Hey. How have you been? (Seriously, I want to know, comment below!) I finally decided to give up on crafting a well thought out blog post for you this week and to just let you know what’s been on my heart.

First, I finished the 4th edit of He’s Making Diamonds and sent it to beta readers (who are awesome by the way). Yay! However, I’ve been pouring so much of myself into that book the past few weeks that this blog (not to mention my health) has been paying the price. My creativity is all out.

I know I keep talking about this book (just ask my friends), but I promise it’s not about marketing, ironically (at least, mostly not 😉 ). That truly is the thing I need prayer for and the thing that is taking up a lot of my life at the moment.

I’ve set a publication date (which I’ll be announcing soon!), and it is literally impossible for me to get everything together in time by then… in my own power that is. But in the last weeks, God has proven again and again, that it is in His hands. And I fully have faith that it will all work out in His power. What is impossible with man is possible with God, right? 😉

I can’t WAIT to share this book with you! And yet, at the same time, I’m not ready for my baby to be released out into the world… it still feels like it has a lot of growing up to do! I guess this is how parents feel when their kids move out??

Actually, fear is something I’ve been struggling with lately. Fear of sharing my book. Fear of making a fool of myself. Fear of healing (see previous post here). Fear of people’s expectations of me.

But God commands us over and over again in the Bible not to fear. I shared these things with a friend and she began to quote my own book back at me… I didn’t want to hear my own words. Logically, I knew she was right, but my emotions didn’t want to hear it.

Thankfully, our emotions don’t affect the truth. 🙂

I’ve also been thinking about this time last year… and how far I’ve come. Last year at this time, I was too sick to do more than roll over without help. I couldn’t bathe myself, or walk by myself, or do anything without help. But this year… I just spent the last two weeks pushing myself super hard and didn’t flare. Today I had a therapy horse riding session. I can feed myself, and walk by myself, and bathe myself, and so much more. God is SO GOOD people! He has been faithful in the past, and I know He will be faithful to carry me through this next season as well. I could give my fear to Him then, so why not now too?

Already, I lost track of where I was going with this blog post (if I had any direction in the first place anyway), but yeah. That’s what’s been going on in my life. That’s why I don’t have a whole lot of encouragement to share today.

But if you are struggling I want you to know that that is okay. I am too. Let’s just seek God in our struggling and trust Him with our questions, fears, hopes, dreams, plans, and hearts. Let’s try to humble our hearts to accept God’s truth. Let’s remember that our emotions aren’t always reliable, but that it’s also okay to have them… we just need to make sure we keep them in line with God’s truth.

When you guys took the survey a few weeks ago about how I can improve this blog, you said that you liked my rawness and honestly… something I’ve not really wanted to share lately. But this is all my tired brain will give you, and I’m going to pray that God may use some of the words in this post to bless you.

In fact, I’m going to take a few moments just to pray for you, my wonderful readers. I don’t have something amazing to share, but God knows your heart and exactly what He needs and I know that He will provide the encouragement, challenge, and comfort that you need today.

“God, I give You these wonderful readers that You have blessed me with. Thank You for them. I pray that wherever each person there is today, whatever they are doing, whatever they are struggling with, and whatever they are rejoicing over that they may be doing it with You. Thank You that You enter our pain and our joy, that You never leave us or forsake us. Thank You that Your grace is sufficient for us but in trials and in triumphs, in sickness and in healing. Please give each person reading this peace, comfort, and joy. Let them know right now that they are loved. Wrap You wonderful arms of love around them that they may know without a doubt that it is You. Bless them and help them to fix their eyes on You no matter what the storm is around them. Help us to walk on water in Your confidence and to trust You. Please give them physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual strength. Fill them with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus Name, Amen.”