Follow the path

As I walked my dog this morning, I thought back to when we first got him last November. We got him from a rescue organization and I remember being nervous the first few times I walked him. Would he jump out at a squirrel? Chase the neighbors cat? Pull me into the pond? We attended obedience classes and training together and now, eight months later, I walk him with confidence (although he does love squirrels).

This is very similar to my journey of faith as I began to write about my past during this last year. I began with fear and nervousness, unsure of what would lie ahead. I found myself taking chances and doing things that were outside my comfort zone. But the more I trusted God and stayed obedient to His word, the easier it got. Now I find myself looking forward to new challenges that are placed in front of me and know that God will continue to lead me down the correct path.

What is holding you back from embracing the next curve on your path?

Courage or Faith?

When I started this blog I was in the beginning phases of writing my story. I was too scared to use my real name. I felt ashamed of my past and had hidden from it for many years. I was scared of how my decision to share my past would affect my family.

During this time, I felt God pulling and pushing me towards Him. Every day he gave me more confidence. I began trusting Him more and more and my fear slowly started to melt. I have told some friends and my sons about the abuse from my parents and have been met with kind words and a lot of support.

Now I am preparing to share my journey of faith and forgiveness with others. The words are written and I will be speaking about my abuse. My courage to step out in faith is a big decision, but I believe that He is with us in every detail that we entrust to Him.

I am keeping the title of my blog because I know that I am a reflection of God’s grace.

I am grace; my name is Tracey.

God’s Love

I am sitting on the warm sand

staring out at the ocean

wondering……

Where does it start?
Where does it end?
I’m thinking of God as I watch the powerful waves come crashing towards my feet.

His love is like the ocean.

Powerful,
beautiful,
and never ending.

When change is tough

This time of year brings many changes to our daily lives including the warmer weather, lazier days, and summer vacations. Most of the time we look forward to change, but sometimes it can be a scary thing to approach the unknown. As I look around me, I am suddenly faced with many changes in my life and those around me. My oldest recently graduated from high school and will be leaving for college in late August. A colleague is weeks away from retirement and her husband just had a stroke. My good friend is getting a divorce and leaving the neighborhood soon. Another neighbor recently had to tell her son that the baby they were expecting had died.
My family is preparing for a big change as I am taking a leap of faith and leaving my job so that I can pursue my dream of writing a book. I find myself second guessing my decision and wondering if I’ve made the right choice. All of this is a bit unsettling, and I find comfort in some of the constant, unchanging, routines to keep me grounded.
We can find comfort in knowing that God’s love for us is a constant that will always be there for us, even when it seems that our world is spinning out of control with change. We see this in scripture:
“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. We can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’ Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8.
With this knowledge we can rest assured that God will see us through the changes in our lives, whether they are big or small, hot or cold, fun or scary!