Kingdom Beauty Design

Hi my friends!

Yesterday I decided to take a walk at one of my favorite forest preserves accompanied with my dog named Onyx. My idea was to take advantage of the finally warmer sun (since I’m from Chicago, IL suburbs and it’s been a long winter for us) instead of my usual routine at the gym. This forest preserve is enormous! About seven miles to complete, (unless you take a wrong turn and enter the next seven mile park that connects, i’ll explain what happened later).

Onyx and I enjoy taking these long walks in the summer time and I could say we both were super stoked about finally getting out in the forest again. The sun was bright enough to feel the warmth on my face as we walked and the scenery was simply admirable. I mean, no leaves on the trees, it was a bit muddy, and there were long patches of ice through out the trail, but other than that the sun hit us perfectly and something about the quietness was so soothing.

As we walked I spoke to God. I share my thoughts, my desires, and I expressed my fears bluntly to Him. It felt great to share all of me to Him and I know He was listening. But I also asked Him to speak to me. I wanted Him to tell me He is pleased with me, and He did. Onyx and I walked in the quietness and scripture simply kept coming to my mind.As I’m writing this, I’m in awe of how much my mind has been renewed and how God has changed/healed me and answered prayers. Two years ago, I would have never imagined myself being so in love with the God I know now. My life two years ago, always felt that God was distant and too busy with people way more important than myself.

Throughout our walk we constantly came across extremely slippery patches of ice and although we stumbled a few times, we did not fall. During one of those icy parts, Onyx found a patch full of wet leaves and simply stoped and admired it which caused me to fully stop and look up to admire the view. That moment of being still somehow helped me to look back into my life and remember how much God has helped me get back up on my feet and admire His work in my life. I realized that He really has always been with me through great moments of my life and through the tough ones, too.

But it’s easy to trust and have faith when all is going well for us, right?

Remember how I mentioned this side of the park we were walking through was only seven miles long? Well, it was, except we took a wrong turn and I got us completely lost. I had no idea where I was anymore and thank goodness it was daylight. I turned back around but I took us even further away from where my car was parked. We ran and then all of a sudden I felt hopeless. I slowed down and I literally cried. I cried because I was frustrated at the fact that I lost us, and because I felt horrible for bringing Onyx along with me so far, yet he seemed so happy to be with me. I think what really triggered me to cry was the fact that I didn’t get my way and suddenly my plans were ruined because of my lack of actually reading the map.

But isn’t this what happens to us as well when we choose to do things our own way instead of Gods way? We can’t simply ask so much of Him and not read His word for guidance. But something I also realized is that even if I read His word, it will do me or the world no good if I don’t practice it.

“So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” ~James 2:17,26

I confess, I know God keeps nudging me to do things, but fear tries to stop me. It happens to all of us, I get it. But God loves to renew our minds and heal our hearts. He wants our desires to match His, but only when we step out in faith is when we’ll see Him moving mountains that only He can move.

Onyx and I eventually stopped (I gave up my pride) and called up an Uber which took us back to the car and even in this I knew God spoke. He always keeps us safe and He always provides.

Whatever God has planed for your life and mine, He will bring it into completion. He will finish what He started and the best part is that He is patient, kind, faithful and loves us so much that He wants us to live our best lives for Him.

Trust God, and Do Good 🙂

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

~2 Timothy 4:7