New Day, New Blog...

I have a new blog and would love for you to join me over there!  

It's all about life, love, home decor, DIY, recipes, and lovies.

Can't wait for you to join me in my new happy place.

Are They True?

Are they true?

Are the promises that the word has spoken true?

If you were to have asked me that 4 years I go I would have said without a doubt.

If you were to ask me today, I would say that I hope so.

I'm not so sure anymore.

I had dinner with a group of friends tonight.

All was well and at the drop of a hat,

I feel tears welling up in my eyes.

So I left.

I drove home,

Tears streaming down my face.

That's not who I am.

I'm the strong one.

The one people run to when they need support.

The one that others look to for security.

I've never been the sad one,

The one without hope.

I hate this feeling.

It's not me.

I've hidden these feelings and thoughts for so long

That even I don't know how to respond to them.

This is new territory.

I'm SO broken.

So saddened.

So burdened.

So heavy hearted.

8 years ago God almost took my life.

I remember sitting in the hospital bed at the lowest place

Of my life up to that point.

I had a conversation with God.

I told Him that I had always been told that everything He did had a purpose and that He can and will turn bad into good.

He had been faithful in that promise up until then but I believed that my then problem was bigger than He.

I wished Him luck at fixing me and turning something so bad into something good.

He remained faithful.

He reminded me of the verse Jeremiah 29:11-13.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.

Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

Plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me,

and I will listen to you.

You will seek me and find me

When you seek me with all your heart."

8 years ago I chose that as my life verse.

I wish I still believed it in my core like I once did.

I do know that He is capable.

I do know that He is powerful.

But I also know that I am broken.

That I am lost.

A Long Journey...

Have you ever been in a room full of people and felt so alone?

That happened to me last week and it was one of the saddest moments of my life.

After I sat there feeling so alone, a voice came over me and told me:

"God doesn't want this for you"

The voice was more real than one could ever imagine.

It was comforting yet scary at the same time.

I want so badly to trust the voice but am so bruised and fearful that I don't even know if I can trust God.

I'm afraid to open up.

I'm afraid to hurt more than I already do.

Every time I open up and become vulnerable I end up regretting it and becoming more and more wounded.

I'm so scared that there will come a time when the right man comes along and I'll be too jaded to be able to make it work.

I want to have faith.

I don't want to lose heart.

I want to deal with my past and put it away.

I want redemption.

I want healing.

I want all these things yet feel stuck.

I'm afraid to unbury the hurts of my past.

I don't want to relive those moments.

I want it to disappear and never look back.

I know that's not healthy

And one must confront their past before they can embrace their future.

I'm just so afraid.

The quote from Mother Theresa rings so true...

"God won't give you anything you can't handle,

I just wish He didn't trust me so much."

So here I am...

Broken...

Heart ached,

and Sad.

Longing for healing...

Please show me the way.

Love This

Blessings,

Nora

Drawing Strength And Perspective

This girl is my hero

Her name is Ashley Aven. She was diagnosed with AML leukemia at the age of 17. For a year she fought with everything in her, and unfortunately lost her battle on August 15th.

I remember thinking to myself on the day of her funeral how it was going to be a tough day.

I started feeling sorry for myself, then realized that Ashley would be thankful to have a bad day.

She was one of the strongest human beings I have ever met.

I played in an alumni softball game as a fundraiser for her family back in June.

I saw her earlier that day and remembered telling her how nervous I was seeing as I hadn't played ball in 5 years.

She offered me peace an encouragement and told me I'd do great.

Here I was, perfectly healthy, complaining about something that didn't even really matter.

And there she was, battling for her life, telling me everything was going to be okay.

Whenever I have a sad moment, I stop and think about Ashley.

I think about the hell she and her family went through with her battle and how she was so strong and courageous.

She always put others before herself and never once did she complain.

What a beautiful lesson in perspective.

Thank you Ashley for your life and legacy.

Blessings,

Nora

Grace

Nothing breaks my heart more than seeing someone “fall” from God and have His people throw them out on the street as if worthless.

Our job as God’s chosen people is to SHOWER grace on all. Grace is NOT conditional. It’s the very essence of who God is and why he sent His son.

Please do not get me wrong and think that I’m trying to excuse sin. True grace does NOT EXCUSE sin, but showers UNENDING love and compassion on the sinner.

Grace does not have a time limit.

Have you ever had a really bad injury and when it happened you didn’t even feel pain? That’s what our sin is like. At first we are numb to our sin and don’t recognize it. It is only when the numbness and shock wears off and the pain sinks in that a person can truly start to heal. You have to be broken in order to be restored. This takes time, so be patient. You can’t fix something that you don’t recognize as broken.

Steps to redemption or a guide to achieving grace makes the person focus on the dos and don’ts. That is not grace, it is probation. It’s like serving time or doing community service. It is not unconditional and free of charge. By putting a stipulation or a checklist on grace it’s saying that Jesus is not enough.

Jesus is MORE than enough.

God made us a promise and that promise is that there is nothing you can or can’t do to make Him turn his back on you. It’s a promise from God sealed through Jesus. As God’s chosen people we must also make a promise that there is nothing someone can or can’t do to make YOU turn your back on them.

In order for someone to be restored and renewed they must be shown grace. Without grace there is no reason for them to change their ways. They don’t see a reason to change if everyone’s still going to hate them anyway. What a sad message we have sent to the church and His people.

Believe me, I am not saying that I am guilt free. I have been conditional with my grace and my love more than I would like to admit.

However, there came a time in my life where all I needed was grace and it was no where to be found. It was conditional. It had a time limit and it showed no compassion. That is not grace from God, that is worldly and the difference is huge.

The second most important commandment in the bible above loving God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength is to love others. Loving others means showing them God’s compassion and grace.

Next time someone disappoints you, sins, or you find yourself judging, please stop yourself. Think about Jesus and what He would do given the situation. Think about grace and forgiveness, the very reason why God sent His son. Put yourself in that persons shoes and think about how you would want someone to treat you had you been the one to fall. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. It is our duty to carry out God’s word to His people.

Blessings,

Nora

Feels Like Fall

I haven't felt too crafty lately but with fall approaching and the weather changing I'm having that itch.

I bought these lamps below a couple weeks ago and was just going to do some typical burlap lampshades until I was browsing through Pottery Barn and saw the amazing lampshades below.

I adore these lamp shades but definitely do not adore the $40.00 a piece price tag.

I've read online a few different tutorials so I'm going to give it a shot this week.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Blessings,

Nora