All of us face what I call mess.  Harsh realities of life.  

 

I've faced some ugly ones. Trauma. Addiction. Cancer. Grief.  At times I thought, "Where is the hope?  Where are the miracles in this mess?"

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I'd hear people say stuff like, "God only gives you what you can handle," or "Praise Him for the suffering," and I'd think they were crazy. What really drove me crazy was having to fake like I had it all together when I really didn't. When trauma and grief were gnawing away at my spirit, sometimes it was hard to read the Bible or go to church. Sometimes people would say the wrong things. It hurt. And I would wonder, "Is something wrong with my faith?"

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As it turns out, questioning my faith was a good thing. It wasn't as much about embracing the suffering as much as it was about changing my focus. About believing that there is something bigger going on that I cannot see. That pain and suffering actually give birth to vibrant life.  That God is more loving than I can possibly imagine and that He wants nothing more than for me to know Him and trust Him. When I began to trust Him to the point of genuinely obeying Him, everything changed.

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Awesomely, God found me in the middle of my brokenhearted, questioning mess nearly 20 years ago. I was already a believer, had been since age 6. But life had dealt me some harsh blows that confused me. He used painful circumstances and God-found-messy-people to transform my view of life.  I learned how to see the miracles in the mile high mess.  How to address my thoughts and behaviors. How to make positive changes and combat sin.  How to peek through the cracks and search for hope.

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Life didn't get magically easier after I began to walk in my salvation. Having faith didn't mean my struggles disappeared. I actually got cancer, lost loved ones, and faced huge transitions AFTER being healed from trauma and addiction. The miracle is that everything I learned about God, my relationship with His son Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit in my life, was more than enough to sustain me during the suffering. I actually grew stronger and more alive during the mess!

 

As a counselor, life coach, educator, and non-profit director, I've walked for 15 years along side of others during some pretty difficult messes.  Marriage struggles.  Traumas. Childhood/teenage issues.  Reentry into society after addiction, prison, or abuse.

 

And guess what?  I have come to find that there are miracles in the mess!

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On my blog I will share stories, encouragement, and wisdom. Miraculous stories from people who've found joy through messes. Encouragement from experts and experience.  And wisdom from scriptures.

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Everything I've learned I pass on to you. We are in this life together.  It's not about having all the answers, it's about passing along hope when we are asking the hard questions. Helping each other when navigating through messes.  Helping each other to see the miracles.

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From one God Found Mess to another,

Allie