Partying Alone

Have you ever tried to plan a party? You might start by creating a list.

• Invite guests. 
• Clean the house. 
• Buy groceries. 
• Set up supplies beforehand. 

Then, slowly, as the day approaches, you mark off each item. You've purchased your groceries; your house is clean. Supplies are set up, and everything is ready. But what about the guests? Only a few friends sent in the RSVP. Some said they couldn't make it. Others aren't sure. You don't know who is going to show up, if anyone at all. You feel let down, hurt, and maybe even a little alone. Thoughts shrouded in doubt whiz through your head with the speed of hurricane winds.


I was sure she would come.
Didn't they just go on vacation?
You can't stop by for just an hour?
Clearly, she doesn't like me as much as I thought.

It happens. (Unfortunately!)

As humans, we enjoy being around others. In fact, God even encourages it!


"The LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'" Genesis 2:28


"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
1 Thessalonians 5:11


However, there comes a time when we often put "our people" on pedestals. We put so much faith in them and rank them to high levels that they will never meet. Then, inevitably, they let us down, and we become upset. We trust them to meet a need that they can't possibly fill.

God calls us to put our trust in Him. He is the only one who will never let us down. We can hold Him to the highest standards that we can imagine, and He will still surpass them. Moses says to Joshua, in Deuteronomy 31:8, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

So as we become discouraged or let down by others, we have to stand on God's truth. How amazing is it to know that the God of the universe promises to always be with us. (Little old us?!) He won't be out of town or have other plans. He'll be there, no matter what happens, and He's sticking around even after all the cake is eaten and the buffalo chicken dip is cold! You don't have to be alone! We can not and should not put our faith in other people. It's not fair to them. God wants us to put our faith in Him. He wants us to depend on Him, and He wants to let us know, that through that faith, we will find fulfillment.

Do not look to your friends or family to fill you up. Despite their very best intentions, at some point, they will let you down. God will not.


"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

When Negatives Need to Become Positives

Most of the time, I'm my own worst enemy. I struggle with remembering that I'm not here to please others or live to their standards. I'm here to live on God's standards. It's easy to say, but it's not always easy to do. I find myself feeling inadequate far too often because I'm allowing the judgement of the world to rule over God. If I feel like I'm not living up to what the world wants from me, then I decide that I'm not good enough. For all of us, that type of attitude often leads to all sorts of negativity--negativity about work, negativity about relationships, negativity about ourselves. We can never be "good enough" to a world that is full of evil. That is why we shouldn't allow our surroundings to control the way we feel about ourselves.

Negative thoughts are like a weed taking root in the middle of a bed of beautiful flowers--they'll eventually take over. Allow one to seep in and more and more will follow until they completely consume you.

Those negative thoughts infiltrate my mind more often than I'd care to admit. I know I'm not alone in this, so I wanted to share what God gave me through a Joyce Meyer devotion. I hope that if you're allowing the world to judge you instead of giving that control to God, that you, too, will find this helpful. <3

"To be honest, a lot of us are negative thinkers when we find ourselves in challenging situations. But to move past trying times, you have to take your negative thoughts and turn them into positive thoughts...Being positive is powerful. And a big part of being positive is simply reminding yourself of your past successes." -Joyce Meyer


**If you don't already have a YouVersion account, I encourage you to take the time to create one. You can find devotionals from Joyce Meyer and many others on YouVersion. It's truly an incredible app!**