Christina Speaks

The other day, I was preparing for my oldest two kids to come home from college, and I decided to tackle clearing out and reorganizing my son Isaiah’s room.  I started with his bookshelf full of trophies, plaques, awards, and signed footballs. Memorials to a life he once lived, but can never go back to. As I lowered those items into a bin, I was surprised by the sudden wave of grief I felt. We had dreams he began to live out, but were cut short at the very young age of thirteen. We had dreams for a life I was now packing away. However, they have been replaced by new ones birthed in our hearts by the grace of God. I believe what the Lord has planned for my son, for me, and for my family is greater than anything I could have ever dreamed up myself. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” -Ephesians‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭ Lord help me accept that your plans for me are greater than my shattered dreams. I

I heard a song one day, called God Will Turn It Around. As I listened to the lyrics, I realized that I, along with many of you, believe that He can, but don’t really believe He will. We ask Him because we know we’re supposed to, but will then take a position of suffering, preparing for the worst. It’s a defense mechanism. If you’re like me, you don’t like to be disappointed. So we protect ourselves from it. But if we could practice trusting Him and living out of a place of victory, we would find so much more peace and joy in this life. I will often try and take on what I consider to be smaller issues, by myself. I don’t want to  “bother” God with them. I know I can’t lift boulders, but I can carry pebbles. The problem is that if I collect too many of those pebbles, they become just as heavy as boulders. If I would just trust the Lord with every little thing, I could live free. If I wholeheartedly believed He is who He says He is, I would hand it all over to Him. “Then Jesus said, “Come

  Many of us are holding on to shame concerning our relationships. Maybe it’s shame over a marriage that ended. Maybe it’s shame over a son or daughter who chose a different path than the one planned for them. Maybe it’s a friendship that took a wrong turn. Shame is not something the Lord ever intended for us to carry. I believe, as humans, we often try to control the narrative of a situation. We think maybe if we say or do just the right thing, it will all turn around. As if we hold some kind of supernatural power of persuasion over the universe and the people in it. If things don’t go the way we think they should, we take on the weight of perceived failure. How much do you trust God? Do you trust Him enough to let go of what you hoped would be, and allow Him to turn it around or end it for your good and His glory? I know. It’s not easy, but when we are truly able to trust the Lord with every part of us, we’ll be free to see what He has waiting for us on the other side. When we let go