Cultivating Joy



A lot of things in life really suck. Being hurt by those we love sucks. Hurting those we love sucks even more. Eventually it can become this hopeless cycle of hurt people hurting people over and over again.  In the face of of all the crap and pain of life we are still called to live lives of joy in all trials. Easier said than done. Impossible without grace. Grace softens bitter hearts, and offers shameful ones a way out. The grace of Jesus makes all things new. It restores the most broken of relationships, the ones we could never fix on our own. It restores joy to the darkest places, and offers a hope we have yet to know.

 The past few weeks I've learned (or re-learned) 3 things about joy.
  1. If you go too long without a joyful spirit you will feel terrible and want to cry all the time.
  2. Jesus' Joy is bigger than the things that make me cry.
  3. Joy is found in the little, unexpected places.
Recently I stumbled into a position as a mentor in a program at my school for students my age with cognitive disabilities. I've spent the past few Friday afternoons there and it's been great. It wasn’t some big fancy event or a life changing meeting. We actually only have a meeting for about 20 minutes before spending the rest of the time playing wiffleball. I'm actually not too terrible, maybe I got some of my dad's baseball genes. The first one, a few Friday's ago was the best afternoon I’ve had in a long time, and the happiest I’ve been in a while. We played and talked and relaxed. There was no pressure to be anything but themselves and myself. My job was to simply be present. It was beautiful. Their joy was truly infectious and I’m incredibly grateful.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13
Tori Lynn

 p.s. For the next 30 days I'm committing to focusing on hope every morning and sharing on my Instagram page. @victorianatalie92 (:

4:13 PM 0 PERMALINK

Take Two.



I’ve always wanted to write a blog. My mom blogs, my friends blog. I started one a while ago then deleted it a few hours later. For some reason I was always afraid. What if no one ever reads it? What if I sound stupid? Who cares. I’m tired of being afraid of everything, that’s no way to live life. 

Right? Right.

So how did we get here now? A few days ago I got a text from a friend who asked if I’d like to write an entry for her super amazing blog collaboration (check them out here!). My first thought? “No, no, no way. Why the heck would anyone want to listen to me about delighting in my reflection of God’s beauty, and the freedom that brings? THATS WHAT IM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HERE!”

 My second thought? Maybe I could do this, my friend thinks I can do it, Jesus thinks I can do it. Even though this is my weakest area in my walk with Christ, it can still be used for His glory. In the quietest part of me I heard a gentle reminder  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 cor. 12:9) I had prayed those same words in a prayer group the night before. Less than 24 hours before, I asked Jesus to teach me what it meant to love, and lead, out of my weakness. Boy did He get right on that.

 I could repeat Bible verses until I'm blue in the face about how we are fearfully and wonderfully made, we are the dawn of creation made in the divine image of the God of the Universe. We have a savior that has conquered every sin, and temptation in my life and ultimately death itself. He alone brings freedom to the nations. I know this. They aren't asking for a list of memory verses. They are asking for a story. My story of how God's Word intersected with the chaos, lies, and sin of my life and made something beautiful. Somewhere in my heart this is where the disconnect is. There is still a 50/50 chance that instead of holding fast to what I know, the truth and freedom of the love of God, I buy into the lies the mirror likes to tell me. I listen a little too long to echoes of the critical voices from memory. After that I don't feel like I'm beautiful, or free. I don't feel life my story is worth sharing, there isn't a happily ever after where I skip into the sunset shimmery and graceful like Bella from Twilight. Then I remember that this is reality, not a fairytale. It's not actually a story about me, but a story about Jesus. I'm a work in progress and my life is a journey. One day I will enter into Paradise with Jesus and I will be absolutely perfect, free to love and be loved without an ounce of sin from a broken world. That day isn't today.

So heres to learning how to live a life by the grace of Jesus, leaving my own strive for perfection behind. And heres to second times around.

 - Tori Lynn

7:20 AM 2 PERMALINK