Faith is hard.

Hey friends!

Happy Monday! Mondays aren't normally everyones favorite day of the week, so I try to be a little extra cheerful on these days with everyone that I am connecting with. This weekend was so much fun, and I am already sad that it is over. I was blessed on Saturday to go berry picking with my friend Allison who blogs over at A God Fashioned Life please click here and go check out her blog it is awesome AND she always has some inspiring thoughts to share! {Not to mention she has wonderful style!}

Allison and I headed out at about 9:30 to go berry picking, and it was so wonderful because we could literally SMELL the sweet berries as we got closer and closer to the farm that we were picking berries at. The smell was super strong and sweet smelling, we were in heaven! I picked about a half a bowl of berries and then later made a berry crisp with all of the berries that I picked. Allison made a berry crisp as well, and I'm sure her berry crisp was bigger than mine because she picked an entire bowl of berries instead of just a half like I did. My berry crisp was delicious! Below are a few pictures just to share with you guys, they are from my whole weekend that I initially posted on my instagram page!

below: The beautiful farm Allison and I went berry picking at on Saturday

below: pondering scripture over the weekend and reflecting on the truth that God will never let us down when we put our hope in Him-He always exceeds our expectations

below: my new kitten friend that I made at my first day of volunteering at the humane society on Friday! She kept trying to chew on my camera strap.

I can't help but overflow praise when I think about how much Jesus has blessed me with in these past few months. As I was reading Psalm 34:5 {the scripture I posted a photo of above} over the weekend, I thought about how many times the enemy tried to get at me when I was at my weakest point in waiting to God to provide me with Christian roommates to live with. I thought about how although I had to fight a great amount to get to where I am today, it has been so incredibly worth it, every teensy-weensy bit of it. When the enemy whispered in my ear: "So wheres God now? Looks like He's too late!" I whispered right back at Him that my God was going to provide and that He had a plan and a future for my life that was greater than I could ever imagine. And God did have a plan for me, because shortly after that I was blessed with the perfect place to live with along with the most wonderful of roommates. 

The bottom line though is that faith is hard. There is no way around that truth. It takes courage to trust God for everything that we need in our lives. I am realizing though that after every trial in my life with God, I am able to feel my relationship with Him reach a whole different level that I have never experienced before. That my friends, makes every part of my journey with faith worth the struggle. After all, what great story is there that is told without struggle? What need for God is there without the risks and leaps of faith that He calls us each to take? God knows me better than I know myself, and I am willing to continue to take any leap of faith necessary so that He can bless me beyond me belief in my life. Although some of the phases of life that God guides me in may be uncomfortable, but I am learning that God often calls us to live a life that is out of our comfort zones. Undeserving and sinful, yet God still loves me and chooses to give me life. Thanks Jesus!

I love you guys!

Love always, Jess