"Let it go and come to me. I will give you life."

I was checking my updates this morning when I saw a Facebook friend had posted this. I stared at it a couple minutes, and believe it or not, it actually took me awhile to realize that Jesus had another teddy bear waiting for her behind his back. Which seems to be something I'm struggling with in my own life at the moment.

I think sometimes, people, and myself included in this, get so caught up in the fact that we have to give up that control and let our "most prized possession" (be it a dream, a significant other, a material item or whatever) go that we can't see what God is up to in all of that. Meanwhile, He has the exact same thing planned for us, but even better. This just boggles my mind completely, when I think about all of the things I want and dream about on a daily basis for my future. All of the tears I've cried over something not happening, feeling like another door has been slammed in my face, feeling stuck, like nothing is ever going to change, or that feeling of maybe I'm just not cut out for this, are all for a reason. God isn't doing it to be mean or just to be the guy who says, "No." He's doing it because He can see the bigger picture involved. He sees the road blocks and the things that can hurt us, when all we see is that pretty little picture in our minds...And that can destroy us pretty quickly.

I was reading my Bible and doing my devotion on my back porch the other day; my devotion was talking about how God wants us to be free from all of the things that hold us back, whether we're spiritually dead, emotionally exhausted, or just things of our past keep haunting us. I don't know about you, but I make myself feel exhausted wondering about all the 'what if's' that life can throw us. I'm a planner and an analyzer, so I tend to play out every possible scenario or think about the same one until I'm blue in the face. And guess what? It doesn't change anything, unless you actually act on it. I've been bringing more pain and misery on myself than I know what to do with and for no good reason at all.

I felt like God was saying to me, "Let it go and come to me. I will give you life." He wants to restore all of the areas where we feel tired and weary, or emotionally and physically drained. Life isn't meant to be exhausting and we aren't supposed to be figuring life out. That's why Jesus came to this Earth in the first place, to help us with our problems, for us to cast our burdens on Him, and for Him to walk us through this crazy little thing called life. I'm in the season of learning that I don't have to try so hard or strive to do this or that. I simply just have to BE. I have to take a step back from what I want and let God step in. He'll point me in the right directions when the times come. But, until then, I just have to do and act on what I think is best...If it's not, then He'll redirect my steps and make sure that I get back on track. I can have peace knowing that. A mistake is never truly a mistake or something that can't be fixed or turned into something beautiful. God is always at work.

I'm scared of what the future holds...Whether I'll end up in Nashville or not, how I'm going to manage my school load for just this semester, keeping in touch with friends, and what steps I need to take to get the job I've always wanted. But, when I think about how God already has it planned out and knows the desires of my heart. It puts me at ease, remembering that I don't always have to think 5, 000 steps ahead of myself at all times. Because God will help me out step by step. He won't let me fall on my face, and especially without a reason. Just remember that, if you're going through a hard time and don't know what to do. Don't try so hard. Lay it at Abba's feet and let Him carry the burden around for you. He wants to help.

That's all for now,
Shelby :)