Who are You?
I’ve faced many different seasons in my life and found myself countless times asking God “Who are you in this season?”.
My heart is to share with you who I have found God to be in various seasons and I pray that you will see His heart for you in the season you may be facing. 1. In the BROKENNESS // You are WHOLENESS Have you ever broken a vase and then tried to glue all the broken pieces back together again? If you have you would know what an impossible task that feels like! Sometimes we can feel like that broken vase, shattered and left wondering if we will ever be whole again. As we give up the striving and simply lay our brokenness before God, He becomes our wholeness. “God made my life complete when I placed all the broken pieces of my life before him.” Psalm 18:20 (MSG) 2. In the GRIEF // You are COMFORT Grief is a deep place that can take you to the very depths of darkness. Maybe you have experienced the loss of a loved one, or the loss of a dream that has left you drowning in sorrow. We never walk through grief alone, God is our comforter and He is close. “The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” Psalm 34:18 (NIV) 3. In the BETRAYAL // You are FAITHFUL Betrayal stings like salt in an open wound. A trusted friend might walk away or wound you with hurtful words. You can be left wondering if you could ever trust again. Trust is based on faithfulness, and of God’s faithfulness we can be sure! “What if some where unfaithful? Does that nullify the faithfulness of God?” Romans 3:3 (NIV) “Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds” Psalms 36:5 (NIV) 4. In the EVERYDAY // You are JOY A majority of our life is not spent on the mountain top or in the valley but we often find ourselves walking the path in-between. The mundane, the everyday. In our everyday, ordinary living, in our working, in our groceries, in our parenting, God promises to fill us with His joy! “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” Romans 15:13 (NIV) 5. In the DARKNESS // You are LIGHT We have all faced darkness in our lives for varying periods of time. Internal darkness leaves us feeling alone and trapped. That is one of the biggest lies the enemy hurls at us! We are never alone and we are never lost in the darkness when we have Jesus – HE is the light. “You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light” Psalm 18:28 (NIV) 6. In the LONELINESS // You are A FRIEND The most painful loneliness is felt when we are surrounded by people yet internally isolated. It’s the season where we feel disconnected and can’t seem to find anyone who understands what we’re facing. In the loneliness, we cry out for a friend, a friend who would do anything to see us through the season. In our isolation, Jesus is the friend who laid down His very life to have a friendship with US! “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13 (ESV) 7. In the UNKNOWN // You are ALL KNOWING The unknown can leave us feeling out of control and in a state of panic. What if this job doesn’t work out? What if my health never improves? What if…? The questions that invade our thoughts and trigger our fears can be laid to rest when we hold the hand of the One who knows it all. We may not have the answers but we have the One who does and who is willing to guide our every step. In the unknown we have access to the One who knows. “The Lord says “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”” Psalm 32:8 (NLT) 8. In the BUSYNESS // You are REST We can all find ourselves rushing from one thing to the next. We are on the move from the moment we open our eyes in the morning to the moment we close them again at night. Even if we are not physically on the move our thoughts alone can exhaust us, right!? During our busyness, we can find rest in the presence of God, in the car, on the bus, on our lunch break, we can find opportunities every day to enter His rest. “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28 (NIV) 9. In the CHANGING // You are UNCHANGING There is one sure thing in life – CHANGE! Life always brings change, sometimes welcome change and sometimes unwelcome change. The kids grow up, the business shuts downs, a partner leaves you. None of us can avoid change. However, there is one constant that we can hold fast to when nothing seems to stay the same – JESUS. He is our constant in an ever-changing world – take heart and hold onto Jesus! “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) 10. In the DISAPPOINTMENT // You are HOPE Disappointments can shake the very foundation of what we believe if our hopes are tied up in the object of our disappointment. BUT when we choose to put our hope in Jesus, in His heart for us and His plans for us, we will never face disappointment that we cannot grow through. “…those who hope in me will not be disappointed” Isaiah 49:23 (NIV)
Elise Heerde is a wife, mother, teacher and writer from Melbourne who loves Jesus and passionately shares about the grace, hope and love that He offers to all.
She deeply desires to see the broken made whole, the captives set free and the lost brought home.
She found freedom from long-term depression and anxiety in Jesus and now dedicates her life to empowering and inspiring others to live in the freedom that comes from having a personal relationship with Jesus.
Elise has a Diploma in Ministry and is currently studying her Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies. SaveSaveSave
