Learning To Love

"Carry on!" Two words I heard a lot during my time in the Marine Corps. Those two small words have such great meaning. It's something we have to do, to "carry on", even when we feel weak, afraid, forlorn... we must carry on.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. -Psalm 46:1

We never carry on alone! Our Father is always with us in times of hurt, pain, trouble, and in joy, celebration and prosperity. My Aunt Nicki describes hard times as this; the devil sees how well our lives are going at any given time and he can't stand it, so he throws trouble and problems our way to mess things up. We have to lean on God, and trust in Him, asking for His help, wisdom, guidance and protection to weather the storms, and He WILL be there. We are HIS CHILDREN and he will never forsake us.

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us. -2 Corinthians 1:10

It's hard to love the hardest of times. How do you "carry on" when you feel the weight on the world crashing down on your shoulders? I have never been one to publicly ask for help, but occasionally ask for prayers. Generally we're a fairly private family. I am learning though, that asking for help, asking for prayers, sharing my burdens and allowing others to pray with me has been an amazing outlet. It has also given me a chance to bond with other people through the hard times... giving me a real reason to learn to love the difficulties I am encountering. The devil has been working overtime at our house.

This blog has also been a good outlet for me. For years I had talked about doing it, but the thought of opening my heart and soul to the Internet, and total strangers, was a bit daunting. I know I can pick and choose what to share, and when my best friend read it she said I was being "guarded". I knew that I was to an extent, but I wanted this to be real, a real expression of who I am. Some days I put more thought into my writing than others, some days it's just a quick "jot down a note". Hey, it's my blog... they won't all be editorials! ;o)

I was encouraged to start a blog by my Mom (who encourages me to do EVERYTHING!!) and several friends. It was very interesting because last March, one friend in particular emailed me following a Facebook post and said, "Your prayer was so touching. Even hard-hearted me is wiping away some tears. With your talent for writing, the ease of your relationship with God, and your willingness to put both out into the world, I really think you have a calling as a Christian writer or blogger. You're really inspiring, Rachelle, and I don't think I tell you that enough." After I started my blog, and our friendship soured, she sent me a long, quite nasty email calling it "self-righteous pontificating, childish, self-indulgent, mediocre writing". Wow. That's a pretty far leap from the first compliment. Either way, I make no excuse or apologies for WHO I am or WHAT I post. She also suggested that I make it private or take it down if I didn't like her comments or her constant presence. I will do neither. I will learn to love the difficult times, because they make me closer to what matters; my God, my family and those who truly love and care about me.

But all these things will they do unto you for My name's sake, because they know not Him who sent me. - John 15:21

Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. -John 16:22