Eureka!

(source)

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Luke 11:9

Last summer, God planted a strong desire in my heart. He used a terrible tragedy to mess me up for the good. Not only that, but He orchestrated everything to come down to that moment.

That was the night I "accidentally" found out about the murder of Melanie Goodwin. Instead of summing that night up, you can click here to read about it. Here's an excerpt from that post:

"God is doing amazing things in my heart and is stirring up an idea so big, so wonderful that I could burst. I can’t do anything to bring Melanie, Anne, or Eve back, but maybe I can help prevent this from happening to someone else. The Lord is moving in me with this idea and I am as excited as ever to tackle it head on. Last Sunday Pastor Fred told us that “God plants a dream in our heart with a thought in our head” and boy was he ever right."

That big, wonderful idea has turned into Serenity Self Defense. Serenity is an organization that will provide self-defense training and street smart classes to the public at no cost. (I am hoping that we can established non-profit status sooner than later.) For a while now the name and overall plan has been in place, I just didn't know exactly how I was going to get the ball rolling.

For so long I've been trying to do this on my own. I racked my brain so many times for a solution. Nothing happened.

A few days ago I was feeling so helpless, and I began telling Keith about my dilemma. His response was "Well have you talked to God about it?" I responded with "Psht. Have I talked to God about it?!?!? DUH!! Of course I have!! Well, haven't I? Wait, maybe I didn't..." I have spent so much time thinking about my next step with Serenity that I forgot to talk to my Father about these plans! HE is the one that planted this desire in my heart. HE will guide me in the direction Serenity will go!

So, the other day I asked Him what to do. I asked Him to take Serenity and lead us. And you wanna know what? He did! The day after I asked Him for help he planted more ideas in my heart...more ways to really get this show on the road! I've had my "AH-HA!" moment and am so thankful. Once I realized what He had done I couldn't help but feel so safe and loved and completely overwhelmed by His grace. He. Is. AMAZING. And I feel so undeserving.

Alright, so I said all of that to say the following:

Don't try to do things on your own -- go to Him for guidance. When you feel helpless, let Him help you. When you feel hopeless, let Him give you hope. HE knows you better than you'll ever know yourself. And He's always there for you, even when you try to do things on your own.

Side Note: Since I've had this revelation, I will be more focused on what God has spoken to me and persistently trying to live it out. I may or may not be blogging as much as I have been. Just know that everything is more than okay. :o) I'll keep you guys updated on this journey. I'll post soon to let y'all know about my plans!!