For our “Held and Beloved” online study friends, here is a little more of the story from chapter eight…⁣⁣

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘊𝘏𝘙𝘐𝘚𝘛. 𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱! 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵!”

⁣⁣These were the words that brought a sweet conclusion to chapter eight. Through a long, painful wrestle, through many tears stretching the gamut from angry and fearful to deeply grateful, I had learned to surrender two precious things – the man the LORD had given to walk beside me and the place I longed to once again call home, the northern hills. ⁣⁣He gently led me to repentance, a choice to turn away from my own white-knuckled grasp of the future, to release my husband’s story and the one we are living together back into the hands of the One who can be trusted with every longing! What freedom! ⁣⁣

So many weights were lifted that day… and the scales seemed to fall from my eyes. I saw our home and the life we are endeavoring to build together here (with the LORD’s help) with different eyes. After seven long years I considered “temporary,” I finally embraced and truly rejoiced in our home in south Florida. ⁣⁣

BUT… no place is sweeter than the space I open for Him to fill… in my own heart. It is His home.⁣⁣

“𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.” 𝘑𝘰𝘦𝘭 𝟸:𝟷𝟸-𝟷𝟹 (𝘌𝘚𝘝)⁣⁣

ps… that bottom picture was our first “selfie” before selfies were even a thing! – taken on our honeymoon in Connecticut, October 1998, with a Cannon One Touch camera

⁣⁣#HeldandBelovedbook#onlinestudy#sharingourstories#learningtogether#sweetsurrender #evenwhenitshard#Heisworthy#trustingJESUS#setfree#release#ohhowHelovesus #coverofHisPresence#amazedbyGRACE#mysteriouskindness#lostinwonder