Seasons.

Hey friends! I hope everyone is doing well :)) This week has been beautiful so far and full of many blessings!! I'm here with today's writing prompt, once again by Sharon Watson. >>

"Jeremiah is surrounded by death. His country is being destroyed and ransacked, and his friends, neighbors, and family members are being dragged off in chains to a foreign land. Yet in the middle of Lamentations, his song of deep lament, he writes this: “But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed. For his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:21-23 NIV).

Write about a time of great trouble for you when you experienced God’s love, mercy, faithfulness, or other positive attributes."

Oh man...we're getting deep today. I have actually been thinking about this a lot lately- that is, seasons in life. I was reflecting on these past several years and the good and bad things that have popped up in the path of my life. About two months ago, I was journaling and wrote: "Well...looks like I'm about to enter one of 'those seasons'...". Then? I scribbled it out. Because God then placed on my heart a realization I had never thought of before. If we look at all the 'bad' things that we go through, we could count EVERY season as a 'bad season'. If we look at all the 'good' things that we go through, we could count EVERY season as a 'good season'. If we look at the good and bad things that we go through, and we see how God's light shines through it all, we could count EVERY season as a season written by God! If we are in Christ, each day we wake up we are living and breathing to honor and glorify our KING!! Every season we go through, everything we experience is for His glory and the further advancement of His kingdom >> the kingdom of Heaven!!!

When things come along our path that doesn't fit into our plan, I have learned that situation, whatever it may be, God is using for His glory and the further advancement of the Kingdom. Just like Jeremiah talked about God's blessing in the midst of pain, trial, adversity, mourning, loss, he recognized that the Lord is always in control!! His faithfulness is GREAT!!! ~~

I would say a time in my life where I was in great trouble and experienced God's love, mercy, faithfulness, and grace, was when I was DEAD in my sin!! God overwhelmed me with His grace and mercy and drew me unto Himself!! Because of this Love, because Christ stooped so low as to bear my sin and failure, I am guaranteed eternal life with the Father. He made me ALIVE, woke me up! I RAN out of that grave! I am now FREE from the bondage of sin! HOW EXCITING IS THAT?!

To those who are reading this, I have super cool news for you. YOU could be a recipient of the overwhelming grace of God! By laying the immense burden of your sin at the foot of the cross, falling on your face in humble surrender to Christ, repenting of your sin (asking for forgiveness and TURNING from that sin), placing your faith and trust in CHRIST ALONE, you will be saved! You will no longer be a slave to sin -- YOU'RE SET FREE!

Now, this is GOOD GOOD news! And you don't have to do ANYTHING to earn it or show that you are worthy 🤩It's by God's grace and mercy that this is possible. Wow.

Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord", and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

1 John 1:7-9 (7)If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (8)If we say, "We have no sin", we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9)If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!

Whew! This is literally the best news EVERR!! If you have any further questions about the grace of God, do not hesitate to contact me! Much love,

Summer Gabrielle