Some of my most contemplative moments are when I’m on a plane…. which is pretty often when you work as a consultant.

This song came on during my flight home and I had to hold back the tears. Holding on is HARD work. Especially when you can’t see where you’re going next and you don’t understand why you’re going through what you’re going through. If you’re in a similar place, I hope this post encourages you….

I’ve been in a season of serious growth. One day a few weeks ago, I was at home with my Husboo and he sensed something was wrong with me and asked what was going on/how he could help and I just cried. Nothing was “wrong” per se, in fact, things were going REALLY well (by general standards– Recognition at work, new assignments, expanding responsibility), but I feel a weight in my spirit. I KNEW something was coming. Call it an “attack” a “test” whatever– I understood that this next level would be HEAVY and HEAVY it has been.

Today, someone asked my thoughts on flying and if I ever feel nervous. Long ago, I reasoned that if I’m flying and there’s turbulence God is going to carry me through it and the plane will land or it’s just my time to go. That may sound morbid, but it’s a thought that brings me a lot of peace EVERY time I fly.

I considered that example against the thought of “holding on.” The enemy will try to convince us that holding on during those periods when life just feels overwhelming is a position of weakness, but it’s actually a position of STRENGTH. There IS strength in your surrender. When you realize that you CAN’T but God can, EVERYTHING changes. When you keep holding on,  you eventually look up and see JUST how God brought you through!

Keep holding on!

And keep encouraging yourself, even when it feels impossible to do so. I have worship playlists that I play on my good and bad days. When you make those lists in advance, you can just press play on the hard days. I made this playlist when I still lived in Mississippi, away from my husband, family and friends and listened to it daily. An added benefit of this particular playlist is that I can remember listening to this song during MONTHS of (what seemed like) endless job searching, so it’s encouraging but also serves as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and how He made a way for me. If He did it before, He CAN do it again!

Seeds of Faith Scriptures:

Psalms 116:6 NLT
The lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me.

Matthew 11:28 NLT
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

2 Corinthians 5:4-7 NLT
While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing.

Philippians 2:16 NLT
Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

2 Chronicles 20:17 NLT
But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the lord ’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the lord is with you!”

2 Corinthians 12:6-10 NLT

If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.