Happy Sunday, everyone! This Sunday I get to spend the day (and rest of the week) with one of my best friends (check out her blog!) and I can’t help but feel encouraged simply by her visiting.

Am I writing this post ahead of time? Yes. Am I still encouraged by the idea of getting to have late night talks with her, be silly, and probably watch more Disney movies than we should? Yes.

I am craving simple friendship with someone who’s seen me through my journey, and Apple (yes that is her name) has seen Willow from just-turning-fifteen to seventeen. There’s nothing better than fellowship with those who have seen you at your worst and who have seen you at your best.

As this exciting visit comes up, I’m not only encouraged for the memories we make during the visit, but the ways that God will use this visit to bless the both of us.

It’s been a rough past few months for both of us (that’s one of the reasons she’s visiting—we needed a retreat of some sort) and this chance to rest and just be is much needed.

The Lord calls us, after times of chaos and uncertainty, to rest in His arms.

I love the first line of Psalm 23 which says this:

‘The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.’
Psalms 23:1 NIV

It’s so certain and so simple.

I lack nothing.

In today’s day and age, we see so much of, “I need this brand,” or “I wish I had that car,” or even, “I want this memory or that person.”

But there’s a truth that says, “When we have Christ, we lack nothing.”

That does not mean that pain will not come (John 16:33), but we lack nothing because the Lord has given us the gift of salvation and He has overcome the world.

This upcoming blessing with my friend is showing me that the Lord wants good things for us and He wants rest for us. And He is showing me that He will give it. Maybe not physical rest, but emotional. Maybe not worldly, but spiritual.

My other best friend, Olivia, and I were FaceTiming a couple nights ago. We were talking about how the world is…wild, to put it mildly. She said, “But it’s all in God’s hands, we will be alright.”

When we come to the end of ourselves is when we find the beginning of the Lord.

It’s often in or after our brokenness when He reveals Himself the most.

As we begin this new week, I invite you to rest in the hands of the Lord and find peace in lacking nothing. Maybe that means trusting Him with a specific circumstance or relationship, or maybe a new, frightening experience.

Thanks for reading, I hope this was encouraging. I’m praying for you all!
~Willow