Thank you for joining me as I walk by faith, and I hope you will continue to follow me on my journey!
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Email me at hellosaraclaudia@gmail.com.
At a game one evening, amidst the exciting atmosphere, I heard the fan behind me make an interesting statement.
It was the beginning of the game, the 2nd or 3rd inning, and we were losing 4 to 1.
The organist started playing “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.”
The man sitting behind me said, “We are losing 4 to 1! What do we have to be happy about?”
I love to read and listen to audiobooks, and one of my favorite authors is Karen Kingsbury. Not only are her novels compelling and entertaining, but they are all based on Scripture and biblical truths. Her writing always leaves me with a sense of peace and gratitude toward our Lord and Savior, and I always tend to learn something new about God and His Word.
While reading Kingsbury’s novel, Truly, Madly, Deeply, I was given a whole new perspective on a Bible story that all of us know so well—the Christmas Story. We often read the account of Jesus’ miraculous conception and birth with a sense of hope, joy, and peace.
On an average morning, we are dropped off downtown where we will usually run by the coffee shop or head to my office to start working.
Work for my ministry usually consists of writing a blog or devotion, rehearsing a speech, conducting a Bible study, or having an encouragement session with someone either in person or over the phone.
All of which Jackson does not find too exciting, so he will settle in for a nap.
Throughout the day, Jackson and I may visit one of the local shops or grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant.
You will all be able to read it soon, but before you do, I wanted to give you a little insight into why I felt led to write a devotional centered around fear.
It is FINALLY book release month! That’s right!
I’ve teased y’all with a few of the devotions, but haven’t fully explained what the book entails…
Here’s a quick description:
In anticipation of the release date, here is another sneak peek from one of the devotions!
To continue celebrating, here is another sneak peek from one of the devotions! I hope you enjoy!
To celebrate, here is a sneak peek from the first devotion…
Have you ever felt truly alone? Maybe you are facing a situation that is unfamiliar to your closest family or friends, are in a disagreement with your spouse or significant other, or just cannot seem to relate to the walks of life that the others around you are experiencing. Many situations in life can make us feel like we are isolated. When we feel this way, it can be so easy to retreat into ourselves. Like little hermit crabs, we crawl into our shells, and, trust me, this is not a safe place at all. I know from experience that the enemy can get to us more easily when we isolate ourselves.
Have you ever had moments in your life where you just feel invincible? I’m talking about those times when you feel like you can conquer any task, overcome any hurdle, and smash through any roadblock. For most of my younger years, I felt invincible. As I grew older and I started to feel the impact of the hardships of life, those moments became fewer and farther between. Especially after I lost my sight, I experienced more times where I felt defeated and weak. All of a sudden, even the smallest, most minute tasks seemed impossible. How would I ever be able to pick out my own clothes, prepare food independently, or finish college without my sight?
How many times in a day do you catch yourself using “I” phrases? Don’t worry, you are not alone. I am definitely guilty of dwelling on myself quite a bit throughout the day. My problems. My worries. My plans. My accomplishments. How often, though, do we take the time to reflect on the world around us?
Reading Psalm 104 gives us a great opportunity to do just that.
Hope is a word that is not lacking in most of our vocabularies, but how often do we slow down and really think about what it means? Here are a few common definitions: “A feeling of optimism, a strong sense of expectant desire for something to happen, or to look forward to a certain event with anticipation.” Often, what we are hoping for is an object, entity, or idea that cannot, at the moment, be seen or experienced.
We all know that old idiom, “Seeing is believing.” Let’s face it, our society is pretty much based on proof, evidence, and tangible research. It can be hard for us to believe something that we have not actually seen, felt, or witnessed for ourselves, especially when that thing seems unbelievable. Take Thomas, for example. In John 20, Jesus appears to His disciples, except for Thomas, after His crucifixion and resurrection. When the disciples tell Thomas what they have seen, he does not believe them. So the other disciples tell him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he says to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25).
In the first chapter of the Bible, we learn much about God, His power, and His plan. When God began His masterpiece in this account of creation, Genesis 1:2 reads that “The Earth was formless and darkness covered everything.”
Before losing my sight in 2015, I could have described myself in a similar way, and I think a lot of us can relate to this description at some point in our lives. I was raised as a Christian, but I did not truly know God. I was guilty of simply going through the motions with my “faith” at the time if you can even call it faith. I was very lost. The lack of a real relationship with God really took a toll on me in college. I succumbed to the party scene, the need to be popular, and the desire to be known for my worldly accomplishments and possessions. I was formless and covered in darkness and sin.
This year was exciting and unbelievably happy for me.
In May, I got to marry the love of my life, Seth, on the most perfect day.
This week, as I continue sharing untold stories from my sight loss journey, we are taking it back to 2019 and 2020. I hope you enjoy!
In 2019, I graduated from college…Finally! It was a day that I had been looking forward to since I began my collegiate journey in 2012.
After losing my sight, it was also a day that I never thought would come.
On a December morning, however, I donned my cap and gown and made my way to the University of West Georgia to receive my diploma.
In May of 2017, my mom, sister, and I took the trip of a lifetime to Hawaii.
While exploring the beautiful state, we had many adventures including hiking and ziplining.
On the beach, one day, my sister and I decided to try something that I had never done before sighted or blind… Kayaking in the ocean.
Kayaking is one of those activities that, while observing, looks easy, but once you are doing the paddling, you gain a whole new perspective.
The past 7 years have brought many experiences; some have been triumphant while others have been downright terrifying.
Despite the grief that accompanied my sight loss, I have been able to find joy in sharing how God has worked through it all.
Over the next few weeks, my blogs will contain stories from the past 7 years that I have not written or spoken about before.
Some will be hard, and some will be light-hearted, but each one will point right back to God and his amazing grace. I hope you enjoy!
One that I remember most is when we were introduced to obstacles.
The trainers set up various objects along the sidewalk that were meant to block our path. Then, as a team, Jackson and I had to figure out how to work around them.
This exercise was meant to mimic a real-life scenario in which our route may become unexpectedly blocked and we would have to decide how to navigate the situation.
As Jackson and I walked along, I did not know exactly what the obstacles were or what the outcome would be, I just knew they were coming.
Whether my sight came back or not, I was bound and determined to return to who I was before. I wanted to do the same activities, live the same way, and enjoy the same things.
It didn’t take long to realize, however, that the “normal” I had experienced before would never completely be attained again.
