Skinned Knees, Hurdles and Chaotic Greatness

Place your trust in the Eternal; rely on Him completely;

never depend upon your own ideas and inventions.

Give Him the credit for everything you accomplish,

and He will smooth out and straighten the road that lies ahead.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Gabby love <3

I haven’t written in a while.  Life has been abnormally busy, but busy in a good way.  Between family, school, church and moving a family of 7 there has been little time to process my thoughts let alone write them out. 

My head is full of great stuff.  God is doing such mighty things in our family, I often take a step back and ask, “Is this really my life?”  There are moments when I cannot grasp how far I have come in the last few years, however, I wholeheartedly acknowledge that nothing I have accomplished I did on my own.  I recognize God’s sufficient grace has carried me every step of the way.

I just finished my first semester back in college. I finished with three As and a B.  All of that in the middle of my youngest son’s health issues, the senseless murder of a friend, the starting of a small group in our home each week, working with a ministry team, leading a women’s bible study group and moving.  It has been months of chaotic greatness as God has worked to increase my faith and restore the lost years of joy taken.  

I often cannot comprehend the greatness of my God and how His powerful love can encourage us to trudge ahead even in the midst of anguish. 

God’s plans for our family remain a mystery, however, I firmly believe He is preparing us for something and we are ready for the challenge.  I realize as I continue through my classes I am constantly reminded of the way in which He will use my story to encourage and comfort other women who have been hurt the way in which I was.  He has given me a passion for the people I once disliked and trusted least in life; women.  After years of superficial relationships which always ended with broken hearts, He has placed women in my life to love me and for me to love all while teaching the significance of true Christian sisterhood.  

I am daily overwhelmed by the opportunities He allows in which I can grow.  His constant confirmation of love and grace pushes me to strive harder in letting go of my inhibitions to trust women and open my heart to those who need Him.

I recognize that without God’s love and the love of my remarkable husband and love of my extraordinary kids, I would not be where I am today.  My greatest fan and encourager, my husband supports me in every way while inspiring me to keep dreaming and reaching for the end goal. He is my heart and my rock and to know this type of support and love in a marriage remains something I never dreamed possible.  In the end, his love and our marriage prove God’s goodness when we seek to live a life faithful to Him.

My heart <3

I adore this man <3

The last few months have presented several large hurdles to overcome and though I’ve stumbled and skinned a few knees, God in His sufficiently perfect grace, has given me the strength, wisdom and insight to overcome those hurdles with immense anticipation of what He has around the corner for us. 

Be encouraged!  God’s plans are so much greater than our own!  When we trust Him completely and allow Him to lead, He uses our lives to encourage others and point them toward His amazing love!  Keep running!  NO matter how significant those hurdles appear, with Him by your side, they are worth the jump, skinned knees and all!