The holiday season is upon us!

Joy to the world! Toys! Shopping! Really bad drivers in Texas (and I’m sure other parts of the world). Yep, tis’ the season for all of that and more, lol.

I, for one, have been having a whole range of emotions, ya’ll:

I’ve been lazy about going to the gym, which makes me depressed that I can’t fit my jeans right. Yet, I continue to purposely sleep through my alarms that tell me to go to the gym (I’m trippin’).

I’m so very grateful to be around family and friends (they are some amazing peeps), but I’m sad that I’m closing out on year 4 with no boo thang (GOD, WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG??!)

Saying “no” to the alcohol is great. I feel great. I feel awesome. Buttttt, do I want to down every bottle of wine or wine cooler or margarita I see some days, especially the hard days? Yepppppp. I have not, but I sure want to.

I did attempt to get back on the online dating scene..ughhhh. The last conversation I had with a guy was just mind boggling. You say you’re a man of God and you talk to God everyday, yet your mouth is filthy (curse words, all you talk about is sex, and yet you tell me you all about the Lord?? Do Jesus be talking back to you, sir? I mean, we are ALL a work in progress, ESPECIALLY ya girl, but come on now). I guess God was like, “Nah, he ain’t it, so imma help you out, Daughter. I got ghosted and I have no idea why. Dang, God! I at least wanted to go eat! I could’ve tuned him out. I’m great at that!!!

One minute, I’m smiling and all happy. The next minute, I get alone in my room and I’m like, is this all there is to life? God, do Your promises really apply to me? How can I trust You when I don’t know what’s next and You won’t tell me? Are You really fighting for me? Do You really care?

I’m so up and down during the holidays and I just know I’m not alone.

Depression tries to hem me up. I look in the mirror and I just wish for once I’d absolutely love every part of me. I want to live right and I’m trying, but boy…trouble be knockin’. And for it to be the week of Christmas, I’m just in need of encouragement. I’m in need of hope.

I’m in need of Jesus.

As always, when I need something from the Lord, He delivers and I’m living proof that the following will forever be true.

There is always, ALWAYS something you can thank God for.

I know it’s sometimes hard to imagine God being this great, faithful, wonderful Father when you’re going through a tough time in your life.

You may have experienced a loss this year (a job, a relationship, a loved one).

You may feel like you’re wearing a mask of happiness, while on the inside, you’re hurting.

You may feel like you have nothing to be joyful about or that you’re at the end of your rope.

I will encourage you with this:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

Matthew 1:23 (New Living Translation-NLT)

If that ain’t encouraging to your soul, I’m not sure what is.

God with us.

Thank God right this second for just that.

Jesus isn’t some Being that is high and out of reach. He isn’t looking down at your problems like, “Oh gosh. I sure hate that I can’t do anything to help. Guess you’re on your own with that one.”

No! Jesus is God with us. He’s in the trenches with us. He knows what it’s like to have joy. He knows what it’s like to feel sadness. He understands betrayal. There’s not an emotion we’ve felt that Jesus cannot relate to. He is right there, arms wide, pleading with us to lean on Him, trust Him, have intimacy with Him.

I’ll be honest. I get pretty lazy when it comes to consistent time with the Lord. Man, I’ll watch Netflix all day, but when it comes to prayer, I sit there for less than 2 minutes and expect the Lord to break the sky open and bless me indeed.

That ain’t how that works, though. NO relationship is a quick thing and EVERY relationship takes effort, especially one with Jesus.

Even though I’m slacking on my quiet time, I am very aware that I do have the Lord with me.

Like any normal person, I get sad. I get frustrated. I do wrong stuff, think wrong stuff, and sometimes wish I could spit on someone that reallllllly grinds my gears (I know that’s gross, but I’m just being honest). And it’s crazy to think that I have a God who knows allllll this stuff about me, knows how lazy I get about quiet time, knows how hard it is for me to trust Him with everything (as dumb as that may be, because really…God made me and you and everything and He has a plan for everything and He knows everything…why NOT trust Him?)

He knows all this, and He loves me, really loves the real, true me. He knows all this and chooses to be with me.

He’s with me.

He’s with you.

He’s with us. God with us.

Man, I love that His love ain’t based on what I can give Him, a title, my works, or anything like that. He simply loves me because I’m His (pause and rest in that, for real.. You. Are. His).

So today, if you’re like me and your emotions are all over the place and you feel lost or you feel down, or you just need some sort of sign that God hears…here it is!

He’s with us.

Whether you acknowledge it or not, He is.

Let that sink in this Christmas season (or holiday season as the world is now asking us to say and what I say in order to not be offensive to anyone).

He’s with you. Hold on to that truth for dear life. I know I will.

My Lord, my Savior, the very Center of my life–

You could’ve remained in Heaven, chillin’ and livin’ your very best life, but You chose to display the greatest love ever by stepping into flesh and walking this Earth. You went through the worst possible pain and humiliation and died a criminal’s death to free us from our sins and give us full access to God. I know I get so lazy in the pursuit of You and for that, I’m so sorry. Christmas would never be Christmas without You, Christ. I may not say it enough but thank You. Thank You for being a willing participant in the greatest love story ever told (and You know how crazy I am over a good love story). Thank You for not shooting the deuces and leaving us without a lifeboat. Thank You for knowing me, loving me, and fighting for me. I may not be able to witness everything You do behind the scenes, but I’ve lived enough life to know that You are real, that You do indeed fight for us, and that You truly got a sense of humor that’s insane.

Jesus, I love You. Please bless the one reading this. Open their eyes and mine to Your love, Your Presence, and Your heart.

Guide us through the loneliness, the valleys, and the doubts.

Increase our faith. The next time we come to You in prayer, may we have the mindset of a line I heard from Pastor Madu of Social Dallas:

“How is on You. Believing is on me.”

Help us to believe.

I’ll love You forever and I owe You all.

Love always, Key❤️

 

Music is my thing if you don’t know that by now. Three of my faves are below. May you be encouraged while listening to each song.🖤