Tag: world

Barefoot Devotions

New Year: Hopes, Expectations & Reality

Hannah B.

We have made it to a new day and a new year. I’ve contemplated what I want to accomplish and the changes in my life that I want to make for the new year. This morning I woke up to a text from someone I consider one of my best friends. Little does she know, one of my resolutions is to always wake up to Jesus and His word. The passage she sent me was perfect for me to read on this first day of January.

Hebrews 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

I always start the year off with a hopeful heart and a mindset to make changes to areas in my life for the better. However, along the way and after a few bumps on my path, I falter. The enemy knows the weakness of my flesh and he knows how to make me stumble. I think this has been the reason why I usually don’t make resolutions. I don’t keep them. I can honestly say, I never have. But ya know what? I’m not perfect. Ya know what else I know? If I do fall to temptation and eat the fudge covered brownie and ice cream, say a swear word or even say or think something I shouldn’t… God has already been before me. His son Jesus died on a cross and forgave my sins a long time ago. He knows what my future holds and He already knows every detail of my life, mind and how I will react to any situation I may be faced with this upcoming year. With Him, every day is made new.

Even if we falter, His grace and mercy are always available to us to help us through any hardship we are faced with. When life gets tough and you feel as you can’t go on or what’s the point in even trying, will you go to His throne room? The place of love, peace, grace and mercy that His son Jesus died for us to have continual access Him? Once you do meet Him there, dust off your knees and pick up where you left off and do better. Use it as a learning experience to grow into the person He has called you to be. It’s not going to be easy but with Him all things are possible. He cares for you in a way that is too indescribable and cares for all of your hopes and dreams. After all, He did give you those when He made you.

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:23

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

Regardless, the reward will be well worth it. His throne room is always open and His arms are always open with grace and mercy that each of us need on a daily basis. Will you go boldly to Him as you live each day of your life?

That is my resolution. To go boldly in all things. To live boldly for Him and allow all of my hearts desires, dreams and hopes fall into place for His glory. To live for His perfect plan for the days He has had mapped out for my life since before I was knit together in my mother’s womb.

Psalm 139 13:14

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

It is wonderful knowing that God makes every day new, even on our worst days. Lets be bold this year and boldly accept His plan for our lives. Even when trials come, let us remember that we started a new year off to a better us and even when we falter, every day is made new.

Wishing you God’s best for your life and with much love,

Hannah B. (2)

Barefoot Devotions

The Beauty In Brokenness

Hannah B.

Brokenness. A word that often reminds me of past hurts and perhaps even hurts that are fresh on your heart. Unfortunately, we live in a broken world and are bound to face a trial and tribulation during our life. Everyone has some sort of brokenness that they have moved on from or have allowed to take over their mind. Maybe the pain has caused some hearts to harden.

No matter what you have experienced in life, your hurts are yours and you are allowed to feel the emotions that come along with them. They make you, you but we can’t allow them to get the best of us. To me, the most amazing thing is that God already knows what we feel and what we think. Even when we can’t express them ourselves, He knows. I hope that you have discovered that during your trials, God is there and there is an ultimate reason for your suffering. It sucks. There isn’t a nicer way to say it but I’ve learned to step back and ask God, “What is the take away from this, what am I missing? Show me. Make it as clear as hitting me in the head with a cast iron skillet because you know I’m not going to get it right away.” Yeah. I pray that. Jesus knows I need that extra bam.

I’ve recently had a trial of my own that I thought I was okay and I would just move along. Today had other plans for me. Feelings of hurt, betrayal, and anger consumed me like a raging fire. Thank God for the people He has placed in my life to speak truth to me when I need it and especially when I am at my weakest and most ugliest self.

I found myself in prayer and luckily I got my extra bam today. Even if it wasn’t what my flesh wanted, it was what my soul needed. And that my friends are the best outcome.

Only God can take someone that is broken and make them whole again. In that there is real beauty as Our Maker puts us back together. Not just beauty that surpasses anything we could ever imagine but in the end we will be perfectly put together by the hands of Jesus.

Until then I will enjoy allowing Jesus to take my broken pieces and mend them back together because even though it hurts there is refuge in His arms. The peace He allows to radiate through me is far better than any fleshly emotion I could ever feel. And you know what the best part is, He isn’t finished with me. In the end, I will be put together perfectly by His perfect hands for His perfect purpose.

My love,

Hannah B. (2)

Barefoot Devotions

Child Come Home

Hannah B.

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? To be honest, I’ve let life get the best of me. The last time I wrote, I let y’all know that my grandmother, The Matriarch of my family went to be with the Lord. Ever since then I’ve felt lost, guilty and depressed. I didn’t want to write because I didn’t want to feel the emotions that come with grief. Grief is a scary feeling but sometimes you just have to feel and go through the motions to get to the other side. Often times when I’m experiencing these emotions, I will disconnect. It’s probably not healthy but it’s something I need to do. It’s something that helps me and my mind understand and come to terms with circumstances that are happening in my life.

You know how there are times in life where you feel like everything in the world is coming against you? You turn one way and there is a problem or a hurdle to jump? Then just before that fire is put out, you find yourself having to jump over something else? Have you ever wondered what in the world is going on in the universe to have ALL of the world throwing rocks at you? I have.

I had an ah-ha moment.

I realized that during the time before the distress, I let the world creep in. Notice, I used the word creep because that’s exactly how Satan does it, slowly and surely. Unfortunately, it’s too often too late until you realize what has happened. I let the world define my thoughts, my emotions and eventually those worldly thoughts and emotions seeped into my heart.

Then it hits me. I hear Him say,  “Child Come Home. You Need Me. Staying close to me is the only way you can do this. You can’t do this walk without Me.” Jesus is right, I can’t! Life is too chaotic without Him and all it takes to drift away is one day of skipping time with God, talking with Him, and praying, just one day or one time.

What if Jesus lets the universe throw every hurdle at us? That sounds kinda harsh, doesn’t it? I mean if He loved us so then why would He let us feel like we are drowning in life? Maybe He does it because He doesn’t want us to drift too far away? Perhaps, He wants us to stay close to Him and for us to realize that we do need Him, it may take an obstacle or two…or even a frying pan. He knows we have tasted His goodness and He wants to give us even more of His goodness. I want all that He will give me and I
will gladly accept the times in my life where He has to use a frying pan over my head.

Is it time for you to come home?

Xoxo,

Hannah B. (2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barefoot Devotions

Are you eating from The Dumpster of Life or The Bread Of Life? 

Hannah B.

Are you eating from the dumpster life offers us or are you eating from the bread of life Jesus offers us?

Let’s think about this. The world is full of garbage and we ingest a lot of it on a daily basis, even if we don’t mean to! It’s there, we hear it and see it all around us from advertisements, television shows, movies, books and even from the news and people. At first, the bad language, crimes, nudity, and anything that isn’t good and of God can seem innocent at first. But what if you are what you eat? Eventually, this lifestyle will weigh down on your soul. Sometimes when we are around certain people, being caught up in a series, what’s going on in the world or whose keeping up with who, we can get off the path that God wants us on. We lose sight of Him. That’s the way the enemy works. Often he creeps in and starts small so that it’s subtle and we don’t realize it until we’ve been devoured by sin. It takes one bite of garbage.

1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

Now, let’s talk about the bread of life. Jesus is enough to sustain us and He is the only one that can fill our soul with the vitamins and nutrients our soul needs. He is the only one that can give us exactly what each of us needs.

John 5:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

So what does this mean? We are obviously not physically living off this bread but its spiritual bread that gives us the stamina to withstand the world we live in. It’s spending time reading the word of God, it’s time spent praying to Him and it’s allowing Him to fill every part of our mind, heart, and soul. We have to be in constant communication and living our life with Jesus to survive the garbage that surrounds us. It’s how we can keep our peace even when most don’t understand how we still stand.

I have eaten from the dumpster of life and I have eaten from the bread of life and I will always choose the bread of life. I grew tired of searching for worldly things to fill my God-shaped hole that only He can fill.

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Guard your heart and your mind and sit down at Jesus’ table. If you are out there, lost and eating from the dumpster – I am praying for You. It takes one bite of the bread of life to taste His all-consuming goodness.

Xoxo,

Hannah B. (2)