Category: Faith

Are you feeling weary?

Posted on by CrossroadsRanch
Weary Woman

I was having dinner with a friend last week. We were sharing the things that had been going on with our lives over the past month like girlfriends do.  She had been experiencing some difficult family trauma on many fronts and her tears were streaming as she told her stories.  Family illnesses that will likely end in lives being cut way too short and goodbyes you never dreamed would be said; family betrayals that would cause multiple years of future pain which feel impossible to recover from; the feelings of needing to stay strong for everyone else but really just wanting to be able to break down and cry…..and cry…..and cry.  Just let it out.

She said she just couldn’t explain how she felt. 

Then she finally said, “I feel so weary.”

Weary.

That’s a word we don’t use much anymore. 

Physically or mentally exhausted – that’s the definition of weary.  Weary is not an emotion.  It is a state of mind or body. 

Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.”  Matt 11:28

Then he follows that with “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Matt 11:29

Wait a minute.  My friend is already over-burdened and crumbling under the weight of all that is happening and to give her rest, Jesus wants her to TAKE HIS YOKE too?  How is THAT going to help her find rest.  That makes entirely no sense!  This weary woman has all this burden, here, let her carry more…. Really?

But what is Jesus’ burden?  He says it is “easy to bear and is light.”  Matt 11:30

I believe the burden that Jesus is asking the weary to carry is FAITH.  Could you lay down your burden and pick up

  • faith that God’s ways are higher than our ways?
  • faith that God’s focus is in perfecting our character and not our comfort?
  • faith that you are a child of the most high God?
  • faith that He is with us wherever we go. He will not leave nor forsake us?
  • faith that this earthly life is not the end.  This is all just preparation for the next, eternal life?

Friends who are weary (and who isn’t these days?!), I pray that you will consider trading your weariness for the “burden” of faith in your Heavenly Father whose Spirit is all around us and IN us.  He is waiting to lead & guide the weary to rest in faith.

 

In the beginning….

Posted on by CrossroadsRanch

One year ago today – July 26, 2020 – I pulled into the driveway at 6740 McFarren Rd, Gosport and all I saw were weeds, overgrown bushes and a farm house that needed tons of work.  This was the farm I bought – without seeing it in person – while I was on my quest to Montana.  Buying the property was a huge leap of faith but I believed God was leading me to where He wanted me to be.  I’m not going to lie, after seeing the place for the first time, I cried myself to sleep wondering how I would ever be able to do this alone! I worried I had made the biggest mistake of my life.  After a pep talk from my son and some deep breathing, I pressed on.  My daily mantra was “Right here. Right now.  Don’t think about the past or the personal trauma. Focus on today and just do the next right thing.”  And somehow, through the grace of God and the help of many, many friends, the scary farmhouse and the weedy, overgrown property became Crossroads Ranch.  I went to Montana asking that God give me a purpose, a reason to get out of bed in the morning.  And He did!

I’m so glad my friend and business partner, Cynthia Hillenburg, and her mother Vicki Hillenburg saw the potential in this place when they came to look at it for me.  I probably would NOT have seen it had I been here – God knew I wouldn’t see it and maybe that was part of the reason He sent me to Montana.  And I’m extremely grateful for the spur of the moment assistance I received from a good friend (you know who you are) just as they were taking the last bids on the property.  Having this property/this purpose has saved my life.  I wish I could list all the people who helped me in some way but the list would be so long.  Thank you ALL.  I am humbled and will do my best to use Crossroads Ranch to impact many, many lives in a positive way.

A year can make a huge difference.  Last year at this time, I felt hopeless and lost.  This year I am so happy and grateful for Crossroads Ranch and for all the future possibilities. 

 

Before Pictures

 

 

 

 

 

After Pictures

 

 

 

 

 

Faith Grows in Unfamiliar Places

Posted on by CrossroadsRanch
Unfamiliar Places

Are you experiencing an unfamiliar place today? Maybe that “unfamiliar place” is as drastic and obvious as living alone for the first time your life. Maybe it is a new job or new relationship. Maybe it’s a new home or property. I’m experiencing this type of “unfamiliar place” as I spend my first year here at Crossroads Ranch. This type of “unfamiliar” is easy for everyone to see. It’s easy to talk about and it’s easy for others to help you through it with encouraging words or advice.

But maybe your “unfamiliar place” is more subtle. Maybe it’s something that’s not as obvious and not as easy to talk about. Maybe you are feeling inadequate or “not enough” for the first time and you aren’t sure what to do. Maybe you are feeling depressed or anxious and this is not normal for you. Maybe you are feeling lonely even though you have people around you. These “unfamiliar places” are not easy to talk with others about. People can’t see these unfamiliar places as easily. I’m experiencing some of these “unfamiliar places” this year as well and it just doesn’t feel good. I can’t say I like it at all, honestly.

I am discovering, though, that it is in all these unfamiliar places that faith has the chance to grow. You do not need much faith to do what is already comfortable for you. If you find yourself in an unfamiliar place right now, know that God is growing you and He is asking you to have faith. Lean into Him. Seek first the kingdom of God. He is calling you closer to Him. If you draw near to God, He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Ask God for what you need and believe that He hears you and will provide according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). Don’t waste this unfamiliar time. Embrace it and let your faith grow in this unfamiliar place.

 

Stand at the Crossroads… and find rest for your soul (Jeremiah 6:16)