Tag: future

Barefoot Devotions

A Christmas Miracle

Hannah B.

As I am sitting here reflecting by the tree, I am reminded of a time of my very own Christmas miracle I experienced as a little girl.

Many years ago I was in a church Christmas play but I just didn’t have my lines completely memorized. I don’t remember much about this Christmas play, the part I played, or even the year. This part I am about to tell you, I remember well.

My mom, sister, and I were on our way to the Christmas play but as we reached the top of our long drive way, my dad was parked at the top with his truck. From the back seat, I heard him tell my mom that I didn’t need to see this. Immediately, I knew something was wrong as my dad neared the window of the car. He told me the absolute worst news I ever thought I’d receive. My dog Daisy had been run over and did not survive.

The pain was heart wrenching and I didn’t understand why this had happened. During the complete hysterical meltdown and out of no where, I knew every word to my part of the play. My crying immediately ceased and my mournful cry turned to joyful cry. For a little girl, it was truly a Christmas miracle despite the devastation that was experienced just minutes before.

As life has passed me by, I’ve often wondered if Christmas miracles really happen anymore. This past holiday season, I have witnessed a beautiful Christmas miracle. It started with a chance encounter with one man that changed my life. With my brief encounters with this man, I have learned the true meaning of Christmas and I have learned that Christmas miracles do happen.

This kind hearted man has been living in a tent under a bridge. He is the most genuine and selfless person you will ever meet and when you are in his presence, you can feel his goodness. He volunteers at the local shelter and gives what he can. Our local hotel has given him a place to stay until his housing is official. Although he has experienced a rough time, he has shown me that love, kindness, and giving are free and it doesn’t take much to make a difference.

For the first time in my life, I truly understand the meaning of Christmas. I thank God for placing a stranger in my life as I have witnessed the pureness, sweetness, peace, and joy of the Christmas spirit and the possibility of Christmas miracles.

When the body of Christ works together in unity, amazing God miracles can happen. This my friends, is why it is important to drench every fiber of your being with God’s word so that you may walk in spirit and truth because you never know what miracle you are missing!

Have a Merry Christmas, my beautiful friends!

With all of my love,

Hannah Boyd

Barefoot Devotions

Learning To Rejoice When God Removes

Hannah B.

When God removes a relationship or something from your life, He replaces it when the time is right. It will be so much better that you will thank Him for removing the thing you lost.

Are you thinking that I am crazy? How can this be? It must be true, I just experienced it!

After seven months, I thank God for the friend He removed because the friend I gained is a beacon of light for my purpose versus a friend who was a stumbling block for my purpose. This new friend will shine the way to my calling instead of blowing out the light.

It doesn’t mean that I don’t love the person that is no longer in my life, because I do. I always will regardless of the differences that set us on different paths. Just like our disagreements with each other, it doesn’t mean that either of us are bad people. We completed the need in each other’s lives that God intended and therefore, He closed the door to our relationship.

It was hard. I grieved. I was sad. I was angry. I was hurt. I felt betrayed. I was a mess. I second guessed my actions and wondered about everything I could have done differently. I even questioned my ability to choose friends and I second guessed all of my relationships. I could feel the enemy pressing repeat and starting with these emotions again.

Finally, I have seen why this has happened and I can rejoice. In the future, I hope I am able to endure situations more gracefully and with even more faith but most importantly, I want to rejoice from the beginning. God did more with my emotions than I ever could have.

We have all experienced times in our relationships we were hurt by someone or we hurt someone. Perhaps a decision was made to let someone go because you recognized they were not good for you during your season of life.

As we change, we grow apart from the people we bonded with and grown to love. Sometimes it is a season where both of you are growing in different directions. Although it is painful to experience the loss of someone you have bonded with and shared life with, God has a reason and a plan. Our minds are unable to comprehend His reason and plan because we would not be able to believe what He has planned for us.

We have to remember that sometimes people, things, and jobs are removed because they don’t serve a place in our lives any longer. Although the suffering was long, the perseverance will lead to greater things.

Do you think Ruth could have ever dreamed about her Boaz?

Romans 12:12 | Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

James 1:12 | Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him

Romans 5:3-5 | More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

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Barefoot Devotions

A Never Ending Light

Hannah B.

The Discovery

In the thick forest surrounded by darkness that seems to be thick with shadows, she continues to walk along the path that is set out before her. The wind is still stirring around her causing her long dark hair to blow into a tangled mess.

The debris from the last storm has covered most of her path. The aftermath of the storm is making it difficult to judge if she is even on the right path. Her vision is clouded with darkness that seems to be closing in in her.

Determined to fight through, she manages to move her feet forward and shuffle through the shattered pieces and belongings that lie around her. As she looks down and remembers the pieces that were once whole and the story they tell, sadness begins to match the power of darkness.

Once again, she is determined to look toward a light that seems to be pulling her feet forward. Knowing that if she doesn’t look forward, she will surely die. Dying was not option. She was tired of dying over and over through every storm.

Staring at the pieces of her aftermath on the ground, she cried out in desperation, “Surely, this is not what life is!” Deep down she knew she was called for more, but what? What could she possibly do that was worth anything? She was trapped in the tangled mess and broken pieces the storm left behind.

There was the light again. It was so close but yet so far away. It was peaceful and it seemed to have what she so desperately needed. A deep yearning that she did not realize was there. Unsure of where this light was coming from or what it was, it had found her. It was the opposite of everything else she knew, so surely it was good. Surely, it would help her find her way. Still surrounded by darkness, she focused her eyes ahead and chose to follow it with a desire to be enveloped in this light.

As she was walking further down the path, she realized the light grew brighter at her feet. It was leading her away from the storms that never seemed to let up and the aftermath that was left behind.

The closer she walked toward the light, the heavy burdens of being tangled in her mess were coming less worrisome. Though it was still dark, she could see at her very step and it was peaceful because she knew that as she walked toward the light, it would shine before her feet took the next step.

Abba Father. Jesus. My savior. You have searched for me and you found me. You have saved me.

Her name is Faith and this is how she was found.

A Lesson

Although we walk on dark paths in life’s unknowns, we can rest knowing that our Father has already gone before each of our lives. He has strategically planned out our every move, every day of our life, and our every breath.

He has forseen every problem we will face and has already come up with the perfect solution. We don’t need plan A, B, or C because He has the one.

Jeremiah 29:11 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.

It’s for your benefit. It may be painful as we endure trials, but in the end, the perseverance will lead us to a greater purpose and great joy.

1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

By reading God’s Word and focusing on Jesus, our faith will grow as we begin to understand God’s heart. We are able to trust that He is there with us, has already gone before us, we do not need to fear the darkness because Jesus’ words are the light that will always lead us to our purpose that we were predestined for before we were born.

He is a light that is always twinkling and desires to catch your eye. When we allow darkness to seep in, it will cloud our spiritual eyes like a dark fog. Often we wonder why God has left us? But He has not. We have simply strayed too far down the wrong path, away from Him. It’s up to us to turn around and find Him. Chase Him. Run to Him. Don’t look back.

It’s up to us to turn the light on. We don’t have to look very far because He is closer than our earthly eyes perceive.

Psalm 119:105 – Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

Barefoot Devotions

A Year In A Holler

Hannah B.

Lately, I have been reflecting about our first year in the holler. As I look back to one year ago, I had no idea that this is what God had planned but I am so incredibly thankful that He allowed my plans to fall through and show me how great of a plan He had.

 

We (God did this) sold our house within 3 days, had all of our belongings in the back of a Uhaul preparing for our big move across the Appalachian mountains within a month. Although we kept experiencing road blocks, God always carried us through the situation with an outcome that benefited us. We knew from the beginning that God was in this and He wouldn’t get us this far not to see us through the entire process.

There was one problem that was not being solved. We drove to our new hometown countless of times looking for a place for our family to call home but only to find nothing.

With two weeks to spare before we were moved out of our house, we finally agreed on a house and decided to just be done with the search and secure the place so we would have a place to move to immediately.

Deep down I knew this place wasn’t meant to be called home. It just didn’t feel right but I had a plan and a place to live!

It was not God’s plan though. A few days before closing and moving out of our house, we found out that our rental would no longer be available for the date we needed but a few days later. We were able to stay with family and wait out our new move in date but we found out that the delay would be indefinite. We were not moving there.

In my mind, we were essentially homeless. We sold our house, we had everything packed and loaded, but no where to go. With only days left to spare until we had to absolutely be there, we were without a plan. Without options. Everything was closing in. There were deadlines that were not going to be met.

God said, “Go” so we drove to Kentucky with an open mind and expecting God’s best. We knew we would either store everything and move again, get my husband an apartment, or find a house for all of us.

For one last reminder that God was in control, we broke down in the Uhaul. At that point, we should have turned around and just forgot about it because we were facing such difficulty getting to our destination.

When you are in a situation like this, you have no choice but to trust God’s plans and that is exactly where He wanted us to be. Even though the unknowns were something to be worried about, we chose to keep moving forward. We kept going on faith, God kept His promises, and surrounded us with His goodness every moment.

My plan had fallen apart and He showed me that His plans and His will are always perfect and far better than anything we could ever plan out yourself.

No matter how many original and back up plans I made, I could never had planned what God had laid out for us. If your plan isn’t a part of God’s plan, it’s simply going to fall apart so that the right pieces can fall into place.

This picture was taken 40 minutes outside of our destination and is the moment I knew God would provide. He did provide far better than my plan A, B, and C. The moment of realizing that I had absolutely no control and I had to let go and let God continue to lead us in our next chapter because His ways were higher than mine.

The ending to a chapter but the beginning of of a new chapter, Barefoot In A Holler.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

Barefoot Devotions

Hope for The Fatherless

Hannah B.

For as long as I could remember, Father’s Day has been a bittersweet day that was surrounded with sadness. A day that served as reminder that a little girl would not always have the daddy she so desperately wanted to have. I prayed to have but a prayer that went unanswered. My daddy tried the best that he could considering his addictions and other issues I began to realize as an adult. Eventually, the day became surrounded with anger as I grieved the loss of him and my childhood. No chance for redemption. Emotions of anger, jealously of people who still had their dad, depression surrounded me and plagued me for a decade after his death.

I don’t tell you this to be sad for me or feel bad for me because even though we had a lot of bad times, we had a lot of good times too. In the end, the good outweighed the bad and I thank God for His unanswered prayers. Through my journey, Jesus was there in the blackness still surrounding me with a grater plan than I could ever imagine. He provided the answers along the way as I cried out my whys to Him. He gave me the peace that I needed to carry on another day especially on Father’s Day.

Even in my darkest days that turned to years, my vision only allowed me to see blackness in my current state. Hopeless. Discouraged. Depressed. Grieved. Angered. Fatherless. Orphaned. Lost in a dream that wasn’t a reality and didn’t have the chance at ever being a reality.

It was at that moment that God started changing my heart and opening my eyes to the most impactful statement He has ever told me in my Christian life:

I am your Father and everything you ever needed and will need in a daddy. Stop searching.

Although I still had years of emotions to unravel, this marked the moment that my hardened heart began to crumble and heal my “daddy issues”.

The next phase allowed me to truly forgive my dad, it was realizing that my dad did the absolute best that he could be physically, spiritually, and mentally for me. Once I accepted that, I quit blaming him for not trying hard enough. I realized he did try – to the point of exhaustion and to the breaking point of someone with an addiction. As I realized this, I wave of guilt washed over me and they only place I could go to make it right was to the LORD.

It’s freeing when such burdens are lifted but as they are lifted so are the blinders that cover your eyes. You are able to look at the situation with opened eyes and realize the affect of your actions and are able to acknowledge the stubbornness and pride in your heart.

When the blinders are removed, you are able to see further out than what is in front of your face. My next moment was that I was blessed with uncles that were always there and stepped in to fill the role. Even though they weren’t my earthly dad – they were placed in my life for what I would need.

As these truths were unveiled to me and I accepted them into my heart, I became free from a false reality, a false expectation, and a false idea. The idea I had was not what God intended for my life. When we let go of our preconceived ideas and accept that our ideas and plans weren’t part of God’s will, that is when He can work and show us His plan. When we fully accept that He is God, He is good, and He loves us enough to not let us settle for anything less, we surrender it all to Him willingly. I realized that for some reason He needed that little girl to go through heartache, trials, and the ugly feelings to get to where I am now. Whatever His reason is, I am thankful He chose me.

I am exactly where God needs me at this very moment and I have been this entire journey. Perhaps, it’s all about your perspective. You can focus on the negative and the things you can’t change or you can focus on who you were grown into during the experiences.

I am not Fatherless and neither are you. We are loved dearly by a God that doesn’t change, doesn’t leave, and loves us unconditionally.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Happy Father’s Day God! And Happy Father’s Day to my earthly daddy who taught me a lot about life.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

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