Journal the Journey

In every season of life, through the mountains and valleys, God has always been faithful… and He always will be.

Purpose (continued).

Why are you here? What are you living for? What’s the meaning of this life, what are you meant to accomplish?

When I looked up “purpose” in the back of my Bible, I was surprised by the lack of scriptures that reference this word. And even more notable was the fact that the times it is mentioned has not much to do with us and our purpose… they mostly speak of God and His purposes. I love stumbling across realities such as this. It helps me to keep my focus right. My purpose is completely wrapped up in Him, and there is no purpose for me outside of Him. Outside of submissive relationship with Jesus, I am left scrambling to try to find some reason I am here. This is a hard place to be, because I am not meant to be restlessly seeking another way. He is THE Way, THE Truth, THE Life. What lies beyond this life without faith? Wretched hopelessness.

Yet God says, “Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim My purposes for you long ago?” (Isaiah 44:8)

I will go into more detail tomorrow, but let me clarify right now: Our purpose is to be His. And once we find safety, confidence, solitude, and rest for our tired and anxious souls in that sacred and glorious relationship, it matters not what the future holds because we trust and adore the One who planned it all out way before we were ever born. We are usually not told in advance what specifics He wants us to do as we live this life of surrendered hearts, abiding in and obeying Him. But through studying His Word- the Bible- the Holy Spirit teaches us what types of things should mark our everyday lives. Like in Colossians 3, there is helpful guidance: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Doing everything as Jesus’ followers becomes an act of worship, whether it is the choice of food we are putting in our bodies or the choice of career we are pursuing, so long as we give thanks to Him with sincere, surrendered hearts.

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dezmellish

I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been calling Birmingham, Alabama home since 2013. I’m happily married to the sweetest, most selfless man I’ve ever known. Prior to meeting and marrying him in 2021, I was a divorced mom to three daughters for 4 1/2 years. When I remarried, I gained a fourth daughter. On January 26, 2024, we lost my Dad. He had just turned 92 on January 6. He moved in with us the week after Joseph and I got married in October of 2021, and we had the honor of being his caregivers for the last 2 years and 3 months of his life. I currently work full-time as a Fitness Director at the most wonderful country club, where I also have a full load of personal training clients. This is a job I have enjoyed since 2019. Prior to entering the fitness industry, I was an elementary/middle school tutor. I have been a follower of Jesus Christ since I was a child. God showed me that He was real and that He loved me in powerful, unmistakeable ways during some very dark and difficult childhood years. As an adult, my theology has changed quite a bit. As life circumstances crushed me, I began holding all of the things I had been taught as a child, teenager, and young adult up to the light of scripture. As a result, I deconstructed my faith before deconstruction was really a thing, but never abandoned my faith in the process. After living through harmful teachings that were founded on misuse of scripture, I am passionate about the integrity of God’s Word. Nothing boils my blood quite like seeing scriptures used for selfish gain, abused, and taught out of their intended context. I have been journaling for 25 years. This is my space of the internet to share the ways God has been faithful to me as evidenced in my journals, as well as anything else that is placed on my heart to share. I hope you find something here that positively impacts you in some way. All are welcome here.

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