#ThoughtofThanks: Personal Victories & Powerful Voices

The last five days have been… WOW.
I’m actually a bit speechless in the best way.
God’s voice has been ever present, speaking LOUD and CLEAR to my soul.

After facing difficult disappointment a few weeks back, God has been showing me that His timing is everything. He has other plans, GREATER plans.

I feel like there is a lot He wants me to do and dream up right now. I actually haven’t been able to sleep well because all these ideas continue running through my mind. Ideas specifically for Still Waters, I see it expanding and growing and looking more real and official. I’ve always wanted to make it better but have continued to wait until a time when I had energy to focus on it. I feel the Lord calling me to this work sooner than expected, showing me that working on this ministry is possible even in a continued season of rest and waiting.
On Wednesday night I had the incredible opportunity to publicly share my testimony for the very first time. I was honored when asked to speak at a special youth worship service. FINALLY, an opportunity to use my most evident spiritual gift…speaking.
Yes, much more so than writing, my parents have always assured me that my clearest God ordained gift was in the arena of public speaking. I know that this is terrifying to a majority of people.
It’s natural for me.
That’s not to say that I don’t get nervous or have to put in work. But I’m quite confident in this ability, I just never knew how God would want me to use it.

I was more nervous than expected in the hours leading up to the event. I hadn’t done any type of speaking (other than a wedding toast) in over 3 years. Satan battled to convince me I was rusty, unqualified, too weak, too sick, uninteresting etc. However the voice of God was so evident, so LOUD in reassuring me He had already given me the ability. I heard Him say, “Let me do the heavy lifting… I only need you to be obedient, speak the words I give you, and be brave enough to get up on that stage. I’ll take over.”

Yes, Lord.

The event could not have gone any better in my eyes. The Holy Spirit was powerful in his words and I truly believe the students were both interested and touched. Not because of any of my abilities, but because of God’s goodness and strength. As I walked off the stage I had tears in my eyes of gratitude for this beauty from ashes, for pride in accomplishing something great, and for the assurance in my heart that God is USING me in big ways.

I definitely think this was a glimpse into the future.
As always I had a wonderful support system with me. Tyler, my parents, my big brothers, mother in law, 2 sisters in law, cousin in law, my best friend, minister, a mentor and some of my life group sisters all came to cheer me on. How blessed am I? They made me feel like a total rockstar.

This weekend we relived our fairytale wedding day when our VIDEO arrived in the mail! On Saturday we received the gift of our repurposed/repainted furniture from a beloved friend who spoke spirit ordained words over our lives. I had the best afternoon doing an at home photo shoot with a new friend and fellow sister in Christ. I’m so excited to share some incredible photo with y’all. My prayer is that by having professional photos and a higher quality website, Still Waters will grow to new heights and flourish so that the glory of the Lord can shine on more lives.
Thank you always for your faithful support! If you’re on Instagram, follow @Stillwatersblog for daily encouragement or check it out on Facebook at Still Waters Blog.