Take back the years.

God woke me up a while ago, and wouldn't let me go back to sleep, reminding me, "I will take back the years the locust have eaten."

So I decided to check it out further:

[Joel 2:25, ESV]
I will restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.

[vs.25-27, The Message]
"I'll make up for the years of the locust,
the great locust devastation—
Locusts savage, locusts deadly,
fierce locusts, locusts of doom,
That great locust invasion
I sent your way.
You'll eat your fill of good food.
You'll be full of praises to your God,
The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder.
Never again will my people be despised.
You'll know without question
that I'm in the thick of life with Israel,
That I'm your God, yes, your God,
the one and only real God.
Never again will my people be despised."

Sometimes it's hard to believe He will redeem my bad choices and broken dreams and deep wounds for His glory. But He promised the children of Israel that He would do that, so I believe He promises me the same. I don't have to know how or why, I just have to believe and know that He will.

happy.

I had someone specifically stop me to tell me tonight that I seem really good. Really happy. In a place where God's peace is just kind of pervading from my being.

I love being able to say, "Yes. You're right. 100%."

I have no doubt that I am smack-dab in the middle of where God wants me. I am surrounded by a community of incredible people at All Souls, I live in a city which has turned out to be a real city (not a fake one!), and I have this incredible new house that just screams "come visit me!" with the sweetest roommates.

There are so many stories to be told, because I've done such a terrible job of telling them via this blog, but hopefully that will all change soon. This past weekend, I bought a MacBook. It won't be here 'til Thursday, but after that I have no excuse not to park myself at Remedy for a few hours in the weeks ahead and share some of them.

I'm not sure who even really keeps up with this, but dear reader, know that I am happy. Happy to the core. Inexplicably and undeniably happy.