Even So Come

Like a bride waiting for her groom
We'll be a Church ready for You
Every heart longing for our King
We sing
Even so come
Lord Jesus, come 

-Even So Come, Kristian Stanfill

As a single woman who was surrounded by RomComs and fairy tales, I can tell you that I am
anxiously awaiting my wedding day. I have my special songs picked out, I have a board on Pinterest dedicated to color schemes, cakes, and dress silhouettes. I have started mentally picking bridesmaids and honeymoon destinations. It's exciting to hope for. It's exciting to imagine loving so much and someone loving me so much that we dedicate ourselves to sharing our lives together.

And to him, I will be faithful. I will be loving. I will be kind. I will try to be patient and to honor him. I will help him grow and walk with the Lord and as a husband and father and other aspects of his relationships.

And I imagine, I will hire a wedding planner to help assist with every detail. I'm sure that I will go on a diet before the wedding to look and feel my best. I will save my money and spend it where it's important-the DRESS! I will send out save the dates and invitations and thank you cards. Together, he and I will taste cakes and possible wedding food. We will exchange rings and vows that I've saved in my heart for so long. I will graciously thank everyone for believing in us and for guiding us up to the altar and for sharing words of wisdom on how to sustain a permanent love, not just a temporal one. We will be sent off with sparklers, or maybe the traditional throwing of rice, or maybe bubbles.

Ideally, we will have a love that gives and takes at all the right moments. During hard times, we will draw closer to each other. We will be honest and open and tackle life together. We will fight for each other, we will fight for our marriage, we will fight for our love. We will chose "fruits of the spirit."

But what about the other love story in my life?

What about Jesus? The man who was sent specifically to earth to suffer for MY sins? Who was crucified and died for MY wrong doings? Who loves me day in and day out, no matter my actions? The man who just longs for my best, most pure heart? The man who has loved me, has formed me, will love me, will continue to form me. To Him I am never unreachable, I am never a failure. He will never give up on me, no matter how many times I choose to "divorce" Him. No matter how many times I turn away or close myself off. He is preparing the most beautiful life for me and has written the best life of my life. Am I just as eager to meet Him?

Am I preparing as much? Am I planning how to look and feel my best? Am I preparing to completely dedicate my life to Him?

The answer is no. The answer is sometimes. The answer is probably half-heartedly.  Maybe that's your answer. Maybe you haven't even thought of this.

But shouldn't we be just as excited to meet Him? Shouldn't we prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually? Shouldn't our hearts long for that day? Shouldn't we draw closer to him in the midst of our storms so that He can be our shelter and our refuge? Do we do that? Do I?

No. Sometimes. Half-heartedly.

The good news is, in being honest with your answer, you can assess your life and your shortcomings. Like a spouse, Jesus asks us to share ALL of ourselves with Him. Not so he can judge us or chastise us, but so he can show us love, mercy, and grace. Oh, how sweet that grace is!

Surrender yourself today.

Yes. Always. Wholeheartedly. 

What's in a Name?

When I sat down several years ago to create what I hoped would be a professional style and fashion blog, I tried to come up with a name that was cute, clever, and described the blog. I quickly decided on "The Loud Corner". I felt that appropriately captured who I was at the time. I was loud, my fashion was bold and loud, I was doing big, loud things with my life. Over time, over different circumstances my life changed, as all lives tend to and suddenly things weren't so loud. Okay, my fashion is STILL loud, and that probably won't change anytime soon ;)

While I do want to incorporate everyday style into this blog, I want to use it to mostly capture my thoughts. My daily life. The changes that are coming soon. How can I describe that in a blog name? I want this place to be another extension of my identity, another platform in which I honestly share my struggles and joys.

And so, welcome to Always Varissa. This is a place where I come to share my authentic self. This is a place where I come to reflect on my day. This is a place where I hope to gain the clarity necessary to align myself  more closely with the Varissa God is calling me to be. I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, but I am also imperfect, and this blog will probably highlight some of those imperfections as I shift my focus from this world to another. I hope I can be kind to myself here, and patient, and I hope I can inspire others to do the same.