Reason #442
"Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside." - Mark 16:1-4
I took bridal pictures today. That's right, I said it, bridal pictures. I know. I can hardly believe it myself. Because, in the words of my mom, 5 weeks and 6 days from today, I will be Aaron's bride. I spent the morning getting my hair and make-up done, then my parents (that's right, my dad tagged along for bridal photos), Scout and I loaded up in the car and headed to Abilene.
We met Allison, our photographer, (who I highly recommend) in Buffalo Gap, which just happens to be an adorable little town. Buffalo Gap is this tucked away little secret right outside of Abilene that looks like something out of East Texas. It's beautiful! The afternoon was a little cloudy, not stormy by any means, but heavy cloud cover. It worked out well for the first 3 locations we went to, and we finally ended up in an open field. I had this perfect moment where I was standing in the field, the warm air was surrounding me, my dress was gently blowing in the breeze, and all of the sudden the sun peeked out from the clouds. This incredible golden light flooded the space, and Allison said, "Brittnye, look to your left." I turned my head so she could get the shot and I was completely overcome by emotion. To my left, standing in that same open field with me, stood my sweet parents and Scout. My dad, in his favorite shorts and t-shirt, my mom, with this gigantic grin on her face, and Scout being her cute self, almost brought me to tears. I had to look away to keep from getting emotional, but before I did, I made a point to capture that moment in my mind. Because right there, in that open field, with the sun shining down on us, I felt it. Love, redemption, grace, miracles. And I was more than grateful that the Lord was giving us this moment together as this will be one of those memories I'll treasure forever. A reminder that God always works things out for us way better than we ever expected!
They went to the tomb to see their Savior. The very one who had died a criminal's death, and they witnessed it with their own eyes. This was the One who was supposed to take away their problems. The One who was supposed to rescue them and save them. He told them He would, but He was lying in a tomb now. And so, I'm sure they were defeated. Totally hopeless, as this seemed like the worst possible situation. They didn't think it would come to this. And now, they were faced with a dilemma. A gigantic, heavy stone stood between them and their Savior. Blocking them, keeping them away. How were they ever going to move it? How were these three women going to roll away a stone that weighed, undoubtedly, more than the three of them put together? One hopeless situation after another, and there seemed to be no solution. No quick fix, no answer. And so they just kept walking and talking and trying their best to figure it out.
They arrived and the stone was gone. He was gone, too! The topic of their conversation for the past few miles was not even an issue any more. Their concerns were immediately taken care of. There was a stone, the very one they were worried about, but it had been rolled to the side. Now, most importantly, there stood nothing between them and their Savior. Although they had been walking through a hopeless situation, now incredible joy and miracles were the new theme. They had full access to Him. There wasn't a thing blocking them from Jesus. It had been taken care of long before they got there. God knew what needed to be done. God was ahead of them, taking care of it the whole time so that when they arrived, they would find the One they were looking for. Fortunately, they found way more than what they were expecting. They found the risen Lord!
And I realized that again, today. Because I've been on that road, too. I cried and I worried about how God was going to take care of these huge dilemmas. Things I saw as really big issues, impossible situations. How was this ever going to work out? How was I going to get past these road blocks. They seemed too big, too difficult, too overwheling. But when I got to them, I realized that He had already taken care of everything. He had worked things out for me. He knew what the issues were, and He had a solution in mind the whole time. And so the worries never became realities because God had gone before me and made sure that my needs were met. Just like He did for the women, He moved the stones in my life, too. And, more importantly, He gave me joy and new life when I finally arrived.
I'm so grateful to serve a God like that. The risen Lord! One who doesn't leave us to deal with dilemmas on our own. A God who takes care of things. One who we have full access to because of the blood shed for us. A God who will roll away any stone, no matter how big it seems. And what a glorious find it is to finally arrive and see that He's already there, already got the solution, and it's so much more than you were expecting!
#442 - Because He rolls away the stones!
"When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!" - Mark 16:5-6
I took bridal pictures today. That's right, I said it, bridal pictures. I know. I can hardly believe it myself. Because, in the words of my mom, 5 weeks and 6 days from today, I will be Aaron's bride. I spent the morning getting my hair and make-up done, then my parents (that's right, my dad tagged along for bridal photos), Scout and I loaded up in the car and headed to Abilene.
We met Allison, our photographer, (who I highly recommend) in Buffalo Gap, which just happens to be an adorable little town. Buffalo Gap is this tucked away little secret right outside of Abilene that looks like something out of East Texas. It's beautiful! The afternoon was a little cloudy, not stormy by any means, but heavy cloud cover. It worked out well for the first 3 locations we went to, and we finally ended up in an open field. I had this perfect moment where I was standing in the field, the warm air was surrounding me, my dress was gently blowing in the breeze, and all of the sudden the sun peeked out from the clouds. This incredible golden light flooded the space, and Allison said, "Brittnye, look to your left." I turned my head so she could get the shot and I was completely overcome by emotion. To my left, standing in that same open field with me, stood my sweet parents and Scout. My dad, in his favorite shorts and t-shirt, my mom, with this gigantic grin on her face, and Scout being her cute self, almost brought me to tears. I had to look away to keep from getting emotional, but before I did, I made a point to capture that moment in my mind. Because right there, in that open field, with the sun shining down on us, I felt it. Love, redemption, grace, miracles. And I was more than grateful that the Lord was giving us this moment together as this will be one of those memories I'll treasure forever. A reminder that God always works things out for us way better than we ever expected!
They went to the tomb to see their Savior. The very one who had died a criminal's death, and they witnessed it with their own eyes. This was the One who was supposed to take away their problems. The One who was supposed to rescue them and save them. He told them He would, but He was lying in a tomb now. And so, I'm sure they were defeated. Totally hopeless, as this seemed like the worst possible situation. They didn't think it would come to this. And now, they were faced with a dilemma. A gigantic, heavy stone stood between them and their Savior. Blocking them, keeping them away. How were they ever going to move it? How were these three women going to roll away a stone that weighed, undoubtedly, more than the three of them put together? One hopeless situation after another, and there seemed to be no solution. No quick fix, no answer. And so they just kept walking and talking and trying their best to figure it out.
They arrived and the stone was gone. He was gone, too! The topic of their conversation for the past few miles was not even an issue any more. Their concerns were immediately taken care of. There was a stone, the very one they were worried about, but it had been rolled to the side. Now, most importantly, there stood nothing between them and their Savior. Although they had been walking through a hopeless situation, now incredible joy and miracles were the new theme. They had full access to Him. There wasn't a thing blocking them from Jesus. It had been taken care of long before they got there. God knew what needed to be done. God was ahead of them, taking care of it the whole time so that when they arrived, they would find the One they were looking for. Fortunately, they found way more than what they were expecting. They found the risen Lord!
And I realized that again, today. Because I've been on that road, too. I cried and I worried about how God was going to take care of these huge dilemmas. Things I saw as really big issues, impossible situations. How was this ever going to work out? How was I going to get past these road blocks. They seemed too big, too difficult, too overwheling. But when I got to them, I realized that He had already taken care of everything. He had worked things out for me. He knew what the issues were, and He had a solution in mind the whole time. And so the worries never became realities because God had gone before me and made sure that my needs were met. Just like He did for the women, He moved the stones in my life, too. And, more importantly, He gave me joy and new life when I finally arrived.
I'm so grateful to serve a God like that. The risen Lord! One who doesn't leave us to deal with dilemmas on our own. A God who takes care of things. One who we have full access to because of the blood shed for us. A God who will roll away any stone, no matter how big it seems. And what a glorious find it is to finally arrive and see that He's already there, already got the solution, and it's so much more than you were expecting!
#442 - Because He rolls away the stones!
"When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!" - Mark 16:5-6