Immanuel

I sit today, on this Christmas Eve, looking out the window into the foggy sky wondering why I haven't felt very Christmas-y this year.

Maybe it's the warm weather we've been having, maybe it's that exams were just a week and a half ago, maybe it's that this Christmas I've been distracted.

I've been distracted by grades and gifts, by books and Netflix (as relaxing as they may be), by the hustle and bustle of the season.

So today I decided I'd take a moment to sit in the stillness, to reflect on what Christmas really is. Because yes, I know what Christmas is all about, but sometimes my heart forgets to focus and it is then that there really isn't much Christmas spirit left at all.


"The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
    on them has light shone...
For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore."
Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

Wonderful Counselor to protect us from the enemy, to guide us back into His arms, to remind us of His faithfulness day after day when we doubt Him so often.

Mighty God who breathed the stars and breathed life into my, into your lungs, a Mighty God who has done such great things to bring us close to His heart, to bring us to new life in Him.

Everlasting Father to the orphan, to the lonely, to the abandoned and seemingly forgotten, to those of us who need to be held, to be reminded that we are loved by the Star Breather, our Everlasting Faithful Father.

Prince of Peace to bring us comfort in the midst of the darkest nights, to lift us out of the valleys of life and remind us that in Him we have the "peace that surpasses all understanding."

These characteristics belong to the baby Jesus that was sent to our earth over two thousand years ago in a dirty stable, born to the arms of a teenage girl named Mary.

This Jesus was worshipped first by the lowly shepherds who were told, "Fear not! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL the people.  For unto you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."

The angels- a multitude of the heavenly host- filled the sky singing glory to God.  Glory to our God who sent His one and only beloved Son to dwell with us.

A baby has come, his name is Immanuel, God with us (Is. 7:14).  God with us to dwell among us and show us the power in His name.  To do miracles, to proclaim the truth into the darkness, to bring light to the lost, to be a Shepherd to His lost sheep...

This Jesus, this baby is God with us.

God with us to sacrifice Himself, to surrender His life that we may live.  To hang upon a cross because of the weight of my sin- of your sin- a crown of thorns resting upon His head, His final words, "It is finished."

The baby who came to bring light into the world, now a man on a rugged cross spoke, "It is finished," and the world went black.  The sky was filled with the mourning of the angels, of His Father in Heaven (Luke 23:44).

But Jesus, He is God with us.  Our Immanuel, our God with us rose from the grave three days later.  Light returned and with His light, our new lives.  No longer in darkness, we live in His freedom...

We live in the knowledge and belief that this same baby born on Christmas in a stable died just decades later upon a cross so that we might really be with God, that we may know Him...that no division stand between us and God because Immanuel, God with us, came.



"And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger." Luke 2:16

So let not this Christmas be about the presents...

But about feeling and knowing and resting in His Presence.

Let not this Christmas be about the gifts under the tree...

But about the Greatest Gift that came to hang upon a tree for you and me.

Let not this Christmas be about having the "Spirit of Christmas..."

But about having God's Spirit living and breathing within you.


Give Him room in your heart this Christmas, that He may show you, as He has done for me this morning, all that Christmas means for each and every one of us who are in Christ.

"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people form their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken to the prophet Isaiah: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel," which means, God with us." Matthew 1:21-23

Come adore Him-

Immanuel, God with us.


~Bailey

Faithful God

“When we look back and see trials, God sees testimony. When we look back and see suffering, He sees blessing.” -David Nasser

Faithful: loyal, constant, and steadfast

- - - - - -

When I came to visit Liberty back in January, Kari Jobe sang “Great I Am.”  For those of you that are new around here, one of my best friends, Paige, passed away in 2012 and this was her favorite worship song.  Since then it has become my anthem, one that is still emotional and heart wrenching, but so very powerful.

Back to January.  I wrote about this experience in convocation (chapel) in this post, explaining how the Lord was further convincing me that Liberty was where I needed to be.

- - - - - -

Last Wednesday night, I was sitting in campus church and they began to sing “Never Once.”

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Tears filled my eyes as I remembered the Sunday after Paige passed away when I sat in church sobbing while they played this song, wondering how in the world my “faithful” God let her die, how He took her from me.

Again on Sunday morning in church, they played the same song and again I pictured little 15 year old Bailey sitting in church crying, questioning God, angry at Him.

But as the tears started to fall down my cheeks, I was only able to reflect on the last three years and all that God has done to bring me where I am today.

Today I am no longer bitter or angry with God. No, I am completely the opposite. I am thankful to Him for refining me and bringing me through the fire.

Today I no longer question Him and His plan for my life because I know He has my best interest in mind, no matter how hard it may seem in the moment.

Today when a trial comes my way, I hold fast to my Jesus. I hold fast to Him and the promises He’s made to me.


When I shared my testimony with some of my friends here at school, I found myself in tears over God’s faithfulness in my life over these past three years.

This week He has constantly been saying to me, “I am faithful. I am faithful. I am faithful.”

He hasn’t put me down so far…and I know that He will forever have me in His hands. Words can’t express all of the ways He has been showing me His faithfulness…from beautiful sunsets, heartfelt conversations with friends, new friendships that are beautifully brought together by Christ…

Tonight we stood again in campus church and they began to play “Great I Am.”  Tears immediately fell down my cheeks and all I could do was worship.

Because He knows.

He knew that tonight I’d be sharing my testimony with my prayer and life group. He knew that it’s been a long week. He knew that I needed a reminder that it’s okay to miss Paige, especially in this stage of life.

He knows that I need to be constantly reminded of the fact that I desperately need Him every moment, every hour, every minute of every day.  He knows that in a world that fails me, I need someone who is faithful no matter what.  He knows just how much I need Him, His love, His peace…

He knows how much I need my Father, the Great I Am, the One who is greater than any wave of affliction that comes my way, the One who calms every storm and brings us through the fire stronger than ever.

So tonight, in the early, early hours of September 24th, 2015…another 24th is going by and I miss my Paige just as much as I did the day she died.

But it’s another 24th where I’m saying to my Father, Thank You for Your faithfulness to me. Thank You for refining me and bringing me through the fire…and being faithful in every step of this story You’re writing for me. 

Jesus, I am in love with You.


Praise God that when we see trials, He sees testimony, when we see suffering, He sees the most challenging, beautiful, redeeming, grace-filled blessing.

Praise God that He is faithful…always.

Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

~Bailey

Lessons at LU

Abide.

"Accept or act in accordance with"

Thankful.

"Expressing gratitude and relief"

How much.

"What amount or price"



Over this last month at Liberty (I need to write another post devoted to my experiences and college life) God has been teaching me.  I've been trying to stay in a stance of humility so that I'm always able to hear when He speaks to me.

Just in this last week, each time He's spoken it's only been in one or two word phrases.

Abide. Thankful. How much.

He's been teaching me how beautiful it is when I- heart and soul -abide in Him.  When, throughout the day, I stop and remember to rest in Him, to let His peace take over my heart and bring a sense of calm throughout my soul.

The definition of abide reads "Accept or act in accordance with."  But abiding in Christ is so much more than that.  When I choose to abide in Christ, I am choosing not only to accept His plan, but to embrace it, to find joy in each day He has for me.  I am choosing to act and speak with genuine joy and acceptance of His plan, no matter how difficult it may seem.


He's been teaching me that no matter how long the day is, no matter how many homework assignments I have left to do at midnight, there is always something to be thankful for. Whether it be friends who remind you of family, a team of leadership who exemplifies Christ beautifully, or worshipping in chapel earlier that day...there is beauty in every day.  If you're saying, "I'm in the valley, in darkness that seems to deep to crawl out of."  He tells us there is beauty even in the ashes.

Be thankful.


Just tonight as I walked back from the library on the brink of tears over tests and homework and assignments all due at once, I couldn't get this phrase out of my mind: I just can't believe how much I have to get done. It's too much. I don't know how I'll get it done. 

But in that moment, I had a nudging just to glance up at the sky to try to get a peak at the stars. There have only been a handful of times that the stars have outshone the street lights up here on campus. But tonight was one of those nights. I looked up and the stars shone down and God whispered,

My daughter, you have no idea how much love I have for you...how much greater I am than anything you are facing...how much grace will be awaiting you when you awake in the morning...how many wonderful blessings I have for you in the coming minutes, hours, days, and weeks if you will abide in me and be thankful...and remember just how much love I have for you, that the stars would shine so bright on a night when your heart is so overwhelmed. 


These are lessons He is teaching me up here at Liberty University.  So tonight, as you might expect, I have quite a few things to be thankful for.  As I have been abiding in Him in these last few weeks, and hopefully in the weeks to come, I can't wait to continue to see just how much my Savior has in store for me.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

~Bailey

P.S. If you haven't purchased With All of Your Heart yet, I would love if you read it and told your friends about it :)

How to Survive Your Senior Year

Here I am, getting ready to leave for college in less than a week and I find myself reflecting on the last year.

It has been crazy and full of so so so many decisions.

It's been, at time, stressful.

But then others have been simply beautiful, memories that I will remember forever.

Reminiscing on this past year, however, is not the purpose of this post.

This post is for you, yes you, the rising senior (and even junior!) in high school. For as I thought back on my senior year, there were so many things that I wanted to share with you. So after much thought and consideration on just what I would share...it came down to this: a list of five things to keep in mind as you close out your high school chapter.

1. I suppose we'll start on a non-serious note and I'll say this: have fun. Enjoy yourself! Let these last one/two years of your high school career be the best yet. No matter what's going on, make sure you take time aside from studying, applying to colleges, visiting colleges, and stressing about life in general to spend time with friends, be goofy, watch sad movies, laugh until you cry, eat WAY to much candy, and be a kid because soon people will expect you to be very much like an adult.

2. And that brings us to #2. All of your 18 years people expect you to listen to your parents/teachers, let them make your decisions for you and, well, quite honestly, they still (for the most part) treat you like a child.

But something interesting happens about half way through your junior year in high school. Everyone, and I mean, everyone, is going to ask you this: "So what are you doing with the rest of your life? Where are you going to college? What are you majoring in?"

All of the sudden you're being treated like an adult, expected to have all of the answers and know exactly what's going on. These questions won't end...they still haven't for me! Some days you'll get tired of the endless questions, but know this: these people only want the best for you. Let them ask questions, care deeply, and ask how they can pray for you. Because when you leave for college, knowing you have a crowd of prayer warriors will mean the world. So answer the endless questions, let people treat you like an adult even though it may seem hard to act like one.

3. But also know this: it's going to look like everyone else your age knows exactly what they want to do and exactly how they're going to do it. My friend, that is not the case!

From your perspective, it'll seem that everyone else has everything together, but in reality, they're just as wigged out as you are.

It may not seem like it, but while you're scrambling to submit college applications and trying to squeeze in as many credits as possible, and about to lose your mind...everybody else is feeling/thinking/doing the exact same things. 

So friend, you are not alone! Don't let this overwhelm you. Talk about it with your friends and rant together about senior year struggles. We weren't made to do this alone.

4. Treasure every single moment with your family, friends...again, we weren't made to do life by ourselves. Time with those we love should be well treasured, because trust me, when it comes time to leave...or get a job...or do whatever God calls you to do...you'll have wished you would have spent less time on Instagram and Facebook and more with the people you deeply care about.

Friendships are priceless. Family is gold. Time goes by so much faster than we ever think it would. But these relationships are the things you'll remember- and hopefully have- forever. So make them beautiful, memorable, and super fun memories. {I wrote a whole post on this here.}

5. Give it to Jesus.

My friend, turning to people for help is awesome. I highly recommend it. But above that- turn to Jesus. I cannot emphasize that enough.

Turn. To. Jesus. 

Let Him have every single detail of your fragile life. He will make it into the most stunning mosaic you've ever seen. Trust me.

I took the long route. I tried to do this whole college, tuition, huge life changes thing by myself. I tried for SO long before I realized: well this isn't working. To say I failed miserably would be an understatement.

No matter how crazy it may sound, this failing was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Because when I turned to give it to Him, He was waiting with open arms, waiting for me to trust Him and let Him take hold of every detail of my life and work it out better than I could have ever imagined. (See Ephesians 3:20-21)

If you take anything from this post, take this: Give it to Jesus. What is IT? Everything. Admissions. Tuition. Nerves. Stress. All of it. He wants to show you just how good He is at creating marvelous stories.


So, as you enter into your final year(s) of high school, I hope this put some peace into your soul. I hope it reminded you to treasure the little things, to have fun, but most importantly: to trust Jesus with your everything. He wants to give you the best possible future.

And as I head to college next week, I'm so excited to be entering this future He has had prepared for me for such a long time.

~Bailey

If you've been looking for updates on With All of Your Heart, here it is! Book #2 is officially published and available on amazon.com. I'm so excited for all of you to read this new story.

Thanks for supporting me in this journey!