Release
Forgive me for being absent for the last few weeks. It feels like there are a million things going on all at once, and I have been struggling a bit with time management.
My daughter’s high school graduation is creeping up on me, and she has many upcoming deadlines as she prepares for the next stage of her life-the college years. She is my first baby, so this mom is really starting to feel the gravity of impending change. I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of it.
I’d rather keep all my kids under the protection of my roof; however, I know if I don’t release their strings, I’ll never see how high they can truly fly on their own. Time keeps ticking, the world keeps turning, and change is an inevitable part of life.
Since my last post, a few significant things have occurred. To start, I turned thirty-nine earlier this month. I think it has finally hit me that I am not a young person anymore, and to be honest, that’s a little depressing to acknowledge.
Knowing I’ll be moving into a new age bracket next year has really made me ponder what is important in my life. Things that used to matter to me don’t so much anymore. I used to worry what others thought about me, but now I’m more concerned with what God thinks of me.
I rarely watch television now because almost everything is negative or vulgar. I cherish every moment with my children because I know they’ll be leaving to start their own independent adventures before I’m ready for them to. While I have many individual dreams and goals in life, I know those can wait because my life isn’t just about me. I find that I enjoy giving more than I do receiving these days.
I also have a greater appreciation for my relationships with those who genuinely love me, enjoy spending time with me, and are there for me when I need them. I’ve also accepted that some relationships are short-term, as God puts different people in our lives at different times for those moments when we need encouragement or to encourage, to learn or to teach, to grow or to nourish, or for whatever reasons they are placed in our path. As those relationships end, releasing those expectations toward others can be truly freeing.
Ultimately, I want to live a life that pleases God. Romans 14:8 reads, “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
Going into new seasons of life can be difficult, but it can also be fulfilling. We learn, mature, and adapt through change. When the thoughts and worries of upcoming changes start to burden my heart, I try to release those anxieties to the Lord and cling to Jeremiah 29:11, knowing that whatever God’s plans are for me, they will be good. “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
My thirty-ninth birthday also marked the one-year anniversary of FeminineFaithful.com! The year flew by, and I feel very blessed to be able to continue with this calling God gave me. I am so grateful for all the support I have had and continue to receive from my readers, my loved ones, and my church family. I’m excited to see what God will do through the blog site this year!
My current season is one of new beginnings: an adult daughter getting ready to leave the nest, beginning my final year in my 30s, relationship changes, a new year devoted to my calling and whatever new ones God puts in my path, and new travel adventures (more on this later).
What is your current season? Is it one of excitement, worry, sorrow, redundancy, accomplishment, monotony, celebration, or a combination of these?
The unknown aspects of change can be scary, and it can be difficult to let go of the familiar. However, know that God is with you through every season of life, and nothing is unknown to Him. Release your worries because “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11).
Regrowth
Speaking of new seasons…spring has sprung, as the saying goes. This is one of my favorite times of the year as we get to witness regrowth in action. The trees begin to bud, flowers bloom, and one can get outside more often to enjoy the beauty and majesty of all our Lord has created for us to enjoy.
“How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures,” (Psalm 104:24).
The crabapple tree in my front yard is always the first to bloom with its lovely white flowers. The second was too close to call this year as I noticed both the daffodils and redbud trees bloomed around the same time. The rest will be sprouting up in no time, and I love it!
Sadly, I can no longer anticipate the regrowth of some of my flora. I had a beautiful, fragrant lilac bush that I loved. However, I neglected it and within a couple of years, it was overgrown with weeds and died. The same happened to the peach tree. To allow for regrowth, it’s important to prune plants to keep them healthy and prevent overgrowth that can damage or smother them.
The same can be said for other things as well, such as hair. Because spring is a season of rejuvenation, I decided it was time to change my hair style. I didn’t do anything drastic, just a highlight with a shorter cut.
I had been trying to grow my hair out, but my post-COVID locks were so damaged that the ends looked awful. They were thin and coarse with a lot of breakage. Cutting off all that damaged hair not only made my hair look thicker and better but will also allow for healthier regrowth.
The same can be said about our life in Christ. Isaiah 40:6b-8 tells us, “’All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.’”
Sometimes we get dead ends that hold us back from healthy growth in the Lord, and to obtain that regrowth, we must cut away the damaged parts. Sometimes we allow so much extra into our lives that overgrowth occurs and figuratively smothers us to the point we lose sight of Jesus, and we slowly wither away from His renewing light. We must prune those things from our lives that impede us from growing closer to our Savior.
As Jesus said in John 15:1-2, “’I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
Spring is a time of new beginnings…a natural period of regeneration. Make it so in your life as well. If you’ve taken a step away from God or have become so busy (like me) that you’re feeling stifled, pull up the weeds and cut off the dead ends to make room for your spiritual regrowth. With Resurrection Sunday right around the corner, there is no better time than now.
Restoration
With the change in seasons comes time for spring cleaning. I’ve been working on that this past week, trying to restore my house to one of cleanliness and comfort instead of clutter and chaos.
It’s a difficult task to undertake, especially with three children who act as though you’re inconveniencing them when you ask them to put their clothes away or not to step in the dirt pile you just swept up so diligently.
We need restoration in our lives as well. This can be true on several levels. Some of us may need restoration of health, some restoration of faith, or some restoration of something that has been neglected, damaged, or lost, such as a job, a marriage, a reputation, or financial security.
If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior today, you need the restoration of life. The Bible tells us without Jesus, there is no life. “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life,” (1 John 5:12).
The Bible is full of stories about the restoration of individuals through the Lord. However, today I will highlight the story of Gomer. You can read about her in Hosea 1-3.
The story of Gomer and her husband is interesting in that God likens it to His relationship with the Israelites. Despite their repeated sin against Him, God remained faithful to His chosen people.
What do we know about Gomer?
Gomer was the wife of the prophet Hosea. She was deemed “promiscuous” by the Lord prior to Hosea’s marriage to her. “When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, ‘Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord,’” (Hosea 1:2). It is not clear whether Gomer was promiscuous prior to her marriage or if God was prophesying about her future adultery with this statement.
However, we do know that Gomer had three children, two boys and a girl, and God named them all. If you read the passage, you’ll see the names weren’t very uplifting as they were directed toward the Israelites’ disloyalty. We also know Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea and left him to reside with her lover.
Not only was Gomer adulterous in her marriage, but she was also spiritually unfaithful to God through her sin. Similarly, the Israelites were also unfaithful to the Lord through their worship of false idols. Just as God restored His covenant with the Israelites because of His deep love for them, God restored, in love, the marriage of Gomer and Hosea.
“The Lord said to me, ‘Go show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes,’” (Hosea 3:1).
Hosea paid for Gomer’s freedom to return home, forgave her, and made it clear that no further infidelity would be tolerated.
If we’re honest, at times we are all guilty of spiritual adultery against the Lord. We may not bow down and worship statues but anything we put before the Lord in our lives is an idol.
Thankfully, we have a forgiving God, as Isaiah 43:25 indicates, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”
Are there areas in your life that need restoration? If so, turn to the One who can help. “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me,” (Psalm 51:12).
Are you lost and seeking salvation today? Do you want to restore your life through Jesus Christ? You can do so. “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life,” (Romans 5:10).
Just as Jesus died for you and was resurrected to life, God can restore you into something greater than you’ve ever been before. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Welcome to a new season.
Have a blessed week!
-Becky
