Beauty For Ashes: Six Things For Six Months

I wrote this in my journal on October 17, 2018, and I feel it needs to be shared.

Today marks six months since I got my trach. One thing that I have realized lately is that I say I trust God, but I really don't. I realized yesterday that, through these 6 months of struggles, and honestly through the past 14 years of health issues, God is probably using it to help me to trust Him more. My struggles have been extremely hard, but my God has never failed me yet.

One thing that God has given me these past six months, is writing and reading. Being on book launch teams started before my trach surgery, and has continued after. Then I started blogging about my life journey. Then came the reading and reviewing books. This led to being able to read some wonderful books that, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to read. These books have helped draw me closer to God.

The book reviews and launch teams have helped to open my eyes to spiritual warfare, and the battle that rages around me. J. R. R. Tolkien said in his book The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,  "Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not." While he wasn't speaking about spiritual warfare here, it fits just the same. I have learned so much through these books about spiritual warfare and the armor of God. I believe it has made me a better person in general, a better wife, and a better mom.

I have learned that God has given me everything that I need to live an abundant, victorious life in Him. All I have to do is pick up/accept what He has given me, and use it. Whenever I feel discouraged, or inadequate, God reminds me that I already have what I need. 

Another thing that God has been teaching me is how to pray scripture. I have slacked off on that lately and need to get back to it. You can be confident that you are praying God's will when you are praying His own Words back to Him. As I'm reflecting on the past six months, I have been reading back in my journals. Reading my prayers for my loved ones has reminded me how important prayer is, and how much prayer works.

Be thankful! I have forgotten the second half of my Blog title, which has caused me to not do what the first half says. When I stop writing things that I am thankful for, I end up focusing more on what is wrong, instead of what is right. I forget all the blessings that God has given me.

I have found that God gives us beauty in the midst of all our ashes. I believe this beauty is the good that comes from the bad. God promises us in Romans 8:28 that He will bring good out of everything. When I think of Beauty For ashes I think of the mythological creature pheonix. It's life is a circle. When a phoenix gets to a certain stage in life, it bursts into flames and turns to ashes, but then out of those ashes comes a tiny creature that grows to be a beautiful pheonix. That is beauty for ashes.

Drawing by Collin Gattis

Review of Oddly Enough by Carolanne Miljavac

Carolanne Miljavac knows how to keep a person's attention. I fell in love with Carolanne as she told about growing up in Alabama. She described her life in ways that made me want to reach through the pages of the book and give her a great big hug. This book takes you through all the emotions. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, and I loved. Carolanne lays it all out there for the reader. The good, the bad, and the ugly, but does it in a way that keeps a reader coming back for more. She loves God and doesn't care who knows it.  She is real about her life, and she isn't afraid to put herself out there. Reading this book has changed me for the better. If you have gotten away from God, or just need a refresher, then this book is for you. If you feel that you are not good enough, or you don't love yourself, then this book is for you. If you have had a lot of storms and fiery trials in life and are discouraged, then this book is for you. If you love God and want a closer relationship with Him, then this book is for you. I am so excited for this book’s release so that I can buy copies and give as gifts to loved ones. 

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review."

It's Okay To Not Be Okay By Sheila Walsh: A Review

You may recognize the name Sheila Walsh from years ago when she was a singer, but now she is an author of many books, her latest being It's Okay To Not Be Okay: Moving Forward One Day at a Time. In one of her previous books, she talks about her battle with depression and letting God into her struggles. In this book she expands on that by giving you 8 steps on how to move forward. There is a lot of stigma, with Christians, about not being OK all the time. Many feel that if we admit we are not OK, it is disgraceful. Sheila tells in her book how that this is not so. God knows how we feel. He knows everything, so of course He know what we are feeling, and it OK to take our feeling to Him. Sheila shares her struggles and how she is overcoming them, to help others who are going through the same things, or something similar.  This book has really helped me as I am going through some stuff. My favorite quote in this book is “There are moments in life when there is nothing you can do to control what’s happening. In those times, find your hiding place under the shelter of God’s wings”. Sheila guides us to Christ when we feel as if everything is falling apart. “Okay doesn’t live here”, Sheila says, “But Jesus does”. Many authors write a self-help book, but this is a “God-help” book. She points us to Christ, not ourselves. I feel blessed to be able to be on the launch team for this book, and was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Baker Books for this opportunity.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, I would appreciate if you used my affiliate link below. You don't get charged anymore than you usually would, but I receive a small commission off of your purchase.