For the love

So, the other day, on a whim, I filled out an application to be on the launch team for Jen Hatmaker's new book, For The Love, that is coming out in August. And I actually got selected! Super cool! I was just excited to be able to read the book early, but there is also a facebook group for the launch team full of 500 uber excited Jen Hatmaker fans. Which equals a butt ton of posts! It can be a bit overwhelming, but it's also pretty cool how people are being transparent about their need for prayer and struggles and such. One of the most common things that seem to be resonating with everyone is the need for "couple friends" or finding "their tribe" and whooooo boy, I can totally relate to that. BUT, more importantly, it is such a great reminder to me of God's faithfulness in my own story. After Brady was first born, my two closest friends at the time ending up moving away and I felt lost and alone. I was so devastated and had many conversations with my husband about it. I lamented finding new friends, because getting to know people is not something that comes easily for me. I found out we were both in the same place, longing to have a friend that truly knew who we were and loved us. We longed for deep connection. That was the cry of our hearts for a long time. It was incredibly discouraging. Even though it didn't feel like it, God was moving. I couldn't see what he was doing at the time, but he was moving. And reading these facebook posts reminded me of that. They reminded me that when you are in the middle of something, it's hard to "see the forest for the trees". And so I wanted to write a bit from the other side. Hopefully, it can encourage anyone reading it. Because God has more than fulfilled this deepest longing of both mine and my husband's hearts. Sometimes, I feel like it's a little ridiculous. We have amazing friends and amazing community that know us at a heart level and that have loved us at some of our ugliest, most challenging moments. That partner with us to love our community and serve our neighbors and work to love Jesus and bring him glory. That we share life with and laugh uncontrollably with. And I'm not trying to rub salt in any wounds. I just want to let people know, that God knows the deepest longing of your heart. He sees your struggle. And he is not turning a blind eye. You might not "feel" like it, but thankfully, our feelings don't affect the character of God. I would encourage you to reflect on your life and the ways you have seen God show up in your story. Hindsight is 20/20 and remembering the ways God has worked in your past is a great way to be encouraged that he has not deserted you in your present struggles. Remind yourself (and others!) of these evidences of God's grace. It's a powerful testimony of who God is and how he works in our lives. "Here I raise my ebenezer, here by thy great help I've come...." I would encourage us all to make for ourselves modern day ebenezers- physical reminders of how God has shown up. So that when we see them, we can be encouraged. And if you aren't sure, I would encourage you to look over the story of your life and look for God in your story. Because he is there, he's the true hero of the story, yours and mine.