Thinking Out Loud

     There is so much to say, and what feels like, so little time. In a season of chaos, uncertainty, and even struggle, God has been teaching me some things about Grace that I really want to share. I hope you can find yourself in this somewhere.    For a person who has always lived a life trying to measure up, and hold a certain image, this season of my life has left those dreams in the dirt. Currently, I feel exposed. I feel like people can see the real me, the bad stuff, the things I don't post on Instagram and fight with everything in me to hide at all cost.    I find myself wondering what others are thinking about me, making up conversations in my head about what they would say, or what they think. Friends, if you are having a conversation in your head with someone, and they don't know about said conversation, that is not good! I am fighting to give people grace, because God has been teaching me a lot about grace. ... GRACE   ...

   You know that moment in your life, where you had to just take a step back and think to yourself, "uhhh, that.... is really just not how I saw that going..."That moment of disbelief but also amazement at what took place before your own eyes?    Like one time I was fishing, and I caught a duck. Yea. A duck. Im not lying and I truly mean, that was a moment where I was so caught off guard I cannot begin to express how amazed I was. The duck lived...I think. Jesus did that all the time.     Jesus was a man who if you followed him, watched him, you would find yourself feeling that sense of amazement and disbelief so often you might begin to expect it, or maybe not. One time Jesus was so on his "I am God, so watch this", stuff, that I think all the people who were with him that day walked away completely changed. Here is what happened: ...    A friend of Jesus got pretty sick, at least sick enough that his sister thought he was going ...

   There he was, a man, beaten and bruised, naked, left for dead on the side of the road. Many men walked by, many "good" men in fact, but only one stopped. Only one man took "pity" and came to the aid of the half dead man. The Good Samaritan. And the good Samaritan clothed him and fed him and housed him; he gave the man his life back. (you can read it below) In reply Jesus said:  “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.   31  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.   32  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33  But a Samaritan,  as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.   34  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the ...