For the ones tired and weary:
Be free.
Let yourself dream.
Someday you will see,
all things come into reality.
I Remember…
I have held onto this promise since I was 15 years old. I specifically remember when I grabbed my little pink notebook next to my computer and scribbled the poetry lines on the paper. My soul danced at the words, feeling hope for my precious (and enormously ambitious) heart.
Lately, all I have been doing is picking up my old journals from throughout my high school days. Oh, so so long ago, right? (Using sarcasm of course, haha). But oddly enough, I don’t remember over half of the things I’ve found.
But as I go through the old pages I realized that even though I forgot the poems, affirmations, or bible studies I put together… God never forgot.
He is the one who makes sure I remember where I belong: with the Lord. And I will continue to remember that Jesus is where my heart and dreams remain, forever. It stays within me, through the Holy Spirit.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
John 14:26 NKJV
I have recently had the beautiful honor of having a discussion with
about our individual dreams. We shared back and forth about our different experiences and highlighted some things from our personal difficult seasons. (Beautiful, beautiful conversation).As we both embark on our journey as writers, I shared with her something I’m increasingly learning:
“One of the beautiful reasons why I’m even on Substack is to remind myself that God is the Dream Carrier. Through every dark season, He will carry us. Through every high and low, He always holds everything together. Even when it feels like all is torn apart.”
The Devil’s Goal
The number one thing that the devil tries to do, is steal the Word of God. He wants us to forget what God promised us or the things that He sowed into our hearts. Why? Well, the enemy wants us to distrust God and make us not believe in Him. This can be backed up by the fall with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3) and the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13).
Recently, I discovered hidden gems tucked away in old journals. I remembered old desires like playing the violin or dance. I remembered the purpose that God showed me for each thing I placed my hand on. I remembered why Jesus put me on this earth: to love and be loved by Him.
All of these revelations ministering to my heart in a way it never had before. It was beautiful. The Holy Spirit was truly reminding me how much He has carried me and the Promise, even when I haven’t.
That assurance alone opened up my heart to a whole new and beautiful perspective of God, my Heavenly Father.
The Battle
This past week, I got really sick. Not only that, but the devil seemed to be bombarding me with straight up lies from different sources. I felt extremely topsy-turvy with the physical sickness and the spiritual hindrances. I went days without sleep and could feel myself grow weary. But one thing I remembered:
The devil is the liar.
It’s no coincidence that I had everything come at me, when the Lord gave me revelations about who He is and who I am in Him. The devil is after the Word and determined to make me slip away from it. But I wasn’t going to let the enemy knock me down.
In the perilous times, dear brothers and sisters, it’s through our perseverance when we can truly see the manifestation of God’s victory that we have in Him.
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Romans 5:3-5 NKJV
In our sufferings from this world, the Holy Spirit is there for us. We are never left alone to fight in the battle. The devil wants us to suffer, he wants us to believe God wants us to suffer. But Christ that lives within us is here for us to live prosperously in His love (John 10:10 NKJV).
I remembered this throughout the week when I was at my lowest. I started to speak it. And I read the whole book of Genesis to remind myself of the Promises of God since the beginning.
Carry You
Jesus Christ is the Dream Carrier.
Jesus Christ is the Promise Holder.
He is holding you and me through every high and low … making sure that we know that we are His and His alone.
Jesus knows our hearts and knows our situations. So whatever may be knocking at our doors this week, we have nothing to fear. Because if God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).
My encouragement for you this week is to let the Lord carry you through your every day. Ask for the Holy Spirit to help remind you of the Promises of God in your life. Let Him guide you through every dream inside of your heart. Constantly remind yourself that the Lord is the one who protects and holds you. And even when it seems the darkest, remember that the Christ’s light will always shine the brightest.
“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
And all the remnant of the house of Israel,
Who have been upheld by Me from birth,
Who have been carried from the womb:
Even to your old age, I am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.”
Isaiah 46:3-5 NKJV
For the ones tired and weary:
Be free.
Let yourself dream.
Someday you will see,
all things come into reality.
Rest in the Heavenly Father’s arms and He will carry you through. Let yourself dream with God and receive the Promises that He has for your life 💜
"God is the Dream Carrier!!"
I absolutely loved our conversation Merissa and the way you spoke those words! I gleaned them deeply and haven't stopped thinking about it. I have learned so much from you and consider you a wise and lovely friend. Very blessed we are together in this community loving God. So you and I had a similar week, last week, and no sleep? hummm. And you reached out to me with wisdom and I had no idea you were struggling. I hope this will be a better week for both of us! Satan is definitely on the attack in this world.
Looking back at old work and journals is the BEST! I did that two years ago when I was first writing here and it was so pleasing to see my heart as a young 16-17 year old in those pages. Not much has changed despite all the challenges of life. Keep seeking God in all you do and definitely let Him carry your dreams! I know I can now look back and be very humbled that He has carried all of mine. I could have never done anything alone. Thank you for this. It's beautiful. Sending you much love. ox
Lovely words of encouragement, Merissa!
I recently looked through some of my journals from high school and my early twenties and had a similar experience, seeing how the Lord was working in my life at that time and how so much of if--much that I didn't even remember--he used to lead me to where I am now. God is faithful!