A question that I commonly deal with is who I am. So often I define myself by what happens to me, or what I do. Is that really who I am? 

If we place our identity in the things of this world, we are letting ourselves rest on a slippery foundation of sand. Why? Because our circumstances will change, and everything in this world will eventually pass away. Instead of trusting and defining ourselves by these things, if we define ourselves by who we are in God and what He calls us, we will have a firm foundation to stand upon no matter the storms that assail us. 

Instead of focusing on my illness, I remember that God has made me exactly the way He wants me to be. (Psalm 139) 
Instead of viewing myself as unlovable, God sees me as beautiful and lovely, made in His image. (Genesis 1:26) 
Instead of feeling vulnerable and alone, God watches over me and never leaves me. (Proverbs 15:3, Deuteronomy 31:6) 
Instead of focusing on my weakness and fear, God promises His strength. (Isaiah 41:10) 
Instead of feeling worthless, God views me as so valuable that He died to rescue me! (John 3:16) 

As Kristyn Getty puts it in the lyrics of the song “Christ is All in All,” 
“See how He loves us
Children of God
Now let us love each other
If He has called us
Children of God
That’s who we are, His chosen and beloved”

That’s who you are, His chosen and beloved. 

~paisley 

This was originally published as a guest post on Katerina's blog, www.beautyinthepainblog.com. 

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Suffering. What do you think of when you hear that word? Some words that come to mind include pain, hardship, sorrow, and rejection. If these are what characterize suffering, how can we have joy during the Christmas season, or any time of the year? 


Do we have our definition of joy wrong? For myself, I often find myself confusing happiness with joy, but for the follower of Christ we are commanded to "Rejoice always" (1 Thessalonians 5:16). How can we rejoice when we are suffering? 


The answer lies in the events of Christmas. The reason Jesus came to earth as a baby on Christmas was to die in our place, to cleanse us from our sins, so that one day we can live with God forever in a place with no pain, suffering, or sorrow anymore! As Revelation 21:4 beautifully states: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." 


This is the reason that we can have joy, no matter the circumstances, because we can trust in a God who has redeemed us and promised us that one day all things will be made right. This is the hope I cling to in the midst of my own suffering and sorrows, so that I can "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." (Philippians 4:4) 


Here is a song that I have been meditating on for the past few months and has been a comfort in reminding me that the Lord cares for His children. 

~paisley 

(All scripture quoted from the English Standard Version)

Do they make marathon courses with a massive hill at the end? Not being a runner, I had no idea. So, I did a tiny bit of research on the friendly internet and found that indeed, there are flat marathon courses as well as those considered hilly. Many runners actually flock to the easier courses to qualify for a more difficult race where they desire to compete. I landed upon on an informative article written by a professional trainer who helps runners prepare for races. She uses the example of a runner who excels at the hilly races, but needed some refining as he prepared for a 56 mile race full of 5-6% inclines. Her number one rule to remember was it’s about “effort, not pace.”  Trainer Jenny Hadfield writes, “There are many benefits to running by effort, but during a hilly race, the value is in having a strategy that allows you to efficiently manage your energy no matter the grade of the hill, the temperature, the wind, and any other variable.”


It took me a bit to digest and understand what she meant. How that plays out for a runner is that he (or she) is always putting forth effort, but the pace doesn’t remain consistently the same. The trainee “walked many of the steep uphill sections to keep his effort at a relatively steady, easy level for the entire marathon. This takes patience and faith in the strategy, but it pays off.”
(https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20803506/the-best-way-to-run-and-race-hills/)


This season of our lives as a family has felt like a marathon. A hilly marathon full of ups and downs. Tremendous struggles and overwhelming blessings.  Laughter and smiles and heartache and tears. Prayers of anguish and confusion intermingled with prayers of praise and thanksgiving. 


This week as I pondered yet another project to cleanse our house of mold, I felt like we were so close to the end but here we were climbing another hill. I realized that I was trying to sprint up the hill, but lacking the mental, emotional or physical energy I could.not.go.another.step. I thought crazy thoughts like: “my family would be better off without me”, “I’m just causing more trouble for so many people”, “I think maybe I’m crazy!” and other ridiculous thoughts that I know aren’t true. I prayed, knowing the lies that were circulating in my head and camped on what I know to be true. God has a plan. Part of His plan is to continually teach me to deny my own strength (because He brings me to a place where it’s obvious even to my thick head) and to teach our family. If His plans are perfect, I don’t want to miss the rest of this lesson. No matter how complicated it may be or how inadequate I have to admit that I am! There’s a mile marker here at this point in the marathon. I don’t know the number because it’s kinda fuzzy, but the name of this course is named after the author of it—“Faithful and True.”  Revelation 19:11 says, “ After that I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse [appeared]! The One Who was riding it is called Faithful (Trustworthy, Loyal, Incorruptible, Steady) and True....”




I don’t want to run any other race but this one!  It’s Jesus’ Way, Whom I love and can trust. Why would I want to veer off course or question His path for me when He has been so loyal and steady thus far? Whether I enjoy the hills or not, His route is purposed for my good, not my comfort. A runner doesn’t train to win greater races by running only running flat tracks at sea level. Flagstaff, Arizona at 7,000 ft has seen plenty of international athletes who train here because of the terrain and altitude. I suppose I am spiritually training at high altitude! Uncomfortable? Yes. Worthwhile? Yes. This Faithful and True Course is a testimony to my Trainer. I’m overwhelmed by His goodness and consistent presence. Exodus 33:14 reminds me that He has promised me that He will go with me AND give me rest.  He’s also given me 6 amazing teammates in my household and plenty of folks to encourage Team Boone along this path.

Earlier this week, in a spirit of camaraderie and wanting to be encouraging, I told a lie. A sister was bemoaning how difficult it was to work full time AND help her son with his online school. She said he only had 2.5 weeks left and I declared, "You got this!" 


Ummmm, no, she doesn't "got" it! She had just finished telling us on the other end of the call that it was overwhelming. What she was doing was incredibly difficult and it wasn't sustainable (my paraphrase).   


Why did I tell her such a falsehood? I think I was buying into the lie of the world we live in...that when things are difficult, we just need to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, give ourselves a good positive pep talk and get after the challenge. Hence the "we got this" mentality.  I can find several places in the Bible where being lazy is placed in a negative light, but I can't find anywhere teaching that by relying on oneself a person can muscle through a tough time and bring glory to God. Certainly that person's friends may admire him, but that leads down the slope of pride and arrogance.  


We are to be diligent and faithful through difficult seasons and days, but how can we do this when we are so weak/tired/busy/overwhelmed/________________(fill in the blank)? 
In the Apostle Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, he is encouraging them who they are as Christians, how to live, how to relate with others around them and what it means to follow Christ. This is a difficult calling! Towards the end of the letter he gives the secret to actually doing these things, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." (Ephesians 6:10 ESV) What he doesn't say is, "Work really hard and you can do it! You got this, Ephesians!" No! Be strong in the Lord! He's the One Who is strong. Not you or me. We obviously are weak--even though we may try to do some great things and impress our friends along the way.  


Bringing Tucker home from the hospital on Sunday I knew that this week would be full of the unexpected and that I'd need to be strong in the Lord.  I know that I'd need to take Paul's advice in the verses that follow.  I realized that I'd need to, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11 ESV) Realizing something and actually doing it well aren't synonymous.  I did it, but got busy and fell back into an unconscious, "we got this" mindset until 5.14.20 came. That changed everything.  Now I was visibly reminded just how independent I try to be and exactly how strong I am. I had no strength. I had no wisdom. I had nothing left at one point except for deep sobs of regret that I couldn't seem to get the lesson that I must rely on Christ for everything. As we literally cried out to God during the day of incessant nausea and vomiting, He showed us how utterly dependent we are upon His mercy. His mercy to cover our sin for eternity and His mercy to carry us day by day.  I once had a friend in high school tell me that Christianity is just a crutch for weak people. I agree that I am weak. But with Paul, I will say, "But [the Lord] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." This is not a crutch. This is a reasonable faith in the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of my soul and a ever deepening love. My soul longs to know Him and see others know Him too! "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV)


In other words, what would be real encouragement is, **"God's got this!"**


I’m so sorry I fall into the independent trap and would attempt to encourage someone with such a falsehood. Thanks be to God, His Mercy is More! This song is probably one of my all time favorites. 

~meredith​