Author: Melissa Day

I have always been a big dreamer. For as long as I can remember I have dreamed both day and night. Actually, it’s very seldom that I go a day (or a night) without dreaming. I dream almost every night and every morning when I wake up, I remember my dreams very vividly. Sometimes the dreams are reoccurring, but most of the time they are different. Occasionally, I will dream about something or someone and will see the dream come to life when I am awake. It’s pretty wild when that happens. I just can’t explain it. However, most of the time the dreams I have in my sleep stay in my sleep.

During the day, I day-dream. Like all the time. So much so that it can be a problem. I can be in the middle of a conversation and start dreaming about something. If this ever happens to you, I’m sorry. If you spend a lot of time with me, it probably has happened to you and you just didn’t realize it. It happened today when I was talking to my best friend. Sometimes, I dream about events coming up. Other times, I dream about important people in my life or things I would like to do. Most of the time, I dream about goals that I have and how to meet those goals. Every day, I dream. The one I dream about the most, though, is Jesus. I dream about what he would have me do. I dream about his word. I remember the life he has given me and I dream about how to live my life fully for him.

Many years ago I was doing campus ministry full-time when some very close friends of mine gave me a t-shirt that says “Jesus is my Dream.” I wore the shirt so much that the print mostly faded away but you can still make out what it says. Actually, the part that still stands out on my faded shirt is “Jesus.” Pretty cool, huh? They gave me this shirt because I put my life on hold to go into full-time ministry. They knew I had big dreams and I laid down all of those dreams to do what I felt like God had called me to do. They encouraged me in that and said that really what I had done is say that Jesus is my dream. I never thought of it that way until they pointed it out, but it’s true. I gave up the dreams I had to live for Jesus.

The phrase “Jesus is my dream” shows up in my life periodically. Here lately, it has been pressing on my heart more than ever. I have a deep desire to live for Jesus and only for Jesus. I don’t know what tomorrow brings, or the next day, or even the next day, but I know that God is with me no matter what. I have dreams and I have goals. Some of those dreams, anyone who knows me knows about. Some of those dreams, I have kept very close to my chest and have only told those that are close to me. But in reality, those dreams don’t matter. What matters is that I am walking closely with God. I have seen dreams come true, and I have see dreams not become a reality, and it’s hard when something you have hoped for doesn’t become a reality, but no matter what God has been with me. I will continue asking the Lord what he has for my life and I will declare that he is my dream. If he’s not there with me, then I don’t want it. I have been amazed at the dreams that have become a reality and the amount of fruit that has been produced in my life just from proclaiming that Jesus is my dream.

I challenge you, today, to declare that Jesus is your dream. Sure, we are all going to have dreams of our own, but it’s God that gives us those dreams to begin with. Declare that Jesus is your dream and watch what he turns into reality. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of you heart.”

“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Ruth 1:16

As I sit here on Christmas night, my family is all tucked away and I’m thinking about the past two days. I’m thinking about the laughs, the tears from laughing so hard, the jokes, the smiles, the hugs, the games, the food, the conversations, and the amount of love that has filled up both my parents house and my heart, I can’t help but just grin from ear to ear. I didn’t take a single photo (or at least one that is worthy of posting, I did take one of a game I was playing). I took the photo you see above as I was writing this post because I needed a photo for this blog post. I didn’t know where my phone was half of the weekend. I didn’t get on the computer until I decided to write this blog post. Instead, I chose to live in the moment.

I chose to spend time with my family. I chose to cut up with my cousins (which is probably one of my favorite things to do anyways), I chose to play video games with my brother ALL day long even though that is not something I would normally do. I chose to help my dad with his new fire place because I knew that was something he was really excited about. I chose to sit in my moms room for an hour and just talk (while my phone was “lost”) because I knew that’s what she would enjoy. And I loved every minute of it. When I was with my family this weekend, it was like I forgot about everything else. I really did have a disconnected Christmas. It was not something I planned to do but something that just happened. I don’t regret a single moment though because having a disconnected Christmas, allowed me to reconnect with some of the most important people in my life.

Imagine if we (I) disconnected a little more just to spend time with those around us. Imagine if we (I) disconnected a little more just to spend time with God, as he is the one I love most. Imagine how different our life would be. I am close to my family, but this weekend it felt like we were even closer. Imagine how close we would get to those we love most if we disconnect to reconnect to each other. Imagine how close we would get to God if we disconnected from the world to reconnect with him. Sure, I still texted some this weekend and I don’t regret it as those were also people I love a lot. But I am grateful that I really did have the opportunity to disconnect to reconnect.

My Christmas week is just getting started as there are still celebrations happening this week. I can’t wait to continue disconnecting to reconnect with the ones I love most. I am encouraged by this weekend and I hope you will be too. I pray that God has blessed you this Christmas and that he will continue to bless you. Remember that he is the reason why we are celebrating and as I heard from a dear friend today there is “no better reason to celebrate.” Stay blessed everyone, Merry Christmas!

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

God has blessed me with so much over the last 30 years and I wanted to take a moment to share what I am most grateful for. I encourage you to also think about what you are grateful for. It is my hope that I will always have a grateful heart towards the Lord and I hope you will too. We have so much to be thankful for.

1. Mom and Dad- God really did give me the best parents for me. My Dad had me out working in the yard as soon as I could stand it seemed like. I learned so much from him growing up and I know as much as I do now because of him. My mom is simply the best. My friends would call her the “cool mom” growing up and it drove me crazy but she really is the coolest. She has become one of my very best friends over the years. When I want to do something, I call my mom. When I’m sick, I still call my mom. When I just want to call someone, I call my mom.
2. Alex- My brother Alex is the greatest blessing I have ever received. He drove me crazy growing up, especially when he would start singing the moment I turned out the lights to go to bed and I could hear every word through my bedroom wall. When he started having all of his back surgery’s and when I went off to college, we got a lot closer. He is the strongest, funniest person I know. When we are together, the room automatically gets louder with our random bursts of singing and jokes that only we think are funny.
3. Granny and Papa- Anyone that knows me knows I absolutely adore my grandparents. I want to do whatever Granny and Papa are doing. It doesn’t matter who else is there, I want to be with Granny and Papa. My Granny is the sweetest there is. She can get me laughing so hard I can’t breathe. And it’s no secret that my Papa has been my best friend since the day I was born. I immediately had him wrapped around my finger and I knew it. Not only did he teach me how to play basketball and throw a football, but he taught me how to kayak too (not many realize that). And any time I want to have a good spiritual talk, I know I can go to Papa.
4. My Mentor- I cannot simply express how thankful I am for my mentor. We have been walking through life together for quite a while now. She really did take me under her wing and train me up. She usually knows what I am thinking before I ever say it and I am so glad God chose me to walk closely with her. She has given me way more grace than I deserve as we have made decisions to walk closely together, and I am forever grateful. She is more than just a mentor though, she is family to me and I am so blessed by her.
5. Church Family- I absolutely love my church family. They are a special group of people. We really are a big family. I am so blessed to be a part of a congregation as amazing as the church family I am a part of and thank God every day for them.
6. Church Kids- You always wonder if you are making a difference in a child’s life and then they remember what you have been teaching them, or they call you their best friend, or they bake you a cake for your birthday to say thank you for everything you do. I proudly tell everyone I have the best church kids and it is so true. They will forever hold a special place in my heart. And yes, some (many) of them are actually my best friends.
7. Friendships- My grandma has always said “Melissa you have always had the best friends” and she’s right. I honestly don’t know what I’ve done to have the types of friends I have but I am so blessed. I don’t simply have one or even two best friends because each friendship is different and each friendship is amazing.
8. The Friends That Pray- God has blessed me with friends that pray for me, even when I forget to pray for myself. I once had a friend say “I’m praying for you for (insert situation here)” and in that moment I had realized I had forgotten to pray for said situation myself. This hasn’t just happened once but happens all the time. I am so blessed to know that I am covered in prayer by my friendships as I also strive to cover them in prayer.
9. The Friends That Remember- My memory is horrible but somehow I have been blessed to have friends that remember every detail of my life and then ask me about it.
10. The Friends That Care- I cannot express to you how blessed I am by the friends that care for me. The one’s that call to check on me, the one’s that say hey lets go kayaking because they know I want to get out and do something, the one that waters my plants even when I forget to water them myself. They are all so amazing. It is my hope that I will always care for others the way they care for me.
11. The Friends That Turned into Family- Then there’s those special friends that have turned into family. I was recently talking to my mom as she was planning a family get together and I said “well this person and this person will be here” and Mom’s response was “oh I put them on the family list.” When your Mom says that about your friends, it says something. They really have become family to my family.
12. Co-Workers- When you are with your co-workers more than you are anyone else, it helps to get a long. I love my co-workers. We frequently call each other work family and that’s what we are. We are a family. They make going into work every day a blast.
13. My Job- I am so thankful for my job. Some days are harder than others, but at the end of the day I really do love my job. I love working with the students. I love helping them out. And I really do love where I work.
14. My Apartment- I waited to live in the apartment I live in for four years, praying frequently that God would bless me with this apartment. It was worth the wait. Living in my apartment has been better than I ever hoped it would be.
15. My Neighbors- I am so thankful for my neighbors. I love where I live, but it really is the neighbors that make it even better. We have so much fun in the neighborhood and we have each others back. It doesn’t matter if we need sugar for cooking or a ride somewhere, we always know we can call on each other.
16. The Mountains- I love to mountains. My parents knew that as soon as I turned 18 I would move to the mountains and never turn back. They were right. The best part of the mountains is the beauty. I love that I can drive to work and the view never gets old. The way the sun or clouds sit on the mountains, it never seems to be the same.
17. The Lake- I love the lake. I was just two weeks old and my parents had me out on the boat cruising up and down the lake. Most of my favorite childhood memories come from going to the lake with my family and taking friends to the lake. There is just something about it that gives me a sense of peace and rejuvenation.
18. Never Ending Grace- I am always amazed at how much grace I have received in my life. I am even more amazed at how much grace God has given me and continues to give me. The grace of God is never ending and I am forever grateful for it. Sometimes we may not always believe we deserve grace (and most of the time we don’t, that’s why it’s called grace) but God always gives us grace no matter what we do. We all make mistakes sometimes but God is always quick to give us grace when we mess up.
19. My Eyesight- Several years ago I had a scare with my eye sight and was told that I was at the risk of possibly going completely blind. I had lost all of my peripheral vision at the time. God healed me later on that year and I gained back my peripheral vision. I still have to wear glasses, but I know God healed my eye sight. Everyday I see, I am thankful to the Lord for healing my eyes and giving me vision, something I had always taken for granted.
20. Ice Cream- This one is kind of silly but anyone that knows me knows I love my ice cream. Ice cream is definitely my favorite food (or treat). I’ve never had ice cream I didn’t like, though I definitely have my favorites.
21. Music- Do I really need to say much about this one? I have been around music my whole life. My grandparents played instruments, my dad played an instrument, my brother and I both started playing instruments at a young age. Music is how I connect with people. Some of my favorite memories are just hanging out with my friends or my family and having jam sessions. When I play music, I get lost in what I’m doing and could do it for hours.
22. My Cousins- I once heard it said “cousins are your first best friends growing up” and I believe this to be true. I have been blessed with a lot of cousins and many of them I am super close with. We always have so much fun when we are together. There are several cousins in my life that don’t even feel like cousins. We are more like siblings and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
23. Laughter- As I sit in the living room at my grandparents house with tears flowing down my face from laughing, I am reminded of how grateful I am for laughter. I am so thankful that God gives me opportunities to laugh often. It really is the best feeling there is.
24. Papa’s Stories- My Papa loves to tell stories. He has been telling stories to me since I was born. I tease him and tell him I have heard every story of his, and most of them I have heard more than once. Of course I have my favorites and ask him to tell those stories to others when we are spending time together. Every now and then he manages to tell me a story I’ve never heard and it’s always a special time.
25. Living Rooms- It might seem strange for me to add living rooms to this list (but hey, I’m a strange person :)). This week especially, I have been thinking about living rooms and how they really are a blessing. Several of my favorite places to be are the living rooms of those I’m close to. It’s in those living rooms where we have had some of our deepest conversations, we have grown together, we have worshipped together, we have played together and we have experienced God in incredible ways together. Now that I have my own living room, I am starting to have these same experiences in my living room and I am richly blessed by it.
26. Kitchens- Similar to living rooms, kitchens should be added to this list. I love being in the kitchen. I love being in my kitchen, I love being in my families kitchen, I love being in my friends kitchen. Kitchens tend to gather people. Some of my favorite memories come from being in the kitchen. I have experienced a lot of laughs in the kitchen whether it was learning how to cook, laughing at life or just being silly. It’s also where some of my realest conversations have happened as we are gathered waiting on something to cook and we talk about what’s going on in life. It’s where I failed at making bread, learned how to make bread and succeeded at making bread. It’s where I get to serve others and serve the Lord while doing so.
27. Coffee- I have been drinking coffee since I was a young teenager. I remember trying my mom’s coffee for the first time and honestly I didn’t like it. As I got older and realized I could add more milk and sugar to my coffee then I started to like it more. Coffee is more than just a beverage to me though. Yes, it gives me energy but that’s not why I like it. I like it because it allows me to connect with people. When I want to spend time with someone, I ask them to go get coffee. When I have a meeting, coffee. When I have company over, coffee. I love sitting around with my family and friends drinking coffee and just talking about life.
28. The Gift of Writing- I have loved writing since I was a young girl. I have been told I’m good at it. I don’t do it because I’m good at it. I do it because I really enjoy it. I started writing poems and books when I was a child and continue to write all the time. No, those aren’t published and they won’t be haha. Writing allows me to get my thoughts on a page. It allows me to express how I’m feeling even when I don’t have the words (or the courage) to say it out loud. If I were to have a happy place, it would be in my writing.
29. My Heritage- I really do have a rich heritage. As I hear my grandpa tell stories that have been passed on from generation to generation, I am richly blessed at how amazing my heritage is. My great-grandparents (who both passed away when I was a child) and great-great-grandparents were amazing folks. I am proud of my heritage and blessed to be in the family I live in.
30. Salvation- I am so thankful for the salvation of Jesus Christ. I have so much to be thankful for but this is the one I am most thankful for. HE is the one I am most thankful for. It is because of Jesus that I get to live the life I live. It is because of him that I get to have eternal life. I make mistakes sometimes, we all do, but I still get to live forgiven because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Gardening is something that I have always enjoyed, but I’ve never seen myself as good at it. My dad is a great gardener. He can make anything grow. One time I had a tomato plant that had no life left. I took it to my dad’s house and somehow he was able to revive it and I had some amazing tomatoes that year. I used to love gardening with my dad when I was growing up because it meant I got to be outside and got to get my hands a little dirty. It was because of his work and expertise that our plants stayed alive.

I used to tell people they could send me flowers all they wanted (despite the fact that I’m highly allergic to most flowers and pretty much anything that grows outside) because I love them so much. However, I could never guarantee they would last very long. In fact, they would probably die a pretty quick death. I’ve just never been good at taking care of plants. I would either over water them or under water them. I just couldn’t seem to figure it out. I once was renting a house and my landlord asked me if I would remember to water her plants outside so that they wouldn’t die. I laughed at her and said “okay, but I’m horrible at gardening so please don’t kick me out if your plants die as my ability to garden was not listed on the lease.” Needless to say I was more excited for the rain that summer than I had ever been before, because it meant that God was taking care of her flowers with the rain and I no longer had to worry about it.

There is something special about gardening. It’s fun seeing a plant go from nothing to something. Even though I have always seen myself as not the best gardener, I have gotten more into it over the past couple of years. I love watching plants grow. I have some friends that garden and they have helped me a lot as I have learned this new trade. Last summer, I got a strawberry plant for my porch. I love strawberries (they are my favorite fruit) so I thought it would be fun to try to grow them. It helped that the plant already had some strawberries blooming on it so I essentially just had to keep watering it. It was fun to watch all of the strawberries grow that summer. I still had a lot to learn though. I had been watering my plant but not enough. My friend (who is a wonderful gardener) told me I wasn’t watering my plant enough. She said I needed to water it more because it was producing fruit. If I wanted the fruit to produce, then I needed to water it.

In the same way, we need to water our lives. If we want to grow into who God has called us to be, we need feed ourselves, just like we feed our plants and give them water. However, it is not just us that gives us the water we need, but the Holy Spirit. John 4:14 says “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The water that Jesus is talking about is the Holy Spirit. John 7:37-39 says “if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

One of my co-workers gave me a spider plant because apparently they are hard to kill. She said all I needed to do was remember to water it and I should be good. I had no idea that my plant would explode the way it has. The plant started growing so much I had to move it to a different location to give it more room. When we water our lives with the presence of God, our life can grow. It can grow so much that we have to find other ways to allow ourselves to grow. It is my hope that I will continue to grow every day into more of who God has called me to be. I don’t want to be the same person I was yesterday. I want to be a new, more mature, person in Christ every single day.

If we are to grow, we need the Holy Spirit. He is the one that teaches us (John 14:6). Other words that describe the Holy Spirit in the Bible are “advocate” and “counselor.” Just like I water my plants so that they may grow, I want to water my life with the Holy Spirit so that I may grow. I hope this blesses you today. What are you doing to water your life? Be blessed.

I’ve been asking the Lord what my next blog post should be on and the word “rest” keeps coming to mind. It’s actually quite funny that I would write on resting because I have been really bad at doing this very thing lately. I say this to tell you, that I am guilty as charge and need to listen to my own words.

So often, we get so wrapped up in our lives that we (I) forget to rest. We have to keep busy. We have to keep going. If we stop to rest we are just being lazy. These are all lies I have told myself, and I’m sure others have said as well. For me, these are things I tell myself regularly and have been telling myself for a long time.

The Bible talks about rest. God was the first one to rest. In Genesis we read “on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Genesis 2:2-3 God doesn’t need to rest, he’s God. He rested to set an example for the rest of us. He rested to let us know that it’s okay to rest. In fact, we should rest. God knew we needed to rest, so he went first and rested himself.

Resting is so important that one of the 10 commandments talks about rest. Exodus 20:8-10 says “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all of your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work.” I used to be really good at keeping the Sabbath. All through grad school, I refused to do any homework on Sunday’s because I knew God called me to rest. If I couldn’t rest on a Sunday, I would make sure I took another day that week and rested. Then I got out of the habit, and next thing I know I’m never resting.

It’s important to rest. Resting gives us energy. When we don’t rest, we burn out. We lose our energy. And in my experience, it’s really hard to do the things God has called us to do, and do them well, if we are tired. Someone recently told me you can still run while you rest. There is so much truth to that statement. Just because we rest, doesn’t mean we stop running. We can still run after all God has for us, even when we rest.

I have been trying to get back to being able to rest from time to time. It’s something I have recognized I needed, and others that are close to me have recognized I needed as well. There have been a few times recently when I have had the opportunity to rest. During these times I always find myself sitting on my couch in my usual spot and closing my eyes. As I feel the presence of God, I don’t want to leave that spot. If you are like me, when you are in the presence of God, you don’t want to leave. You want the feeling to last forever. It was a feeling I had been missing out on because I had been keeping so busy. Now that I am experiencing being in God’s presence in that way again, I crave it, and look forward to opportunities where I can just sit on my couch and close my eyes.

The presence of God is the place I enjoy being the most. Matthew 11:28 says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” When we enter into the presence of God, he gives us rest! Resting tends to be reactive. Most people rest because they are tired. We don’t have to rest just when we are tired. In fact, we can be proactive. We can rest, just because it’s good to rest. We don’t have to wait and react to our tiredness. We can rest before we are ever tired. God doesn’t require us to be tired before we can rest in him, but he does tell us to come to him when we are weary and he will give us rest. I want it to be my desire to rest in the presence of God, even when I don’t think I need to rest. When we rest in the presence of God, it doesn’t matter how busy we are, he will still sustain us.

I pray that you will find time to rest and that you will rest in the presence of God. He is the one that can sustain you and give you the energy you need to do what he has called you to do. I frequently pray “God give me the energy to face the day.” I usually pray this because I’m tired, but I also know that God is the supplier of my energy. Even on the days when I should be the most tired, God always sustains my energy when I seek him. So today, rest in the presence of God. You can rest while you run and you can run while you rest when you’re in God’s presence.

Over the past few weeks, God has been putting friends on my heart. He’s been reminding me of my friends, the importance of the friends I have in my life and how blessed I am to have those people in my life. As I went to a local coffee shop today to write this blog, the WIFI password for today was FriendsANDCoffee. When I saw my WIFI password written on the receipt I just chuckled as I knew that was the Lord.

The Bible talks about friendship quite a bit. Psalm 133:1 says “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (NIV Translation). We are called to live life together. The Bible tells us “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20, ESV Translation. When we gather together, Jesus is with us.

Not only are we supposed to live life with one another as friends, but Jesus also calls us friends. One of my favorite passages in the Bible comes from the book of John where Jesus calls us friends. John 15:13-15 says “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (ESV Translation). In this passage we see that Jesus calls us to lay down our lives for our friends. In fact, he says there is no greater love than to lay down our lives for our friends. What does laying down your life for your friend look like? I believe it can look like many different things. It can look like being there for someone, putting them before ourselves, helping them when they are in a time of need, serving them without looking for anything in return, loving them unconditionally and simply just doing life with them. When I think of someone that really did lay down their life for their friends, the obvious person I think of is Jesus. He laid down his life in a way that no one will ever be able to do again. He literally laid down his life so that we could live eternally with the father.

The other thing God has been reminding me is that you become like who you spend the most time with. Who are you spending your time with? Who are the people you talk to about things that come up in your life? Are those people pointing you to the Lord? The Bible tells us “make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man.” Proverbs 22:24, ESV Translation. We really do become like those we are spending our time with. If we spend time with someone that is angry or unhappy, we become angry and unhappy. If we spend time with someone that is constantly joyful, their joy tends to be contagious. The friends I try to choose are the ones that point me to the Lord. The one’s that have good attitudes about life and love deeply. When I started making decisions to surround myself with those types of people, I realized I was becoming more and more like them. Their joy really was contagious.

While I consistently surround myself with good friends, there is one that I surround myself with more than any other friends. Jesus! Proverbs 18:24 says “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” ESV Translation. The friend that sticks closer to us than a brother is Jesus. He is the best friend we could ever have. And the best part is, he is always with us. When we aren’t with our earthly friends, we still get to be with Jesus. If there is anyone I want to be like, it’s Jesus. The prayer I consistently pray every day is “Jesus help me to be more like you.” Sometimes I fall short, no doubt, but I want that to always be my prayer. I want to be like Jesus. The more we spend time with Jesus, the more we learn his heart and the more we become like him.

So today, I want to encourage you to make that your prayer. Ask Jesus to make you more like him. Spend so much time with him, that there is no option but to start acting like him. To start serving others like never before, to love deeply, to be full of joy and to lay down your life for your friends, just like Christ laid down his life for us.

Like many others I know, this has been a very difficult season in my life. Some days are easier than others but I know I have to keep going. I know I have to keep running with all of my heart. As I look in this window, I see a window of hope. There is something special about this window that makes me keep going, that lets me see my purpose. Everything in this window seal was a gift from someone that means a lot to me or someone that I look up to. From the hand written letters, to the plants, to the sign that speaks all truth “God is Love.” This window gives me hope.

When I look in this window seal, I am encouraged. I am encouraged that I am making a difference. I am encouraged in the relationships I have. I am encouraged knowing that God really is love. That he is always there in my midst, and that I get to walk closely with him all of the days of my life.

Even when it’s hard, even when we feel like we just want to throw in the towel, we can rest in the fact that God is with us. God has each of us here for a purpose and we have to keep going. We have to run the race. It’s what we are called to do.

Psalm 33:22 says “May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” I love this verse because it’s so true. God’s love really is unfailing. Even through our grief and struggles, we can hope in the Lord who loves us so much!

So why do I choose to keep going? Because I know a God that loves me no matter what season of life I am in. Christmas is by far one of my favorite holidays (the other being Easter) and there is so much joy that comes with Christmas. But I also want to recognize that Christmas can be hard for many, especially those that are walking through hard times. I am praying for all of those that read this blog this holiday season and need a little hope in their life. I am also praying for all of those that I know personally. You are not alone. God is with you.

Hope in the Lord! When I think of a window, I think of all the things that make a window so great. I love windows because it allows me to see further than the space I’m in. I also love windows because of the light that gets to come into the room because of the window and the fresh air that gets to come in when the window is open. So this holiday season, I pray that you look at window’s a little differently and have your own window of hope in your life. God Bless and Merry Christmas!

The one thing that has been pressing on my heart and my mind over the last couple of weeks is “good things come to those who wait.” Can you think of something that you are waiting for? What is it? How long have you been waiting? It could be days, it could be weeks, it could be months or it could even be years. Good things come to those who wait… Do you believe it’s true?

There have been several significant moments in my life that I can remember where God has spoken to me about waiting, and I have taught on this very subject in the past. Now I don’t consider myself a very patient person. Maybe that’s why God keeps speaking to me about waiting.

There are several things in my life I waited a really long time for, and there are several things I’m still waiting for. The first thing I can think of is my job. I waited for a certain job for over a year. It wasn’t my dream job, but I knew it was a step in the right direction for my dream job (I needed a masters degree for my dream job and I didn’t have one at the time). Then when I got my master’s degree, I started going after my dream job (well what I thought was my dream job) and I didn’t get it. I waited, once again, for over a year. It got to the point to where I was questioning if I had somehow missed it. I even told my supervisor at the time that I was giving up for now and that I might try again later. That very afternoon a job came open and I knew it was the Lord for me apply. I had no idea that, that was actually my dream job.

I went through the whole interview process, was offered the position, accepted and started my new role. I was so unsure of what I was doing the whole entire time. I couldn’t remember the last time I was so nervous starting a new job. I really wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into or if I made the right decision, because I really had a vision in my mind of what I was supposed to be doing and this wasn’t it. Both jobs would have been great, but now that I am in my new role I absolutely love it. This really has become my dream job, I just didn’t know it until I was living it.

Recently, my supervisor came to my office and told me she had noticed I was the only one without a standup desk. She said I should have our admin order me one if I would like one. Now you might think well that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but wait until I tell you why I was the only one without a standup desk. I had a standup desk and I loved it. However, when I switched roles I had to give up my standup desk due to moving departments. When I moved departments, I was given a standup desk. Then I found out someone else really wanted it and I gave it away. I had talked to my supervisor about it and told her I’d just request a new one at the end of the fiscal year when we see how much money we have left to spend. It was later that she told me “why wait?”

I went to our admin’s office to ask her to order me a standup desk and she asked if I liked hers. I told her, “yes but I’m sure that is more than the price I would like to spend.” Then she told me we had one just like it in an empty office I didn’t know existed. This desk is nicer than the two I gave away and nicer than the one I would have bought for myself. Good things come to those who wait…. I was recently telling a friend about this and she said “Melissa, you gave up your standup desk twice and because of that God blessed you with something even better.” Good things come to those who wait…. And those things are even better.

Ephesians 3:30 says “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at working within us.” God gives us more than we could ever imagine. So, whatever it is you are waiting for trust the Lord for that thing. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He has our best interest in mind. Trust that he is going to give you what you need, exactly when you need it.

There are so many things I’ve been waiting for, some of which I’ve waited for years. And to be real, sometimes I wonder why I’m still waiting for those things. Or why I haven’t seen break through in those areas of my life. But I’ve never stopped trusted the Lord for those things.

Isaiah 40:31 says “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Wait on the Lord. I promise, it will all be worth it. I will admit, I have struggled to wait from time to time. It’s hard. However, I will say that the times I rushed the process are the times I was the most disappointed because it just didn’t seem right. The times, that I was patient and really just waited for God’s timing were the times that I was the most excited because it was even better than I thought it was going to be. Trust the process, wait on the Lord. Good things really do come to those who wait.

Hello Friends! It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I don’t even want to use the word “busy” as an excuse because even though my life is always busy, that has never kept me from blogging before. To be real, I haven’t felt like writing in a while, which is highly unusual for me. I have honestly just wanted to sit in the presence of God as much as possible, worshiping, sitting and listening for HIS voice. Not that I couldn’t sit in the presence of God while writing. That’s just not what I felt like God had for me during that time. Oh and I’ve been spending a lot of time with loved ones 🙂

Hopefully, you are not looking at the dates of when I blog. If you are, then you will realize it really has been a long time. However, if you are into dates, such as myself, you may have noticed it has been a year since I first launched my blog.

Over the past couple of weeks I have wrestled with the idea of blogging and wondered if it was time to stop because I haven’t felt like writing in a while. The short answer is “no.” I feel like I should still keep writing. I just needed to wait for God to give me the words to say. I want everything I say and do to honor the Lord. If I’m not doing something to honor the Lord, then I shouldn’t do it. So, I wanted to wait until the right time to post my next blog.

Yesterday afternoon, I was playing my drumset in the part of my apartment that gets the most of my attention when I am praying, worshiping, reading and writing; my guest bedroom/office. Mainly because it’s the part of my home that is furthest away from my neighbors side of our duplex, and I can tend to be loud when I worship. As I was worshiping, God put the phrase “The Battle Has Been Won” on my heart. All I could do was gleam with joy because I knew the battle really has been won.

Have you or maybe someone you know been facing any battles lately? Not only have I been facing battles of my own, but I have also known others to be facing battles. To know that the battle really has been won is encouraging. The battle was won when Jesus was crucified and rose again from the dead on the third day.

The scriptures tell us that in Jesus’ last days on earth he was mocked by the people, he was betrayed by one of his own followers and he was abused. Scripture also tells us that in that same week (knowing what was to come) Jesus chose to wash his disciples feet, he chose to serve and he chose to love. Mark 15:34 says “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ Which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” (ESV Translation)

It brings tears to my eyes just reading this. He could have saved himself, he was the Son of God. Yet he didn’t because he knew this had to take place so that we could be saved.

Jesus died and was buried, and for three days darkness came over the earth. On the third day, when the Sabbath had past a few of Jesus’ friends: Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James went to the tomb where Jesus was buried to visit him. When they arrived to the tomb, they saw the stone had been rolled away. When they looked up, they saw a young man sitting by where Jesus had been laid. The man said to them “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.” Mark 16:6 (ESV Translation)

The battle has been won! The battle was won when Jesus rose from the dead. No matter what we go through, we can always know that the battle has already been won. No one ever said life would be easy. Sometimes life can be very hard and we are still going to face difficult times, but we can take courage in knowing that our battle has already been won. This is not the end game. This does not have to be the final result. We are just here temporarily. I am so thankful to know a God that loves his people so much, loves you and I so much, that he would send his son to die on a cross and to fight our battles for us so that we could be victorious and live with him forever.

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I hope you will join this journey with me. I hope you will come to know the God that makes all things possible. The one that will always be victorious. In the words of an old friend of mine, “I have seen the end of the book, we win!” So when life gets to hard to stand, when you are facing those battles, don’t be afraid to fall to your knees and ask God for help. I have to ask Him for help all of the time, because I know I can’t do this alone. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.” Romans 15:13

God Bless.

A new year is upon us and we often hear people talking about their New Years Resolutions. I’ve never been big on New Years Resolutions for a couple of different reasons. The first reason is because I am terrible at keeping New Years Resolutions. I have never been able to keep a New Years Resolution for a whole year. Sometimes I can keep my resolution for a month or two, but then I almost always cave. The farthest I ever got on keeping a New Years Resolution is when I gave up drinking soda. That time I lasted 6 whole months! This was a big deal for me because prior to that I was drinking a minimum of 3 cans of Dr. Pepper per day! Woah! Then I went on a cruise with my family and needed soda to keep my stomach settled. Oh well, I tried.

Another reason why I’ve never been a fan of New Years Resolutions is because I don’t like making promises I can’t keep. With New Years Resolutions all I feel like I’m doing is making empty promises and that’s just not who I am.

This year I don’t want to say that I have a New Years Resolution, because that’s not the case, but merely the desire to just soak in everything I have. To enjoy the things I have in life. To cherish the relationships that are right in front of me. And to see the value in my life and the lives of others.

Lately I have been hearing others from all over talk about about how excited they are that 2020 is over and that 2021 is here. Honestly, I was excited to see 2020 finally arrive at this time last year. For me 2020 was going to be the year of new, the year of refreshment and the perfect year (because you know, 2020 vision). 2020 was certainly the year of new for all of us as we walked through times and situations that we probably had never walked through before. However, I don’t know many people that would say 2020 was the “perfect year.” I can’t speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself. 2020 wasn’t the year I was expecting, but it also wasn’t terrible either. Sure, I had to give up a lot of things in 2020 like traveling, seeing my family as much as I would like and worshiping on Sunday mornings in person for several months out of the year.

However, I also found myself more rested because my social life was very non-existent for much of the year and I was at home more. I also got to have more one-on-one time with my heavenly father, found more time to write and played my guitar more.

If 2020 taught me anything it was to really soak in everything I have and to cherish what’s right in front of me because one day those things we took for granted may be gone, like the freedom to not wear a mask in public for example. If you told me last January that a year from now, we would all be required to wear a mask to go into the bank I probably would have laughed at you.

So in 2021 I want to challenge you to really soak in what you have and appreciate it. This challenge goes for me too. Value that friendship a little more. Soak in that conversation with your family around the dinner table. Laugh a little harder at that horrible joke your dad told you. Go to work AND enjoy it while you are there! Cherish those loud moments at home when you wish you could get some peace and quiet for 5 minutes. One day those things may not be there anymore and the things you took for granted are gone.

I hope you all have a wonderful year. Keep running the race you were set out to race. Don’t ever give up. You are doing great!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, not anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39