Father's Day for the Fatherless

"A Father has enormous power. About this, he has no choice. For good or bad, by his presence or absence, action or inaction, whether abusive or nurturing, the fact remains; a Father is one of the most powerful beings on the face of the earth." Ken Canfield

Unless you live under a rock I'm sure you have seen the constant barrage of Father's Day Announcements, sale ads, or reminders. From Bbqs to golf equipment, greeting cards to tools, there is no shortage of gift ideas to express your love and appreciation on Father's Day. For me, Fathers Day is always a bittersweet day each year. I circled and highlighted that special day in my calendar this year but as it approaches I find myself experiencing a whole range of emotions from excitement to sadness. You see that bittersweet feeling I mentioned comes from a place of celebration but also pain. That bitter hurt is because I haven't seen my own father for the last 18 years. When I was 10 my parents were divorced. My father an alcoholic struggled my entire life with his addiction and was in and out of our lives for the next 7-8 years following my parents divorce. I remember the last visit I had with my dad, I was 18 and my sisters and I were so excited to visit him because he had just moved into a new place. We spent the day shopping for things for his house and went grocery shopping filling the carts with junk food and all the ingredients necessary so I could make a nice steak dinner for the 4 of us. We had the best time, we laughed and played but then when night came my dad decided to walk to the bar and drink. That was the last visit I remember with my dad. Its been 18 years since that day and on most days I don't think much about it, but on the big days & milestones in life it's hard not to think about him. The day I married my husband my dad wasn't there to walk me down the aisle. The day my daughter was born my dad wasn't there to meet his grandaughter and has still never met her. I've come to realize over time thought that is not even him I miss anymore but the idea of having a father in my life and yet being reminded that mine isn't that father I imagine or even need.

Now the sweet and beautiful part comes in because the Father I get to witness my husband Scott be to our daughter is absolutely amazing. That's one of my most favorite characteristics of Scott. He works hard to provide for his family yet he still finds time to be invested in Macie's life. He cares about her fears, hopes, dreams and struggles. He instills discipline and hard work and models that each day. He helps to nurture her intelligence and pursue her ambitions. He really cares about her future and helps her to prepare for it now so that someday it will be bright and fruitful. Most of all I see the love that he has for her. A love that is patient, kind, does not envy nor boast. It is not proud, he works hard to honor her and not be selfish or angered easily and in the process he keeps no record of her wrongs. He loves with truth and protects, hopes and perseveres no matter what life throws our way. 

“Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].”

‭‭1 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭13:4-7‬ ‭AMP‬‬

When I first became a follower of Jesus people would talk about Christ as being our heavenly father, but for me I didn't understand right away. "My earthly father abandoned me and let me down over and over and yet your saying my heavenly father never will?" It took me many years to realize that regardless of the way my earthy father had disappointed me and hurt me that my heavenly father never would! As Father's Day approaches maybe your super excited to celebrate your earthly father. Maybe your celebrating a father-in-law or a spouse. Or maybe seeing that day circled on your calendar this week brings sadness or pain because you have lost your father due to death or an experience like mine. Regardless of whichever emotion you are feeling still give yourself permission to feel those feelings. If it's pain and sadness your feeling then allow yourself the grace to grieve that loss, and if it's joy your feeling then allow yourself to burst at the seems in celebration. Be reminded though that through Jesus we can have hope. Through Jesus we can have joy and through Jesus He can redeem all things. Because of Him I never have to experience a Fatherless Father's Day ever again!

His Voice

"The days are long but the years are short." I heard this quote on a movie I started watching today. I started thinking back to the 3 am bottle feedings and the sleepless nights that seems like yesterday, and now Macie is 13. The exhaustion is still very real but its now from running back and forth to one activity or another. I used to think it would get easier as she grew older and then I realized its still chaos but just a different type and season of chaos. I was thinking back to the playdates we used to go to when Macie was a toddler and it never failed someone would always loose their binkie or take a toddler tumble and each time the tot would start crying the moms would all get quiet and get that look on their faces, then only after a moment had passed one of the moms would recognize that it was her child crying.

It's amazing how good parents get at recognizing the sound of their child's voice. At this season of my life I no longer find myself trying to decipher toddler cries at a playdate but it doesn't matter how noisy the gym is during a basketball game or how crowded a store is at the mall, when Macie yells out "Mom" I immediately recognize my child's voice. In our close relationships it's amazing how much we pick up on the other persons voice, the tone and demeanor. If I'm upset about something, Scott immediately knows by the tone in my voice. If Macie has done something to break the "rules" she can immediately tell by my voice. I know you all can relate to what I'm saying whether it be with your spouse, children, friends, co-workers or even pet, but what about when it comes to God's voice? 

There have been times in my life where I felt like I couldn't hear from God. I begged Him to respond and cried out for answers but I felt like He was silent. There were even times when I questioned if God was still there. But if I'm being honest in the times where I struggled to hear Gods voice I had been so distant in my relationship with Him that if He had spoken to me would I have even been able to recognize HIs voice? When I was able to recognize Macie's cry as a toddler it wasn't because the moment she was born a magic genie in a bottle said "poof" and then I was able to decipher her cries, no it took spending so much time with her and learning what her cry sounded like and what each cry meant and why. When we invest our time into reading our Bible and spending time with Him we learn to decipher HIs voice. We learn the tone of HIs voice and the language that He uses to speak to us so that regardless of how many distractions there are around us in life when we call upon Him we can expect an answer and be ready and able to really hear it. 

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!””
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭29:3-9‬

It is good........

It is good........

Have you ever had a picture hanging on your wall and regardless of how many times you tweak it, it always seems to be higher on one side or lower on the other side. Every time you walk through the room you slightly raise one corner this way and the other that way and you step back and think for a few minutes it's fixed. However, once again as you walk away and glance back over your shoulder you find it's still not perfect. It drives you crazy and annoys you, it grabs your attention whenever you are near. You feel like its a losing battle, it's exhausting and so instead of just being content with the slightest imperfection of its alignment you revisit and fix it again and again.

You tell yourself, ok, that's good, that's enough, it's finished. But honestly the enemy says otherwise, he interjects in those moments where your heart tries to be content and says "it could always be better, you can always do more and the work is never finished." As I lay in my bed at night the imperfections of my day ring loudly in my ears, I struggle with believing that it really is ok, that it's good and enough. I think of all the ways I have fallen short, I start beating myself up and wondering why can't I just do it right for once. Whether it be a task I'm working on currently, my job as a wife, mom, or friend, even just my ability to handle the circumstances thrown my way for the day it's obvious I could have done better.

Does this sound familiar, do you too struggle with this tug of war battle? We can often be our own worst enemy. We place these unrealistic expectations over our lives and continually tear overselves down when we don't reach them. After talking with a friend last week she challeneged me that each night as I lay my head down on my pillow to really try and be content with my day, to look back over the events that had unfolded and to say "it is good." As we read in Genesis God created the heavens and the earth, the birds and the trees and at the end of each day He said "it is good." He never said, "it's ok I guess but I really should have.........."but He said "it is good."  

Genesis 1:31 (AMP) "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely." 

I love this translation of Genesis 1:31 because it not only says "it is good" but he said that "He approved it COMPLETELY." He had not one ounce of discontent but was COMPLETELY satisfied. Each day it is our responsibility to live to the fullest, submitting each moment, task and opportunity to the Lord by putting our best effort into all of them, that's it, that's enough and that's ok. It may not always turn out how we had hoped but continuing to beat ourselves up is from the enemy, it's placing this unrealistic expectation over ourselves.

As we read on we find that once God was satisfied with His work He then rested. Genesis 2:2 "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work." 

There are moments where we must passionately peruse the tasks the Lord places before us for the Gospel but there are also moments where we need to allow ourselves to rest in His presence and be satisfied with sitting in His lap instead of tirelessly chasing perfection. God doesn't want perfection, He wants broken pieces placed at His feet with an expectant heart for His love and grace to consume us and fill us.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me all who are burdened and I will give you rest."  

Over the past few weeks there have been things happen that are completely out of our control but yet I still wanted to take fault in them. I still wanted to take responsibility in fixing them and instead of just removing those standards from myself I felt angry that I couldn't just do something about them. I even denied myself the ability to be imperfect, to be broken, to be hurting. I was so badly chasing days 1-6 that I denied myself day 7, a day of rest, a day to melt in His arms and not worry about doing something but just being comforted by the comforter. The thoughts within my head said over and over "why can't you just get yourself together, why can't you fix it, this person would have handled it much better." Instead of reaching out my empty hands and allowing God to use the pieces that were left, instead of it being enough I kept trying to move the edges of the picture just slightly to fix it on my own. I allowed the unanswered parts of our circumstances to pick and nag at me, I struggled to gain control and to just get it right.

I don't know what your facing today, I don't know what responsibilities God has placed in your life but I do know that if your doing your best than it is ENOUGH. As you go to sleep each night, look back over your day and say to yourself proudly, knowing you did it with your entire heart "it is good." Allow your efforts to be approved completely by Him and on the days that you need it the most give yourself the grace to just......REST!

Jesus, we thank you that through You we are enough. We pray that each morning as we face the day that you would work in our efforts, work in our hearts and help us to give our very best and know that through Your eyes "it is good." We pray that in those times where our own expectations try to take over and the enemy tries to drag us down that we would be reminded that You are pleased and proud of us. We commit each effort to You daily God and believe in our hearts that our work is approved COMPLETELY through You. In those times Lord where our hearts are overwhelmed I pray that you would remind us to rest in Your safety and security. We love You Jesus and trust You with this battle today. Amen

Whats all the fuss about?

Whats all the fuss about?

“Out of the corner of my eye, as the soldiers led me away, I saw Pilate washing his hands. The last thing I heard as I was taken off to be beaten was, “Crucify Him.”

The cries of the crowd were charged, but the roman soldiers were just cold, calculated and cruel. They led me to a whipping post where I was stripped naked. Over and over they pounded instruments of torture against my flesh-cutting, tearing and ripping literal strips of skin off my back. Inner muscles and sinews were torn. That’s what happened when they scourged me by whips embedded with glass, nails and bone. 

Careful not to kill me, for I still had a cross to bear, they put aside their whips-but only to make an absolute mockery of me. The soldiers, out of sport and boredom, covered my raw, burning flesh with a scarlet robe and placed a crown made of prickly thorns into my scalp. I was in physical agony, but they had the time to kneel before my shaking body and spit upon me like I was some village idiot. “Hail, King of the Jews,” they sneered as my insides bled to the ground around me. If only they knew.

The physical break was short-lived. It was a time for me to carry my cross. I knew the burden was mine. I struggled with the weight of it for some time, but ultimately I fell to my knees. Another man had to help me finish the journey up to Golgotha.

When we got to the top of the hill, they offered me wine mixed with myrrh to dull my pain and my senses. There was still so much suffering ahead; they needed to make sure I was able to tolerate all of it. I refused. I needed to bear this pain. I needed to feel every excruciating moment.

 What they did next was the most horrible torture mankind had yet devised. Crucifixion was designed to kill by way of slow suffocation. As the arms and legs of most victims were bound, the upper body would lose its strength, eventually collapsing the weight of the body onto the lungs. But instead of letting my body collapse onto itself, they drove spikes through the bones of my wrists-adding extra support and extra time to my suffering. They nailed my feet into the cross so that I could stand longer.

 

As I hung there from my own limbs, I suffered the effects of any human body exposed to such trauma. The insufferable thirst of being hung in the sun fueled the fever brought on by the swelling of my wounds. Tetanus began to set in from the rusty nails, and the wounds from which I was hanging tore further as my body shook harder and harder.

Yet I never lost sight of my purpose on that cross. Even as the soldiers gambled my garments away while I hung there convulsing, even as they hung a mocking sign above me reading, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” I still kept my character. On either side of me were true criminals-thieves being crucified for their crimes. One of them was defiant, mocking me, daring me to come down off my cross. How much I wanted to. The other criminal understood who I was. He asked if I would remember him when I came into my kingdom. Of course I would. He reminded me in my weakest hour, what I was there for. 

Then more hours passed as I, hung in agony, the sins of the world gnawing on every nerve in my flesh. It was not that I realized that even God the Father couldn’t look upon me. I cried, “My God, My God, why hast through forsaken m?” The people still there thought I was confused and filled a sponge with sour wine, pushing it up to my lips. 

As soon as the wine touched my lips, I knew the cup had passed. “IT IS FINISHED.” By David Nasser (Why Jesus?)

As Easter approaches it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, the fuss of speckled eggs, jelly beans and the Easter Bunny. But as I think about the cracking of a leather whip being forcefully laid across Jesus back the significance of all that other “stuff” seems to not matter much. As a mother I can’t even wrap my mind around the thought of watching my own flesh and blood hanging on a cross for the sins, messiness and mistakes of complete strangers. We look at the soldiers who carried out the torturous plan that day in awe but forget that it’s really each and every one of us that holds the whip which tore across Jesus raw back because of our sins. The unconditional love that Jesus displayed is a reminder for us as He took each second of pain and only thought of us in His mind. As Easter approaches there is hope ignited within us as we remember the cost that a man paid willingly so that we could be free. The wages of sin are death but through the blood of Jesus we have been ransomed and will have eternal life!!! 

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.

All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, [yet when] He was afflicted, He was submissive and opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who among them considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living [stricken to His death] for the transgression of my [Isaiah’s] people, to whom the stroke was due?

And they assigned Him a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief and made Him sick. When You andHe make His life an offering for sin [and He has risen from the dead, in time to come], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His days, and the will and pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

He shall see [the fruit] of the travail of His soul and be satisfied; by His knowledge of Himself [which He possesses and imparts to others] shall My [uncompromisingly] righteous One, My Servant, justify many and make many righteous (upright and in right standing with God), for He shall bear their iniquities and their guilt [with the consequences, says the Lord]. Isaiah 53:5-11

As we celebrate Easter this year it is not about all the fuss that pierces our hearts but the hope that we have through Jesus. Even as Jesus hung on the cross in pain as the result of our own sins He still loved us more than we could ever imagine. Regardless of what you have done or where you have been you can rest assured that through His stripes…….“IT IS FINISHED!!!!”

Time.....

Time is such and interesting concept. In the eyes of Science they have it down to an exact measurement, but to our human minds and hearts it becomes a little more complicated, for sure. Thanks to Science we can measure an entire day by 24 hours, 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds. Even with so many uncertainties in life we can always rest assured that each day is the same, it starts with 1 and ends with 24 hours, 1,440 minutes and 86, 400 seconds. It all seems so simple and matter of fact doesn't it? Regardless of how concrete the measure of time is once we add all that human stuff, like emotions and feelings, it quickly becomes not so absolute.

My husbands Grandparents Ray and Esta were married for over 70 years,  and my Great Grandparents Earl and Bernice were married for 63 years. Both couples stood the test of time when it came to marriage. They both had been married for over 60 years and stayed true to their vows "until death us do part." to me trying to envision that period of time seems impossible, forever, crazy:) Maybe its because we have only been married for 14 years and we still have quite a ways to go. One day though I had a conversation with Grandma Cameron about her marriage and she told me "it felt like at some moments they were just married yesterday and it was hard for her to grasp it had been that many years."

When our daughter was born almost 13 years ago the c-section went quickly and within a matter of a couple minutes she was born. It blows my mind that in 2 minutes, or 120 mississippi's:) my life changed so dramatically and beautifully, and now as we prepare for her 13th Birthday I can't imagine our lives before her and all the 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, and 86,400 seconds we have shared together. Although time can be measured by Science its really the situation or circumstance that measures the length of those moments for us.

I have known friends who have been diagnosed with Cancer and upon hearing their diagnosis it was if time had completely stopped. We all are given the same amount of time each day, but I think the trials and triumphs have the ability to personalize how we measure time individually. Life has the ability each day to bring pain, sorrow, grief, joy, excitement, new life and death, and through ours own humanness we somehow let time jump forward, crawl backwards and there are even moments where time seems to altogether just stop.

When I had surgery 5 years ago I knew it would be a big moment in my life and my families lives, but instead of it being a trial in the past the impact it had on me literally made me feel as if time stopped. The world continued on around me and I tried living each day like everyone else but it was alot of pretending and still dragging the surgery junk into my new life that was evolving, I never wanted to accept how much that surgery still had kept me in bondage to it. "But most of all I didn't know how to travel light. "Odds are, I did this morning. Somewhere between the first step on the floor and the last step out the door you grabbed some luggage.You stepped over to the baggage carousel and loaded up. Don't remember doing so? That's because you did it without thinking. Don't remember seeing a baggage terminal? That's because you did it without thinking. Don't remember seeing a baggage terminal? That's because that carousel is not the one on the airport; its the one in the mind. And the bags we grab are not made of leather; they are made of burdens. The suitcase of guilt, a sack of discontentment. You drape a duffel bag of weariness on one shoulder and a hanging bag of grief on the other. Add on a backpack of doubt, an overnight bag of loneliness and a trunk of fear."  (Max Lucado"                        I never wanted to admit the pain and disappointment it brought and how all that pain broke me down physically, emotionally and spiritually. It was if I was paralyzed in my fear, so much so that my identity had been changed. It's almost impossible at times for me to really imagine my life before surgery and to know that I was ok, I was happy and living and my own person. I wasn't attached to fear or worry but I was just free.

"You're Shattered

Like You've Never Been Before

The Life You Knew

 A Thousand Pieces On the Floor

And Words Fall Short In Times Like These

When This World Drives You To Your Knees

You Think You're Never Gonna Get Back

To the You that Used to be"

Danny Gokey

See the person I was before the surgery is the person I long to be. I no longer want to life stuck in that fear and pain. Even if disappointment may still come I still want to try moving forward and leave the heartache behind, it has no place in my future so for now on it can be a mere memory. I know longer want to see my life since the surgery only or feel it like its always been there, i'm cutting the ropes and letting it go as I continue on, I no longer need to carry all that baggage of sorry and pain. It will be so much freer walking into my future without all that unnecessary bondage. Its time to move on and let the past be left in the past. I can still take away all the things God showed me and taught me along the way but it's time to use the pain and allow Him to Breathe New Life into it for good, it's time to use it in the future and say goodbye to the pain, its time to tell this heart to beat again!!!!!!!!!

 "Tell Your Heart To Beat Again

Close Your Eyes And Breathe It In

Let The Shadows Fall Away

Step Into The Light of Grace

Yesterday's A Closing Door

You Don't Have to Life There Anymore

Say Goodbye to Where You've Been

And Tell Your Heart to Beat Again......."

Danny Gokey

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.

Abandoned to Your Will Jesus.....

Abandoned to Your Will Jesus.....

In the moments where the hurt cut so deeply the only salve to sooth my soul is Jesus. When the winds rage around me and my mind swarms with confusion I find myself pressing tightly against His chest and the tempo of my being flowing calmly to the melody of my Saviors heart. There are moments where my humanness wants to cower in a corner in fear and my heart tries to resist the troubled waters of my circumstances. At times I even feel like I want to run and fall apart but then in the midst of my broken desperation His strength rises up within me and the longing in my heart to glorify Him and become more like Jesus leaps forward. "Lord, I don't want to waver through unbelief regarding Your promises, but I desire to be strengthened in my faith and give glory to You, God, being fully persuaded that You have power to do what You promise" Romans 4:20-21. As difficult as our suffering in this life can be it's in those moments where our strength runs out, its in those moments where we feel like we have fought tirelessly that we realize the closeness we have found in Christ.

"I'll lift my empty hands come fill me up again. Have Your way my King, I'll lift my eyes again." Sidewalk Prophets

I love that verse in the song "Help Me Find It" because in those moments where we are so incredibly broken and all we can do is lift our empty hands, our hands that are ready to receive the blessings God has for us. "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10. In this life there are often moments that take us off guard, there are moments where we don't have the answers and we can't be in control but as we abandon ourselves before Christ "He is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever imagine" Ephesians 3:20

Right now I don't know what the future holds for my life and our family. I know we have a difficult battle ahead and so today I put my trust in Jesus the author and perfecter of my life. I cry out to Him and trust that through Him we are MORE than conquerors and although the battle wont be easy I know God will sustain us every second of the way because in His word He promises to "never leave us nor forsake us"  

"Lord, I pray that one day I will begin to consider my precious losses gains for the sake of Christ as You use my suffering, my life, and my testimony. Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I want to gain You, Christ, and be found in You" Beth Moore.

"The cross that Jesus commands you and me to carry is the cross of submissive obedience to the will of God, even when His will includes suffering and hardship and things we don't want to do. It is a willingness to totally, absolutely, irrevocably, and finally yield our lives to Him because we want what He wants more than what we want." -Anne Graham Lotz

Choosing Hope and Greatness....

With my toes dangling slightly over the edge of the cliff a fear of the unknown below starts to creep in. Although the details of the next step are unknown the solid place in which I have been planted on for quiet some time now is coming to a close and it's time to move on. The path in which I have already traveled has had its fair shares of ups and downs but it's become a place of safety and contentment. Although part of me longs to stay in this very place for a little longer there is a hunger deep within and drive for something new, bold and adventurous. In 5 hours that giant leap towards the unknown will become a reality. We will no longer be able to stay in the safety of 20015 but instead be forced to step into the unknown of 2016. As the world counts down 5,4, 3, 2, 1 we will bid another year goodbye and say hello to new possibilities.

Today I was thinking about how right this very moment we are on the verge of possibly the greatest year of our lives, or again it could be one of the worst years of our lives, either way it's a mystery yet to be unlocked and unraveled. Maybe this year was the greatest year you have ever had and you find yourself struggling with letting go, or maybe its been the worst year of your life and you are desperate for a new beginning. Although there are many unknowns, one thing is for certain and that is that we have the ability and choice to clothe ourselves in an attitude of praise in spite of our circumstances. We have the choice now to start fresh and hope for greatness.

The difficulties of yesterday are gone, wiped clean, and the path is cleared ahead for Christ to lead us towards greatness. This year as we move from 2015 to 2016 I'm laying down the things from the past. I'm choosing to let go of the pain and struggles of 2015 so that my hands are empty and ready to receive the blessings and beauty of 2016. Askyourself today this; "what will you gain when you lose?" I love that quote and the thought of how when we truly let go of the past God has so much planned for us to gain because our hands are open to receive them. 1 Corinthians  2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard no mind can imagine the plans that God has for those who love Him."

"I myself go before you and will be with you. So do not be afraid; not not be discouraged. I, your loving Savior, am also infinite God! I am omnipresent: present everywhere at once. This makes it possible for Me to go ahead of you-opening up the way-without ever leaving your side. The promise of My presence is for all time. No matter where you go or what circumstances you encounter, I will be with you. This is the basis of your courage and confidence" Sarah Young.