Day 250 - Refuge

Wow... I am exhausted. While I am excited that my sweet kids went back to school this week, it's been crazy getting them ready to do so. I am beyond tired, but it has been worth it. I adore this time of year. I love having a schedule again. I love the family time, MOPS is starting soon, fall food, and preparing for the holidays. It's magical for me. It makes me feel like myself again... I feel like the depression is fading more and more each day and that I am seeing myself. This time of year helps bring that back.

But with the start of a new season always comes a lot of reflection. I have now passed 2/3 of my Year Full of Hope. I am thinking about what has happened, where I have gone, and what could be in front of me. I still have a lot of work to do in exploring hope and finding it deep inside of myself. Or perhaps tending to the seed I have already planted. I want my hope to be full and strong. I want to breathe it, live it, and share it with others. But I am finding that to do so, I have had to work much harder on myself. Some on my own, some through books, some from personal situations, and a lot in His word. Some exploration has come from the help of a therapist and that has been fruitful. I am grateful for that help. Things have been topsy turvy for my emotionally, but that's what God had in store for me this year and I want to grasp as much of it as I can. The good, the painful, the excruciating, and the unexpected. Because I know that God can take all things and use it for good... and I know that is what is happening right now. This is my time to grow.


“Every word of God is flawless;
 he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
-Proverbs 30:5 (NIV1984)

God is my shield even in difficult times. I am taking refuge in His love this year.