Why are we here?

Hi, sweet friend 🙂 I hope you’re having a good day, and if you’re not, I pray the Lord provides the comfort you need.

I wanted to dive right into a specific topic, but since this is the first post, I thought I’d talk more about VoJ (Valleys of Joy) and why I’d love for you to be part of it.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve taken an interest in writing. I have started several blogs, which all failed. I’ve thought about books to write… maybe even taking a stab at songwriting or copywriting, but everything seemed to come up short. Google told me I needed to find my niche but that only led me to googling the definition of niche. I couldn’t figure out what I felt passionate about. Over some time I noticed that in conversations with other people, I found myself thinking of different perspectives of whatever the topic was – a perspective that was acknowledging God’s good fruit and seeking His hand in the details. Through this (and lots of counseling), I was able to seek true joy and hope in the middle of hardship. I don’t mean that kind of joy that is filled with belly laughs and tears… and maybe even pee. I mean the joy that is solely found within Jesus that gives you certainty and security knowing that no matter how many tears you cry, or how many times you have to go through the stages of grief/forgiveness, God never left. Even in moments where His touch feels distant, He never left. Happiness is too superficial for us when we are in the valley. Joy is despite the circumstance, kingdom-focused, filled with hope, a heavenly perspective, and a place of confidence.

Though I know these words to be true, know that I also see the difficulty in it. It is not easy to find a new perspective when you just lost a job, a family member, a friend, a home, a marriage, etc. It’s not easy when all you want to do is crumble to the ground and ignore the reality in front of you. I see your pain. I may not know it, but I see you. I hear you. You don’t have to walk through the valley alone.

The Lord has been setting this fire in my heart to reach you through this blog – to start putting pen to paper (who am I kidding… fingers to keyboard), and let His words pour out. Whoever you are and wherever you are… will you let me walk with you through this while we both hold onto Jesus? 

I’m not perfect, and you will see that as we begin to open up, but I want to see Jesus help us both in the pursuit of His joy in the dark valley. 

Til next time, keep reaching for His hem.