Love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful [those...

¶ love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful [those with moral and spiritual integrity] And fully repays the [self-righteousness of the] arrogant. Be strong and let your hearts take courage, All you who wait for and confidently expect the Lord."

‭ ‭ Psalms‬ ‭ 31‬ :‭ 23‬ -‭ 24‬ ‭ AMP‬ ‬

Have you ever been in the middle of a new recipe, and you stop and look around and see the mess only piling up.. measuring cups.. dirty dishes.. pots.. pans.. it can be a bit overwhelming in the "middle" of it all.

Yet, as you come to the end.. dishes get to a sink, food is back in the pantry and fridge, stove is getting clear.. and the clearer the space the more enjoyable the meal will be..

You sit.. and you take that first bite and it's like an explosion of flavor, accomplishment, and deep satisfaction. The chaos all makes sense now.. the countertops don't really matter and you just... savor. Every. Bite.

That's the picture I see when I'm in "the middle." The middle is messy, it's chaotic at times, it looks even a little hopeless, sometimes it'd be easier to back track than to keep going forward.. but forward is where the reward is.

To savor the sacred, you have to make it through the middle. You have to keep going to get to the other side. How silly would it be to get on a plane to your dream vacation and ask the pilot halfway to just take you back home because you experienced a little turbulence?

The middle is heavy. The middle is hard. The middle is Holy.

Jesus too knows the sorrow and distress of the "middle", so much that in the garden he prayed to God to let this cup pass from Him. Had He not gone all the way.. where would we be today?

Maybe you're in the middle.. the middle of a huge decision. In the middle of breakthrough. In the middle of your miracle. In the middle of your destiny.

Be strong! Let your heart take courage! The Lord preserves the faithful. He will see you through! He will be with you every step! He may not give you the full road ahead, but He's promised to be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. Step by step. Moment by moment. He is with you when you feel Him, and He's with you when you don't.

If you can't trust fully, trust on the way. I know it's not easy, but He hasn't brought you and me this far to leave us now! I'm proud of your courage to keep going. I'm proud of mine too. He's in the beginning, the middle, AND the end. Get to the other side, it's gonna be worth it. You are loved. You are seen. You are strong. #MinutesWithMandy #DareToBelieve