Author: Melissa Day

This past week I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. My Granny said “Melissa you haven’t blogged in a long time. You need to blog again.” I logged into my site and it turns out she was right. Apparently I haven’t blogged since July! How is that possible?

So, this blog post is for my Granny, though I hope the rest of you enjoy it as well. Anyone that knows me knows I absolutely adore my grandparents and I listen to what they say (most of the time). One time my grandpa told me he played basketball for the L.A. Lakers (my favorite pro basketball team) and I believed him! He did play for the Lakers but what he left out was that it was a rec team, not the professional team… Anyways, I digress.

One of my favorite things to do is people watching. You can learn a lot just from watching others. Twice recently I had the opportunity to “people watch.” In one instance I knew everyone in the room. In the other instance I knew no one except the friend I had gone on a walk with. However, in both instances I noticed something. How loving our world really is. So often we hear about all of the bad things going on in the world, but I was so encouraged to notice how much people actually love each other.

I was encouraged to see so many families (those I know and those I don’t) talking and enjoying each other’s company. I was encouraged to see friends laughing. And I was encouraged to see children running around playing with one another.

They say this is the most wonderful time of the year and though that might be true, I’m convinced it’s not just like this only in this season. This is just the time of year in which we notice it the most. This is my favorite time of year for many reasons, and I don’t want to take away from that, but I do want to recognize how good our world really is. Yes, bad things happen. Yes, heartbreak is a thing. Yes, sickness occurs. I don’t want to belittle that. However, I do want to recognize the good.

This blog post is titled “a time of Thanksgiving” and there is so much to be thankful for. This season I want to encourage you to think about what you are thankful for. I have so much to be thankful for. I could not simply list every single thing I am thankful for, but I will tell you some of the things I truly am thankful for. I’m thankful for my family. I’m thankful for my friends. I’m thankful for a job that allows me to work at home. I’m thankful that I get to live where I live. I’m thankful for my truck, even though it causes me stress sometimes when it doesn’t want to work… I’m thankful for all of you that read my blog post, even though I tend to ramble sometimes. And most importantly, I’m thankful that I get to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

1 Chronicles 16:34 says “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” During this season, and every season, remember what you’re thankful for. Everyone is going to have their “low moments” and that’s okay, but don’t forget to snap out of it and look at the good. James 1:17 says “every good and perfect gift is from above.” Every good thing comes from God. Every relationship, every meal, every home, everything comes from God. For that, I am truly thankful!

Thank you for your continued support and for reading my blog posts. I pray that God blesses you and your family during this Holiday season. God Bless!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

         One of my favorite memories as a kid was going to the river with my Mom, Dad and brother in Western, North Carolina, where my grandparents lived at the time. My Dad would fish, my Mom would sit on the rocks, I would climb the rocks and my brother would go back and forth between fishing with my Dad and climbing the rocks. We used to give my brother a hard time because it seemed like he could never go to the river to fish and not fall in. He always fell in the water, even when he was not planning on going swimming.

         As I think about going to the river with my family and how many rocks I climbed, I think about the steps I took from one rock to another. Some rocks were easy to step on to, some were not, some were slippery, some were dry, some were close together and some were far apart. No matter which stone I found in my river adventures, they all had the same purpose. In my eyes, they were for stepping.

         I like to think of stones in the river like stones in life. Each one serves a purpose. If you are trying to stay dry and not fall in, the purpose of each stone is to keep you above the water. In the same way, each stone of life we step onto is meant to keep us up. In order to cross to the other side of the river, you have to take steps. In order to become more of who God has made you to be, you have to take steps.

         Let’s take music for example. I have been playing guitar for quite some time now. I’m not always good at guitar, but I love to worship Jesus with my guitar, so that makes me good at it. When I first started learning guitar, it sounded awful. The first thing I did was learn how to hold the guitar properly. Once I mastered that, I learned to strum the guitar. It was really fun strumming the guitar and dancing around my bedroom as if I was some rock star. Maybe that was a little too much information, but that’s what I did. 

Then I decided, I looked really good holding the guitar but I needed to learn some chords. That was when it got tough. I tried playing a simple G chord because that’s what my tutorial video told me to start with. I set all of my fingers on the proper strings and on the correct fret according to my video. I got ready to strum and nothing. No sound came out! What happened? Did I break my guitar? No, but I needed to work on that stepping stone. I then decided in my mind that guitar was hard. I wanted to be good at it but my issue was that I wanted to be good at it yesterday. I didn’t want to take the time to slow down and practice. I wanted to learn it overnight.

         I remember going to my friend’s house and showing her my terrible guitar skills. Instead of laughing at me or agreeing that my skills were pretty bad, she said let me help you. She showed me how to properly play the chord and she practiced with me until I could get the proper sound to come out. She didn’t quit there.

         Once I got the proper sound to come out of the guitar, she taught me another chord, and another one and another one. I’ll let you guess the chords she taught me. If you don’t know, I’ll tell you it was G D Em C. After she taught me those chords she looked at me and said “Melissa, now you can play any worship song you want.” I laugh now, because I know it’s true. Then she taught me a song. She helped me to reach my goal. She walked with me on each stepping stone, until I had reached my destination.

         After all was said and done, I didn’t want to stop there. I wanted to keep going. I wanted to learn more songs. So that’s exactly what I did. I learned the chords, I learned the strum pattern and I was able to play the songs. Before long, I was playing guitar with my friends on a regular basis and I was even writing some of my own songs. It wasn’t something that just happened overnight. To this day, playing guitar is still one of my favorite things to do and my favorite chords are still G D Em and C. Don’t worry, I have learned a few more chords since then. Each time I begin to learn a new song, I go back to my stepping stones.

         My walk with God has been full of stepping stones. Some of the stones in my life have been big, some have been small, some have been dry and on some I’ve slipped. But what did I do when I slipped on a stone? I got back up, dried myself off and continued on my journey. Each stepping stone in my life is unique and it is important because it has gotten me to where I am today. Some stones were easy to find. I like to call them grace or gifts. Other stones were hard to grasp. I like to call them challenges. And then other stones were slippery and I like to call them lessons.

         To this day, I still find slippery stones every time I’m in the river. When I do, I slow down and find a dry stone or one that is in better reach, a safe stone. In the same way, when I find a slippery stone in life, I slow down, I seek God and I aim to go in the direction he has called me to and towards the stone he has laid before me. The stone where God is, the safe stone. 

         Being the perfect person doesn’t come overnight. Being the best salesman, the most talented singer, the best basketball player, the valedictorian or even the greatest dad isn’t something that just happens. It takes stepping stones. It takes starting with the basics, learning from your mistakes and pressing on to be great at all of those things. It doesn’t have quitters, but pursuers. Someone that isn’t willing to give up.

         My walk with God has been full of all kinds of stepping stones. I’ve had challenges, I’ve had gifts, I’ve had grace (A LOT OF IT!), I’ve had lessons and I’ve even felt like throwing in that towel and just giving up. At the end of the day, I knew that my eyes were set on the prize and I wasn’t willing to let go of everything I had worked for. I knew that I needed those stepping stones to reach my prize. As much as I wanted to be the best guitar player, the best friend, the best basketball player, the best student and even the best employee overnight, that’s not how it played out. I had to work hard. I had to pursue my dreams. I had to be willing to go back to the basics. I had to be willing to speed up and slow down when needed. I had to be willing to lay it all down and trust that each stepping stone was there for a purpose and that purpose was to bring me closer to the things God had for me. That purpose was to make me the best person God had intended me to be.

         I am still working on finding stepping stones that help me reach my destination. Sometimes I slip, but at the end of the day, I don’t give up. No matter how hard the stepping stone you are standing on may be, no matter how slippery it may get, never give up. God brought you to it and he will bring you through it.

I love mornings. More often than not my feet hit the floor at 7:00 am and I’m ready for the day. There is just something about mornings that make me feel refreshed and renewed. I feel rested and ready for whatever is to come that day.

I haven’t always been this way. When I was a teenager I could easily sleep the day away. My grandma would joke about what time I got up that day. Usually it was around noon or 1:00 pm. When I went off to college, I became a morning person. I loved waking up at the crack of dawn, getting breakfast and walking around campus. I especially loved doing this on a Saturday morning. That was when I had some of the best conversations with God. It was just so peaceful as there was hardly anyone in sight (unless it was game day of course). College students can sleep too, which is why there was no one around.

Most of my college buddies also enjoyed sleeping in. Most of the time I would wake up way before my friends and just twiddle my thumbs or walk around campus until they got up. Usually I had to wait hours before I would see any of my friends, but I didn’t mind. I was just enjoying life.

Lately, I have been reminded of all the amazing things that come in the morning. Psalm 30:5 says “for his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Some versions of the Bible say “joy comes in the morning.”

When I read this scripture, I am reminded that the seasons we are in are only for a moment. What may be a tough situation one night might be forgotten the next morning. Praise God! My mom always tells me “if it won’t matter in 5 years, why worry about it now?” There really is some truth to that statement. If what you are going through won’t matter next year, why are we worrying about it today? I am just as guilty at this.

Sometimes when we go through hard things we can bank on the fact that joy really does come in the morning. Seasons of life change frequently. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says “what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived- the things God has prepared for those who love him.” God has good things in store for all of us. He has good plans for us. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but God does, and he is working it all out for our good.

So when I say I love mornings, it really is true. I love mornings in the literal sense and in the spiritual sense. I love the sense of starting fresh, of making all things new, of new beginnings, new ideas and new hope. All of the things that come with mornings.

Think about when God flooded the earth. Everything in it (except for Noah, his family and all of the animals they brought with them) was destroyed. Sometimes I think about that story and think about how stressed out Noah probably was. Could you imagine? Everything you knew being gone just like that. But Noah trusted God. He knew that God would bring prosperity to him and his family. When the flood was over and the waters were still, the earth was made new. God promised he would never flood the earth again and gave us all a rainbow as a reminder of that promise. So, when the floods seem to rise and your heart is shaking, maybe even breaking, remember that JOY REALLY DOES COME IN THE MORNING!

Well, here it is. A time I knew was coming soon. A time I was excited about, yet nervous. A time I was happy about, yet sad. The closing of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. I just finished my fifth and my last year of seminary. It has been quite the journey and one I will never forget. As this time has been coming to a close, I have be reminiscing. This has caused me to have all kinds of emotions.

Sadness- I am sad because I should have been in Charlotte with many of my friends attending my last seminary class in person. Instead, we had to attend class online due to the state that our world is in right now. Had I have known my last in person class was last semester, I would have had a sweeter goodbye when the time came.

Disappointed- I am bummed because graduation has been cancelled. There will be a virtual graduation, but we will not be walking across the stage together. Something we have all been looking forward to. This was supposed to be the year I graduated with most of my friends that I started seminary with 5 years ago.

Thankful- I’m thankful for the opportunity to go to seminary and finish not one, but two, masters degrees. I’m thankful for the continued support of my family, my church, my pastor, my mentor and my friends. I could not have done it without you. I’m also thankful for my professors, my advisors, my school administration and my classmates. You have made this journey unique. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity that you have given me over the past 5 years. When you walk in the door to introduce yourself and they say “oh I know who you are” you begin to wonder if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. In this instance it was a good thing. The students and staff at Gordon-Conwell have become like family to me. It is also through this journey that I have met some of my very dearest friends. I am so grateful for each and every one of you.

Excited- I am excited for the new journey that is ahead! And for the sleep that I am about to enjoy : )

In Awe- I am in awe of God’s never ending goodness and mercy. It’s still amazing to me that I am actually graduating (again). There have been many times when I’ve wondered why I was here. Being in seminary made me realize how much I actually don’t know. The one thing I do know is God’s plans are greater than any plans we could ever have and his love never fails!

Tired- This journey has been amazing, but it’s been exhausting. I’m physically and emotionally tired. I have been for a while. A lot has happened in my life in the past 5 years. It has flat out worn me out (maybe that’s partly because I’m getting older). I wouldn’t change it for anything though.

For a while now, I have been hearing the question “what are you going to do when you graduate?” My response is always sleep and do the same things I’m doing now. I actually started thinking about that response and that’s not true. Forgive me, Lord. I will not be doing the same things I am now. In fact, my life actually has a lot of change going on right now. For starters, I won’t be staying up all night to finish a paper I procrastinated on. If I’m up late writing, it’s because I want to be. I also have other changes going on in my life right now. They are all good changes, but they are still changes.

Changes happen all the time. Jobs change, ministry changes, friends change, where we live changes. The list could go on. However, I find comfort in knowing a God that doesn’t change. The Bible says that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. The same Jesus that lived 2,000 years ago is the same Jesus that lives today.

Malachi 3:6 says “For I the Lord do not change.” We can have satisfaction in knowing that God does not change. He is the one constant in our lives. When it seems like the whole world around us is spinning, God remains steady. When it seems like our lives are messy, God remains clean. When we are stumbling, we can hold on to God our rock. God never changes! His love never changes. His joy never changes. His grace never changes. God is the God that never changes!

I have been wanting to put a new post up for a few days now. However, other things took priority in my life for a little while. School work, my job, family time and keeping important relationships from a distance all got in the way of me putting up a new post. Even through the busyness, I was still able to find time to spend with my Heavenly Father. In fact, that has been my priority over every thing else.

These past few weeks (nearly a month now… woah!) I have found myself alone more than I ever have before. And by this, I mean physically alone. I know I’m not spiritually alone. I’ve never been one to enjoy being alone, and that’s no secret. I’ve had several family members and friends concerned about me because they know I don’t like being alone. These past few weeks have been life changing for me. Someone that used to hate being alone, now LOVES to be alone. No, I’m not depressed. No, I’m not turning into an introvert (you guys can’t get that lucky… I’m still going to squeeze everyone I know tightly with the biggest bear hug possible when I get out of this place). The reason why I’ve grown so much in love with being alone is because I’ve grown back in love with being alone with my Heavenly Father. He is my safe place! God has changed my heart so much that he put the desire back into my heart just to be with him and be satisfied in his presence.

I’ve had a lot of quality time with my Heavenly Father recently and he keeps reminding me to always looks for the good in the not so good. Romans 8:28 says “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.” It doesn’t just say some things. It says ALL things. All things mean the good, the bad and the ugly. Have you ever felt like something was so hopeless that there was nothing that could be done to make it good? I have! But time and time again I see God make those things work together for my good. What is good? I think only God knows what is truly good. What we might think is good, God might think otherwise. What we might think is bad, God might think it is good for us. I don’t always enjoy vegetables, but they are still good for me. What I might think is bad (certain vegetables), God actually created for my good.

Several years ago I was diagnosed with a disease that would cost me my vision. My eye doctor (which I love dearly by the way…. she is such an amazing women of God) told me the chances of me going blind were pretty likely. I was distraught. I still remember that day very clearly. I had called my mentor right after my doctor appointment but wasn’t able to reach her. In tears…. I shouted “GOD I TRUST YOU.”

I went back to work for the rest of the day and then I knew exactly what I needed to do. I needed to go to the gym and play basketball by myself. I know that may seem weird to some. Basketball has always been my safe place since I was a young child. Some go hiking, some play guitar, I play basketball. It’s where I do my thinking and my best praying. I remember sitting in the gym shooting hoops and I just closed my eyes. I said “God if you want me to go blind, I will still worship you because you are good.” Then I started to play basketball with my eyes closed relying fully on God so that I wouldn’t fall. God reminded me that he will never let me fall.

About that time, my mentor called me back. I still remember that conversation so clearly. I told her where I was and told her what my doctor had said. At this point I hadn’t even told my family yet. I was scared. My mentor told me that we were going to pray and believe that God is going to heal me. She said we are going to pray that God wouldn’t just heal me 100% but he would heal me more than 100%.

After that, I began a new life. This new life consisted of eating fish for almost every meal (I’m still tired of eating fish) and going to the doctor frequently so that they could keep an eye on my vision. I did a field test and had lost all of my peripheral vision. This all started in May. After an entire summer of praying, seeking God and eating fish, I had another test. My doctor called me after that test and said “Melissa, your vision is better now than it was before all of this started. You don’t need to worry anymore.” In tears I responded, “God healed me.” I still have to wear glasses, but that’s okay. I kind of like the style of glasses anyways. God wanted me to fix my eyes back on him. He wanted to change my heart. He wanted me to see how good he really is. ALL things work together for the good of those who love God.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible comes from the book of John when Jesus healed the blind man. When Jesus was walking past the blind man his disciples asked “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:2-3. That day Jesus sought this man out and healed him. When no one else was there for him, Jesus was there for him. That day, the works of God were displayed. When we walk through trying times, ask God what it is he is trying to say. He may be trying to speak to you. He may be trying to speak to someone else.

What the enemy means for evil, God turns it around and makes it for our good. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, the enemy meant it for evil. For three days death won, but when Jesus rose from the dead on that third day, death was defeated. What the enemy meant for evil, God meant it for our good. Jesus had to die so that we could live eternally with the Father. We were separated from the Father but Jesus gave up his own life so that we could be united with the Father. That, my friends, is the greatest victory of all! There is hope for us all knowing that God is in control. He is in control of every situation and he will never let us fail. And if we do fall down, he will be right there to pick us back up again.

It was August 4, 2015 when God put the words “Living Hope” on my heart. I remember the date because it was my grandpa’s birthday. I was going through a season in my life where I was looking for a lot of hope. I had been out of college for a little over a year and was still trying to figure out what in the world I was supposed to be doing with my life. Oddly enough, I started seminary that same month.

God then put a vision on my heart and reminded me he was my living hope. That vision was to start a ministry called Living Hope Ministries. He showed me that he is our living hope. I didn’t know fully what I would be doing, but I trusted God. He hasn’t failed me yet. Why would he fail me now? I had no idea at the time that I would be starting this blog several years later. I really do believe this is just the beginning. God has put several dreams on my heart in regards to “Living Hope” and this is just the start. If you are curious about those other dreams, just ask. I would love the opportunity to dream again.

That year, especially, and over the past several years I have come in contact with quite a few people that were looking for hope. I got to share a part of my life with them and talk to them about the one who gives me hope. Who do you know that needs a little (or a lot) of hope? Do you need some hope? Let me tell you about the one who gives us hope.

Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” God is the one that is full of hope. With him in our lives, we never have to worry. It is because of God that I get to hope and dream of things to come. It is because of God that I can sleep at night. It is because of God that I am able to trust.

Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This is one of my life verses. There is so much hope in this verse. God really does have good plans for you. He has good plans for me. All we have to do is trust him. He will never hurt us. He will never give us something we can’t handle. He will never leave us. He is the reason why I have hope and the reason why you can have hope!

Blogging is something I have recently become more interested in. By recent I mean in the past two or three years. My Mentor, Mary, is a blogger and it is because of her that I grew an interest in blogging in the first place. I have enjoyed listening to her stories about blogging, reading her posts and watching her excitement grow over the years.

It is no surprise that I too would grow an interest and excitement for blogging. I have always been a writer. Even as the extrovert that I am, I would much rather write my thoughts and feelings down then speak them out loud. When I speak my feelings out loud I usually cry and everyone around me gets embarrassed. I’m serious… Ask my wonderful friend and amazing work leader, Travis. Look Travis! I didn’t use that other word you hate! We could be having the happiest conversation and tears will still flow from my eyes because I have so much emotion in everything I do. I get it honest. My Mom and Granny are the same way.

As you read my blog posts, I hope you laugh, I hope you cry, I hope you learn something and I hope you are challenged (in a good way, the way that makes us grow). In the same way, I hope that I am challenged. I want to give every blog post 100% and I want every word to glorify God. If I’m not doing those two things, I might as well stop now.

I have many family members and friends all over the world that I don’t get to see very often. Each one of them are very important to me. I hope by writing this blog I will be able to let others into my life that normally wouldn’t be able to be around otherwise. I hope this blog is a blessing to you. If it is, please tell me. I would love to hear about it.

Those that know me, and know me well, know that I’m a thinker. I often think way too much. Many of the things I write down are things I think about frequently. They are not just random ideas, but things I have been weighing.

Right now the thing weighing most on my mind, and the thing keeping me awake at night, is COVID-19. How is it possible to live a normal life one week and then the next week nothing is normal because of a virus? This really is a weird time for all of us. It’s not just weird for America. It’s a weird time all over the world. I have many friends in other countries that have been impacted just as bad or, in many cases, worse than we have.

None of us have ever lived in a time where concerts were being canceled, sporting events were cancelled, schools were closing, churches were shutting their doors and you couldn’t even find toilet paper or hand sanitizer in the store. Something we all took for granted a few weeks ago I’m sure.

I have been amazed at how much the people in this world have come together during these trying times. Teachers are delivering lunches to the children stuck at home daily, friends are giving food away to those that just lost their jobs and young people are picking up groceries for the elderly or those with small children that can’t make it to the store.

I am encouraged every time I hear these stories. It reminds me of God’s heart for his people. Philippians 4:19 says “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” God loves us so much that he gives us our every need. He doesn’t give us our every want, but our every need. Even when things seem crazy, we can have hope in the fact that God is with us. He will never leave us. He will never forsake us. He knows our every need and already has it under control.