Be Still & Know...

"Be still and know that I am God"

Psalm 46:10

Sometimes the peace of God overwhelms you, it's a gift straight from the Father Himself. His peace takes over, and you feel His love and guidance. But other times, obtaining peace from God happens through obedience... through "being still". My days are often filled with so many little frustrations and I run around being so busy, that I forget to just be still, and trust the Lord, knowing that He is good. 

I have been pretty sick the past couple of days, and my irritability level shot straight through the roof. I was impatient and had a bad attitude with every thing that I did. I was not filled with love or peace, patience or kindness, all because I have forgotten to simply be still before God. You see, being still before Him, and knowing deep in your heart that He is God, and that He has all things under His control, gives you a peace, and a strength to get through your days with grace. But somewhere along my path, I allowed my circumstances to get the best of me. 

As a result, the Lord used my circumstances (of being sick) to slow me down, and teach me this lesson. Now, I am forced to be home until my cold is completely gone. Giving me plenty of time to be still :)

Warm Coffee & Rainy Days

Sometimes it's the small things in life...

As I sit here all curled up on my couch with my coffee in hand on this cold and rainy day, I am reminded of how the Lord often times blesses us in the smallest ways throughout our day. 

If only our eyes were more opened to seeing His daily provisions... 

a warm cup of coffee on a cold rainy day

the smile and embrace of a loving husband

the opportunity to spend time in His Word 
before the start of a busy day

...all before 11:30am! :) The Lord is consistently showing His love and favor to His children. It's up to us to take notice and be thankful. So today, even though the weather is cold, blustery, and rainy, I am choosing to see the goodness of my heavenly Father.

Today is the day the LORD has made,

let's rejoice and be glad in it

Psalm 118:24

NewlyWed and Lovin' it! :)

Being a newlywed is so stinkin fun! :) As I have begun to shift my heart and mind to being consistently thankful... the first blessing that comes to mind is my new husband <3 

I am so incredibly blessed to be able to spend my life walking hand in hand with this incredible man. I love him so much and he is truly the most wonderful blessing that the Lord has given me. 

I love you Benjy and I am so very thankful for you!

Give Thanks

"Give thanks in all circumstances; 
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thess. 5:18

It's November! 

Fall is one of my favorite seasons and for me, November marks the beginning of the holiday season. It's a time to give thanks to the LORD for all my blessings, and to gather with friends and family. Throughout the entire month, there is a sense of joy that comes from knowing that I am so truly blessed. My heart begins to fill with a sense of peace and thankfulness... it's truly a wonderful time of year. 

When I read 1 Thess. 5:18, I can't help but take a closer look into my daily attitude. 

With all of the busyness of life and all of the challenges it brings, how often do we remember to truly, stop and give thanks? It is so easy, and is a daily temptation, to focus on the bad, and to be discontent. I believe that discontentment is a trap that Satan uses regularly in my life. If he can keep me focused on everything I don't have, and on every area that I wish were different, then my attitude is bad and my ministry to others is hindered. 

The Word says to give thanks in all circumstances, and that having a thankful heart, is God's will for my life. And while November is a month focused on being thankful, I want my life to be a constant "November" in a sense. I want to be joyful and content in all circumstances. I want my daily attitude to be pleasing to God: I don't want to be hindered.

So my challenge is this: let's make every month, a month to give thanks. There is so much to be thankful for... I am going to commit to having a thankful and cheerful heart. 

For the LORD has been so good to me.

Happy November!

Happily Ever After...

One week ago today, I married the love of my life, Benjy Satorius. Our wedding day was the most perfect, wonderful, amazing day of my life. The very next morning he whisked me away to a surprise honeymoon to Myrtle Beach, SC where we spent an incredible 5 days together, just relaxing and enjoying our new relationship. We got home just a couple days ago, to our beautiful new house, which was mostly ready for us to just walk in and begin living in with little to no work (because we got most of the cleaning and moving in done before the wedding). Now we are beginning to live our day to day lives as a married couple, and it is so fun!
Looking back on our special day...there's almost nothing I would change or do differently. The Lord blessed the whole thing from beginning to end, and it was just perfect. I hope I never forget each feeling, each special moment, and each tear of joy that ran down our faces. It was truly the happiest day of my life.
I remember being so afraid to walk down that aisle. I did it alone, and it was one of the scariest moments of my life...but once I walked into that sanctuary, and saw his face, my nerves were instantly calmed. Seeing him at the end of the aisle, waiting for me, his bride, and seeing his eyes well with tears, made me rest in the assurance of his love for me, and reminded me that I was marrying my best friend. Then our pastors spoke blessing and instruction over our marriage and walked us through our vows. As we stood on that alter, looking into each other's eyes and making promises to each other, both of us teared up, barely able to speak more than a whisper. It was the sweetest, most endearing time. 
And our reception was the coolest! We had so much fun laughing and dancing the night away with our close family and friends...and everything looked just as I had dreamed it would. From the colors, to the centerpieces, to the candles and hanging ball lights...It was amazing. By the last hour of the reception, Benjy really just wanted to leave. It was so endearing to me that he just wanted to steal me away and have me all to himself. So off we went...to the hotel...where we laid in bed and talked for hours about our amazing wedding and reception. 
Looking back on the whole day, and even to our honeymoon and our new home...I feel so incredibly blessed. Marrying Benjy, and starting our lives together, is really my life long dream come true. I got to marry a strong, responsible, capable, Godly man who has become my best friend, we got to have the most amazing wedding day and an awesome honeymoon vacation on a beach, in a room overlooking the ocean, and now I get my 'happily ever after', being his wife and living in this amazingly beautiful home with him. I truly am in awe of the amount of blessings the Lord has put on our marriage and on our life together.  

Keep Focus

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."

Hebrews 12:1-2

Lately I have allowed my life to become bombarded with stress...things like 

"Why haven't I gotten a job yet?" 

"What if I don't have enough money?"

 "What happens if I don't find a job sometime soon?"

  and "Am I really ready for everything that lies ahead of me in the next few months...?"

These among many others are worries that have continued to take my heart and mind captive lately. I have been stressed and discouraged with all of this anxiety, and it was just yesterday that I was stopped in my tracks by a verse in Hebrews. It said,

 "God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." 

That first phrase..."God is not unjust, He will not forget you.." really struck my spirit. I began to realize that I have not surrendered my anxiety to the Lord lately. I have not walked in the confidence that comes with a life give to the Lord because I have not walked in faith. The Bible says "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see...." and also, "without faith it is impossible to please God." 

Where has my faith been lately? Covered in doubt, insecurity, and fear.

 Then I felt the gentle pull of the Lord as He reminded me...My focus has been all wrong. I am focused on my problems, my anxiety, my worry, my fear, instead of being focused on my God, the One who knows the beginning and the end, the One who has directed me to the place I am in now, and the One who has promised to never leave me. So of course I feel discouraged, scared and without hope. I need to fix my eyes on Jesus. Even when I feel like there is no hope, and I am losing faith, I can run to the Author and Perfecter of my faith, and He will lead me down the path He has chosen for me. And in that place of surrender, I can feel nothing but peace, because I know He goes before me. 

I am so thankful that I am not the one in control. I have a Father, He leads me, comforts me, and I can have full assurance that He will direct my paths.

I need to keep focus on Christ!

Blind Faith in the Whirlwind of Life...

So, I pretty much feel like the lamest blogger ever because I have not blogged at all lately, and that's such a shame because the past few months have been the craziest ride of my life and I have not updated the blogging world. So here's my admission of lameness: I'm sorry.

Anyways, here's an update...I GOT ENGAGED on Valentines day to the love of my life, Benjy Satorius...

So that's the biggest update to share, following the fact that I moved in with him and his family all the way down to flatland Illinois! I quit my job, found a new one, and moved me and all my belongings all the way down to a small town called Minooka, Illinois. It was scary, and at times lonely, but in retrospect I am seeing it to be one of the best decisions in my life. Moving down by him and leaving everything I know and love behind has been one of the biggest displays of my initial submission to him, and although it has not been an easy move to make, I know in my heart that it was the right one. 

The past few months have taken more strength, more courage, more submission, more self sacrifice and more patience than I have ever had to muster up in all my life. But that is the beauty of the grace of God, where I decrease, He increases, and where I have no strength, He provides.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness..."

I have learned more in the past few months, and been stretched more than any other time in my life. I can constantly feel the presence of the Lord as He molds me, changes me, and constantly reminds me to die to myself and honor Him in my relationship with Benjy. This relationship has been a constant picture of how I must honor and submit to Christ through honoring and submitting to my future husband. My eyes have been so opened to the beauty of a marriage relationship and how the Lord designed marriage to bring Him glory. It's the most beautiful thing...

So there's the update, I am alive, and I promise to blog more in the time ahead. The next few months are going to be crazy with wedding planning but I will try not to disappear from the blogging world! :)

Just Trust!

"For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, and are called according to His purpose."
Rom. 8:28


The reality of living a life that is based off of complete surrender and trust in the Lord is beginning to set in with me. And I am starting to understand that discontent and frustration only come from a lack of trust in the Lord. Sometimes He allows things to happen, bad things, and it is not our place to become upset, dissatisfied, or angry with our situation. The Bible tells us to rejoice in ALL THINGS. And His grace is enough. So when you don't get that job you were hoping for, or when your car breaks down for the hundreth time, or when your loved one hurts you or disappoints you and when your life seems too much and all you want is a break, you need to remember that the Lord is holy. He DOES have a plan, a purpose. He is with you, He is teaching you, molding you, and He is using each situation in your life to bring Himself glory. In all things, our purpose is to bring Him glory. And it is our honor to do so. Even when we do not understand why, and even when we don't necessarily enjoy our circumstances. It is not our place to complain, or to be upset or discontent...it is our place to TRUST. To be still and know that He is God and He is in control, and that He is working all things together to work out for our good!

So that is the lesson I'm learning this week. Just remember, He makes ALL things, whether we like it or not, He makes them ALL work together for our good in the long run. Our only choice is to trust Him. Just trust.