And isn’t this a sweet word picture for our hope for healing? That we will be delighted in who we have become when this is all said and done? That we will exhibit a freedom and a joy and a peace that can’t be taken away from us?

What if we actually LOVE the end result?

In the meantime, when we are in crisis, we also need help using boundaries to push us forward and create immediate comfort and safety.  Kinda like the three items I so wish I had been able to have with me on the trail.

This Christmas doesn’t HAVE to be perfect. In fact, the first Christmas was far from perfect and such a humble beginning - maybe your imperfect Christmas honors the first one more than any other!

What does growing WELL look like in difficult life situations or during our recovery process? What I have realized is - in order to thrive WELL - we must learn how to live in the present.

Bottom line: let’s do what we need to do to get comfortable in the bodies God gave us. This could mean air-conditioning and this could also mean positive self-talk or anything in between but it does NOT have to mean losing weight. The end.

Whatever you are facing today that is causing you to feel powerless, I want you to hear me say: you don’t have to stay here. The war is already won.

I think it’s important that we name the impact that trauma has had on our lives. And how it impacts our behaviors. Naming the pain helps validate what we are experiencing. And it also gives us a loose roadmap for seeing if we are moving in the right direction or not as we look for - are these symptoms improving? Or no?

Since reframing trauma in this way, I have also been able to reframe the implications of trauma. It doesn’t mean that there is no hope. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that he is the abuser.

Confession time: I’ve spent so many years hiding girls. If I'm TOTALLY honest and vulnerable with you - I've gotten good at hiding my Faith and my work / life story. Two incredibly important things that deserve to take up a lot of space.

In the last blog post, I talked about what it looks like to show up for others and to also show up for ourselves. I even included some ways I’ve showed up for myself this week - just to get your mind churning as to how you can show up for YOU.

Cause this momma isn't porn, never has been, never will be. I'm the real deal.  The whole enchilada.  I'm mind, heart, body and soul.  Not just a body.

Embracing partial solutions actually makes me feel like I can breathe - it gives me freedom.

I realized - within me was a little girl that was heartbroken - and this is what made the situation so very painful.  The little girl within.

Joseph's story clearly shows us that none of us are immune from life's hardships.  And in fact - it's the hardships that have the potential to refine us and purify us and make us even more like Him.

This is my hope for all of us - that we would remain faithful and continue to put our hope and our trust in Him.  God will show us the way.

The key is to be aware of the old coping mechanism cropping back up and to course-correct as soon as possible.

We are going to make it.  It might not be glamorous or glitzy.  In fact, it might look a little ugly at times - but we will make it.

Each one of these emotions deserves space to breathe, space to have a voice, space to be heard and seen.

So often we give others power in our lives that only belong to us.