Author: Dear Heart

Hey! My name is Tikvah Gilman. I am 20 years old and have lived a life full of ups and downs. For the last few years I have been suffering from a chronic illness. You might not believe me when I say this but, we have a lot in common. You might not have a chronic illness however we are both living in this beautiful yet broken world. Through this blog my hope is through sharing my story of how God gives me the strength to keep living each day, my prayer is that through me walking out my story, it would encourage your to live out yours. No matter how easy or difficult it may be.

What Can pluck us from His hand?

Dear Heart,
Let me tell you something. No one and nothing can pluck you out of the hand of your God.
Wait what? Is that really true that nothing can snatch you out of the hands of the God of the universe?????
YES! It is true! The Bible says so, so it is so.
In John 10 Jesus is talking about his sheep. Not the animal kind of sheep but the us kind of sheep. If you have no idea what I mean by the “us kind of sheep” let me tell you about it real quick. 
You know how a shepherd’s job is to guide, lead, and protect their flock of sheep? Well, that’s one way the Bible describes God and then it describes us as His sheep because we are to follow Him like a sheep follows his shepherd. God is THE GREAT SHEPHERD. Always guiding, leading, and protecting us.
In John 10:28 Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will pluck them out of my hand.”
Dang, that is a pretty good promise right there.
I don’t know what you are going through but take heart, because the God of the universe is guiding leading and protecting you. No matter how big or small the rut you are stuck in may be, it’s not going to pluck you out of HIS HANDS. 
Anxiety that steals your breath… it will not pluck you out of His hands. Days that leave you hopeless and searching for answers… they will not pluck you out of His hands. Fear that invades your mind and steels your peace… it can not pluck you out of his hands. The voices that you hear that are telling you that you are a lost cause or that you messed up too many times… YOU MUST KNOW that that is a lie because NO ONE and NOTHING can and will pluck you out of the hand of God.
God, the Great Shepherd is WITH you. He is not only with you but he is FOR you. He is  not only for you but he PURSUES you. He not only pursues you but he KNOWS you. He not only knows you but he LOVES you.
Your name is engraved upon his hand and your name is written on his heart. Never forget that no one and nothing can pluck you out of his hands. 
-Courage, dear heart

First Blog Post

Do you ever feel like you have a million thoughts swirling around your mind?
Please tell me I am not the only one! When this happens, (let’s be real it happens to me all the time.) I pick up a my pen and note book and I write. I find a lot of freedom when I write. It’s my way of processing.
I always have kept my writing to myself except for the odd time that I have shared it with my family or close friends.
Something I have been asked is, “Tikvah, why don’t you share this publicly?”
And honestly, I can answer that question with one word… FEAR.

I have been afraid of not doing it “right” or not being good enough. I have been afraid of sharing too much or not sharing enough. I’d rather keep my writing to myself and not let anyone see it because that feels so much safer. But, I have realized that we aren’t meant to keep our stories hidden. Our stories are meant to be shared.
How often has someone else’ story given you the courage to continue on?
I know for me, hearing other peoples stories has inspired and empowered me more times than I can count. I love other peoples stories; hearing about the beauty and the pain, the good times and bad. We can learn so much from each other.

By starting this blog I am saying goodbye to the fear that has held me back! I want to invite you to come with me on this journey of life.
Weather you are an CEO of a super successful company, an artist, a stay at home mom, a doctor, a cashier at a grocery store, a high school student, a pastor, or you are laying in bed with a chronic illness my hope is that this blog would encourage you to keep on keeping on.
Know that you are so deeply loved and your story is worth living.

Rejoice in the good times, shed a tear in the bad, and always hope… never give up.

“Courage, Dear Heart.” – C.S. Lewis