by Kimmie Liette | Jan 31, 2018 | Writings
“Take root, my darling”, He whispers in the silence.
It’s all too simple to desire other-ness, that which is other than where we are or what we are doing.
Sometimes I feel stuck or that I’m not where I think I belong.
However, I believe that God plants us in places that He sees fit.
He knows the whole picture, we are just the creation. So, this morning, as I spent time with my creator, He urged:
“Take root, my darling.”
He uses the soil to grow us and the environment to allow us to bloom.
But we must be grounded, planted, and rooted in the place that He has us right now.
We must know that He is trying to grow us in all the right ways, even if we can’t see it.
There is no growth for a flower that is not planted.
He speaks, “Walks in my ways and you will flourish.”
I thank you, Lord, that you are trust-worthy and a part from you I have nothing good.
I will choose to trust you and take root in the present soil.
I will praise you throughout the journey and during the growing seasons.
I will grow where you plant me; I do not know where else could be a better place.
Lord, help me to follow your path and not be distracted by the things that do not matter. I love you. Thank you for delighting in me.
by Kimmie Liette | Jan 9, 2018 | Writings |
There’s character in the weathering of the door, it tells a story of its own. Its why were drawn to these things, they’re real, like us.
I decided that this year, I am going to get acquainted with my area and explore the surrounding cities more. So, my husband, Brady and I hopped in the car after church this last Sunday and went on a little adventure. We ended up at the richly Greek cultured city of Tarpon Springs.
In the past, I wouldn’t have seen it, but I was intentionally looking for something that spoke to me.
When we drove by, I knew that it was what I was looking for. It was an abandoned building that was falling apart, but it possessed an immense amount of character.
You begin to see things differently when you choose to focus.
I gasped, “How beautiful is this door?” There’s something about the authenticity of it that gripped my gaze.
I saw it, tattered and aged, and declared that it was a work of art.
Yet, we deem ourselves broken and bruised because of our past. We hide our shame, we bury our hurts and try to cover them up. We make our schedules busier, try to enhance our appearances, attempt to be the perfect wife, mom, friend and the list goes on. Instead of making us feel happier, its crippling us. We might look like we have it all together, but the loneliness from the aching of our hearts is intensifying.
Have you ever faced the deepest hurts of your soul? Have you chosen to forgive those who have cut you to the core of your being? Have you truly forgiven yourself for mistakes that you have made? Have you come to peace with God for the losses in your life that you might never understand?
Until you have done this, mustered up the courage to face the past and conquer it with those words of forgiveness, you cannot heal. You cannot move forward. They will haunt you, never allowing you to be the person that God created you to be.
You were created to be free, full of joy and a light to the world.
I had to do it too.
In the past, I sat shaking, with a clenched jaw, hands to my face and a dry throat, I barely breathed out the words, “ I forgive them ”.
It was the moment that I opened the door to my healing.
I didn’t have to say it to anyones face, but God heard me and my heart felt it. I surely didn’t want to say it, but I knew it was what I needed to do. I had a choice: to allow bitterness to set in and overtake my life, or to try and find healing in the hurting.
And I will be the first to tell you, that complete healing can be a journey.
I am that old door: I have known the weathering of seasons, I have faced the rains that tear away at the soul. I had locked myself shut for years, hiding, trying desperately to be strong for myself, when I was honestly terrified of letting anyone in.
But there was day that the sun shone, the lock was turned and I was ready to open myself back up. I finally felt like myself coming alive again. I saw the door beneath, the core of who I was and it was more beautiful that I had remembered.
You, my dear, are also unbelievably beautiful.
Underneath all of the layers of hurt, depression, anxiety, self-hate, and disappointment or whatever it is that you are dealing with, there is a beautiful you that is waiting for wholeness. Draw near to the Father who desires you.
He says, “There is nothing too broken for me to fix!”
The lies tell us that it’s not true, but indeed it is. Cherish these words, it is your time to find healing under his wings.
He has made you beautiful. Its time to rise, to shine, to be filled with joy once again.
“In the shadow of your wing, I will sing for joy.” – Psalm 63:7
There can be beauty where there was brokenness. He turns our darkest hours into monuments of his goodness; Places we can look back and say, He was faithful. He is always faithful.
I urge you to write this down and put it somewhere that you can see it everyday.
“There’s nothing too broken for Him to fix.”
Let it begin to change your perspective and move you closer to living in the fullness of joy, ready to shine out in praise for what He has done in your life.
“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!”– Psalm 30:11-12
by Kimmie Liette | Jul 2, 2016 | Writings |
He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. – Deuteronomy 8:16
Even though my journey hasn’t always been sunshine and sunflowers, the hand of God can not be denied if you knew all of the little stories that make up the big picture of my life.
If you really knew me, you would know that I have experienced bitter heartbreak and shattered dreams. You would also know that my journey never ends there.
The wilderness has taught me to sing through the tears and praise through the pain.
Ann Voskamp says it beautifully, “Lord God, Maker of all, when you give manna moments, may I give you thanks for the mystery. Because the manna that makes no sense- You will make it my sustenance. In all of the “What is it?” moments, turn me to give thanks for who you are.”
Manna literally translates into ” What is it?”
I think about manna often, the “What is it?” of life. The daily miracle that abounded in the midst of the wilderness. This daily miracle provided nourishment in the place of uncertainty and unfamiliarity. Yet in Dueteronomy 8:16, it says, (manna) was given to humble and test them. I’ve found that this humility brings me to my knees, crying out to God. This is the time when I’ve felt closest to Him, when I had nothing else, no one else, but God alone.
It’s in the testing that He’s looking at the heart.
Will you curse Him in the wilderness or will you lift your weary hands in thanksgiving each day because He is faithful?
I’m thankful that I’m not the author of my own story.
I’m thankful that the places where I’ve tried to throw ink on the page, but couldn’t see where it should go, He took my mess and turned it into something much better. When the story started to turn out a way I didn’t want it to go, He saw the lines I couldn’t yet read. He provided the manna to sustain my soul when I was hopelessly wandering in the emptiness of the great unknown. I’m thankful that through the deepest heart breaks and disappointments, He gently led me, held me and sustained me.
He knew the road wouldn’t be easy, but it would be necessary. That it would feel lonely, but that He was all that I needed.
When there was nothing left to cling to, I could see what truly mattered. It was the only thing left standing when all else crumbled around me.
It was You, it is You. it will always be You. The great sustainer, the only one who will never disappoint, who heals shattered lives and makes them stronger. You are the Great I Am, You are peace when fear is knocking. You are the voice saying “don’t give up” when all else is demanding it. You walk me through the wilderness of life, no matter how many times it seems I end up there. Every time it doesn’t exactly get easier, but I do know that the manna will come everyday. I’ve learned that you know the ending, so I take the hand you offer me. I take it and trust that even when the valley is dark, the light always shines in the morning. In the darkness, there’s no need to fear, for You are with me and You go before me. (Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 139:5)
by Kimmie Liette | Jun 2, 2016 | Writings |
Have you ever felt stuck in a season where not a lot was going on?
That’s how I had been feeling and it was ridiculously hard. I kept waiting for what was next and I felt like I was meant to do so much more, but yet I did nothing of importance.
Almost a year ago I quit my job. It was an amazing job, but I just felt as if it was what I needed to do to prepare for the future. My husband also quit his job, took a part time job and started pursuing Real Estate. The transition was rough, but little did we know what exactly we were preparing for.
Kimberly is wearing the ‘Courage’ Key Necklace from The Giving Keys.
I was starting to get depressed because I’ve always been a social butterfly and now I was working from home with no one around. It was boring, lonely and felt like such a waste of time.
Eventually, Brady bought me the cutest puppy and that helped a little having a friend around. It was also annoying because I had to keep cleaning up after him, if you know what I mean. I left Harlow (our puppy) for the first time when we went on vacation to see Brady’s family and I missed him so much.
When we returned from that vacation, we weren’t prepared to face what was about to happen.
Not only did Harlow seem to have grown so much, but our family was about to grow at a much quicker rate then we ever planned.
We got a text asking us if we knew of a home for three sisters, not realizing that this person had a specific home in mind: ours. When they did make that clear, we knew what the answer was. They did not pressure us at all, just thought it would be a good fit. Though it didn’t seem plausible, we said yes and opened our home to three of the most amazing little girls in the world.
With only a two bedroom condo, one car, and a very humble salary, our little home was filled with giggles and tutus.
We may have been in shock for a few weeks or more trying to adjust to this totally new life, but every worry and every need we had was met by an incredible God and those who were obedient to be His hands and feet to our family.
He is the One who makes the impossible things come to pass at the perfect timing. When we said “Yes” to opening our home, we knew that without God it wasn’t going to work. Yet, we took that huge step of faith and He never let us down.
Not only that, but the past seven months before when I was transitioning into being a stay at home wife and had no idea why, God knew the answer was three precious sisters who needed us, and that we needed them.
Never underestimate that transitional period of your life when you feel as if nothing much is going on. You might just be around the corner from the biggest miracle you’ll ever encounter. When that big thing shows up on your front door one day and you see it as impossible, remember that if God calls you to it, He will make a way for it to happen.
I was absolutely terrified when that “yes” left my mouth (actually my thumbs since I was texting). I cried for a week when those girls came into my home because I instantly became a mom of three with no prior experience, and I still get nervous that I am not being the best mom I can be. Yet, no matter how uncertain I might be sometimes, the obedience of saying yes is worth it. I wouldn’t change a thing in the world if it meant not having these girls in our home right now.
I don’t know what the future holds, but today is what matters.
I just need to give my very best today. When tomorrow comes, I simply need to do the same thing.
Be courageous and do whatever it is you know you’re meant to do, even if it totally scares you, because once you say yes, you’ll see the miracles and you’ll look back and know it was so worth it.
Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
by Kimmie Liette | Dec 7, 2014 | Writings |
It was nearly midnight and we were cozied up on a teal couch in the beautiful city of Gainesville, Georgia. My husband, Brady and I were in a season of the in-between. We had been preparing to venture on an 11 month mission trip to 11 different countries for what seemed like ages, but it had been about a year and half. Raising money, gathering all of our travel gear and watching endless episodes of Man vs. Wild. It was exciting.
What wasn’t exciting was the deep feeling in my gut of hopelessness and a lost path.
You see, it had been a month, 30 dragged out days of wonder and waiting. Where would we go next?
It was in this time that Brady and I were learning that God’s plan for us is sometimes very different than our own plan for our lives. Needless to say, we were crushed. Through quite the turn of events, after completely changing our lifestyles and extensive amounts of time devoted to The World Race, we failed. We made it to 2 of the 11 countries anticipated (though we had traveled through 8 countries total) in that six week period of time.
What we saw as the end, the Lord had planned as just the beginning.
As our dreams were crushed, our faith was being awakened.
For those 30 days, we were stranded. We were not where we were supposed to be, and we certainly weren’t doing what we had planned. We were in Georgia and our squad of 53 other teammates were on their way to Romania. I wouldn’t exactly say we were thrilled, rather filled like smoke from a wildfire with jealousy, confusion and painful disappointment. I continuously asked myself, “why would the Lord bring us to do such an amazing thing and then strip it away from us? But at that time, only He knew.
God is the author of our story: It was well-written before the beginning of time, long before our first breath. He knew the path set before us when we were trying to run our own way. He simply picked us up, and re-routed us. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with The World Race, it was incredible for us, but instead of being the final destination, is was but a starting point. The white line on track where the guy with the gun says “Runners, on your mark.” Then, the trigger was pulled. and my oh my, was the bang from the gun reverberating in my ears.
At that moment in time, He didn’t want us on the mountain tops of Bulgaria or in the sheep pastures of Albania, He wanted us reclined on the teal couch. Our ears and eyes wide open, our hearts longing for wisdom, for answers, for Him.
He was calling us back to himself, calling us to follow him on the road less traveled. The one that made us afraid.
What was more unnerving than traveling around the world with just a bag on my back and knowing that I’ll be gone from all that I’ve known for 11 whole months? Disappointment. The place where we believed that we failed and all that we’ve hoped and dreamed is over.
Disappointment tries to convince us to give up, but this is where we get to push forward despite our fears. This is where our faith is strengthened as we walk into the uncertainties of life with the One who knows all things. The One who’s always known.
What is holding you back?
Push past disappointment, shake off the dust and let your faith be undeniably awakened.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” –Isaiah 43:18-19
