Hi everyone, my name is Lisa Hallahan. If you don’t already know who I am,  I am the author and founder of this blog. I started writing and posting regularly on the blog (then called Young Keepers of the Home) in March of 2013. It was a small ministry then and I enjoyed sharing my thoughts and what God was telling me to write. Soon, the ministry quickly grew and grew. It came to a point where I was publishing 2 articles and week and non-stop personal counseling for young women via email  every day. When I took a counseling job for the summer in California I scheduled 32 blog posts to be published while I was away. By the time I returned home for the fall I heard God calling me to rest and to take a break from the ministry.

So, from November of 2015 till now I hadn’t posted hardly anything at all on the blog or any of our social media platforms. For that, I apologize. But, all of that to say, I am now back and will try to get back into a normal routine of posting regularly. It might start a little slow but we will get there! I’ve missed writing, I’ve missed interacting with you girls and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for our future together here at A Lovely Calling!

Looking back on the last three years with A Lovely Calling I remember all of the changes that this little ministry has gone through and all of the changes that I personally have gone through. It’s beautiful, rewarding, difficult and inspiring to look back on the different seasons of life that we go through. I now know that times are changing, whether we want them to or not.

We all go through major changes in life.

Whether that be through trials, through school or work or moving, there are so many times in life where we will look back over the years and say to ourselves, “Wow, I can’t believe how far I’ve come.” That is because we are always changing. Society is always changing. We never stay in one place for very long.

This may be scary to think about because for some of us, change is a hard thing. We may love the season of life we are in now and are afraid to let go of it. We are afraid of the big things in life that will rock our normal lives that we have grown used to. But it is impossible to stay in one place in life your whole life, Change is inevitable.

Almost a year ago I met the most amazing young man. But at the time, I was afraid to fall for someone.

I didn’t want to be in a relationship. I had gone through so much heartache in my last relationship that I felt I was still unready for a new relationship. But God, in His wisdom, rebuked me for trying to control my future and for trying to tell God what I needed. After all, I didn’t really know what I needed. (Most of the time, ok, ALL of the time, God knows what we need way more than we think we know what we need)

Soon after I was convicted of trying to control my own season in life and trying to avoid change God opened the door for Dylan and I to begin a relationship.

Through this wonderful experience of getting to know and love Dylan there have been MANY changes. There have been ups and downs (mostly ups) and different lessons that we each have had to learn. Relationships aren’t easy just like life isn’t easy. But if we aren’t open to what God want’s us to do we will grow stagnant and empty,

God never wants us to remain in one place. He is always calling us forward. Always going deeper in His relationship with us.

He is always conforming us to His Son’s image. If we are resentful towards that or fearful of our futures then no change will take place and our walk in holiness will begin to grow dim.

Our hope is in the fact that God NEVER changes. His love for us is constant.

His desire to be with us is constant, His character will never change, His heart will never change, He will never leave us or forsake us.

“Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.” Psalms 102:25-27

No matter what season in life you may be facing, whether it may be sickness, a new school, new friends, new relationships, singleness, or a huge decision that must be faced, let your one anchor be your hope in God’s goodness and love for you.

Don’t fight off what God wants to do in your life and don’t try to control your own future. Let God do His perfect work in you that only He can accomplish.

Sometimes, we want to tell God what we need, a job, a house, better financial situations, boyfriends, a certain way we want to look, ect. the list could go on and on. But at the end of the day, God alone knows what we need and He is faithful to provide. Our need to control things and our desire to resist God’s way of life stems from fear and lack of faith.

Let’s put our trust in God for whatever we want and need. Let’s allow Him to work in us and change whatever He needs to change in or around us so that we can move forward. Take a deep breath and leave everything up to the Lord. He will hold onto you.