life beyond the well…

Tag Archives: Love


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In All Things…

“You never cease to amaze me.  I can say You’ve never failed me.  You are amazing, God.” -Deon Kipping, Never Cease

A lot of times I have these moments where I’m just in awe of God and how He works; the depths of His love, and the lengths that He will go to demonstrate that love for us.  As I can reflect on my life, there are several times both in recent memory and not so recent memory where I just marvel at the works of God.

In my recent memory there has been a recurring situation that always leaves me shaken and speechless at how God works.  Here’s what has happened:

I’ll be at a stoplight, waiting for the light to turn green.  I’m the first car at the light.  While I’m waiting, I’ve distracted myself by Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/text messages on my phone.  Now, clearly I know that this is NOT something that I should be doing, but I’m doing it anyway.  The light turns green, and I’m still slightly distracted.  Just as I’m about to press the gas to go, a car runs their red light, and speeds through the intersection.

This has happened three times.  Each time it’s happened, it’s been a situation where the car would have hit my car on the driver’s side at some insane speed.

Now, had I been fully alert and not distracted by the phone, I would have gone IMMEDIATELY when the light turned green.  How do I know this?  Because it’s the type of driver that I am.  And after living in Miami and hearing people blow their horns AS SOON AS the light turned green, I resolved to never be the cause of that. So, I know that if I’d have been paying attention, I’d have been making my way through the intersection just in time for a car to smash into me.  It’s scary to think of what could have happened.

This is not my attempt to justify my behavior, but more confidence in my belief of one of my favorite scriptures; one that speaks peace to my soul when I’m tired; one that never fails to encourage me:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”- Romans 8:28

Wow.

IN ALL THINGS GOD WORKS FOR THE GOOD…man, I could shout right there.  So yes, even in my state of doing something wrong, God was working for my good.

Now, please don’t use this as an excuse to go and do WRONG things because God can still work through them.  There’s no need to take advantage of the grace and mercy that God provides.  Don’t force Him to have to overextend himself because of poor decisions.  You know- if you know better, then do better.

But what I really want is for you to be encouraged, knowing that even in those tough places, dry spots, difficult times, God is still working it out in your favor.  So while it seems rough right now, you’re going to be able to look back and see how you overcame.  As a matter of fact, I bet there are things you could look back on RIGHT NOW and see how you thought it was TERRIBLE, but now, you recognize how God was at work on your behalf.

As Marvin Sapp would say (or sing), “He has His Hands on You“!

Be encouraged!  Peace and Blessings!


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Let it Go…

“ …I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and glue them together and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new. What is broken is broken-and I’d rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken places as long as I lived.” – Rhett Butler, Gone with the Wind

For a long, long, long time I struggled with forgiveness.  I was okay with forgiveness in word, but in action- oh, it was a serious struggle.  Now, for people who I had casual relationships with- colleagues, acquaintances, etc; forgiveness with them was less of an issue because I wasn’t as invested in the relationship.  Unless they truly affected my day-to-day life, I shrugged off any situation where I felt that I was wronged.  I wouldn’t necessarily try to repair the relationship, but I wasn’t extremely set on saving it.  If it fixed itself it did, if it didn’t; that was fine also.

I think part of my struggle with forgiveness was rooted in the fact that I viewed it as magic.  You know, I say that I forgive someone and it happens.  I think it’s because we’re taught as kids that apologies fix things, which isn’t true.  Apologies don’t change the hurt, especially if they don’t come from a sincere place.

If only it were magic.  Forgiveness is a process.  When you’ve truly been hurt, it takes time to get over the pain, and to let go of the feelings you have toward the person/thing that hurt you.  I learned this the hard way.  I had been hurt so deeply by someone that the ONLY way I got through it was by saying “I forgive you” every time I thought about that person.  I had to literally talk myself into forgiveness.  I had to change my mind about the situation.  Changing my mind was the only way I could change my heart and truly forgive.

Though it’s been a process, I’ve learned how to really let things go, and appreciate the memories and the lessons.  By asking God what it is that He would have for me to learn from these interactions, as well as learning to be more careful and guard my heart; I’ve been able to truly experience forgiveness in ways previously unknown to me.  Being able to reflect on the memories without feeling captive to the hurt is such a freeing experience.  I pray that you experience such freedom in your life.

Choosing to forgive and let it go is not a sign a weakness.  I think that’s a common misconception; that a person who chooses to forgive is being a punk or being soft.  But it requires great discipline and strength to truly forgive someone who has hurt you deeply.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar.  Anyone can fire off hatefulness fueled from their hurt feelings and disappointment caused at the hands of another.  But to truly be able to walk in grace and love after being wronged, and to view that situation as a blessing?  That requires strength and the power of God.

For this year, who do you need to forgive so that you can properly enjoy the memories, lessons, and blessings that God has provided through your experiences?  You CAN let it go!

Peace and blessings!