If you haven’t already, you may want to go back and read Raw, Guilt , Beginning, Anxiety, Seek, Stop, Pride, Surrender, Peace, and Empty before reading this post.
I’ve been learning so much the past 14 months about letting go of self and surrendering my worries and needs to the Father. The scriptures have been speaking Truth into my life and for the first time, I’ve really been listening. Learning to die to self has been both painful and beautiful, and I dare say I’ve even grieved this death of self. But after death comes new life – and I am now able to truly enjoy the fullness of life that God promises us on this earth.
Am I worry free? Not yet, but I have learned the beauty of giving my anxious thoughts over to the Father. Old habits die hard. I have thorns in my flesh that would like to take over my life and force me back into my former way of thinking. I’m on a journey to continue growing in my new walk as I learn more and more about dying to self.
Is my life without hardship? No, that’s not what God promises. But He does promise to carry our burdens and to give us His peace. He can and He will and He does. Living in Jesus is glorious. Allowing Him to be for me what He promises and desires to be in my life is rich and powerful. When I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12). Yes. In the name of Jesus, yes!
Truth: We can ask for anything in the name of Jesus and He will do it.
Jesus tells us this over and over. I counted this promise three times in John 14-16 alone. Jesus means it when He says this. Worried about something that you have no control over? Ask Jesus to overrule the worry and fill the hole with His peace. He WILL do it.
Truth: His yoke is easy. His burden is light.
We can continue to carry our burdens on our own, lugging the heavy weight of worry, anxt, fear, or guilt around everywhere we go. It will wear us out, disrupt our sleep, make us depressed, and get us absolutely nowhere. Or we can gratefully surrender our burden to the One who is already carrying it for us. Why do we try to do what we know we can not do? Jesus asks us to let Him give us rest. Give Him your burden. Then breathe deeply and enjoy the comfort that comes from letting Him carry your load.
Truth: The only One we need to aim to please is the Father.
Learning this truth has been life changing for me. As I recognize my need to let go of pride, and to focus on doing what God asks me to do – instead of constantly trying to gain the approval, recognition, or appreciation of those around me – I am experiencing His blessed gift of peace like never before. The blessing of seeking to please God alone is that by doing so, others are pleased too. Except for when they’re not. But that is not my burden to bear. I can love people and point them to Jesus, but I cannot rescue, fix, or change anyone’s heart. I’ll do my job and let God do His.
This post ends this Raw series I’ve been honored to share with you about my journey to emotional healing. The series ends, but the journey continues. I am constantly growing, continually learning, and clearly recognizing my need for a Savior. I long to be whole, and I now realize that the only way to find true peace is to become broken at the feet of Jesus. His goodness overflows. His mercies are new every morning. He is what I can never be. And I am safely in His care.
While this specific series is ending, I will continue to listen to God’s leading and share truths and lessons He is teaching me.
Thank you for your kindness and love as I opened my heart in this series.
thank you.
Thank you for sharing your heart, Laura. I have been a daily visitor since November, 2008!! Your blog was the inspiration to our healthy eating journey, and you continue to inspire and challenge me with posts like the Raw Series.
Blessings!
Amen.
hi laura…..i’m so appreciative of you sharing your journey with all of us.
Great series.
Laura, you are an amazing woman. I am new to your blog (and blogs altogether) and I truly believe God brought me here for a reason. I received your Journey blog and was just about to delete it. I knew I didn’t have time to read it and I finally got my email box down to 100 emails from over 600! But God STOPPED me and said “Read my child.” WOW! I feel like I am taking this journey with a Netflix subscription where I can watch the whole season in one sitting. I already read your first four blogs of your Journey and I feel God speaking so much in my heart. Honestly, I have not sat down this long (except when I am nursing). I am so captivated by your words, your journey, your revelations, and your relationship with our Father. I am not a reader but God knew the avenue to reach my heart. I love your writing style and I am hooked!!! You are an inspiration. I feel like cuddling up with a hot cup of tea and a warm blanket and reading your Journey like a book. I plan to print it all our and really take it all in. Thank you for allowing God to use you as a vessel for His kingdom. I am a homeschooling mom with 5 blessings ages 10 months to 8 years. Four boys and one princess. Changes in my life have put us in a crazy whirlwind and I am holding on to God’s promises because He is faithful. Be encouraged and know that you are a true blessing. Thank you for remaining faithful to your blog and for touching so many lives. (sorry for rattling on…I actually had the house to myself–with the 10 month old!!!)
Thank YOU for opening your heart and sharing your journey with us!
I missed these posts back when you wrote them, likely because I was in the middle of my own difficult journey with self, pride and emptiness.
I had a baby that week, in the middle of my messiest, lowest days.
The journey out of self and fear is long and difficult. I am very encouraged to read your “raw” words. Women like us, we thrive in people pleasing and overachieving, but we don’t realize that what people really need is for us to be real.
We often compare ourselves to superheroes like you, who cook it all and home school and volunteer and write and all of the wonderful things. We need you to be “raw” with us so we can be “raw” with ourselves and those around us.
How did you tell your husband? How did you make him understand? Part of my battle is that I can’t let people, especially those closest to me, know when I am not ok. It’s hard for them to understand when I seem like I’m doing so well.
I guess I got to a point where I had no choice but to be raw and vulnerable with my husband. I needed his help to work through all the difficulty I was/am dealing with. He’s been a rock. I’ve found that letting others in on my weaknesses is very healing and healthy.
Not everyone will understand. I went through some tough friendship stuff during this time, simply because I’d been “Old Laura” for so long that many didn’t know what to do with “New Laura.” It’s not their fault. I didn’t know what to do with me either. ;) God is good. He continues to work it all out, even though the broken places have been so painful at times.
Blessings to you. Trust God to be at work fully in this. His power is made perfect in our weakness. That is a HUGE truth to live by!
Thank you!!!
Ave Maria!
How beautiful to share these things. I am learning as well to mortify pride and self-love and it is very humbling. This whole experience of life, embracing the Cross, for Love of God so that I might be more able to love God, who loves me so very much. I embrace the Cross of conflicts, contradictions, humiliations……Thank you Jesus..these swords that pierce my heart like the sword that pierced the heart of Christ. Then I unite these to Christ crucified and I receive His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament and He helps me to carry my cross. He in me and I in Him. My nothingness united to His infiniteness. Not my will , but Thy will be done. Our Lady said “Fiat -be it done unto me according to Thy Word”. Abandonment to Divine Providence.
There is a book called that – it has helped me very much. also, there is even deeper and deeper to go with psychomoralitics- the soul deep science of embracing the Cross with Christ crucified. I am Catholic. You sound like you are as well, only maybe you don’t know it yet. Blessed Be God! Lift high the Cross!