twenty.four.

What a brilliant day.  The sun was shining warmly and flip flops donned my feet; time for pedicures again!

Birthday.

I was oddly excited for it this year.  twenty.three. was just a hard year.  I wrote a blog recently about this year being one of "recovery".  (You can visit it if you click on the link.)  In that blog, I spoke of my upcoming birthday and about how I was praying and believing that my twenty.fourth. year would be so much better than my twenty.third.

This day, I remembered where my heart was one year ago.  Let's just say that it was certainly not where it is today.  My heart was hurting so deeply that even I could not see the depth of the ache.  However, there were people in my life who recognized it and called it out.  Many of you have watched me top mountains to hopelessly land in valleys moments later.  Yet, you've loved me unconditionally.  Though my twenty.third. year was horrific in many ways, it was a year in which the Lord taught me of relentless love.

He has displayed it through you.

James 5:19-20 says, "My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins."

I declare that twenty.four. is going to be an amazing year.  While continuing in recovery, the Lord is stitching and healing and creating something beautiful.  Romans 8:28 tells me, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God..."

I wish that I could express through words or gifts how much you mean to me.  There is simply not a word that defines the deep gratitude and love my heart feels for you and all that you've sacrificed to love me through.  There is not a gift that can show thankfulness for the late night talks, the hugs, the notes, the messages, the dinners, the coffees...

You know who you are.  Every day, I'm paying it forward.  Jesus in you.  Jesus in me.  This world will change.  Babies will be rescued.  Children will be set in families.  Hearts will turn toward the Savior.  The unloved will be loved.  The angry will find rest.  The stressed will find peace.  The hurting will find healing.

My twenty.fourth. will not be silent.

My twenty.fourth. will be resilient.