times?”  Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

–Matthew 18:21-22

If Jesus can ask forgiveness for the ones who are casting lots for his clothes even as he hangs on the cross (Luke 23:34) you can certainly forgive your ex.  Forgive him for everything he said or didn’t say.  Forgive him for walking away from you and for refusing to fight for the love you once shared.  Forgive him for all the grievances you hold against him, real or perceived.  I promise it will make you feel so much better when you do.  It will make you feel lighter.  More at peace.

Forgive him.  Wish him well and set him free.  Set yourself free in the process.
Godspeed,
Mollie <3

Only God can heal a broken heart, but there are things we can do to help foster self healing. This post is part of my series 31 Days of Self Healing. You can find the rest of the posts for this series here.

Another way to reduce the stress in your world is to organize it.  Clutter and chaos just add to an already stressful time of life.  Plus, it will keep you busy, for awhile anyway.

I am an awful housekeeper.  That bugged my ex so very much.  I’ve been taking steps to be better at keeping the house picked up.  I feel better when I can walk into a room and not immediately have a to do list start in my head.  I started small with simply making the bed every morning as soon as I got up.  When I had that down I picked something else.  Now, I do the dishes every night before I go to bed.  Some nights, no make that most nights, I really don’t want to do the dishes, but I always feel so much better when they are done.  And I have a clean kitchen to mess up every morning!  I love to cook.  The cleaning up part, not so much.  It takes some discipline on my part to keep at it, but I feel so much better about life when my space is clean and organized.  Don’t get me wrong, I am still in the process of cleaning out the clutter.  I come by the pack rat gene honestly.  I have so much stuff.  My general goal is to throw something out, either in the trash or in the donate/ yard sale pile, every day for this first little while.  Until everything has it’s own place.  My house is a project in it’s own right.  After I get the clutter under control I am going after painting all the walls!  It gives me something to do now and something to look forward to later.

If you hate cleaning do something to make it fun.  Like when I vacuum, the dog attacks the vacuum cleaner.  It’s hilarious!  The only way to do the dishes right is with the music turned up, well maybe not while the babies are in bed, while dancing around the kitchen!  Takes so much longer, but at least it’s more fun that way!  I have no idea how to make folding and putting away laundry fun.  It is my very least favorite chore.  (Insert frowny face here.)

Seems simple, but it is working to make my world feel a little more peaceful and not as crazy.  It’s reducing a little bit of the stress in my world.  Keeps me busy while God works on stitching the pieces of my heart back together.

 

Godspeed,
Mollie <3

Only God can heal a broken heart, but there are things we can do to help foster self healing. This post is part of my series 31 Days of Self Healing. You can find the rest of the posts for this series here.

There are so many things that are left over after a relationship has ended.  The things that made up your life together.  These things can serve as fond memories or as distractions that keep you from moving on.  They can deepen your pain and keep you bound to someone who was never meant to be yours.

They are everywhere.  On your phone, your computer, strewn throughout your house.  You can never really wipe the existence of someone out of your life completely.  From where I sit right now I can see two books he gave me, and a print out of a verse he asked me to memorize that has become one of my favorites.  And the slippers he gave me for Christmas last year are on my feet.

The thing is, you don’t really have to get rid of absolutely everything.  You know those things that will tempt you.  The things that you catch yourself staring at only causing yourself more pain.  For me, it’s the pictures and the text messages and the voice messages on my phone.  I am fairly auditory, so all I’ve wanted is to hear his voice.  I’ve put all the letters and the photos that were around the house in a box.  Those don’t bother me anymore.  But the things that were on my phone, well they kind of haunted me.   So, one day I sat down and I deleted them.  All the photos, the text messages, the walkie talkie app that I only used with him.  It’s tricky though.  Those things will hide from you.  I found photos from the night we got our puppy in a random folder on my phone this week.  Truth is I don’t need the pictures to remember the moments.  They are all stored securely inside my head and heart.  But I was using them to torture myself, so they had to go.

What are you holding onto that is keeping you in pain?  Are you able to put it away and have it out of sight, out of mind, or are more drastic measures required?

Maybe you’re hoping your guy will come back and are hesitant to let go of the memories?  Let me reassure you, God will make new memories for the two of you if you’re meant to be.  The old ones are just serving to keep you bound in pain. God wants to see you set free.  Let the past go.  You don’t live there anymore.  Sometimes you have to let go of the old to make room for the new.  I promise you, God has something new in store for you.  Maybe it’s a new chapter in an old relationship, but maybe it’s a whole new relationship that will surpass anything you could have even thought to dream for.  Make room for it in your life and in your heart.

 

 

Godspeed,
Mollie <3

Only God can heal a broken heart, but there are things we can do to help foster self healing. This post is part of my series 31 Days of Self Healing. You can find the rest of the posts for this series here.

When you’re in the midst of pain it can be hard to focus on anything else, and harder still to find anything to be grateful for.  So today I am posing a challenge to you.  That’s right.  You.  Each and every day I want you to sit down with pen and paper and write something, anything that you are grateful for.  It might take a while to identify those things you are grateful for at first, but it will become easier as you keep with it.  Are you with me?

Just so you know, I would never ask you to do something I don’t do myself.  I have this pretty journal, it is purple with butterflies on it, and it’s only purpose is to write down what I’m grateful for every day.  It’s something that was prompted by the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  If you’re a reader I highly recommend that you pick up a copy!  You don’t necessarily need a book to start this exercise.  You can start right now.  Grab a notebook or a piece of paper.  Get a pen or whatever you want to write with.  Now think hard.  What was good in your world today?  Leave your answer in the comments below if you want!  It doesn’t have to be something big and profound.  It can be as simple as I am grateful that I woke up this morning.  Make sure that isn’t you only answer every day!

I’ll go first!  Today I am grateful for reminders of God’s promises.  I’m grateful for avocados.  (I have had a serious avocado craving for the last few days.)  I am grateful for my crazy cat and dog who keep constant watch over me when the boys aren’t here.  I am grateful for tender moments between my boys that I catch without them seeing me.

Now it’s your turn!  If you need more accountability than just yourself and a piece of paper to get this habit started grab a friend who will help you.  I have a friend who is also having some troubles.  She lives across the country, but with all the technology available that doesn’t matter.  One of us texts the other every night with the same question.  “What was good today?”  And we each answer that question.

This is a good habit to form, not just when you’re hurting, but every day.  I find that the world seems a little bit sunnier when you can look through the rain and find the rainbow there.  I urge you to find something to be grateful for in each and every day!

Godspeed,
Mollie <3

Only God can heal a broken heart, but there are things we can do to help foster self healing. This post is part of my series 31 Days of Self Healing. You can find the rest of the posts for this series here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am linking this post up with the Who God Says You Are link-up!