Beauty Instead Of Ashes

I've shared with you guys before the quote on our kitchen rug: Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass....it's about learning to dance in the rain. There are all sorts of verses and quotations that people offer when you're going through a tough time. Make lemons out of lemonade... All things work for good... Everything is made beautiful in His time, etc., etc. It's certainly not that these things aren't true, but when you're in the midst of the storm, you can sometimes want to punch the person who says that to you. Or maybe that's just the hostility in me. :)

Anyway, I am currently volunteering in the Divorce Care ministry at my church, helping lead a group of people who are in the very beginning stages of their separation/divorce. It has been a difficult, rewarding, fascinating and humbling experience so far, and we still have a couple of months to go. I have already learned a lot, and it's been interesting to go through this class this far into my journey with divorce. I actually went through the class initially as a participant several months after my divorce, and it has been a drastically different experience to go through it this time around. I watch the videos with a much different perspective, and I have been encouraged in my own journey through this time.

One of the most awesome things for me has been seeing where God has brought me. The people in my group are very raw, hurting deeply, in the deepest part of their storm. I remember being there myself. But enough time has gone by that I sometimes forget where I really did start from. I forget how much God has healed me and how far He has brought me. Then I show up on a Tuesday night and realize all over again that all of those cliches that can sound so trite really are true. He has worked all things for my good and His glory. I have learned (and am still learning) what it means to dance in the rain. My very favorite "saying" comes from Isaiah 61. This is the passage Jesus quoted when He showed up on earth to explain His purpose:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives..." The passage goes on to say, "To comfort all who mourn...giving them beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning..."

I love that phrase, beauty instead of ashes. It's true, you know. Jesus really does take the ashes out of our lives - from whatever storms may come along - and He makes beauty. When you're in the midst of the storm, it's often impossible to believe that anything beautiful can come from it. But that's one of the coolest parts about a group like Divorce Care - I can share that hope with those in that place. Because even though it seemed impossible, God has given me beauty instead of ashes. And I am so grateful He has.

I took this picture the other day. We were having a storm - I love how you can see where the rain was actually falling. But what I love even more is how it looks like the rainbow originates from the storm itself. Such a cool picture that represents an amazing gift that God offers to us - beauty instead of ashes - sometimes even when the storm is still happening.

The Best Pa

So today is Father's Day, and I'd like to take a moment to honor my dad here on my blog. I know there are a lot of people in this world who don't have great relationships with their dad, and I am so thankful and blessed that I do. My dad is a great man and has had a huge impact in the world God has placed him in, but I am most thankful for who he has been in my family. Since we are all spread out in various states and can't all be together today, we had a gift for the Pa and sent notes to him. Below is my note.... Happy Father's Day to all of you!

Dear Pa,

Happy Father’s Day! I hope that you have a great day of being celebrated and that you feel as special as you are! I wish that I could be there with you to spend the day with you, but since I can’t, I wanted to take a moment and wish you a fantastic day.

I’ve always thought you were the best dad ever, but the older I get, I appreciate you even more. As I have spent this past year looking for jobs and doing whatever I had to do to survive, I have gained a greater appreciation for the way you commuted to Atlanta for so many years, dealing with traffic and so much time on the road just so you could provide for your family. I’m happy for you that you don’t have to do that anymore! But thank you for taking care of us in so many big and little ways.

I also am thankful for the way your character has remained consistent throughout the years. You know who you are and what you believe, and you have stayed faithful to that. You have stood by God, by mom, and by us, and the integrity and honor that you live your life by is not something that is taken lightly. Thank you for being a true man of God and for showing Jesus to me.

Finally, thank you for the way that you support and encourage me and for challenging me to go after my dreams. Knowing that I have you in my corner helps give me courage to step out and take risks and try something new. I’m so excited to see what this next year holds for all of us, and it makes me smile to know that we’ll all share the journey together, no matter how far apart we may live.

Thanks for being you, Pa! You are my favorite dad ever!! ☺ Enjoy your Father’s Day and remember how much you are loved by so many.

I love you,
Tiffy Jones

Twirl On!

I started this blog in 2007, when I knew I would be moving to Boston. (If you're ever bored, you should check out some of the early entries in the sidebar! :P) I have loved writing entries, sharing pictures, stories, prayer requests, things I'm learning or struggling with.... I enjoy having these last few years documented for many reasons. If I ever need to be reminded of the ways God has taken care of me, I only have to go back and look at a variety of entries. If I want to see how far I've come or how much healing has taken place, I need only read through some of the earliest things I wrote. Sometimes I blog because I want to share pictures of family hang out time, like in my entry below this. Other times I want to share a story or update you on life. And other times, I want to share something I am learning because getting it "on paper" helps me process even more. This is one of those times, so hang with me as I share.

God has been doing a lot of work in my life over this past year in dealing with performance. I have long struggled with performance issues - caring what people think, wanting to perform well for acceptance, etc. It matters to me to be thought well of, to do a great job, to be seen in a good light. I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to do your best, but when the motivation behind that is because you're worried about how people will view you, then it becomes a problem. I do believe that God has done much work in this area of my life and that this is getting better, but it is still something I struggle with.

I feel like He is calling me to live and to love Him with absolute abandon - living fully, laying it all on the line, being fully engaged. It's easy to stand on the edge of a cliff and dream about what it would be like to jump off and fly through the air, knowing you'll be okay no matter what. It's another thing to actually take the jump. I think there's a part in all of us that wonders what might happen if we totally let go of the control we think we have and pursue God fully. What might He ask of me? What might He have in store? What might He allow - good or bad? And if I do this, what will my life look like? What will people think?

As children, we so easily trust. We live with abandon, fully engaged in life because we don't know any better. We have a joyful expectancy for what comes next, and we haven't yet learned from society that there are "rules" and cliques and things you should or shouldn't do to be cool.

I love the expression of innocent fun and the thumb on the hip. I knew I was loved!

I loved dressing like a cat!

I remember this outfit. It was my favorite one in elementary school and I thought I was SOOO cool wearing it. I'm slightly embarrassed to post it now! :)

My point in all of this is this: When does this perception and attitude that we have as children change? When do we start to notice and care what others think? For some, this happens earlier than for others. But regardless of when, we all make it to adulthood and start caring a lot more about others' opinions of us. Perhaps we hide some of the deepest parts of ourselves for fear of what people would think if they knew. But what if those parts that we hide are what make us uniquely us? What if people need to know? And even if they did know and thought less of us, then so what?

I have always had the heart of a child. I love the little things about life. It doesn't take much to make me smile. There are things I still love that most people probably wouldn't understand. For example, let me introduce you to Walter. Here he is:

Walter is my very favorite stuffed animal. I got him at Christmas my freshman year in high school. This makes Walter about 16 1/2 years old. He is very loved. He has literally gone on every trip I have taken since I got him. And he is one of three stuffed animals that I still sleep with, even though I'm 32. (It's okay, people. I'm in counseling!) Seriously though.... Walter makes me smile. There's a reason that he is special to me. And I don't care if any one else understands or if there are any other adults who still have stuffed animals on their bed. He's on mine. But why is that embarrassing to admit? What about it seems "not okay"?

The Chick-fil-A that I work at is inside of a really nice mall. In the center of the mall, there is a huge open space on the lower level. Hanging from the ceiling are enormous screens where they play fashion shows or images from nature and a variety of music all day long. I was walking through the mall the other day, and they had a classical piece of music playing. There were a few kids standing in the center of the open space dancing and twirling to the music. They were oblivious to others around them, and they were just going for it. I've seen this before and it always makes my heart smile. But this time, there was a difference. Their mom was right there with them in the center of the area, twirling and dancing with them. As I watched them, I wasn't thinking about how dumb she looked or wondering what in the world she was thinking. It was one of the most awesome scenes to watch. And yet how many of us would have been willing to throw caution to the wind and twirl around in a mall?

I felt like God gave this to me as a picture of what He calls us to. He has made each of us a wonderful and unique creation. When we live fully engaged, fully alive, pursuing Him wholeheartedly, He is made famous. When we let go of the things which trap us - the fears that keep us in hiding, everyone benefits. And God is glorified. It is my prayer that God will continue His work in my life in this area - that I will be able to live fully in freedom, not letting my performance or what others think be what dictate my actions. And I would challenge you to also examine your life, looking at the gifts that God has given you - the things that make you uniquely you. Is there anything you aren't offering because of what might happen if you do? However it might look in each of our lives, let's twirl on - for the sake of the Kingdom and for freedom in this life!

A Visit To GA

Greetings to the faithful readers of my blog! :) I am sitting on my couch writing this blog before I have to head to work at 4. I have worked a ton of hours in the past few days and I am so tired! But I am thankful for the opportunity to work and be able to pay some bills. That is always a good thing!

So last weekend I got to spend a few days in Georgia, hanging out with some of my favorite people ever. Michael and Bekah had their GA reception, and it was so much fun to be a part of! With all of us living in different states, I find that I enjoy having the chance to spend time with my family even more, especially when we all have opportunity to be together at the same time. The reception was a great chance to catch up with a lot of family and friends - it was very nice to see all of you! :)

At one point I was looking around the room at the people who had gathered and I realized how many of you I have known for most of my life. I know people move around a lot more now and so I think lifelong friends are perhaps harder to come by. But I was quite thankful to see how many people have been a part of my life and my family's life for so many years. You guys have stuck by us through great times and tough times, and I personally am so thankful for your encouragement and prayers and the ways you have walked with me through this journey of the last few years.

And now some pictures from the weekend....I don't have a ton to share because I was so busy talking (shocking, I know!) that I didn't get a lot of pictures of those of you who came. I apologize for that, but know that we loved having each one of you there! Here is our new family (with some random child on the stairs!)...

Bekah's parents flew down for the reception, and it was great to see them again. My brother got very lucky with some fantastic in-laws!!

Jenn happened to be passing through town and was able to stop by with her cute girl. Yay for friends who met in GA, now live close by in Florida AND happen to be 3rd cousins!!


A few of those lifelong friends....thanks for all of your help! :)

Close friends of Michael's from high school/college...

After the reception for Michael & Bekah, we had a family cookout to celebrate Matthew's 30th birthday and to celebrate my parents' 34th wedding anniversary, which happened to be on that day. It was fun to have a relaxing evening enjoying hamburgers and hotdogs and celebrating. This is a picture after Matthew had just extinguished the candles on his cake.

Finally, in a perfect ending to a great weekend, we got to go to the Braves game on Sunday. I was so excited! It's been awhile since I've been to a Braves game, and even though I got to experience the awesomeness of Fenway Park on a regular basis while living in Boston, let's face it....I'm a psycho Braves fan through and through! (And on a side note, let's have a moment of silence for the fact that we are in first place by 3 games at the moment!!!!)

Here I am before the game. And yes, I added curls to my hair while in GA. I decided that if I am going to live in the FL heat and humidity and have to wear my hair up all the time for the Chick, I'm going to have a little fun with it. I think curly hair fits my personality too. :)

Here are my cute parents.

I don't think we have yet converted Bekah to being a baseball fan. She was still a good sport though!

Me and my favorite Pa

After the game, we went to the Varsity for some delicious food!

Here is Bekah experiencing her first Varsity food and Lindsay trying to eat healthy at a place known for grease.


So all in all, a most fantastic weekend! Thanks again to all of you for being a part of the celebration and for loving our family well. More to come soon! In the meantime, have a great weekend!