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Monthly Archives: January 2016

Looking Past the Broken…

16 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by Nicole Schrader in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

broken, God, hope, marriage, things will get better

When my husband and I began looking for a home years ago we decided on a fixer upper due the limited funds we had at that time.  Excitedly we started the hunt.

I quickly realized that my husband and I had very different ideas of what this home should be. I wanted to make an offer on a nice little house in town, one that needed a bit of TLC, but was pretty move in ready.

Ryan chose other styles of houses.  fixer upper

His conversations always started with “Now Nick, you’re going to need vision for this one”…  Ummm, I’m not a “vision” kind of girl.

I remember one particular house that he showed me.  He said it needed a dab of extra vision and even some imagination.

He didn’t disappoint.

This house had the ugliest curb appeal I have yet to see. To make matters worse, you had to walk outside and down a hill to get to the first floor, and once there you needed a shovel to clear out the debris left by a previous tenant.

No exaggeration, a shovel. shovel

I struggled with the vision needed for this gem. He persisted.  In the end we bought the house. (Photo Via Pixabay)

I think sometimes we treat our lives this way. We meet people with hard exteriors and we often judge them, categorize them, and put them in this box that we’ve created for them.  We never look past the exterior to see the gem within.

Can I admit something to you today?  The house my husband picked out ended up being one of my favorites.

Once we cleaned out the debris, painted a few walls, and knocked down a few others- that house became amazing. Now, please don’t get me wrong here- this house took a ton of our time, and about as much of our money to make it happen. But, in the end it was completely worth it.

Finally, I could see the vision. It was just hidden in the dirt and unsightly edges.

Thank goodness my husband was willing to put the time in. He didn’t get discouraged when things didn’t turn out perfect, he didn’t quit because the job was too overwhelming or because mistakes happened along the way. No, instead he kept at it- one shovel full at a time.

Our lives with Jesus are much the same as that old house. Jesus can see the gem within each of us. He looks past the piles of garbage we have built around ourselves and is willing to work in us and for us, no matter how long it takes.

Where others judge us Jesus delivers us. Where others see harsh edges, Jesus sees potential.Most importantly, where others give up on us- He is in for the long haul.

The bible says in Isaiah 61:3 that God will give us “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” I don’t’ know about you but that sounds a whole lot better than the life I’ve made for myself. Isaiah 61

As for the house- we did eventually have to move and we sold that old house- but out of all the places I’ve lived, I still miss that one.

I think when you uncover something so special in the middle of a mess, when you work so hard for so long for something, you cherish it more.

I want you to know today that – that’s how God feels about you.

He is willing to take you where you’re at. No cleanup necessary, no need to change first. He is willing and able to do the work in you to uncover your beauty too. He doesn’t care how long it takes, or how much work is needed.  You are so worth it to Him.

So, today, won’t you let Him give you beauty for your ashes?

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Hope for the Hopeless

01 Friday Jan 2016

Posted by Nicole Schrader in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

crazy, depression, God, help, hope, hopeless, Jesus, life, stress

Here I was watching the world continue on around me while mine seemed to be falling apart in every direction. I had found myself very seriously wondering if I was ever going to wake up from the nightmare I was in. I felt hurt, attacked, and watched almost like a spectator as my life literally changed in a moment and I was suddenly traversing waters I never intended to cross.

It was during this time that I began having anxiety attacks, attacks that rendered me useless and always seemed to choose the worst times to begin and would last for what seemed like hours. To say that an end was NOT in sight was an understatement. To make matters worse, I couldn’t find hope that anything good could come from my life.woman-1006102_1280

Finally, I made the choice to seek God in a way I never had before. It was Him or nothing, all or none. I was at a crossroads and the direction I chose would change my life.

I told God that I would not give up and I would not give in, I would love Him if nothing in my life got any better. I admit, I wasn’t sure I was telling the truth.

Trusting anyone, including a God that had allowed this heartache in my life seemed like an impossibility. I mean- if God is so big and strong and loves us so much, then why had He allowed these things?

I had been faithful, I prayed daily, I went to church. I did all the “right” things- yet my life had still ended up here.

Could I really still believe that God cared, that He still had good things planned for me?

sadThere is a scripture in the book of Romans (8:28 to be exact) that says “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

I asked myself often how anyone could take this mess of my life and make anything good come from it. I chose against all odds and circumstances to believe this scripture.

It was this small decision that would carry me through the months ahead.

I would like to say that things got dramatically better. I’m sorry to say that the “better” would not come for many years. It did eventually come, and that is what I want you to know.

No matter the length of the road we travel- there is an end to our struggle. You see, our God is awesome, He never left my side. My road was very long and extremely steep but at the end I was freed from the hurt and pain. I was released from the anxiety and struggle. God was with me through it all and although at times I wondered if giving up would have been easier- I watched as God showed up in my life more than I had ever experienced Him before. Galatians

He carried me through it all and yes, He still had a purpose for me.

I want you to know today that He still has a purpose for you too. No matter what your life is like right now, no matter how long your road or what you’ve done, God still loves you, He still waits for you. He longs to talk with you and show you the way out. He longs to take all the mess and make something good come of it.  It’s time to give it all to God, time to choose a new path, and time to see the good that God has planned for you.

I’ve been in the valley, and I’m here to tell you that as long as you don’t give up then your breakthrough is straight ahead. Dare to believe God even when it seems impossible. I’ve been where you are, I’m praying for you today, and I know that with God, nothing will be impossible.

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Wife. Mom of three. Passionate lover of Jesus. Teacher. Writer. Speaker. Encourager. Believer in Hope.
I want to leave a legacy. I fail, I disappoint, but I hang on for dear life. My goal is to never, ever, not even for a second, give up. I hope this blog will inspire you to do the same.

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