Talk about a breakthrough.

I'm going to out myself here.
Mostly because I'm learning that when we all get a little more honest about who we are and where we've come from, people more often than not identify with that. Very few identify and relate to our "perfect" selves. It just does us good to be honest, to be who we really are. It's no lie that I've changed a lot in the last 10 years. Inside and out, I'm a different person walking this earth. A little bolder, a lot more in shape, a whole lot more realistic and down right ready to jump off of more cliffs than I knew I could handle. I can hardly believe it myself.

If you have been around me lately, then you know what my most common rant is. "You are responsible for the outcome here. No one can do the work for you and if there is a life you want to live and love, you're going to have to go after it. Hear His voice and follow it." My dear friend Jo always says: "God is really spiritual but He's also really practical. You've gotta live into the practical side of faith." It's no secret that I'm pretty influenced by her and who Jesus is in her, I'm ok with that because it's brought major change in my life. Really what she's teaching me is to hear God's voice and follow it boldly instead of meandering around wondering if maaaaaaybe He said something and maaaaaaaaybe I should do something about it.

So, back to outing myself.
I came across this today and was a little bit taken back:



I remember that girl. Just a tiny bit. It sort of jogged my memory a bit to think about what I was like back then. I was a wall flower if there ever was one. I didn't give myself an ounce of credit for anything and I was extremely uncomfortable with who I was and what I was supposed to be doing. I sure was trying, in the way we all "try". I was honestly just striving and over working and not taking care of myself in the process and never getting ahead. I sure didn't know who the heck I was or what the heck I wanted. Or I had ideas about what I thought I wanted but I didn't do a darn thing about it ever.

And I lived 7 years like that. I had great friends and a great community but I never stood up for what I wanted. I never stood confidently in anything God was saying to me and I never let out who I really was. That right there described my whole life. The great thing is that's not so much the case any more. Slowly but surely, I began to work out more, owning the crappy stuff in my life a bit more, allowed friends to really get to know me and tell me what they really thought about me. I learned to let people tell me the truth- the good stuff and the really hard stuff. I learned to out myself more often and ask for help. And two years ago I really began learning how to hear God and obey Him. I look at that girl up there and I feel a bit sorry for all the life she missed living during that time. But God's hand leads us and guides us gently, even sometimes forcefully when needed. It's because of His leading, my community prompting/encouraging me and learning to obey that I've stepped into a different life.

You know how they say pictures are worth a thousand words? That couldn't be more true in this example.

I came across this that my sister had posted:


All I'm thinking is, "He is so very faithful. Always."

You know that house I went after? Well, it's mine. I'll be moving in next week.
Again, He is so very faithful. Always.