What if we just jumped right into the middle of the hardest events?

Why do we wait?  Months? Years? Sometimes a decade to share the pain of our journey.  After all the learning?  After the trial and error?  What if we just jumped right into the middle of the hardest events of our lives and said, "Okay God it's just you and me, and those who read.  It's my story of complete opened handed trust.  And no matter how hard, God you are going to be honored."  End of Story, no really in the middle of my story.

Please understand that details are not always important to the hardest moments of your life.  It's how you are working it out. I am working out some very hard stuff.  The most hardest event in my life. (child custody)  Today, sitting before God with my Bible and journal in the middle of hard stuff. ......Today's journal entree.
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Aug. 13, 2016

Dear Father,
In my physical hunger I submit to you. I ask that the evil-deceit and confusion thrown my way is thwarted.

Romans 12:12
" The night is almost gone and the day is near.  Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of the darkness and put on the armor of God."

Father, fill me with you light. Cover me with holiness. Give me Holy peace, wisdom, and justice. I submit, I surrender, and I stand firm on your promises. Give me strength, wisdom, and a light in my path. My feet are planted Father. All of this is for YOUR glory. For YOU are to be honored.  I give all of this to you. (Believe me readers, God knows my "this" and your "this"). Thank you that you love me. Forgive me Father for all the specifics in my life. Reveal to me more of who I am to be in You.

Ephesians 4: 31-32
"Let ALL bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice. Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you."

Really God? Yes, Really!! Help me to be kind to those who have harmed my heart deeply. Please cover my heart and protect me from bitterness, wrath, and anger.  As my dear friend Marie has said over and over, "do not get sucked into the emotions of spoken words of deceit over your character." ( Thank you Marie for those words of encouragement.)


Ephesians 6:13-20
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand firm.  
 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

I grew up in Sunday school learning that last passage. We even sang silly songs and decorated ourselves in costume.  Like a child, Lord Jesus. Give me the faith of that little girl who danced, sang and praised you for equipping me with a foil breastplate, and scarves for belts, and a helmet made out of milk cartons and a cardboard sword covered in foil.  You had me covered then and you have me covered now. Amen!!! 

Lord Jesus, Holy Father, in the name of YOUR Spirit protect the minds of my boys. Father you know their hearts, their names, and they are YOUR children.  Give ear to my words oh Lord. Consider my meditations.....Full Armor!!!"
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In addition to my journal entry I will say this......

We ALL have various degrees of hard. My hard is not more or less than yours.  We must equip ourselves with the WORD of God.  Today, fasting and praying and hungry.  And thinking what good can starving myself do.  Only to sit in quiet and ask God to show me who I am suppose to be in this trial and turbulence.  And then scripture pours into me. Pours instructions, and blessings, and I sit here praying that my words, my personal journal entry will reach into the heart of one person struggling as I am. Humble yourself before God.  He is there waiting.  

I think fasting also makes you incredibly weak.  So weak you are sitting home on a Saturday and realizing your energy is sucked, and then that beautiful moment when God steps in and says, "Okay Elizabeth here is my WORD. The direction you asked for."

Be blessed knowing that truly God is in the middle of it all. It may not make sense, it will hurt. Believe me when I say I keep thinking I have cried out all my tears, but there are always more. Cling to your Maker and give him honor and glory. I am in the middle of the hardest events of my life. I may not shower for days, or even put on make-up.  Again, Marie asking me, "Did you shower today?"  I walked with this dear friend in her hardest and darkest moments. Walk with me, these next few weeks and see how God shows up.

Love and Blessing, Elizabeth