JusChrist4

Hey All! Happy to say that settling in the new castle and territory has been a behemoth of itself! Like WOW! Who would have thought that transitioning and moving would take its toll. So wonderful and tiring all at the same time. I had never been so busy in all my life, worked up and inner rested if that makes any sense. It’s just so peaceful to know this is MINE! This is OURS! This is what God gave me and its so doggone beautiful!

Like how long has it been since I slept with a smile on my face! OMG if you only knew the sleepless nights we have had. Those sleepless nights! My heart is so full. I am so grateful and I would have never known how awesome this feeling is until now.

Friday night I did some more organizing and settling in — hanging a new picture here and adding a trinket there until I got to lie down in my HUGE room with my favorite burgundy Ugg bedding. It was the most peaceful and restful feeling. I just laid there and I cried. Tears of joy. Tears of gratitude. Tears of pure bliss in this moment. I am so thankful to God for making this way.

It wasn’t easy peasy! NO! Not at all… it was a fight just like everything else in life is when you want something so bad. You have to believe God. You have to trust Him. You have to WAIT! And when you get there to that moment and He opens up that door — how sweet that is. Because it was WORTH IT ALL! It was worth the fight. It was worth all the sleepless nights. It was worth the work we had to put in to get to this place.

I love being an “official” homeowner! I had a house before that was given just to hubby but signing that dotted line to say Christina Cruz-Mendez TOO! Yes! I was so grateful. Because the time finally arrived for me to have ownership and entitlement. God is good. And I will say that I appreciate EVERY season we went through. Because even in our old place God still provided all the time — He showed up and showed off. He helped us, provided for us, gave us favor and grace for that season too.

So it is a smiling season right now. As I type this closing up this month. I enjoyed the move (even though I hurt my knee a bit) LOL! I enjoyed shopping for things that I wanted. I enjoyed decorating this new season too — especially to our liking where we can all reap the benefits. I enjoyed cooking in my new massive kitchen. I enjoyed meeting new neighbors and new friends. Most of all I enjoyed knowing that God is still with me every step of the way still blessing us daily.

More to come here. So in love with this place. ❤
Thank You JESUS!

Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
Psalm 68:19

What an unprecedented season that we all have entered. I must say… unexpected, uncharted, unscheduled and very much unplanned. That was what our lives was looking like even coming to the close of the year when we hoped to be literally free and clear by now.

That hasn’t quite yet ended yet. We are still in the midst of the unknown. How uneasy and very much unsettling. For us at home –this even meant “our home”. Surely we thought we would be all moved and settled in by now in the next location but sure enough –another day turned into another week and another month and still in this year we weren’t even sure it would happen for us.

We put our home of 20 years up for sale … to leave the state! Offers came flying in immediately. Our plans and parting shortly followed, only to be interrupted by days of disappointment. Encouraging each other was running thin and encouraging myself certainly had its limits.

So I did what only I knew I could do… missing my family as we set “our plan in place.” I decided to decorate anyway! I was surely devoid of the season right before my eyes. Families at home, together, sharing and merry— and us we were miles apart in unfamiliar territory. We were in the trenches, no matter how you looked at it. This long awaited process was wearing us all down on the inside as the days grew to weeks.

I encourage others all the time in harsh experiences— DECORATE YOUR SEASON anyway! Just! Like! That! Go on and celebrate! Bake a cake! Get the ornaments! Make what you can happen HAPPEN! Move! Keep going! Then it happens to you and hits you so hard!

So I bought the ornaments — no tree!

Bought the tree — no home yet!

As my heart sunk in further and I felt the weight of my situation. Because nothing is going how we planned or imagined. I never felt so empty inside. I could not even explain but hold back the floodgate of tears of discouragement.

I lit it allll up in the guest room with my beautiful Georgia family that is with us throughout this wearisome process! He came in with my tree… put it where I was staying and I took all the ornaments, lights and stuff out. I put on the music, enjoyed my favorite Pinot and got in my element! Time to pull out all the stops regardless.

It was very different, surreal but I still found some lovely! And I slept the whole night through with those lights on and the scripture I kept reading each of the other long sleepless nights!

“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat, for He grants food to those He loves.” Psalm 127:2 NIV

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is how it should be! Considering I wont have the home YET! I’m not all together with my family but this I know— way too many went through hardships this year especially! Maybe we don’t feel like there is much to celebrate. But there is! This is more than the season to be jolly! It is the season to decorate no matter what you see, what you feel, what you loss or what you miss!

Even when things don’t go as we plan and may feel like huge disappointments and setbacks. They are set ups to design on the dime. I didn’t think we had it in us— but we were made for more. We were built to win! We will have it all in place where and when and how it needs to be all in God’s matchless timing. Even when the details are no where and I mean NO WHERE in sight. I can’t wait, but He helps me to. He helps you too!

He helps us to decorate ANYWAY! Because there is so much more on the way for ‘21! Its right on the horizon! An amazing expansion to new life, new ideas, new opportunities, new homes, new health, new relationships and more than we could have dreamed! So let’s decorate this season. ♥️