Knock Knock

Knock Knock

Who’s There?

A joke we’ve all told and all heard at least 20 times over in our lives. Very simple, very plain. No hilarious punchline, no overwhelming affect. All it produces is a slight turn of the lips, or at most a forced giggle.

It’s timeless, it’s classic, it has that feel good affect. But what it doesn’t do is ever bring any discomfort, any unwanted answers, no, the thing behind the knock on the door is always a happy surprise.

Don’t you just wish real life was just like that? Wouldn’t it just be great if behind every knock on the door there were good grades, the perfect man/woman, the job you always wanted, or the acceptance you crave?

That’s not the case though is it? No behind most knocks on our doors is unexpected failures, lost friendships, unwanted news, or wildly shifting life changes. It gets to the point where it becomes easier to leave the door closed, rather than face what may be behind it.

God never promised us an easy life. God never said every door would open to a brighter path. It’s the facts of life and it’s not pretty. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes question why I continue to open new doors. But there’s one verse that urges me to open anyway:

Revelation 3:8:

8 “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.”

If I obey. If I say yes to Him. The open door stands and waits for me. Even when I have “little strength” no one can shut the door on me. This fulfilling promise urges me to take the step through the door in front of me. I will swing it open and trust God’s plan as I walk through. My hope is that you can do the same.

Listen for the knock, and embrace the answer.

 

With love,

Haleigh

 

Sudden Shift

Hello friends,

I live in Illinois. I have my entire life. So you would think that the weather going from 60 degrees to 20 degrees within two weeks wouldn’t surprise me by now. But alas, it still does. As soon as I step outside and feel the sharp bite of winter wind, it’s like I’m reliving the sudden shift of seasons all over again.

Goodness, doesn’t life have a ton of these sudden shifts. I mean that’s just one small small example. I can’t even relay how many time my life took a drastic turn that threw me for the biggest loop. We like to plan. No, we LOVE to plan out our lives. Whether we verbalize it or not there is always that track playing in your mind of what the plan is for today, tomorrow, next year, and then the rest of your life.

Isn’t it just so frustrating when it doesn’t go the way you planned? I’m sure it’s happened more times than you’d like to admit.

The lesson here is that those sudden shifts make for the biggest waves of change in our lives. They rock our foundation and make us reevaluate what our purpose really is. God takes our normal and shows us why normal isn’t good enough. Our lives get refocused.

Now we have a choice here: we can either embrace the sudden shift and follow the new path, or ignore it and stay in our ways. The crave comes in the decision to say yes to Him and no to your own plan.

Take some time this week to pray about what God has in store for your life. If you’re going through a sudden shift, really ask Him what it’s all about. Search His word and you may get an answer.

Take the sudden shift and make a conscience change.

 

With love,

Haleigh

Out of Place

Hello friends,

I took a bit of a hiatus last week, and for that I apologize. School has been a whirlwind lately and I let it take over my brain for a bit! I’m hoping things will calm down so I can get back to what I love so so much, THIS!

This week’s blog is called “Out of Place”. One of my favorite songs is called “Breathing Underwater” by Metric. There is a line in that song that I think of quite a lot. It says:

“They were right, when they said, we were breathing under water. Out of place, all the time, in a world that wasn’t mine to take”

I heard this song for the first time five years ago at a youth conference and it has stuck with me ever since. Deep rooted in my heart are the words “out of place all the time, in a world that wasn’t mine to take”

This world holds so much weight, and so much sin, that sometimes, especially being a Christian, I feel so lost. So out of place. There are times when I sit for a while and just wonder what my purpose here is. Who am I supposed to be in this world? Is what I’m trying to become coming from what I want? What my family wants? What my friends want? What God wants? Most of the time, I can’t come up with the answers.

The one place in this life where I feel the most at home, where I feel not so out of place, is in the arms of the One who created me. I’ve never felt a peace like the quiet whisper of God’s voice. I’ve never been more sure of His presence in my life. I’ve never experienced hope like the hope he instills in my soul.

I hope you feel this way too. We were meant to feel connected. We were called from before we were even conceived to have a place with Him. We are wanted, longed for, and sought out by the One who formed our bones.

One verse that highlights this comes from Romans, chapter 8

Romans 8:38-39

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Nothing can separate. Nothing can get in the way. Nothing will ever make you feel so out of touch, out of reach, or out of place in Him. It takes effort on our parts to touch back, reach back, and receive His place for us. But when we do, He will never leave.

I’ll end with another lyric from that song:

“Lights of days will beat a path through the mirrored maze. I can see the end, but it hasn’t happened yet”

We know the end, but while we’re here, we should find our place in Him, in that light he shines on us.

 

With love,

Haleigh

 

 

A World Without Hope

Hello friends,

Yesterday I went to small group at my pastor’s house, and a very interesting question was brought up. He asked our group a question that seems to merit a simple response, but in actuality is difficult to answer. He asked this:

Why are you a Christian?

Simple enough right? Why am I a Christian? Well, because I am. Because my parents raised me that way. Because I’ve never known anything else. I knew these answers right off the bat, but I knew these were just cop out answers. I had to check myself and dig deeper into the real reason why I choose this life. The real reason why I believe and why I have faith.

The answer came to me in one simple sentence. One that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Why am I Christian?

I’m a Christian because I don’t want to live in a world without hope.

The salvation of Jesus brings us the most precious gift: hope. Being a Christian means I believe that God is ever present and has been since the beginning of time. It means I believe that He sent his Son to love amongst people like me. Pathetic people who fail and fail and fail again. His love knew no bounds. He love knew no shame. He knew me and decided to give me hope for an everlasting life in Him.

There are times in my life when I look around and I feel hopeless. I forget that I am promised so much more than the darkness can hide. I forget is constantly wanting me to thrive. I forget to see Him in the trial and suddenly I am in a world without hope.

It’s in those times where I look to God’s word for a glimmer of hope yet again:

Psalm 3:2-6:

“2So many a saying, “God will never rescue him!” 3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.4 I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain. 5 I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. 6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.”

Jeremiah 29:11

“11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

These two verses are beacons of hope. They don’t stop here. God’s word speaks volumes and chapters and pages full of promise. Full of hope.

Reach out your hand to Him when your trapped in a world without hope

 

With love,

Haleigh

Comeback Kid

Hello friend,

I have to apologize for my absence last week, it was fall break and I spent a lovely weekend in Chicago. I love exploring the city and taking it all in. But unfortunately I missed this in the rush of it all.

But, I’m back!

Which is a great transition into this weeks blog – Comeback Kid.

Do you ever feel like that? Like the Comeback Kid? You’ve been behind for so long, your faith is lacking, you feel lost and unsure, and then you find that glimmer of hope. But that isn’t your comeback.

No, see, your comeback happens when you follow that glimmer. When you actively choose the light over the darkness. When instead of chasing the things that leave you empty, you decide to run full force that the thing that makes you whole. That brings you back home.

God does this on purpose. God shows us a different way all the time. Unfortunately we don’t always follow. Why? Because it seems hard. Because it isn’t what we want. It isn’t what we expected. But we can be sure that whatever He has in store for us is so good. He will make a comeback kid out of you. 

I encourage you all to take a month and read the book of Job. Job had everything taken away from him. He could have easily staying trapped in all of his misery. But he didn’t. He was so faithful to God and his promise for him. Job is has one of the most powerful comeback stories of all time. Let God speak to you through him this month.

Seek out the light. You can be the Comeback Kid.

 

With love,

Haleigh

Identity Crisis

Hello friends,

Have you ever has one of those existential crisis moments where you briefly start to question everything about your life and about who you are as a person? When this happens to me I ask myself a lot of questions like: Who am I? What is my purpose? Am I good enough? Am I doing everything wrong? Am I trusting the Lord enough? Am I on the right path? All of these questions cloud my judgement and make me question everything.

This sometimes happens unprompted, however, it typically happens when someone let’s me down. When I get hurt I start to lose my sense of identity. It takes a lot for me to realize who I am without the approval of that guy, or that professor, or that friend, or that stranger on the other side of the street. How can I find my worth, if I think everyone around me sees me as unworthy? 

It’s hard and it’s painful. But…above all els, it’s not true

You read that right. None of that is true. When we are clouded and surrounded with judgement and rejection we cannot see the people in our lives that see us for who we are and love us anyway. We tell ourselves that our identity lies in the people that left and we slowly start to lose ourselves. When the truth is, our identity doesn’t lie in people at all. Our identity lies in the One who formed us with His own hands and loves us right in the middle of the mess.

Here’s what the Bible has to say about our identities in God:

1 Corinthians 12:27

“27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”

Ephesians 4:24

“24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

“17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

Galatians 2:20

“20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

I know how hard it can be to live out and believe these truths. Trust me, I do. It’s not easy to feel alone, but constantly have to remind yourself that you’re not. But, if you let Him in and spend time getting comfortable with His words on your heart and in your ear, you’ll hear the faithful promise that we are a full and cherished person in His name.

 

In the middle of the identity crisis, remember who you are in the Lord.

 

With love,

Haleigh 

 

The Flip of a Switch

Hello friends,

Have you ever tried to balance the light switch so that the light is halfway on and halfway off? If you have, you’ve probably found out that it’s nearly impossible to do. The light is either on or off. The room is either light or dark, there really isn’t an in between.

If I’ve learned anything in my 21 years on this Earth, it’s that, my life is either light or dark. It’s rarely ever dim, or somewhere in between. I’ve had really bright times and very dark times. Most of the time, it happens with the flip of a switch. One moment it’s super great, and the next everything comes crashing down.

Now, I know some of you maybe can’t relate and I also know some of you know exactly what I’m talking about. But, wherever you’re at on the spectrum, you need to know that your Creator made you, made the light, AND made the dark. In Genesis it says:

Genesis 1:14-18:

“14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16 God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth,18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.“

Our God is so wonderful. Notice how God made both the light and dark and “saw that it was good” If only we could remember that all the time. I’m trying really hard to remember how amazing my God is even when it’s dark. Even when two months ago everything around me was filled with bright and brilliant light, and with the flip of a switch it all went dark.

Friends…we don’t have to understand why this happens. We don’t have to know every answer to every question that we scream into our darkness. We can’t imagine why God does what He does, or what His plan is…but even in the uncertainty, we have to trust that He is still God. That He is on our side. That He has a WONDERFUL plan for our lives.

The same God that made the light, made your light. Praise Him when it’s light. The same God that made the darkness, sees you clearly in your darkness. Praise Him when it’s dark. I don’t have a lot more to say, other than I know that sometimes  your switch will get flipped…most of the time when you least expect it.

Whichever way the switch flips, Praise the One who remains constant.

 

With love,

Haleigh

 

 

 

Shut Up

Hello friends,

My grandfather is a very wise man. He was a Bible college professor for many many years. He is one of the most knowledgable people I know. Recently, he shared with me something very interesting about a verse in the Bible that we might be misinterpreting. If you’ve been in the church your whole life, or just like to look up aesthetically pleasing Bible verses on Pinterest, (perhaps both if you’re like me), you’ve probably heard this verse:

Psalm 46:10

10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

Doesn’t it sound so lovely? We often plaster this verse on a picture of tranquil waters, rolling fields, or a beautiful sunset and *sigh* at the assurance of it’s calming words.

But, this isn’t really the vibe this verse was intended to be read with. What we think God says is “Be still, be calm, be assured, be cradled, be held” which are definitely attributes of God. However, scholars have concluded that what God meant by “Be still” was actually “SHUT UP”

Whoa…

That doesn’t really sound like God. Not the God I know. Not the God I’m comfortable with. Not the God who would never put trials in my life because he loves me. The Bible tells me so! The song says so! No way would MY God tell me to “shut up.”

But He does. He did with the people of the Bible, and He does with us.

He tells us to shut up, because we don’t stop talking enough to hear His voice. We don’t stop worrying enough to realize His plan for our lives. We don’t shut up enough to know that He IS God. Our call to be silent enough to hear our Lord’s calling is a hard thing to accept. Especially if you’re like me, and have a LOVE for talking…and talking…and talking some more.  Here’s what the Bible has to say about this:

Ecclesiastes 3:1,7

1 “There is a time for everything,  and a season for every activity under the heavens…7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak”

Proverbs 17:28

28 “Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;
    with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.”

Lamentations 3:28

28 “Let them sit alone in silence
    beneath the Lord’s demands.”

Proverbs 10:19

19 “Too much talk leads to sin.
    Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.”

Yes, I know there is a time to shout, praise, cry out to God, and to converse with other believers. But, when God is calling you to stay silent, even for just a moment, you must simply shut up, and listen. It’s not a harsh command, it’s a wise and loving conviction. You will hear so much more from your Maker when you allow Him to speak instead of you.

Follow the call of silence, the undeniable “Shut Up”

 

With love,

Haleigh

 

 

Start Over

Hello friends,

This post is going to be rough. I just thought I’d warn you before hand that this week I’d rather not write anything and instead just lay in bed, wallowing in my own mess. However, I know I am called to speak. I know I am called to write to you. I know these words will not only reach your eyes, but will reach God’s. So bear with me. I am trying my best.

I originally titled this blog post “Hide and Seek.” I had a pretty good vision of what I wanted to talk to about in regards to that, which verses I’d use, and how I could tie it all together for a perfectly packaged post.

But, something inside told me to START OVER.

Try again.

Not the right path.

Which is really annoying because now I’m flying by the seat of my pants and it’s scary not knowing what I’m going to say, or how I’m going to say it.

I really think my life is a lot like that. Time and time again I get hit with unexpected turns and big warnings from God to START OVER

Try again.

Not the right path. 

So I find myself screaming “No, God. I made a plan. I followed Your will. I tried my best. I do not want to start over. I do not want to try again. I want to stay on THIS path.” But…God looks down at me and says “No, Haleigh. I made a plan. I am the best. You need to start over. You have to try again. I am on your path.”

I want to share one verse with you today:

Proverbs 16:9

9 “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

Friends, I am having a really hard time accepting this truth. However, I do know that it IS truth. So I have to give it up. Place my steps in His hands and completely trust that he is on the path with me.

Reminder yourself this week: It’s okay to start over. 

 

With love,

Haleigh

 

 

 

Mountains and Valleys

Hello friends,

The first week of school has come and gone for me, and it was jam packed with every kind of activity, class, and stress imaginable. I struggled to find time to sit down and debrief with God, and ended up staying up late every night to really settle into His word.

What I noticed most about this week was the crazy highs of life, and the very low lows. I spent a lot of this week excited about school activities, student leadership roles, and seeing all my friends again. But amidst all of those highs, there were also major lows; stress of classes, busy schedules, feelings of anxiety and discontentment.

Life is always like this. Sometimes it’s not always in the same week. Sometimes you may have whole year of highs. Other times you will have a long seasons of lows.

It’s really hard to understand what God’s plan is for us when we go through lows. When we are trapped in the valleys of life. We cry out to Him and expect answers that seem to be hidden from us. The valley is where we are lost. The valley is where we cannot see. The valley is a place where our only option is to be completely vulnerable with the Lord, and let him carry us out in His timing.

The Bible has a lot to say about the valley:

Psalm 23:4

“4 Even when I walk  through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”

Jonah 2:6

6″To the roots of the mountains I sank down;  the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.”

Isaiah 54:10

10″For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”

 

Each of these verses tells us that we will go through hard times, but isn’t it so comforting that they all end in the redeeming grace of our God? There is no valley you will go through that God will not pull you out of. If you surrender your valley to Him, He will surely point you toward the mountain.

The Bible also has encouraging news about the mountains we stand on during the highs of our life:

Isaiah 52:7

7″How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”

Psalm 121: 2

2″I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Nahum 1:15

15″Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.”

Two of these verses have the same phrase “publishes peace.” That is such a good reminder. When you are in times of highs, where things are going well, it is because God has graced you with the gift of peace. He has calmed the internal storm and gave you great fulfillment. Do not see this as the work of your friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, peers, or families. Instead, praise your Heavenly Father who blessed you immensely with such joy. It is amazing the beauty God can reveal to you when you praise Him for your mountain view.

Friends, no matter if you stand glorious on the mountain, or sink deep into the darkness of the valley, remember who is beside you no matter what. He does not leave you in despair, and he urges you on when you are thriving.

 

When you’re in the valley, cling tighter. When you’re on the mountain, look higher.

 

With love,

Haleigh