31 Days :: {25} :: celebrating when it's hard

Hey there friends! thanks for stopping by! You've found us at Day 25 of my 31 Days series on Celebrating Life. If you'd like to see all the other posts so far, you'll find the introduction here {includes post-list at the bottom} or the posts all here :)

Seeing that I only have two days left (whaaa??!) and I haven't really touched on this yet, I thought today was a good day to do so. And also, since I can't really do justice to the topic, I think I will let Shauna use her beautiful words today. 

"What I know now is that his [God's] kindness burns through even the deepest betrayals and invites life from death every chance we let him. There are things that explode into our lives and we call them curses, and then one day, a year later or ten years later, we realize that they are actually something else. They are the very most precious kinds of blessings." ~Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines

"But the only person who decided my life had turned to dust was me. The only person who is still deeply troubled about what I've lost, even in the face of what I've gained, is me. I would never have wanted it this way, but something bright and beautiful has been given to me, and I'm in grave danger of losing it, squandering it, becoming a person who cannot find the goodness that's right in front of her because of the sadness that she chooses to let obscure it.
Now we're talking about celebration. Celebration when you think you're calling the shots? Easy. Celebration when your plan is working? Anyone can do that. But when you realize that the story of your life could be told a thousand different ways, that you could tell it over and over as a tragedy, but you choose to call it an epic, that's when you start to learn what celebration is. When what you see in front of you is so far outside of what you dreamed, but you have the belief, the boldness, the courage to call it beautiful instead of calling it wrong, that's celebration."~Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines

 Celebration is hardest and most precious when it is hard. But it is so. worth. it. 

linking up with Elizabeth :) 

Tunes Tuesday :: Giants

We all have those 'giants' in our lives, things that stand in the way of dreams that people say will never be able to come true, and sometimes we even doubt them ourselves. And sure, maybe some of them will never happen, but the truth of it is, each and every one of them could. Because we have a God with whom everything is possible. Sometimes these things we're holding onto, dreams or whatever, don't happen because God doesn't allow them to, maybe they aren't a part of His plan for our lives. And that's something hard. But I think a lot of times our miracles don't happen because we don't step out and fight those giants. Friends, we are not alone in this fight, and everything is possible for the One we are fighting with!

I just love this song, it is so catchy and it holds such truth! :)

Francesca Battistelli - Giants Fall

Everyone's telling you
To let go of what you're holding to
It's too late, too far
You're too small, it's too hard
Throwing water on that spark
Living deep inside your heart
With oceans of reasons
The things you're not seeing
But oh, maybe they don't
Know what you know
That you're not alone

[Chorus:]
Don't you be afraid
Of giants in your way
With God you know that anything's possible
So step into the fight
He's right there by your side
The stones inside your hand might be too small
But watch the giants fall

We could really live like this
Can't you imagine it
So bold, so brave
With childlike faith
Miracles could happen
Mountains would start moving
So whatever you may face

[Chorus]

Ask and believe
You're gonna see
The hand of God in every little thing

[Chorus]

Miracles can happen
Anything is possible
Watch the giants fall 

What about you? What giants are holding you back from things you believe can happen in your life?

blessings, friends!

love Emma

Walk on the Water

I have always loved the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water, but yesterday as I was reading it again, I discovered a few more things about it and now I love it even more! I just thought I would share them :)

Matthew 14:22-33
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
²⁹ “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Some of the things I noticed:

This story happens during the night. During the dark. It clearly says 'shortly before dawn'. This reminds me of this song and all those things we say about it being the darkest before the dawn. It was also storming (okay maybe not a storm, but at least very windy and wavy). 
 This story is applicable during the dark, during life's storms, during hard times. Jesus and Peter were walkin' on the water in the middle of the storm, in the dark. Not on a calm, beautiful sunny day. 

Something that I have always seen, but thought I would put down again, is that they were all afraid. In v 27 Jesus tells them 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' It is I. Why don't I listen to those words in my own life? When I am crippled by fear, why don't I look over to Jesus and wait for him to say those words?

Then Peter responds to Him, saying, 'LORD, if it's you, tell me to come to you, on the water.' I guess Peter still had a little bit of doubt going on. So He called to Jesus to show Himself, prove it was Him. He said, LORD, if it's you, let me walk on the water. Jesus tells him 'come'.

So Peter gets out of the boat, and starts walking on the water towards Jesus. In the middle of this dark night, in this storm, Peter is part of a miracle. He has let go of his fear, He is trusting in Jesus, and look at the amazing things that are happening! But then Peter took his eyes off Jesus. He saw the wind, and he became afraid, and began to sink. 

What storms am I going through in my life right now? Where is it dark, right before the dawn? And I'm afraid; I just want to stay where I think it's secure (even thought it's really not, even). Jesus tells me, He says to me, 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' But I don't listen. Sometimes, not often. But He's saying them! Peter, then still struggling with a little doubt, as I'm sure I would be, calls to Jesus. LORD, if it's you, give me a miracle. Throw me a lifeline - show me! And Jesus says, come. That's it. Come. Not 'come when you feel secure' not 'come when you have a better job' or 'come when you grow up' or when you have a bigger house, or when your kids grow up or anything. Just 'come.' And it takes faith to step out there. Peter did - and look what happened! He was walking on the water! Walking on water people! I think sometimes, as Christians we've heard this story (and so many others) so many times that while they are still miracles we forget to revel in the miracle in it. So I will say it one more time - People, He was walking on the water! But then Peter got caught up in the wind around him and he became distracted, and fearful, and he wasn't sure if he could do this anymore. We forget to focus on Jesus and the storm (mentioned above) begins to make us fearful again. And we begin to sink. But Jesus is greater than the wind. Once they got back into the boat, He calmed it.

Why? Why? Why do we do that? We've got it all! We're trusting Jesus, we're walking on water, in the middle of life's storm nonetheless. But we let our circumstances influence us, send us back to fear all crippling and maiming. It's not really that hard. Okay, maybe it is. But it's not really that complicated, there's no 10 page instruction manual for how to walk on water. You simply have to have faith. 

I pray that I, and that all of us, would be able to fix our eyes on Jesus, that even in the dark, in the middle of the storm, that we would trust, and that we would come, and that we would walk on the water. I pray that while we are walking, that we would not be tempted to look around us, and think about the storm - because Jesus is greater! 

What is crippling you today? Where do you need to hear Jesus' words, and step out and join Him on the water? 

May you all have a lovely lovely day!! :)
Emma

P.S. there is a really awesome song; Walk on the Water by Britt Nicole which you might also enjoy listening to :)