It has been almost 5 months since I finally had the courage to start my blog. I still am no where near where I would like to be, but I believe that God is teaching me patience, perseverance, and trust. I chose to name my blog, Living Out Romans 12:12, because that became my go to verse when my mom was really sick. There are lots of other verses that I turned to during that season of life, but I came across this verse on July 4, 2016. I was sitting in the hospital with my mom and we were just told that Hospice would be the next step in her cancer journey. I remember the devastation and reality of her diagnosis. But I read this verse and I remember reading it to momma and her face lit up. Believe it or not, but so did mine. It was exactly what we needed. Jesus is exactly what we needed. This verse was everything. It reminded us to be joyous in hope, have patience during trials, and always keep the faith. Over the next three blog posts, I am going to break down this verse, one piece at a time. I will go in depth about how to apply it in daily life, how it got me through darkness, and how we can live it out everyday. What does it mean to be JOYFUL? Joy is defined as a great feeling of happiness or pleasure. I feel that joy is so much deeper than just being happy. Joy is inner happiness. Joy is pure happiness, despite obstacles you may face. I do not know about you, but I personally can hide my sadness pretty well. It is not something I am proud of because I am very open about my emotions, but sadness is different for me. I can seem happy on the outside and to others around me, but inside I am not happy sometimes. It is something I am learning to overcome, but I take it day by day. This is why I think happiness and joy are a little different. Joy is deep happiness that is from within. In Sunday school, we were taught a lesson about joy. My teacher said that joy comes when you put Jesus before Others before Yourself. I thought that was pretty clever, yet true! Pure joy can only come from knowing and having a relationship with Him. It is one of the fruits of His Spirit and it is such a wonderful gift. Are there just some people that you look at know they are happy? I know a few people like this and I ask them how they are so positive and happy all the time. They always say, "I just am! I have lots to be happy about." I sat one day and just thought, "I want people to see me like that when I see them. I want to be so filled with the Spirit that I just shine the light of Jesus, even when I face trials." I prayed about it and I knew that the only way to be like that was to get my life right with Jesus! Living for Jesus turned my entire life around! I would be nothing without Him, but with Him by my side, nothing can stand against! WOW!!!! After getting my life inline with Jesus, the next step was serving others. Have you ever volunteered to help others and you walk out feeling more fulfilled? I do every single time. Every time I do something at church, in the community, or at home, I feel like I am the one who was given something. I think there is so much we can learn by being selfless and helping others. I love the opportunity to give back and pay it forward. I am beyond blessed and fortunate by what the Lord has given and provided for me. I feel it absolutely necessary to be a blessing to others. But JOY has the "Y" in it for a reason. You can't completely neglect yourself or your feelings in this life. It is so important to love Jesus and others, but you cannot fully do that if you are not caring for yourself. I know that I struggle so much with this. I sometimes feel out of touch with my own self and that is because I am so focused on others and my chore lists that I don't give myself the things I need to remain happy. For me, I love quiet moments just sitting in my living room watching baking shows. For others, they may like to read a book, go to the gym, or binge watch Netflix. Whatever it is, don't forget to do something to make yourself happy too! You deserve it...we all do! What is Hope?Hope is defined at a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen in the future. We all know what hope is because we "hope" for things all day everyday. I hope my baby is happy and healthy everyday. I hope my baby will sleep good at night. I hope that work will go smoothly without any hiccups in the day. I hope I do not hit traffic coming home. I hope to live a long healthy life with my husband and family. I hope to grow this ministry into something big for the Kingdom. I hope for a peaceful world. I hope for good days ahead. This is just a few of the things I hope for every single day. We all have hopes and dreams. We all have desires placed on our. hearts. I am sure that at some point in your life, you may have even felt hopeless. I know I have. It was about 2 days before mom finally passed. I was 11 weeks pregnant and I knew that only a miracle was going to save my mom. I felt hopeless for a cure, but I always reminded myself that nothing is hopeless when I have Jesus. I wasn't stuck in the feeling of hopelessness. I had the hope of Jesus!! I knew that mom was not going to be given earthly healing, and to this day I do not know why, but that is not my place to know. I have hope and faith that mom is with Jesus, cancer free and joyful. Hope is easy to have when things are going good but it is not so easy when things seem to be falling down beside you. Do not get stuck in hopelessness. Hope is found in the arms of Jesus. Living Out: Joyful in HopeNow that we have a clear understanding of joy and hope, we need to apply this part of Romans 12:12 to our life daily. **I hope this goes without saying, but when I write these blog posts, it is not because I am trying to preach at you. It is more like I am trying to preach at myself. I need these reminders and lessons and I feel that sharing my thoughts with you all will help create a safety zone for people to realize, they are not alone in their struggles or successes. I sometimes feel all alone in this journey of life, even when I am surrounded by hundreds of people. This is why I put my thoughts, feelings, and emotions out there; in hopes of reaching someone who may be feeling, thinking, or going through similar things. For those out there that need to be reminded how much God loves them. ** When I wake up in the morning, I pray for strength to face the challenges of the day ahead. I remember this verse! I think of it daily. I also have it hanging in my living room so I literally see it hundreds of times a day! So what are the tools we can us to apply this verse to our daily lives? This part of the verse is one of the easiest to mend into our daily lives. First, try to find your inner joy. It may take some deep self reflection, but trust me, it is worth it. If you are struggling with finding your joy, dive into God's word. Read of His love and promises. Join a community of Christian women (or men). Connect with someone who you can talk to and open up to. PRAY PRAY PRAY. Take an hour to yourself each day. Rid yourself of anything stealing your joy. If it steals your joy, it is too expensive. If you struggle being joyful because you battle a feeling of fear or anxiety, pray hard about it. We will get to faithful prayer in about 2 weeks but start today. Second, remember the hope we have in Jesus. If you are in a season in life where you feel hopeless, turn to Jesus. Read His promises to you. Remember that we have a hope and a future because of Him. Also, know you are not alone. Be JOYFUL in HOPE this week and in all the weeks to come!
Be Blessed, Lauren P.S. I would love to hear from you all. I want you all to know that you are welcome to talk with me and ask me whatever could be on your mind. Jesus placed this blog on my heart and that includes each of you who take the time to actually read it. I would love to talk with you and be there for you during whatever season of life you find yourself in. May you all feel the love of Jesus today and everyday!
1 Comment
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Hey Y’all!!!!!! I’m Lauren
Welcome to Living Out Romans 12:12! Here you will read about my journey as a wife, new mommy, and Jesus follower! I hope to give you a glimpse into my daily life of joy, patience, and faithfulness!
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