Wildflowers

Hello friends,

The big trend now-a-days is floral EVERYTHING. Floral dresses, floral decorations, floral artwork, floral crowns! Every Instagram picture and every blog posts comes adorned with a bouquet of flowers. (I’m SO guilty of this)

I started doing some really challenging and amazing devotionals these past couple weeks, and I found it so interesting that the mention of wildflowers are all over the Bible! Let’s look at a few verses before I jump in:

Isaiah 40:8:

8″The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    but the word of our God endures forever.”

Psalm 37:2:

2″For like grass, they soon fade away.
    Like spring flowers, they soon wither.”

Psalm 103:15:

15″Our days on earth are like grass;
    like wildflowers, we bloom and die.”

One thing I noticed while reading these verses is a common theme. They all reference the lifespan of flowers. When flowers bloom, they are beautiful and vibrant, however they do not last forever. Flowers will soon wither away and die, losing their life, color, and brilliance.

In my life, I can relate to the wildflower. There are days when I feel bright, beautiful, and vibrant. However there are other days when I feel dried up, gray, and lifeless. Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever wonder how it happened? How you lost your luster?

In Isaiah 40 there is a glimmer of hope. “…but the word of our God endures forever.” Endurance. Really soak that in for a second. I think we sometimes forget the resilience of our God. In times of lifelessness we are temporarily blinded to how God HAS and WILL carry us out stronger on the other side of our calamity.

This blog is going to be very short and sweet. We are “…like wildflowers, we bloom and die” In other words, we go through times of amazing prosperity and then we get crushed. We are human. That’s how it will be in this lifetime. But our God is everlasting. His petals never wilt. His stem stays strong. His leaves never fade or fall.

Friends, I pray you never get so wrapped up in your own trials that you forget to stop and smell the wildflowers. Remind yourself that even though you are pressed and stomped out, you have a God who blooms forever, and he is on YOUR side.

Grow and flourish in HIM.

With love,

Haleigh 

The Rock and a Hard Place

Hello friends,

American culture produces phrases or sayings to capture some of life’s indescribable situations.

“Oh it’s just a stone’s throw away” = “It’s not far”

“It’s a piece of cake!” = “It’s easy!”

“You’re diving me up the wall!” = “You’re annoying me”

I am sure you have heard your grandma, or you yourself, use these phrases. How about,

“I’m really between a rock and hard place right now”?

Generally speaking, this means you’re stuck in the middle of two options, one being hard, and the other being…well…just as hard.

Last week we talked about Seasons in our life. Some are absolutely amazing…but others, not so much. I’ll be honest, I am in the middle of a very difficult season, friends. Some recent changes have flipped my world upside down, and made me want to scream the phrase “UHM HELLO GOD, I’M REALLY IN BETWEEN A HUGE GINORMOUS BOULDER, AND THE HARDEST PLACE I’VE EVER KNOWN RIGHT NOW!!!” I feel like any direction I go is going to end horribly.

Until I realized something. Something very important:

The only place I am right now, is in between THE Rock and a hard place.

Let me explain that further. When you’re in a tough situation, there are only two places to run.

1. Toward the hard place.
2. Toward God. The solid Rock.

See when we put our own anxieties and fears about the future aside, it becomes very clear that we can only go two different ways: we can either run full force into the hard place – the ended friendship, the breakup, the unemployment, the death of a loved one, the rejection from your peers. OR, we can choose to take a leap towards the one who’s foundation never fails, never wavers, can never be moved or shaken. Our Lord, our God, our solid Rock.

Matthew 7:24-27 says this:

²⁴ “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. ²⁵ Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. ²⁶ But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. ²⁷ When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Let’s play with this a minute and change the word “house” to “hope” and change “sand” to “the hard place”. Now read the verse again with these new words. In this verse we see two options. You can either put all of your hope, trust, and prayers on the thing that is tearing you down, or you can give all of it over to God, who will not let anything bring you down.

I realize that this is easier said than done…trust me…I do. There is something about just giving up control to God that is so scary. But, we have to remind ourselves we are giving it to someone who knows what suffering looks like, and knows how to redeem it. The hard place? Anxiety, fear, and depression only know how to be what they are. No turning back. No brighter days. No redemption. Why? They are controlled by Satan…and he has no redemption for our souls. He is in a very very hard place, and he wants us to be right there with him.

But we are told in God’s word of a different way out:

2 Thessalonians 3:3:

^“3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.”

1 Corinthians 10:13:

^“13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Psalm 78:35:

^“35 Then they remembered that God was their rock,
    that God Most High was their redeemer.”

2 Samuel 22:32

^“32 For who is God except the Lord?
    Who but our God is a solid rock?”

There are so many other examples from the Bible that back up this claim. He is our Rock. He is our foundation. He will not falter.

 

I want to encourage you today to make a decision. You may be right smack dab in the middle of a really hard season. You may see so many different roads that you can go down, and you may have justifiable reasoning for every single one, but in the end remember there are only two: The Rock and the hard place. One will lift you high above the season of sorrow, the other will surround you in it.

Run toward the Rock.

With love,

Haleigh

 

Seasons

Hello my dear friends,

I resent starting almost every one of these blogs with “I know it’s been such a long time…I’m so so sorry…I promise to post more!” I started this blog a year ago because a fire was lit inside of me. That fire burned and told me to turn my thoughts into words and to share those words with the intent of striking chords with other people who may have those same thoughts. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, that fire got put out. I got distracted with other things, people, relationships, and stress. In doing so, I let that fire die down until I had forgotten all about it. The consequence? I lost that bit of warmth that this brought into my life.

Well, I’m back now with LOTS of things to say. My goal is to post a new blog every Monday. Let’s call it “Mosaic Monday’s”. My hope is to relight this fire. I thank you for joining me in the process.

This past year I have grown and learned so much. Not only emotionally and mentally, but spiritually as well. God has presented challenges, joy, successes, and even sorrow to my life that have shaped me, and continue to shape me every single day. I don’t know what else to do other than proclaim His presence to all of you.

And that’s what I, guided by His hand, intend to do.

 

There are four. Winter, Summer, Spring, and Fall. You’re familiar, I’m sure. You know them well, and if you’re a midwesterner like me, you have the privilege of experiencing them all (sometimes in the same week). Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “season” as follows:

“a time characterized by a particular circumstance or feature”

What’s interesting here, is that this definition does not include anything relating to weather, or the change in it. It only references time and circumstance as definitive characteristics of a “season”.

In the last year, I’ve gone through all four natural seasons, but more than that, I’ve gone through seasons that are a bit harder to identify.

• Seasons of anger.
• Seasons of complacency.
• Seasons of anxiety.
• Seasons of stress.
• Seasons of heartbreak.

All of these seasons spanned a period of time and depended on my circumstances. The hard thing about these seasons is knowing when they’re occurring and what to do while they are. When winter rolls around you know to start wearing your coat, break out your gloves, and put on a hat. When summer thaws the cold, you slip on your sandals, apply sunscreen, and crank the AC.

But what do you do when you fail that test? When you start to lose touch with that friend you made Freshman year? When a family member suddenly passes away? When that person you thought was the one decides to leave? When you succeed, but no one seems to notice?

These seasons aren’t as simple to endure. They don’t always have a standard fix. We don’t know when they end, and we rarely ever anticipate their beginning. Why can’t the good seasons last forever?

• Seasons of love.
• Seasons of joy.
• Seasons of contentment.
• Seasons of laughter.
• Seasons of hope.

These seasons are so much easier to live in. We would much rather dance in the subtle rain of Spring, than ride out the storms of trying seasons.

But friends, we have GOOD NEWS.

What we have to remember as Christians, is that we are unmeasurably loved by a God who has a path set out for us. A good path. A path that will bring us joy and peace. The answers to our questions are laid out in the Bible. We have faith in a God who hears our cries and answers us fully in His perfect timing. 

Luke 11:9 tells us this:

⁹ “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.¹⁰ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Friends, this is such encouraging news. I know there are times when that verse may not seem so easy. You may be doing all of those things and still coming up empty. I encourage you to keep seeking. God will not abandon you. Even if trials follow you your entire life, still praise His name and hold tight to the promise laid out in God’s word. One day, these seasons of trial will end and the seasons of joy will last forever.

Revelation 21:4 says this:

4″He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow, or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

We have the promise of Heaven, because of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. Remember the promise, and live to seek God’s will for your life here on Earth.

You are going to go through seasons my friends. I guarantee some of them will rock your foundation and break your heart. The cold will rush through your veins, the trees will fade to brown and lose their life, the sun will blister your brow, and the storms will roll in with a vengeance. But those seasons are NOT the end for us. They will pass when you cling to the promise of God’s unfailing love.

Whatever your season, trust in HIM.

 

With love,

Haleigh

 

 

 

 

Moving On

Hello friends!

I realize it has been a LONG LONG LONG time since I have posted anything on here. I regretfully miss writing about nothing and also something at the same time. I think my New Year’s resolution will be to post more blogs…but then again..no promises.

So…remember when I talked about forgiveness and how it was so hard for me to forgive? Well, I can successfully say I have made that leap and I forgave.

That sounds like it was so easy.

But, it wasn’t.

It was easily one of the scariest things I’ve had to do and it took a huge toll on me emotionally.

Have you ever felt that weight? That pressure inflicted by pain, anger, resentment, and grief? It tears at you and wears you down like a block sitting on your chest until you can barely breathe on your own.

Now, have you ever felt the release when you let it go…when you forgive? 

I can tell you it is one of the greatest feelings I have ever felt. The biggest thing I have learned when I finally let go of my pride, and chose to forgive, is that I feel normal again. I feel like I’m limitless and nothing is holding me back from moving on. Six months ago the words “moving on” would seem like an impossible task to me. But now, they are inviting and needed. 

My smile isn’t fake, my heart isn’t heavy, and my mind has been made up.

I am free.

I hope you feel free everyday you live. I hope you love people fiercely and forgive those who break your soul. It’s not easy, but it’s so worth it.

With love,

Haleigh

There’s Something About Forgiveness…

Hello friends,

First I’d like to apologize because it’s been a while since I have done one of these, and maybe you don’t care, but nevertheless, I’m sorry.

Can you forgive me?

I’d hope so because honestly, this blog shouldn’t be your only focus in life (if it is then I am entirely honored). So forgiveness may come easy to you now.

Personally though, I HATE forgiveness.

Okay, hate is a very strong word, but I struggle a lot with forgiveness. Even as a child it would be extremely hard for me to forgive my siblings for being annoying and actually mean it. I think we may have all struggled with that.

Maybe you grew out of that habit, but personally, I didn’t.

I haven’t.

Life is not perfect, people are not perfect, life will hurt you, and people will hurt you. That is reality, that is the truth of our existence. Recently, life and people alike hurt me. Hurt me in a way I have never felt pain. I long for peace and to never feel that pain again. I have always been taught that when people hurt you, you must forgive them to move on and feel peace.

But that just doesn’t seem fair to me. 

Why do they get hurt me, and I have to give them grace? The simple answer I have is that as a Christ follower, I am called to love and not hold anger and resentment inside of me.

BUT…I was never promised it would be easy,

or that I would like it,

or the pain would magically go away.

Because the truth is, it’s NOT easy, I DON’T like it, and the pain certainly HAS NOT gone away.

Do you feel that way? Do you feel chained by the fear of forgiveness? The fear of letting go of your pride and saying “Hey…I forgive (insert name here), for what you did, for the pain you caused, for the long nights, and for the never ending blame I put on myself”

Friends…it’s scary.

Trust me, I know.

Man, I wish I could sit here and type out the words “But don’t worry everyone because I have forgiven those people who hurt me and now I feel amazing and set free of all my pain”

I wish more than anything that I could tell you that today.

But I can’t 

I can’t tell you when that day will be, or how it’s going to feel when it comes, but I know it’s what I am called to do. So, I am going to take that journey no matter how much it hurts, or how unfair it may seem. I hope you can too.

With love,

Haleigh

College is Tricky

HELLO FRIENDS!

Who knows why I was so excited just then, but what I do know is that I am blessed, stressed, and grateful. This is because my Sophomore year of college has officially begun as of about two weeks ago.

So this post may be overdue, and also may feel a little scattered and rushed, but let me tell you it’s been a crazy couple of weeks.

Although classes haven’t started yet, I have learned already that college brings such a rollercoaster of emotions. So I have compiled a list of some of the emotions I have felt in these last couple of weeks. (Warning: I’m about to get super transparent with you all!)

1. Excited
2. Loved
3. Angry
4. Confused
5. Encouraged
6. Hurt
7. Silly
8. Fulfilled
9. Overwhelmed
10. Overjoyed
11. Stressed
12. Amazed

Okay so I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.

Or do you?????

Because honestly, does that list even make sense to you? It sure threw me for a loop. How can all of these feelings hit me like a brick just upon returning to school? To be completely honest, I have no answer.

I think sometimes life just comes in and is all like “Hey what’s up I think I’ll just flip everything upside down on ya. Is that chill?” Then all you have left to do is pick up the pieces (see what I did there? Mosaic? Pieces? Eh?) and move on the best you can.

So while I have no idea where this year will take me, I am feeling most of all HOPEFUL for what is to come next. I hope whatever life is throwing at you helps you propel forward as well.

With love,

Haleigh

The Birth of a Blog

Maybe you’re wondering, what is this, what’s the point, and who cares? Well let me tell you, I’m right there with you. Starting this blog was an idea that sprung in my head about an hour ago. Yes. One hour ago. So this first post may be scattered and messy, but nevertheless my heart kinda tapped on my brain and said “Hey, do this!”

So here we are.

A Mosaic Soul. That’s what I’m calling this. A mosaic image is a picture composed of small pieces of stone or glass. The key word there is “pieces”. One grand picture made of multiple unique pieces. When I thought about what I wanted this blog to be about, it seemed that a hundred different topics and themes popped into my head. But they all made up one thing:

Me

My thoughts, my worries, my encounters, my fears, and what makes me uniquely me. Now, I know you’re probably like “Haleigh get over yourself”, but let me explain.

This blog is about You too.

You’re a mosaic too. We all are. Every one of us can be described by our own defining pieces. But I think we are too afraid to show every single piece. Think about what you post on social media. The good stuff of course. The smiling faces, the amazing sunsets, and the epic adventures we make with friends. Why? We don’t want people to see our mess. So we only show our pretty pieces. The problem is our mosaic isn’t solely composed of pretty pieces.

My goal for this blog is to unveil my pretty pieces right along side my ugly pieces. Because I want people to see my mosaic for what it is. I want to say the things on my mind without an ounce of insincerity and hope that in these reflections about my life you can relate and find encouragement, enlightenment, or at the very least, entertainment.

Did this make any sense?

Maybe not, but alas, here we go.

With love,

Haleigh