Praising Our Great Provider

Do you sometimes just rest in awe of how awesome God's provision truly is? When we dwell on this, our hearts undoubtedly overflow with amazement, gratefulness, and humbleness, and before we know it, we are giving and living in a state of praise for our great, heavenly, perfect Provider.Even though our circumstances might not always look or seem like it, the Lord knows exactly what we need, when we need it, why, how much, and everything else- in every single aspect of our lives! How incredible is that? Praising Him for how wonderfully he cares for all of His children both requires and causes a thankful, open, appreciative, trusting, believing heart.Lately, I have been spending time in the Old Testament and seeing how God led Israel out of Egypt is truly mind-blowing. He made promises to them and fulfilled those promises, leading them out of slavery and into the Promise Land. In His time and His way, God made a way for His people because of His immense love for them. Even though they weren't aware of His plan, He carried it out, gently yet powerfully leading them out of bondage and into freedom with Him!The same is true for us. He loves us more than we could even begin to imagine and is providing for, caring for, planning for, preparing for, and making a way for us, leading us to His best at all times. Rejoicing in the simple yet heart-changing Truth that we are His children and He is our Father is a way of life and is no doubt the best life!What we need and what we want are vastly two different things. Being grateful for everything, trusting completely (especially during hard seasons), and following Him even when you aren't so sure is always, always, always the way. Just think- He knows us better than we know ourselves, so I would much prefer He provide for me than rely on my own "strength"!So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. (Matthew 6:31-33 Christian Standard Bible) "But seek first the kingdom of God...and all these things will be provided for you". We are to seek Him. That is all this verse requires of us. A heart that is seeking Him is one that is believing, praising, trusting, and prioritizing Him. God is so good and we are in His loving, protective, wise, perfect hands.I recently heard this song by Housefires and listening to it really puts my mind in such a sweet, peaceful place. A place of reassurance that He always satisfies us. Any want, desire, aching, longing, and dream...He is our answer and the way!

Come to the water, all who are thirsty Come and drink Come to the table, all who are hungry Come and feast Those who are weary, those who are needy Come receive!

-Come To The River, Housefires

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Q&A With Lauren Curry: The Beauty Of Moving

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Hey friends! We are so excited with be chatting with our dear friend, Lauren Curry, today on LSK. Lauren manages our Pinterest page & you can read this post to get to know her a bit more. Read the Q&A below to hear about her move to LA and what the big life transition has shown her about the goodness and greatness of God. She shares extremely inspiring words about trusting the Lord to lead you in your life in His perfect time, how important it is to find a Church community that you love, and how Jesus comforts and provides in the sweetest ways. Regardless of if you are moving soon, have moved, or never moved, this is a must-read![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/2"][vc_column_text]

What inspired you to move to LA?

I had been visiting California 4-5x a year since my uncle and brother had both moved from California to Washington State around 4 years ago. Since they left, I had really been finding reasons to visit since they moved. When I was in college, I interned in California 3 summers in a row and literally every time I came to LA, I felt like my heart was exploding because I loved it so much. It sounds so dramatic, but it’s true! It was this past September when my dad had finally sat me down and said, “God told me that this isn’t your place anymore and that you need to move to LA. So I think you need to move as soon as you can, like in the next 2 weeks”. So literally, I think I moved 2 1/2 weeks after my dad had sat me down without any full time job or any idea what I was going to do in LA, but I knew that it was the right timing. 

What was the biggest challenge in moving to a new city and how did the Lord help you with the adjustment?

The biggest challenge for me was feeling lonely for the people that I had left in Washington. Whenever I would talk to my family who was celebrating a birthday party all together or see my friends back home on social media hanging out and having fun, I would, to be honest, ask myself why I did the hard thing. Through this, the Lord really has really surrounded me with such amazing people, but He has also been teaching me how to do things alone. When I got to LA, I realized a lot of what I had to learn was that sometimes there’s areas of your life and things you need to grow in and do alone so that God has space to lead you to new places.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/2"][vc_column_text]

What are 3 of your favorite things about the city?

1. I LOVE the restaurants and coffee shops in LA. One of my favorite things in the world is finding new coffee shops and discovering new eats and LA literally has a never ending list of amazing places to go for food or coffee. Living here makes me wish I was a professional food critic. 2.  I really admire how the mindset in LA is to dream big. Everyone you meet here is here to really chase and pursue a dream. It's really inspiring to live in a city that doesn’t put rules on what you can accomplish- I think it’s helped me really to start thinking outside my comfort zone. 3. I really just love my Church. I’ve been going to Mosaic in Hollywood since I moved and it’s literally been a lifeline for me. I've met some of my closest friends from LA through Mosaic and it’s really just allowed me to grow more and make my faith my own. As a follower of Jesus, it’s so important to surround yourself with a Church community who can be alongside you when life feels hard.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

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What has been the biggest gift about transitioning to LA?

God’s timing, 100%. Before I moved, I kept making excuses for why maybe I shouldn't. I was scared that I was going to relocate myself and then end up with no job or no community, or realize that maybe this isn’t the place that I was supposed to be. But literally the day I moved to LA, I could feel God’s favor on my life. Doors kept opening for me and God’s timing was so perfect in every detail. So much has happened for me in the past 6 months and it was all stuff that, before I moved, I was desperately trying to organize on my own rather than allowing God to bring it to me when I was ready for it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/2"][vc_column_text]

Biggest piece of advice you would give someone who is considering a relocation?

Have a tangible, genuine faith in where God can take you.When you know and believe that the Lord has called you to greater places, you must also understand that He will truly protect you and guide you to where you’re supposed to go, while giving you what you need along the way. It’s not always going to make sense and it’s not always going to be on your timeline, but He truly has the perfect place for you at the perfect time and when He calls you to that, take action with the thought that He WILL provide for you and give you exactly what you need, when you need it. Before I knew I was moving, I prayed for MONTHS that God would give me 3 things: My place, my purpose, and my people. Months later, I’m truly reaping the seeds of those prayers, so I would challenge anyone who is confused or scared to pray for those 3 things and I promise, you WILL see that prayer come to pass.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]