God has shown me time and time again—

When we, when you, when I, when all of us face difficulty, opposition and the oppressive hands of every enemy of God—

We aren’t to ask “why?”

In the midst of trouble, we need to look around and see what kind of seeds on the ground can be found.

We can KNOW that God is cultivating.

He is fertilizing.

He is creating a move of His Glory that is tantalizing.

He is marinating and soaking His Goodness and Favor in a situation, in a foundation, in a person, in a relationship, in a business, in a community.

Just like yeast working in with the flour, the water the sugar—God is expanding His Kingdom producing something that’s going to be really good!

Every relationship you have in life can bring merit. Doesn’t matter if it was a good or a not so good relation. Doesn’t matter how long it lasted or nature of the relationship. God can take it and position our hearts to expand for His Glory.

I can think back to the end of High School. I didn’t really have a future “plan”. But I had a friend who God completely used to guide and push me to go away to college and all the reasons I needed to go away. It turned out to be one of the smartest decisions of my life for a number of reasons.

When I was just entering graduate school I dated a fella for a bit of time. He was a good man. One of the things this friend taught me was about cooking! My friend was a sous chef in a Bay Area restaurant. He loved to cook and I learned a lot about it from him. One thing I learned was how to make pizza crust from scratch. Tastes better than anything!

Right now I have a friend who is a highly successful business woman/entrepreneur and she really presses me toward my goals. She is always asking about them and the steps needed to achieve and I just love that about her!

And I have a few friends that are closer than close and have prayed me through some difficult spots over the last twenty years of my life.

My whole life I have known I am winsome. I love people and engaging them by the heart is amazing. I want more than anything to make others feel special and to know how special they are. I believe God is winsome as well. He knows we have to be winsome to win some.

So when we face difficulties. When we have relationships that may be strained or in difficulty, what is it God is doing to expand? How can we see His winsome goodness around us? How can we display His Kingdom Glory to others? How can we effectively love the hurting, feed the hungry, restore the broken and soothe those whose hearts have been Inflamed with the pain of life?

It just may require our winsome love offered to others that works in a heart and expands the yeast.

Sometimes it requires a fiery season for us to become effective or it requires a unique situation to posture us just where God needs us for His plan to happen. Sometimes the fire is needed to make the work complete. If you’ve baked pizza you know it requires a hot oven—atleast 400 degrees.

You have been positioned for Glory.

Seasons change.

Relationships change.

We change!

People come.

People go.

But there is a God in Heaven who knows the very simple foundation and ingredients needed for your life.

He knows what to add and He knows what to take away.

He knows which people are for a season of life and which are going to stay and be in your life for the rest of your life.

You can trust Him.

God is cooking and creating and making something delicious from your life.

So when it gets hot—

Don’t worry.

Something good is coming.

Taste and see, that He forever remains Good.

~Nicole🍕

 “Jesus also used this illustration: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.’” Matt. 13:33