 What's going on everybody? Welcome back to Conversations with Carrie. I know. I know. It's been too long. Like for real this time I feel like I start every video with it but as my business partner at work would say life has been life-in. So but your girl is here and happy Thanksgiving. I'm sure for some of y'all you've been out with family and stuff but what I'm about to do after I get done with y'all? Put on some sweats, gonna rub my feet together, eat some sweet potato pie. But anyway I was not feeling this great this morning so that's what I wanted to come over here. It's like you know what Lord put it on my heart. I wrote a new blog on it so if you're you know you love to write or read please check out carrylee.com. I'll put the link down below in the description box so you can head on over there and check things out. But I woke up this morning actually all week I was kind of feeling a little by humbug-ish because for just keeping it all the way real I was like here I am the single friend again who is showing up at everybody else's holiday because I don't have my boo to spend the holidays with. You know it is what it is I know how to get myself together you know read my word encourage myself like praise and worship like I know how to do all that and you probably do too. But as I said before the Lord I was like I was just kind of like oh I'm just I'm just tired of this season I'm tired of this time and when I woke up today I felt like okay I'm supposed to write about this but then immediately I was hit with well what are you gonna say like what are you even gonna talk about people are tired of hearing about you in your single season people are tired of hearing that nobody wants to hear that you know you're struggling in your season season season or something like that and that's when I was like okay I'm supposed to write this because otherwise why would all the doubt and discouragement try to like take me over to not write it and I was like somebody needs to hear this and also it will give God glory so here I am how you doing um so let me tell you I open my Bible and I'm just like Lord there's not a Bible story that talks about being single in the holidays I need some encouragement this morning so what do you want me to read I was like literally like Lord Holy Spirit open my eyes to see what you want me to see let my ears hear what you want me to hear let my heart receive whatever it is you wanted to receive and so I was coming okay well let me read about Jesus I turn the Luke Luke chapter one and verses six and seven boom hit me and I was like okay Lord this is what I needed and verses six and seven say they were both righteous in the sight of God talking about Zachariah the priest and Elizabeth and they were both righteous in the sight of God walking blamelessly and all the commandments and requirements of the Lord but they had no child because Elizabeth was bearing and they were both advancing years first six tells me that Zachariah Zachariah and Elizabeth were living righteously like they weren't out here while and out I think oftentimes we think that oh yeah center is somebody's a sinner which we all were sitting born sinners but you know we're born again and saved through the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus Christ but it's like okay well you know if you ain't living for Lord then it makes sense to stuff ain't happening for you whatever which that's a story for another day we ain't gonna go there but when I read this I was like so Lord they're doing they're living how you want them to live and they still hadn't received the promise that or that they're they're the manifestation of their faith of having the child Elizabeth was bearing and I thought about that and I'm like so often I have tried to tie my weight or my desire to the fact that oh well you know what I was welling out back in those days that's probably why I don't have a husband or that you know like all of a sudden I tried to rationalize it by bringing up by tying it to my past which I know that's a that's a trick of the enemy I'm very very clear on that however sometimes it'll be like this is just a little voice in the back of my head and Lord has remind me like I forgive you when you repent it I forgive you your sins are as far as far from you as the east is from the west so if Jesus is not remembering my sins if I know that he bore my sins on that cross why am I remembering them and why do I think that I serve a God who would you know like oh well I'm gonna make you get in trouble for that because you did it back in the day no like yes we reap what we sow but also we are covered by grace so that when I saw this I was like okay so even people who are righteous and living as according to Lord face challenges and the word the word says that in this world you will face difficulties and I'm like yes I have not seen the manifestation yet but I know that have a God who has given me this desire for a reason it's just a matter of time you know as my pastor talked about recently reaping the reward for what you sow takes time it takes time and it's all a reaping is all tied to timing so I saw this not just like okay Lord I get it yes so if they can wait you know I know I can wait but then also the fact that that Elizabeth was barren was really a you know a social stigma during that time and hello who can relate to that me because singleness sometimes especially during the holidays can feel like a social stigma to a certain degree you know sometimes it's just like I don't like feeling like the only you know or like oh let me do this about myself you know I know I have wonderful people loving me but as I thought about this I might sometimes people especially in church when you're over 30 like oh my gosh you're still single they might you know I'm thinking oh you they probably think I'm wrong with me or they probably think I'm too picky like all these things may come to mind when that's really not the case it's just that the Lord is preparing something for me he's not punishing me he's preparing me for what he has for me so in the meantime my job is to seize the season and really do what the Lord would have me to do so I want to take her as you with the same thing like you know what yes I know that it can be difficult when you go in from house to house or you don't have house to house to go to for the holidays and you're thinking gosh I'm really tired of this season in my life but let me tell you God has a purpose like he came to Elizabeth and Zachariah John the Baptist the forerunner of Christ like not only did he answer their prayer but he went exceedingly abundantly and gave them this amazing child like if he did it for them he'll also do it for you and it also says on here that they were advanced in years so not only was Elizabeth older which sometimes you feel like oh my gosh like age sometimes is such a phenomenon because we feel like oh my best years are gone I don't know how many times I've heard people say different things like that and I'm like no my best years are still ahead of me like your girl is 40 and thriving okay so I truly believe that I there's more to it but you know the enemy will have you thinking like oh well you don't miss your prime years like you might as well give up on that dream why do you even still want to do that anymore and I'm sure Elizabeth she had probably given up on having the child but I love that the word says that God answered the petition of Zachariah because Zachariah had been covering his wife in prayer how beautiful and you may be saying well Kerry I'll have a husband covering me you know what you may not have a husband covering you in prayer but you have you know if you're born to a church family you have a pastor you have a church family members community covering you you have friends and you have me I don't know you but I'm lifting you up in prayer today to let you know that I pray the Lord would just give you peace that surpasses all understanding I pray that he would give you contentment that just feels your heart so that you can shift your perspective and see you know what it's not that oh I'm single in the holidays well with me instead is oh my gosh I'm single on the holidays I get to enjoy this life COVID has hit almost everybody in some type of way whether it's your friend your auntie your cousin somebody a co-worker and you are alive and well so that means that God has plans for you he has plans for your life and you do not have to be discouraged so you can shift you you can choose to shift your perspective