Reach Out

A few weeks back I waved in the air my flag of defeat. 

Sometimes the flag of defeat needs to be raised, but when it does please REACH OUT
 I'm here to tell you that I did not.
 Quickly my life was turned upside down and became unmanageable.
 I stopped reaching out to my support group.
I stopped praying.

I stopped reading God's word. 

 I started sleeping more and eating more.  

If there was a gauge tracking any form of effort on my part it would have been around 5%.   

It felt so overwhelmingly hard to put in any effort. 

 I started small by  

reaching out to women I trusted, they validated me and carried me.  

They became Christ's hands. 

My gauge went up to 10%.

  I started attending a 12-step spouse support group again. 

My gauge went up to 25%.  

I started reading God's word consistently.  

My gauge went up to 50%.  

Started praying again and my recovery gauge is moving on up

If you feel defeated REACH OUT-
YOU are loved!

Resources for reaching out:

http://www.healingthroughchrist.org/support-meetings/
http://www.togethernessproject.org/
https://www.sanon.org/
http://salifeline.org/article/sa-meetings/welcome-to-sa-lifeline#content
 http://eatmyscabs.blogspot.com/p/camp-scabs.html
http://programs.addorecovery.com/

Grace Bursting Forth

I have been walking to and from work these last two weeks and have been in awe of the blossoms.

"Every spring the Lord sends us His visual reminder, 'If you believed. . . you would see.'  Holy Week begins with this coming forth.  From very dark places 

white blossoms burst forth out of their winter cocoon,

 yellow daffodils and pink tulips break through the dark soil

 and the earth becomes new again. 

 The blooms are a reminder of life after death,

 of hope after despair

 of GRACE BURSTING FORTH from the darkness.

 Spring comes again, and in the midst of darkness, hope returns. . 

. Oh, may our eyes be open to believe, to see the unexpected, to recognize the hope that is before us!  For there will be dark days--moments when we are lonely or forgotten,

 days when we carry a burden so heavy we wonder if the weight of it will ever ease.

  Out of these dark places, hope will come forth.

   It always does. 

 It always will."

 Celebrating a Christ-Centered Easter by Emily Belle Freeman

One of my best friends was filmed recently reading a letter of advice to her younger self and what she wishes she had known about the trial she was about to bear.  Click HERE to watch it and to find other similar videos.

Feel the Light

Birds sing right before the dawn breaks. If you are still in the dark know that it is always darkest before the dawn.  At that moment when you think you cannot handle any more darkness you can surrender your will to God and sing to him.  Let your voice be heard.  Your bravery and faith will bring on the dawn.  It will come. You will feel the warmth and the light if you have faith and sing.