Truth is Freeing

Thanks to all of you who have left your comments and sent me your emails regarding your identity. I will be working on a devotion these next couple of days and will be sure to post it here.
Your responses were very, very helpful! I am excited to use parts of them as examples to share with others.
Jackson is with his Dad this weekend so I'm spending time doing things I don't normally get to do. I sure do miss him when he's gone! That boy is precious.
Hope you're doing well and trusting God for big blessings in your life!

Identity: Is It Elusive?

In leadership at CBS (community Bible study), we can sign up to do the weekly group devotional. I am doing the devotional for the 2nd time on April 1st. I want to talk about finding our identity in Christ.
I think this is a hard thing to grasp unless you really do find your full identity in Christ.
Please, please, please help me out by sharing what it is about this that is difficult to grasp for you.
When you think about yourself, what influences your thoughts, words, and actions the most? Whose opinion do you care the most about? Why? Do you feel free to make choices based solely on being a child of God?
Thanks for your help, I can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Seasons Change, Y'all.

Sometimes it's hard to blog. Can you imagine? Often it's because of lack of time and other times it's because of lack of inspiration.
I've been journaling a lot lately so I guess that is taking the place of blogging for me.
I have a heavy heart this morning. One of my college roommates is going through almost exactly what I went through 2 years ago. I have cried many tears for her family. Despair is an awful feeling, even when you know the Lord. When you're walking in unknown territory, it's scary. It feels impossible to move forward. But I am thanking God that my friend has taken one big, frightening step forward. God will give us just enough light for the next step. He is so faithful is guiding us to a place of restoration, peace, joy, happiness, and freedom.
I was reading back through my blog, trying to find a post that might encourage her today. It is not easy to read back through those hard, hard months. The memory of the pain is always near! But I am on the other side now and I PRAISE GOD for that. As I was reading through the posts, Natalie was singing Held. Gosh, I love that song. I cry for the pain of others every time I hear it!
So...I am beginning to date. It's fun and totally scary at the same time. I'm no Elisabeth Elliott, that's for dang sure! But she is an encouragement to me and a mentor for this journey. I cannot express how thankful I am to have friends who are understanding about my situation. That just because they are married, they don't think dating is trivial and easy. My friends are holding me accountable, encouraging me, and praying for me...and they're interested in hearing the details!
I was talking to my Mom yesterday and she helped me to see that I have never been in a healthy dating relationship. Well, there was one in high school, but it was more that the guy was really healthy...and I was 16. So, what I am used to and have been expecting is not what I am experiencing and that is actually a good thing! The Lord has been telling me to be patient. That's not easy for me, I like to make things happen! But I am surrendering that desire everyday. I am also focusing on living in the moment instead of trying to figure out what the future holds. This was another suggestion from my Mom, and something I felt like I could really get my brain around.
I can feel a season of change coming on. I don't feel attached to anything at the moment. God has shown me that I need to step away from ministry for awhile and just participate in a Bible study so that I can really enjoy it. So after this semester of CBS, I'll be done for awhile. My Beth Moore study finished up a couple of weeks ago and that was a big relief. I felt like I was constantly doing homework, and not enjoying God's Word the way I have in the past.
So, that's what's up with me! Is anybody still out there? :-)