Joy in the Morning

Hey friend, my name is Marisa. If you know me in real life, or if you’re just stumbling on to my blog by chance – I’m so happy you’re here.

I thought I would start my first post with a little backstory on why I’m even doing this blogging thing in the first place, in the hopes that by sharing my heart you can understand why I feel excited to show up in this space, and what you can expect from this blog moving forward. Right off the bat, I want you to know this – we aren’t going to shy away from hard topics here. If your life is anything like mine, you’ve been through hard times, seasons of suffering, and days where you question if God is even there, and if He cares. Many of us feel the pressure to only share whats on our heart after we have cleaned up the shattered pieces, the remnants of the hurt, trauma, disappointment, or heartbreak. When we can box up the pain in a nice package, tie it with a bow, and say – “God brought me to the other side!”

While I in no way want to discount the beautiful fact that yes, God can and often does bring us to the other side pain and offers us freedom and healing, the truth is that many of us are in the “not yet” season. And I wonder if we are doing a disservice to ourselves and to others by thinking that we can only share the messy parts of our lives once we’ve figured out a way out of them.

My story is a testament to the goodness of God. And it is also an example of how God doesn’t always deliver us from our suffering in a sudden moment. Sometimes He works it out in the way we would least expect it. Sometimes healing is a long, long road. Sometimes we find ourselves wondering if the pain will ever truly go away. Sometimes we feel that we are taking more steps backward than we are forward.

If any of that resonates with you – you’re in the right place. You’re welcome here.

So in whatever way your own story is unfolding – my hope is that you come here and leave feeling less alone and closer to God. That you are able to lean in to the suffering, and listen for the voice of God. That you would realize your brokenness does not disqualify you, that in fact maybe it’s the very thing that will spur you into becoming the person you were made to be.

Let’s journey forward, by the grace of God.

Are you ready?