Toward the end of last year my life changed in a significant way. My heart was broken and I had no idea what else to do but turn to Jesus. I’ve always been a Christian and grew up in the church, however I’ve never experienced the true peace that comes with a relationship with God until this time in my life. I can’t even describe the way the Lord surrounded me in His love as I spent countless days & nights feeling confused & defeated, trying to figure out what went wrong, looking back on the past. That’s not to say that I don’t do those things anymore, because I definitely do. But what’s different is that I don’t let those things have a stronghold over my life, because the truths I’ve learned about God & His faithfulness prove to have much greater power.
During this hardship I began to look to Jesus in everything I did. Because if I’m perfectly honest, there were times where I was hurting so badly that I didn’t know how I could get out of bed without laying all of my pain at His feet, trusting Him to get me through each day one at a time. I so clearly remember waking up in one my best friends’ bed the first morning after my world was flipped upside down (not to be dramatic, but this is actually how it felt) and having the first thing I saw be a sign in her room that read “Be Strong & Courageous.” In that moment of re-realization of what had just happened, where I truly thought I would be an emotional, unstable wreck– simply seeing that sign somehow put all of the strength & courage imaginable inside of me. The peace I felt in that moment I still cannot put into words, no matter how many times I’ve tried to explain it to friends. The only way I know how to describe it is that God was in that room with me, His presence fully encompassing me, ready to take me on a journey to know His heart.
Shortly before all of this happened but even more so after, I began to do devotionals on YouVersion (the Bible app, 10/10 recommend to anyone at all stages of faith), read my Bible daily, pray consistently, attend & serve at church, and surround myself with a godly community of friends. Along with some of these practices came an awareness of my sins & shortcomings, as well as the natural desire to surrender some bad habits. Every day since that time I have seen the Love & Hope of Jesus in new ways, heard His voice clearer than ever before, & grown to know that I am infinitely loved by the Lord. The best part is, He loved me no less when I lived my life paying no mind to Him than He does where I am today. He orchestrated all of my steps so that one day, I would make the decision to go all in for Him after He relentlessly pursued me through my seasons of dismissal. Because of the never-changing grace He’s shown me, I can’t help but want to share that with as many people as possible so that they know how easy it is to experience a peace greater than you can even imagine. All you have to do is say yes to Him.
Today in church we looked at Philippians 2:9 and talked about how God exalted Jesus and gave Him the name above all names. Without realizing it, this principle is what I’ve been growing to learn over these months of transformation.
The name of Jesus is above the name of heartbreak.
The name of Jesus is above the name of loneliness.
The name of Jesus is above the name of anxiety.
The name of Jesus is above the name of whatever individual battle you are facing, and He wants to be in relationship with you so that He can give you peace that surpasses all understanding.
adventures through a jesus lens 