If Ever-- AbbyLynn Writes

Hey there angels. I'm gonna be sharing a poem with you that I wrote, or at least started writing a good while back and I decided to finally finish it. It's all about how no matter what life throws at you, you can always turn to Jesus to be there for you. His love is so much bigger than us, and it'll cover even our darkest moments. You're never too far gone for Him to take you back.

If Ever by: Abby Haske

If ever you're sick of those breaking your heart, 
Just turn to the One who paired the sky with the stars.

If you're ever unraveled or your life is unwound,
He'll be the one to lift you up off the ground.

If you ever feel lonely with no one to run to,
Run straight to Him and He'll tell you He loves you.

If ever the world weighs too much on your shoulders, 
Remember He Lives, and He moved the caves boulder.

If you ever feel broken beyond repair,
Remember that Jesus will always be there.

When you've wandered too far, too far to go home,
Know that you'll never be truly alone.

He hears you, He sees you, gave Heaven to have you,
And know when you need Him, He always will come through.

He loves you so much, He died in your place,
Now He's up in Heaven and He's saved you a space.

Whenever you're beat up, worn out, uninspired,
He'll be the rest for you whenever you're tired.

So child be still now and fall at His feet,
And know He's the only One you need to meet.

He held you first and He'll hold you whenever,
So go on, take His hand, because He loves you forever.

I hope you enjoyed my poem! And check out my other posts too! Have a nice day :)
~AbbyLynn

What I Know

Hey dewdrops, if I may call you that. I think it's cute. :) Any who, I just wanted to bring to light a very special song today, well...all the songs I talk about are special to me, but this song is a beautiful song that I love called "What I Know" by Tricia Brock. It was in the movie "God's Not Dead" and if you haven't seen that movie yet, I recommend it. So why this song? Why now? Well today, I was put on new medication for my anxiety and depression and I'm hoping that this transition goes smoother than previous transitions. I've been through several medications over the past 2 years and it's been a horrible ride to just try to find the right medication to help me function like abnormal human being, so here's hoping this next medication is the right one for me!

What I Know by: Tricia Brock

It’s been another day when it seems like faith eludes me
Everything’s been so confusing
Fear got the best of me
Now I’m lying here worried about tomorrow
‘cause the weight of everything I don’t know
Is so heavy I can’t sleep

But the truth remains the same
Even when I don’t know what to pray

But what I know
Is You, my God are real
No matter how I feel
You’ve never let me go
And what I know
Is there will never be a day
You aren’t just a breath away
And through it all I’ve gotta hold
To what I know

I could throw my fist in the air demanding answers
But in spite of all the questions
I’m still giving You my life
And if it doesn’t turn out like I think it should
It doesn’t change the fact You’re always good
Your ways are higher than mine

And the truth remains the same
Even when I don’t know what to pray

But what I know
Is You, my God are real
No matter how I feel
You’ve never let me go
And what I know
Is there will never be a day
You aren’t just a breath away
And through it all I’ve gotta hold

To love that’s never failing
To hope that keeps on saying
“carry on”, “carry on”

What I know
Is You, my God are real
No matter how I feel
You’ve never let me go
And what I know
Is there will never be a day
You aren’t just a breath away
And through it all I’ve gotta hold
To what I know

To me, the whole song has a very simple message. Our God is real NO MATTER WHAT. No matter our trials, no matter our pain, no matter our scars, or tears, or fears. God. Is. Real. Through everything.
Now let's look at both of the verses together.

V1: It’s been another day when it seems like faith eludes me
Everything’s been so confusing
Fear got the best of me
Now I’m lying here worried about tomorrow
‘cause the weight of everything I don’t know
Is so heavy I can’t sleep

But the truth remains the same
Even when I don’t know what to pray

V2: I could throw my fist in the air demanding answers
But in spite of all the questions
I’m still giving You my life
And if it doesn’t turn out like I think it should
It doesn’t change the fact You’re always good
Your ways are higher than mine

And the truth remains the same
Even when I don’t know what to pray

I've been feeling these verses a lot lately. Just being caught in a time of low and failing faith, so worried about tomorrow and what's in store that you can't even get sleep at night. But something I've learned and continue to learn--and this is coming from someone with anxiety-- worry gets you no where. After all, Philippians 4:6-7 says "Do not worry about anything, instead pray about everything, tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He has given you. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guards your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Isn't that something? Do not worry about ANYTHING, instead pray about EVERYTHING. You understand that? I know I struggle with it. Go to God before you even think about worrying and he will give you peace in your heart. A lot easier said than done, I know, but do the best you can. My sister Lexi once told me that the best way you can show God love is through your obedience to Him, and so read His word and live in His ways to the best of your abilities. He already knows you're not perfect, and remember that when you make mistakes, He'll still love you either way.

Another thing that gets me most about these two verses is verse two about demanding answers, and saying how even in the questions, she's still giving God her life and trusting Him with that. That's me right now. I could throw my fist in the air demanding answers from God about my depression and anxiety and yet, I'd like to live in the way of turning to God and giving him my life. However, once again that is easier said than done. I get so frustrated with what's wrong with me sometimes, all I do is get mad and ask God "why?" So the best thing I can do is, in the midst of my frustration, ask God for peace. Rather than demanding answers for everything, ask God for peace, and trust that He will take care of you through it all.

Now the chorus and bridge... 

But what I know
Is You, my God are real
No matter how I feel
You’ve never let me go
And what I know
Is there will never be a day
You aren’t just a breath away
And through it all I’ve gotta hold

To love that’s never failing
To hope that keeps on saying
“carry on”, “carry on”

This chorus is not only beautiful in sound, but beautiful in it's words. It's beautiful in its truth that it displays. No matter how we feel or what we are dealing with, that doesn't change the fact that OUR GOD IS REAL. He will never let go of us and there will never be a time where he isn't more than just a prayer away from us to help us when we need him. No matter what we've got to hold to this love and this hope that tells us to keep going and tells us to carry on. We need to hold to what we know to be true. and in the midst of lies that we deal with all around us, we need to know that our God is real. Our God is here. Our God is love. And He will NEVER leave us. This is the God we believe in.

Remember, God is good all the time...and all the time, God is good.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Have a nice night, lovelies.
~AbbyLynn

My Poem--If Depression Was A Person

Hey there, sunshines.

This post is gonna be a bit different from the other ones I've done so far because it's a poem I wrote. It's a very personal poem because it's based on the depression I deal with. So here goes...

If Depression Was A Person by: Abby Haske

If depression was a person, 

I would punch him hard in the stomach

Just so he knows how it feels.

If depression was a person,

I would make him drag a bag of bricks by his ankles

Just so he knows how it feels.

If depression was a person,

I'd make him carry me on his back everywhere he goes

Just so he knows how it feels.

If depression was a person,

I would put a chain around his heart and drag him down everyday

Just so he knows how it feels.

If depression was a person,

I would tell him how worthless he is

Just so he knows how it feels.

But then again...

If depression was a person,

He would be human

Then He would know how it feels.

If depression was a person

I could not hurt him

Because then he would know how it feels.

If depression was a person

I would not wish him ill

Because then he would know how it feels.

Even if depression was a person,

I would not wish depression on him,

Because nobody should know how it feels.

Well that's what I had to say about that for the day. So please feel free to comment and give feedback. It is greatly appreciated.

Have better day. ♥

~AbbyLynn

So Much More--Time With The Birdsongs

Well hello loves. Just thought I'd update you on my weekend and do another song analysis...but this one is extra super special. It was written by some very wonderful friends of mine, and hopefully they read this post, and know that I love them all with my whole heart,and I have no idea what I'd do if God didn't put them in my life. So first let me tell you about my weekend.

I went to Ohio because I'm crazy and I love road trips to see people I love. So yeah. Oh, and I took Dom with me too. She's great. ♥ Anywho, Dom spent the night at my house Friday night when I got out of work and we left Saturday morning at like...9:30am....we were a little excited to get there so we just left as soon as we were done getting ready. We actually ended up beating the Birdsongs to their own concert, which isn't too hard if you actually show up early because they are often late, but we still love them just the same. ;) ♥ haha.
So as i was saying, we got to the church they were playing at around 4ish, so we helped set up some chairs, I played piano, we talked with some cool people, and whatnot and then the Birdsongs showed up. I really wanted to like run outside and tackle them with hugs because that's how much I missed them, but I decided to be a normal human being and walk up, say "Hey! I missed you!" and gently hug them all. Next, we helped them set up for their show, had a rockin time watching them perform, then we helped tear down(and of course during their set I probably cried like 3 times because they sure know how to touch a heart), then we just hung around and ate, I chatted with Timothy & Matthew, and played a song I wrote and Philip listened. Then, our original plan was to leave that night to go back up to Michigan but instead, we got to stay with the Birdsongs that night and that was fabulous, we were like one big happy family. 
Then this morning we woke up bright and early to drive to another church in Ohio and the Birdsongs led worship and I cried my eyes out after the message the pastor gave, which was fantastic. Then after that we helped them pack up for their ride home and after saying goodbye and hugging everyone, we went our seperate ways for now and now here I am back at home 6 hours later to tell you about how wonderful my weekend was with some of my favorite people! ♥ ♥ ♥

Now how about that song analysis? Afterall, this post isn't titled "So Much More" for no reason. This is the song I'll be looking at. So here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by The Birdsongs.

So Much More by: The Birdsongs

You take your make-up off,
prepare yourself for another night
of staring at the ceiling wishing you could fall asleep.
Another day has passed.
No better than the last.
As tears come to your eyes you cry
"There must be something more."

And you try so hard to explain away
The reasons for your loneliness.
If only you could find someone who wouldn't walk away.

He sees you there.
He's heard your prayer.
Don't run away.
You'll see someday
that He loves you more than you could ever dream.
So much more than anything.

You're slowly breaking down. 
It took so long, you were so strong. 
Too many scars and broken hearts 
you've tried to hide away.
But now the time has come 
to fight the urge to turn and run. 
And when you feel all hope is gone 
He'll be there 'til the end.

He sees you there. 
He's heard your prayer.
Don't run away. 
You'll see someday 
that He loves you more than you could ever dream. 
So much more than anything.

All the broken hearts 
and all the shattered parts of the life you knew, 
hold on to the thing that lasts forever.

He sees you there. 
He's heard your prayer.
Don't run away.
He loves you more than you could ever dream. 
So much more than anything.

He loves you more.
He loves you more
Than anything
Yes, He loves you more.
My Jesus loves you more
Than anything.

The whole song is obviously about how much God loves us. He loves us so much more than we could ever dream or imagine, and I don't know about you but sometimes I don't always believe that. I think "I've done too much wrong" "I've abandoned Him too many times" or "He forgives and loves everyone else, but He can't forgive me".... But here's a something I was reminded of this weekend. Jesus loves you more. More than you can dream. More than you can imagine. More than your pain. More than your scars. You are more because His love is more than anything. Now let's break it down.

You take your make-up off,
prepare yourself for another night
of staring at the ceiling wishing you could fall asleep.
Another day has passed.
No better than the last.
As tears come to your eyes you cry
"There must be something more."

And you try so hard to explain away
The reasons for your loneliness.
If only you could find someone who wouldn't walk away.

This first verse explains a very familiar feeling for me. Just sleepless nights of wanting and wishing and waiting and hoping for something more than your pain. Someone who won't leave you, hurt you, or abandon you when you need them. Honestly, I feel that's something everybody wants and something everybody needs. Something else that I was reminded of was that WE NEED EACHOTHER. We weren't made to live this life alone. We just can't do it, we were created for community, so naturally we want this feeling of being loved by others, but even though we're made for community, no love of others can top the love of our God. He's the best lover out there because GOD IS LOVE. He's the model for the way we should love others. He's the model for how we should act. He's our best role model. 
Now let's look at the second verse...

You're slowly breaking down. 
It took so long, you were so strong. 
Too many scars and broken hearts 
you've tried to hide away.
But now the time has come 
to fight the urge to turn and run. 
And when you feel all hope is gone 
He'll be there 'til the end.

This part of the song is a fantastic reminder to me that no matter how strong we try to be, or the pain or shame we try to cover up, we don't have to pretend in front of God. He loves us and will be there for us until the end of time. And because of this fact, we are never out of hope. He's an endless supply of hope, love, fullness, wonder, and so much more. He's a fountain of love that NEVER runs dry. I know for a fact that just this morning hearing the pastors words in Ohio, I was feeling like I still couldn't be loved by God, but Coleene reminded me that HIS LOVE NEVER CHANGES. He will always want me back and love me back and He wants you, too.
Now finally, the bridge and chorus... :)

All the broken hearts 
and all the shattered parts of the life you knew, 
hold on to the thing that lasts forever.

He sees you there. 
He's heard your prayer.
Don't run away.
He loves you more than you could ever dream. 
So much more than anything.

He loves you more.
He loves you more
Than anything
Yes, He loves you more.
My Jesus loves you more
Than anything.

THIS. For real though. THIS IS PHENOMENAL. This very important message right in the chorus "He sees you there, He's heard your prayer" that truth has gotten me through so many sleepless nights. It gives me peace to know that I'm seen and heard by God. I'm not alone and I am loved by him. Don't keep chasing after a temporary love that isn't centered around Christ. He's the One true source of never ending love. And I promise you this, if you take all the broken pieces of your heart and you give them to God, He will put them back together again. He will put YOU back together again. Please please please know that you are always loved by someone. Even if you feel the whole world is against you, God won't be. Why not? Because... He loves you. So. Much. More.

So that's what I learned this weekend. Even though I knew God loved me already, reminders are always welcome and very much appreciated and that's a reason why I'm so thankful for my friends like the Birdsongs.
My heart is so full. Coleene, Priscilla, Dom, Philip, Matthew, Wendell, Timothy, Benjamin, and Heidi(and Logan, though she wasn't there this weekend)... I love all of you so much with my WHOLE heart. Thank you for always showing me how much God loves me and reminding me about my power in Him. I can't thank you all enough for helping to be a light in the darkness, my sunshine on a cloudy day... Thank you for being my Diamonds in the rough. I love you forever and for always.

Thanks for reading, and have a splendid upcoming week! ♥
~AbbyLynn

Reach

Hey there, sunshine...

So I said yesterday in my first post that I'll be doing a lot of song analyzing and explaining what the lyrics mean to me, and originally I had planned on doing this once a week, but I figured, hey, it's my blog and I feel like I should just write as it comes to me. So today we're gonna be looking at a very special song that's been close to my heart lately. This is Reach by Peter Furler.

Reach by: Peter Furler

You hold the weight of the world,
Still I don't slip through your hands.
Your love is bigger Than just an ocean 
built by man.

I fall again and again
But You whisper, "You're still mine".
You feel the pain of the world,
But You never push mine aside.

And You reach for me
With a love that quiets all my fears,
And You reach for me
Like a Father wipes away the tears.

So many people in this world,
But I hear You calling out my name.
You reach for me,
Now I'm never gonna be the same.
You know all of my fears,
There's nothing Your eyes can't see.
When I tried to give up,
Lord, You never gave up on me.

I give You all of my hopes and dreams,
I lay them down.
Of all the place I've looked,
You're the one truth I have found.

And You reach for me
With a love that quiets all my fears.
And You reach for me
Like a Father wipes away the tears.

So many people in this world,
But I hear You calling out my name.
You reach for me,
Now I'm never gonna be the same.

You hold the weight of the world,
Still I don't slip through Your hands.
You put the stars in the sky,
You know every grain of sand.

But You reach for me
With a love that quiets all my fears.
And You reach for me
Like a Father wipes away the tears.

So many people in this world
But I hear You calling out my name
You reach for me
Now I'm never gonna be the same.

Overall, I believe this song is a strong reminder of God's love for us and how he always wants us back no matter what we've done or how far we've strayed from him. He will always reach for us.

Now I'm gonna do this a little bit backwards because I wanna analyze my favorite part of the song last, so right now let's start by looking at the chorus...

And You reach for me
With a love that quiets all my fears.
And You reach for me
Like a Father wipes away the tears.

So many people in this world,
But I hear You calling out my name.
You reach for me,
Now I'm never gonna be the same.

This is the key point of the song, that God will continue to reach for us just as a father reaches to wipe his child's tears away. Because afterall, He is our Father and we are His children. It also reminds us that, though there are so many other people in this world, God still chooses to call us individually by name. I don't know about you, but this is beyond incredible to me. That God--the God of the universe, maker of the stars, creator of Heaven and Earth-- would choose to call each and every one of us by name. How special is that??

Next I'd like to take a look at the second set of verses...

You know all of my fears,
There's nothing Your eyes can't see.
When I tried to give up,
Lord, You never gave up on me.

I give You all of my hopes and dreams,
I lay them down.
Of all the place I've looked,
You're the one truth I have found.

These lines show how God is all knowing. There is nothing we've done that He doesn't know about, and though that can be scary, it's also comforting to know because that also means there's no pain that we've been through that He doesn't understand. And probably one of the most comforting things to me is how He never gives up on us. He knows us and has known us at even our darkest moments and He still loves us and wants us and won't give up on us. We can trust him, and no matter where else we look, we will never find another who can love us like He does.

Finally I'd like to look at my favorite part of the song, the part that's been the most relevant to me...

You hold the weight of the world,
Still I don't slip through your hands.
Your love is bigger Than just an ocean 
built by man.

I fall again and again
But You whisper, "You're still mine".
You feel the pain of the world,
But You never push mine aside.

Our God is INCREDIBLE. He loves us so so sooo much. So much that it's impossible to fully grasp. I mean honestly, it's amazing! He holds the whole world in his hands and has the weight of every creation on His shoulders, but He never lets go of us. We never slip through His hands. He never ignores a single one of our aches and pains of this world. His love for us is so big that even the size of the oceans isn't enough to compare to. But I think my favorite part of the song is this: "I fall again and again but you whisper 'You're still mine.'" I mentioned yesterday how I have strayed away from God for a while lately, and then to hear this, do you know how much that means to me? I did say that I've been making changes to my life to be closer to God, but here's the thing... I still stray away. I still fall down. I still abandon He who has NEVER abandoned me. Because no matter how much I try to be perfect, I cannot be. I am a human being who is incapable of achieving perfection in this life. But the hopeful part is this, I can fail and fall again and again and again and again but He will ALWAYS say "YOU'RE STILL MINE." Always.

Have a splendid day and remember, you are loved. ♥
~AbbyLynn

Welcome-- Come As You Are

Hello, cupcakes!

Welcome to my blog :)

This is where I will be posting lessons and lyrics and whatever else comes to mind. Let's start with an introduction on who I am!

My name is Abby, I'm a child of the One True King. 

I live in the Mitten, and I'm a typical college kid-- making mistakes, learning lessons and living life! However, I'm not quite like many typical college kids because I don't find my satisfaction in worldly treasures, I find it in Jesus Christ. I believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior and He's given me a new reason for life and a new song to sing. Without Him I'd be nothing!

But now let's be honest here, this blog has been so delayed because I keep waiting for some big revelation about life, and I wouldn't say I've had one huge revelation about who I am and how I should live, rather, I learn new lessons everyday and here is where I'll be expressing it most of the time. And I'd like to start off with something that I'll be posting about frequently. I'll be analyzing song lyrics of songs that have impacted my life, and how they've done that--basically talking about the important message I got from the song. So here we go...

Come As You Are by: David Crowder

"Come out of sadness From wherever you've been,

Come broken hearted Let rescue begin,
Come find your mercy, Oh, sinner come kneel
Earth has no sorrow That heaven can't heal.
Earth has no sorrow That heaven can't heal.

So lay down your burdens Lay down your shame,
All who are broken Lift up your face,
Oh wanderer come home, You're not too far.
So lay down your hurt, Lay down your heart,
Come as you are.

There's hope for the hopeless And all those who've strayed,
Come sit at the table, Come taste the grace,
There's rest for the weary, Rest that endures,
Earth has no sorrow That heaven can't cure.

So lay down your burdens Lay down your shame,
All who are broken Lift up your face,
Oh wanderer come home, You're not too far.
So lay down your hurt, Lay down your heart,
Come as you are.

Come as you are,
Fall in his arms,
Come as you are.

There's joy for the morning, Oh, sinner be still,
Earth has no sorrow That heaven can't heal,
Earth has no sorrow That heaven can't heal.

So lay down your burdens Lay down your shame,
All who are broken Lift up your face,
Oh wanderer come home, You're not too far.
So lay down your hurt, Lay down your heart,
Come as you are, Come as you are,
Come as you are."

The overall theme of this song, to me, is just about simply being yourself before God and letting Him love you for you. And that's a lot harder than it sounds, that's for sure. Now let's look at the verses...

v1:Come out of sadness From wherever you've been,

Come broken hearted Let rescue begin,
Come find your mercy, Oh, sinner come kneel
Earth has no sorrow That heaven can't heal.

v2:There's hope for the hopeless And all those who've strayed,
Come sit at the table, Come taste the grace,
There's rest for the weary, Rest that endures,
Earth has no sorrow That heaven can't cure.

v3:There's joy for the morning, Oh, sinner be still,
Earth has no sorrow That heaven can't heal.

Each of these three verses is a strong reminder to come out of your sadness and guilt and pain and shame and remember that God is greater than your brokenness and He's greater than even your darkest secret sins. I also love that at the end of each verse it says earth has no sorrow that Heaven cant heal/cure, because that is absolutely true. I'm currently going through my own very real, earthly pain, and I need that constant reminder that no matter my pain, there is no earthly sorrow, pain, or struggle that God cannot beat, because He is greater than I. He is greater than this. And He is greater than everything. But I think my favorite part of these verses is in the second verse when it says to sit and the table and taste the grace. That is in invitation to all, all meaning all people-- yes, sinners welcome-- to sit at the table with Jesus and taste His grace and love and mercy and please just be still and know that He is God. And he loves you, He wants you, and He chose and made you and then He lived and died for you. You are His and no darkness can stop our God.

And then lets look at the bridge and the chorus...

Chorus:So lay down your burdens Lay down your shame,
All who are broken Lift up your face,
Oh wanderer come home, You're not too far.
So lay down your hurt, Lay down your heart,
Come as you are.

Bridge:Come as you are,
Fall in his arms,
Come as you are.

This song is one of my favorite songs, not just David Crowder songs, but one of my favorite songs in general because I love the message it gives especially in the Chorus and bridge. No matter what you've done, or who you've been, you belong to God no matter how far you've fallen. I personally have strayed away from him for a while lately, and I felt a tug on my heart telling me to make some changes in the way I've been living, because I'm tired of living a part-time Christian life, when I have a full time Lord and Savior. You can come just as you are to Him and He will love you for who you are. But the best part is, though Jesus loves us the way we are, He loves us too much to leave us the way we came. He wants to work in us and change us and begin a new life in us. So come as you are to Jesus, and don't worry about how far or for how long you have strayed because He wants you back, I promise. Just come to him, fall in His arms, the arms of love, hope and peace-- The arms of Jesus-- and let him change your life from the inside out.

Have a splendid day and welcome to November! ♥

~AbbyLynn