Waiting

Lately, it’s seems like I’ve spent a lot of time thinking, thinking about broken things, broken relationships and broken hearts. Probably because several or a lot of things in my life have broken down recently. Some of the things that have broken down are stupid things really, stupid because they’re just things but they’re utilitarian in nature and when they broke, they caused just enough inconvenience to interrupt my happy day. Some of these things consisted of my vacuum cleaner, washing machine, and a microwave. And lately, it seems like many of the people I’m speaking to are struggling as well. The running theme I’m discovering is that something broke in their life too, like their car or their computer or their heart. It can feel so frustrating bearing through those difficult and painful seasons of struggle and heart breaks. And broken hearts are the absolute worst, aren’t they? When your heart feels broken, you feel like the bleeding will never end. It’s so difficult to mask the pain of a broken heart because it requires effort, and energy and it’s exhausting! You think you’re masking it, but those closest to you see it and feel it pretty quickly. So really, you’re not fooling anyone. I think broken hearts take time, sometimes a lot of time. Broken hearts make for tough seasons in life. And when you're in it, you're in a season of waiting, waiting for your healer to come, to make you whole again. I find when my heart feels broken, I need people to come along side of me and hold my hand and love me through it until I feel strong and can stand tall again. And when others are going through it, I want to offer the same kind of tenderness, and love and care I received when I was hurting.

When we’re hurting, life feels dark, scary and lonely. When those dark seasons surface, we need to remember what God has revealed to us in the light. Some of the things I’ve learned in the light are as follows: God loves us ridiculously and boundlessly. He’s for us always and forever and He wants His very best for us. God also calls us to walk in the spirit of forgiveness. I know that’s a tough one when we feel wronged and are hurting but its gospel my friend. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you condone what was done to you. It's about letting go, its about liberating yourself and giving up the hope that the past could have been any different.

Dear one, we need to remember that we are never alone. God is with us whether we feel Him or not. Difficult seasons teach us a lot about ourselves and others if we pay attention. Here’s the upside of surviving hard things like a broken heart: when we get to the other side, we’ll be wiser, stronger and better. We need to be patient and wait because it’s in the waiting that God speaks to us and can work with us and in us. It’s in the waiting where we learn, where the healing begins.

Can I let you in on a little secret? My faith in God has never been about easy answers. I wish I could tell you that it was but that would be far from the truth. I think the hardest part about trusting God is exercising faith muscles when we feel lost, hurt and hopeless. It takes guts, trust, perseverance and above all else, hope to put your faith in God for a better tomorrow, even if you can’t imagine what that tomorrow will look like. Hope is an amazing thing; it allows us to hold on and to believe that all things broken will be addressed by our Maker if we invite Him into the process. When we let God in and give Him all the broken pieces, He restores us; He makes us new and heals our wounds. If you can hang on to hope, hope always shines just enough light into the darkest parts of our lives, providing meaning as we wait to get through the difficulty.

So if you’re in a season of waiting dear one, please keep hoping, don’t rush the wait. Learn the lessons, trust God and remember that you are deeply loved, always and forever.  And if someone you love is in a season of waiting, love them, hold their hand, dry their tears and be there, be a friend.


Wishing you peace and wholeness always,


~ Ruthie

When my heart is overwhelmed, Lord lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
~ Psalm 61:2

Salmon Herb Cakes

http://glutenfreehope.blogspot.com/2011/04/salmon-herb-cakes.html

Hello Darlings ...

Please cut and paste the link above into your browser bar. You have to read this post if you're a salmon lover like me. I love this woman, her name is Stephanie and she's a super-star in my book! She's a blogger and shares wonderful gluten-free recipes. I can't lie to you ... I haven't tried any of her recipes but I want to and would love to and MUST absolutely find the time to experiment! Just yesterday, she posted a recipe for Salmon Herb Cakes along with a recipe for home-made tartar sauce to compliment the salmon cakes. Mmmmm ...makes my mouth water as I think about how yummy these salmon cakes are. Reading this post inspires me and motivates me to only buy wild salmon. If you read her post, you'll understand why.

Wishing you peace and wholeness today and always ...

Buen Provecho!

~Ruthie

P.S. When reading through the recipe, please note that GF stands for Gluten-free.

Hard Seasons

Here's what I've learned about the super hard seasons in my life:

Like most people, I've had my share of difficult seasons. And when they come, I sometimes find myself feeling incredibly frustrated when I’m trying to get through it especially when I realize and come to terms with the fact that I, yes me, have contributed somehow or completely to the cause. Ugh ... those are the absolute worst! When those seasons come I’m most frustrated at myself and feel desperate for God’s grace and His mercy. But it’s increasingly more frustrating when I find myself suffering at the hands of someone else. When those difficult seasons take place, it makes me feel powerless and frustrated and I feel desperate for relief. And when I'm in a season like that, I can never understand why it needs to take place or why it’s even necessary. I’m always way too confused, or upset and too emotional to think straight or to remember that suffering is just a part of life. Let's face it, when it comes to suffering, sometimes we cause it and sometimes we’re the victim of it. And I know that God never promised us a life without pain. I know this because I've read it hundreds of times in the Bible. I also know that He promises to be with us through the difficulty but for some strange reason, I find myself forgetting that during my difficulty and I need to be reminded more often than I care to admit. It’s so hard sometimes because truth be told; pain feels dark, lonely, and ugly, really ugly. And when I’m going through something difficult my days are often filled with tears, many questions, alot of confusion, feelings of frustration and plenty of restless nights. It's really quite exhausting because in the midst of all that, we still have to put on our shoes, go to work and do life. On my worst day, I find it almost impossible to imagine what life might look like or feel like when I get to the other side because in that moment, in that very season, life feels so very heavy, hard and unbearable.

But here's what I know for sure ... every time I survive something hard and look back at my life or read through old journal entries I'm reminded that God is faithful to those who seek Him and love Him. I'm reminded that God is for us and with us always whether we feel Him or not. I’m reminded that He sends us sweet angels to comfort us. Those wonderful angels are called dear trusted friends and family members who are there for us, who comfort us and love us. Their prayers and their friendship carry us. I'm reminded that I'm stronger than I realize and I come to terms once again with the fact that suffering is inevitable in this world and its just a part of life and if we let God in, if we surrender and give Him all the broken pieces, He'll bring good out of the situation. He’s our comforter, our tear dryer, and our healer. And when I eventually get to the other side, I always come away breathing easier, sleeping better and I understand once again that everything has purpose even if I don't fully comprehend it at the time. And almost always, when I look back, I see with great clarity how God showed up over and over to help me through my difficulty. He shows up whispering quietly: there, there my dear. And He shows up with His boundless love, His amazing grace, His tender mercy and His inexplicable peace. And thats when I begin to see clearly how all those pieces came together in my life to help shape who I am today, stronger, wiser, better and filled with God's love and light.

Dear Reader,

If you’re going through something difficult right now, please, please, hang in there. Remain hopeful and never give up. You might find yourself crying a lot lately and things might feel absolutely heart wrenching and unbearable but I promise you that you will get through this, whatever your “this” is and it won’t feel awful forever. You’ll smile again and laugh again and life will feel sweet again. It might take some time but if you’re willing to sit with the pain, it will teach you much and you’ll be better for it. It’s never easy to sit with pain but I promise you, that it’ll be worth it. So trust that time and God are great healers and that your joy will be restored. You’ll shine brighter and more brilliantly because of your experience and eventually you will likely have opportunities in the future to comfort others who will need your wisdom, your love, your friendship and your light to help them through their difficulty. And when those opportunities present themselves, you’ll have something to offer and you'll experience great satisfaction realizing that your pain had purpose.

So if you're going through something difficult, stay hopeful …. it's just a season and you will get through it.

Wishing you peace and wholeness always,

Ruthie 

Never give up hope. Never, ever! Allow me to remind you that you are deeply loved by a holy God ... always ... and forever.