Penned this on my daughter’s wedding day as I watched her prepare to begin a new life with the man she loves…

 

Almost a year ago…

on a Friday morning…

I called her.

Me and Two Crab_sml

She was in a hospital bed and was about to have surgery to remove her other leg.

I cried for her.

I cried for me.

I cried because I hated that she had to experience such physical challenges.

I cried because I wasn’t there to hold her hand.

Me and Two arm over shoulder_sml

And I told her, “I’m sorry I’m not there.”

She told me, “You don’t worry about that. I’m always with you. You carry me with you on the inside.”

And it’s true.

I’ve had my whole life to watch her.

Watch her love Jesus

Watch her love her husband.

Watch her love her family.

Watch her love her community.

I watched her live well.

Since then, my precious Two-Mama has gone on to be with the Lord.

But I still carry her with me.

She left an indelible mark.

And I remember.

Two Graduation_sml

Two Chrystal Kariss_sml

Today, my oldest daughter is getting married.

I want her to have a beautiful day.

I want her to have a beautiful marriage.

I want her to have a beautiful life.

And it’s possible.

I’ve spent our years together telling her most of what I know.

All she has to do is remember.

She needs to know that just like I carry my grandmothers with me.

Evans Great Grandparents_sml

Cannings Great Grandparents_sml

 

Just like my sister and I carry my mother with us.

Evans Grandparents_sml

Mom daughters

 

She carries me with her.

Hurst Parents_sml

 

Everything that she has heard, seen, and experienced…

She just needs to remember.

mom daughter veil

 

She can choose to remember that a beautiful life is within her reach.

This is true for everyone who loves God and wants to have a beautiful life…

 

As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 1 John 2:24

 

God has gone through a lot of trouble to tell us

Who He is…

What He thinks…

He even left heaven and came to earth to show us…

How we can have a beautiful life.

We just have to remember.

As if my grandmother living her life in front of me wasn’t enough.

She also gave me the gift of writing her thoughts about me in a letter that I will cherish always.

When I want to know her thoughts, I can just read the letter she wrote.

 

As if God living His life in the flesh wasn’t enough,

He also gave us the gift of writing His thoughts towards us in a letter that we should cherish always.

 

We just have to remember.

We just have to read the letter he wrote.

 

I wanted to stop on this day, a beautiful day in the life of my family, and remind you that you have a beautiful life to live too.

And it doesn’t matter whether or not another human being has lived a beautiful life for you to see.

Jesus did.

That’s enough.

Live your beautiful life.

 

newlyweds trees

 

I know that many may not feel that a beautiful life is yours to have.

But it is.

The beautiful life that my grandmother lived was not without it’s difficult times, hardships, dark places, pain or hills to climb.

Life without hard times has not been the case for my yet living grandmother and mother either.

It has definitely not been the case for me.

But beautiful lives are not made in the course of one good day… or a series of bad ones.

It’s made when we choose to stop, reflect, and remember that the life we have is a gift.

Our life is made beautiful when we remember that gift had a price.

Our life is made beautiful when we member that the gift of our life has been given value by One who only made one of you for all eternity.

 

Choose today to find the value and the beauty in the life you have…

Because it’s the life you’ve got.

And it’s a life that He wants you and me to live with Him.

 

You can have a beautiful life.

Just remember.

 

Stop.

Reflect.

Remember.

Focus and frame your memory through the lens of His grace and mercy.

See what He sees.

And be grateful.

Celebrate.

 

Regardless of what’s happened before and no matter what tomorrow brings…

 

Today rest in confidence.  Your life is indeed beautiful in His eyes.

 

Today can we pray for each other?

It’s okay if you don’t feel like your life is beautiful.

It’s okay to be honest.

Just don’t end your statements there.

Choose to focus and frame your thoughts.

Express gratefulness, gratitude, or thanksgiving for the gift of unconditional love that has been extended to you.

You can do it.

You can remember.

Let’s pray about it.

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It’s a beautiful thing to see women praying for each other.

So here we go…

As always, feel free to pray about A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G

But if you are helped by having a topic to focus on for prayer…

Remember.

Again… feel free to pray about anything that concerns you.

But if today’s prayer focus resonates with you, pray in that direction.

So how exactly does this work do you ask? Keep scrolling for the details…

Could you use Reminders of God’s Love? 

 CLICK HERE to download a few.


So excited about prayer this weekend!


Help spread the word!

 

If you are new to our prayer on Fridays or need a little refresher here are the details…

 

1) Post YOUR prayer.
First, scroll to the end of the post to find the section for comments.  Keep scrolling to the end of the comments to find the empty box where you can leave your prayer request. Click “Post Comment”.

2) Pray for someone else.
Then, look above you in the comment thread for the person who posted just before of you.  Hit “reply” and pray for them.  That way we make sure that everyone gets covered!

Please don’t feel insecure about your ability to pray for another sister or feel that her request is above your spiritual “pay grade.” Just pray with your heart.  God hears. He works with the words that we have and then He takes care of the rest.

3) Post your pic!
Make sure we can “see” you! Go to Gravatar.com so that others can see your face in the comments! (It’s easy! Just click on the green button labeled “Get your gravatar today” )

4) Pray more
Once you have left your prayer request and prayed for the person above you, if you have a few minutes feel free to reply and pray for any other comment/prayer you see in the thread.