12 Days In, Acts 27, and Steal of a Deal

12 days into March, and it's been so far so good. I have been exercising regularly and trying to take good care of myself. I feel better than I've felt in a very long time. I feel like my soul is coming to life again. I feel like I can finally feel again.

For so long, I have just felt so numb - not really sure what I was feeling. But today I can tell you, I am so thankful for the Truth He has been pouring into my life. I do feel like I am being refreshed. I do feel like I can breathe again. I feel like I am learning to walk again - in uncharted territory. I've never been in this place before, and I don't have a choice but to learn to find joy in this place. I feel like He is giving me moments of joy and, surprisingly, moments of "normalcy."

The biggest Truth that has been spoken into my life these past few days is to not focus on what is seen, but to focus on the unseen. For what is seen is temporary. This life is but a breath. This is not the end. I will never find satisfaction here. My heart will only be fully satisfied in Christ. I can't put my hope in things or in people here on earth. Everything here is finite. Death is part of life. I am not alone.

I really loved what I read today, and that's what I want to share with you. My counselor (also a long-time friend of my mom's) told me to read Acts 27, so I did, and here's what I learned...

Sometimes on our journey from Point A to Point B
(a journey ordained and willed by the Lord)
a storm will blow us to a land we weren't expecting.
We will find ourselves shipwrecked.
God has a purpose in the storm and in that unknown land
where you find yourself broken and torn,
and He will eventually lead you to Point B.

That's the summary of the lesson He taught me today. I'll break it down with specific verses from Acts 27 and 28...

27:1 - a journey ordained by the Lord (see Acts 23:11)
27:14 - the storm
27:20 - losing all hope
27:22, 25 - take heart in God's promises
27:39 - shipwrecked in an unknown land
28:10 - equipped with everything we need to finish the journey
28:14 - finally at Point B

I love verse 25, and I inserted my own name in it:

"So take heart, [Jordan], for I have faith in God
that it will be exactly as I have been told."

So then I had to ask myself, What have I been told? What are the promises I can cling to?

If you need a reminder of God's promises today, here are just a few...

And to really seal the deal, let's top it off with this one:

Beautiful! I would encourage you to spend some time reading Acts 27 for yourself. I am sure you will be blessed! Also, would love for you to share what promises you cling to in the comments below!

Okay, and now I want to end with something totally off topic but am super excited about! I went to Goodwill today and SCORED! Somehow, before I even walked in, I had a feeling I was going to find something good, and boy howdy......
Check
this
out....

Yeah. That's a La-Z-Boy love seat for only $50! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! I don't really love the red, so I'll probably recover at some point in (hopefully) the near future! But seriously, what a steal! And it's so comfy, I'm sitting on it blogging right this very moment!

Thanks for all your prayers and words of encouragement!

"This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."