misquotation, birdcages and freedom.

my mom and I often joke about sayings that people just swear are actual scriptures:


if God closes a door, He opens a window
an eye for an eye
cleanliness is next to Godlyness
we know that God uses all things for good


wait, you thought that last one actually WAS a scripture? nope, but it is one that is misquoted a ton.

"and we know that

IN all things

God works for the good

of those who love Him,

who have been called according to his purpose"

(romans 8:28)

in (in)

1. contained or enclosed by; inside; within: in the room, in the envelope
2. wearing; clothed by: to dress in one's best
3. during the course of: done in a day
4. at or before the end of: return in an hour
5. perceptible to (one of the senses): the town is in sight; he told a lie in my hearing
6. limited by the scope of: in my opinion
7. 1. being a member of or worker at: in the navy, in business
   2. being a student at: she's in college
   3. being an inmate of: to be in prison
8. out of a group or set of: one in ten will fail
9. amidst; surrounded by: in a storm, in total darkness
10. affected by (a specified state or condition); having: he's in trouble; they were in tears
11. engaged or occupied by (an activity or process): in a search for truth, deep inthought
12. with regard to; as concerns

here we have a direct look at HOW the Lord works;

He works IN situations not, not from outside them.

So as much as we hate having crappy days or situations that are like mud

to trek through, we also have to hold on like hell to 

the promise and reassurance that it is WITHIN those situations

that the Lord works best.

"in the same way, the Spirit helps us in

our weakness. We do not know what 

we ought  to pray for, but the Spirit himself

intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express"

(romans 8:26)

have you invited the creator of the universe

 into your crappy situation?

body image is something i have fought with ever since i can remember

and lately i've become desperate for freedom from this cage I've gotten accustomed to;

in talking to my mom she asked the question

have you asked the Lord to reveal the origin of this struggle to you?

no, i hadn't. i've just lived with it.

in looking through old journals at my parent's house over thanksgiving

break, i found entry after entry in which i had

referenced my body image and how imprisoned i felt.

when coming across these entries, i felt like weeping,

because I couldn't have imagined just how long

I had been living with this torment.

so I'm inviting the Lord in.

I'm asking the Lord to gently reveal to me 

where it was that I opened the door

to allow the enemy to assault my body image.

I'm asking to know what event or conversation opened the door to

self-hatred.

Because I want to be free, and I know that the Lord works within all things.