Hello!
I am so glad you are joining me today for Sharing Life! I have a treat for you. Today I have the privilege of introducing you to another of my online friends. Kaylene Yoder and I come from different backgrounds, regions of the country, and age groups, but we share a common love of Jesus and a desire to minister to women. I ‘met’ Kaylene a few years ago and immediately was crazy about her. Today she shares a post about relationships that, I believe, will hit the bull’s-eye for many of us.
Before we get to Kaylene’s post, however, I would like to offer you a few links to previous posts in this Sharing Life series. Sharing Life is all about women doing life with other women…face-to-face, shoulder-to-shoulder…speaking into the lives of those who circle around our own life. These posts fall into one of three categories: Faith, Mentoring/Friendship, and Food. Here are a few posts from the past that you might want to check out:
Someone Needs You to Be Their People
Now, let me introduce you to Kaylene.
Kaylene Yoder is a just a girl with a sword… a shield…. and a strong cup of coffee. She loves her husband, her three children and dancing with words for the glory of her Heavenly Father. Kaylene is the author and founder at www.kayleneyoder.com, where she shares her books and resources for Christian women. You can also find Kaylene socializing on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
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Driving home from a long weekend of being around relationships that are strained, forced, and resemble a ticking time bomb, it was all I could do to keep my eyes dry enough to see the road.
Relationships are hard. We mess up, we over-react, we are pained and we cause pain. We feel embarrassed over the muddied waters, and we’d like to set sail to the next feel-good relationship. And sometimes we do.
But in that wake is left a pit of bitterness. A hole in our soul. A splotch on our heart. And we are never the same again.
We’ve all watched blame games, power struggles and gossip’s strategies play out over the course of our lives. Sometimes it is our own doing that becomes a relationship’s undoing. Other times its someone else’s choosing that brings about a rip in the bond.
But in every division between two human hearts, each must choose how their void will be filled – will we water the seed of pride and allow it to hinder our link to Peace Himself? Or will we bring our broken pieces to the Father and ask Him to piece us together?
My soul bowed low before the Lord as the tires hummed along the pavement. I have chosen paths of pride – they only lead to anger and endless grief. I have chosen to travel to deserts of distrust and drink from bitterness’ wells.
This time I want more. I want to do better for myself. I can’t go those painful ways again. My heart can’t bear it anymore.
“Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you”, came the invitation from James 4:8.
So I did. Like I have so many times before, I gathered up the wreckage of my heart and positioned myself at His feet ready to be refreshed and strengthened anew.
He has seen my mess. He has heard my stress. He has been bombarded with my frustrations, and He has held me every single time. He has done life with me in the messiest of messes. And He loves me still. And He never leaves.
So I draw nigh to Him again, holding on to the promise that He will draw nigh to me. I thank Him for His faithfulness. I wave to Him my receipts of His mercy, and He nods His approval, assuring me His love remains. He strengthens me to live in His will for another mile.
Sweet friend, I don’t know what relational disconnections you have going on in your life, but I do know this: without Jesus the pain will never go away. With Jesus the pain will never go away either. But it will be bearable.
Go to Him. Draw near to His heart. Run if you can. Crawl if you must, just make sure you go. He’s waiting with open arms, ready to hide you in the shadow of His wings where He may feed and satisfy your soul. He will help you sort things out, prop you up, hold your wilted banner of victory, and delight over you as you make your crippled entrance unto His throne.
He is the balm for your wounded heart. He is grace when you’ve dabbled in pride. He is peace when your life is in pieces, and He is joy when your soul is crushed.
He holds the restoration we crave. But, I’m convinced we don’t receive because we don’t ask; we don’t make the effort to draw nigh to Him because we doubt His willingness to draw nigh to us.
Friend, He is a responsive God. He is the God who sees, the God who knows, the God who cares.
And He cares deeply for you.
So go to Him. He is waiting.
Cry out to Him. He is listening.
And stay with Him. He is your safe place, your home.
