Outside of Comfort

Outside of Comfort

Sometimes we are asked by friends to do things out of our comfort zones. Take a minute and reflect about how you have been asked outside of your comfort zone before, think over what it was, how you felt before, and after, and what happened. 

This weekend I am doing something outside of my comfort zone. And let me tell you, it's not easy. I will be away from my little one, doing things I have never tried before, and there are risks with it. But, if I want to do it, I have to accept the sacrifices of the weekend, embrace the risks, and take each moment with a positive attitude. This weekend should be a fun weekend, but the devil, and there is no mistaking it, the devil or his minions, like to sit on your shoulder and whisper to you about how things will go wrong, how little fun you will be having, they make the whole thing seem insurmountable. 

They don't just do things like this when we want to have fun, they do it especially when God calls us out of our comfort zone.

There. I said it. God calls us out of our comfort zones. Did you read that? God, the one true God, the all-knowing, all-loving, divine one, calls us out of our comfort zones. 

Well, that sucks. Yes, I said it. That sucks. We don't want to do it, we want to whine about it, we want to do things our way, not come out of our comfort zone, not work with that one person. It's too bad, because God has great plans for us, if we will let Him pull us from the comfort zones we build around ourselves. We need to be receptive to the new experiences, the new things that God is pulling us out for. He doesn't enjoy seeing our suffering, He isn't the maker of suffering and pain, that is the work of the evil one, Satan. And we need not let that control everything we do. If we continually turn to God to REMAIN in HIM, we can find the peace to address whatever it is he is wanting us to.

I am remaining in Him, being pulled out of my comfort zone, and I am going to have a great time.

Love always,

A.R.

<3

Not Always Ready

              Not Always Ready

It's not always easy to be who God called you to be. Moreover, it isn't always easy to be ready for the things that come at you in life. In my life, I have shared my share of trials, heartbreaks, and mistakes. Sometimes those things tear me to the ground and leave me lying there. I am no stranger to pain, no stranger to the emptiness that comes at the hours long past dark. If you are going through one of those spots in your life, where it seems the darkness is endless and you can't see a way out, you find no hope... I have been there. I know the pain that comes during those times, the feeling that you are never going to see hope or happiness again.

I haven't always been ready to come out from those points either. That darkness, that loneliness, that absolute void that comes into life, sometimes it's hard to leave. The darkness comes about and it wraps around you, you don't want it to let you go! Yeah, I have been there.

That loneliness and pain, it can be used, sometimes for the betterment of others, but other times we use it, to wallow in it. We want the pity sometimes even without thinking that we do, we want that attention, why is it that the girl next door got attention for her problems but I don't get any for mine? Yes, even I have felt that at the lowest points of my life.

When my depression overwhelms me and I feel like I am screaming for help and no one seems to be coming, I can point out every single person that the people I am around are busy praying for, busy giving attention to, and that darkness cries out that I am forgotten, unlovable, unwanted, they wouldn't care if I just dropped dead. And... Some days, these people may have other things on their minds, they could be dealing with a silent illness, a death in the family, but the depression wants to be recognized and it makes us miserable.

We don't have to feel that way. We have ways we can work that darkness out, we have ways to let out the pain inside, to move the loneliness away. We can get out of this pit. It may always be like this, struggling through one stage or another, but with the right team and the right ideas of how to combat it, we can make a difference. In our lives and in others.

I am struggling through tonight, but tomorrow is another day to try again.

Join me in trying again tomorrow, it may be a better day, it may be a worse day, but it's one more day to give it a chance, to give ourselves a chance. We won't just get better, but we can learn to cope. If you aren't ready, that's okay, we aren't always ready for the next step.

Love,
A.r.
<3 <3 if anyone needs a friend I am always here for you and will support you to the next goal, even if it is just the hope for another hour <3<3

Introduction of Me

Well, here I am. This is me. Yeah, I am learning to be okay with me too, so it's okay if you aren't there yet.

I am stepping out on a branch, doing what God has called me to do, and that is share my story. He gave me the gift of written words, He breathes them into me, and for a lot of it, I don't breathe it back out like He wants me to. Well, that changes now, because my friend has both inspired me and challenged me with her faith to step out and do what God wants me to do and that is be a light to the world.

I am doing something similar to what she did in her opening blogpost at tiffanivines.blogspot.com and going to give you ten facts about me.

Ten. I love to travel.

Nine. I love college even when I complain about it, because it is pushing me, testing me, and refining me in all aspects of my character.

Eight. My preferred career choice is doing something that helps others.

Seven. I have had a miscarriage and a molar pregnancy before going on to carrying a baby full term, she is now one.

Six. I am just now learning to have some confidence in myself, and it feels good.

Five. I spend a lot of time in deep thought about many issues regarding faith, life, and the next Harry Potter movie.

Four. I like when people inspire me to be a better person because sometimes I am so spent that I don't feel like doing what God has called me to do.

Three. I love the rain, it is soothing.

Two. I am a mixed bag when you get to know me, I have both very positive traits and other not so positive traits.

One. I have depression and I have been struggling through it and now I am learning to be okay. This one, number one, is a journey and a struggle.

So, there you have the first ten things you will learn about me, right there. I am embracing it. I am owning it. I am being me without regrets, being the me that God created me to be. I hope that I can encourage, and grow, with any and all of you.

Have a blessed evening.

Love,
A.R.