GET TO KNOW ME
Hi there!
My name is Elizabeth Hamilton, and I am so glad you’re here!
I have a huge passion for sharing the heart of Jesus, especially with people who are going through dark times in life. As I continue moving through life, my goal is to offer some glimpses of joy, hope, and laughter, while also acknowledging the very real pains that this world inflicts upon us. Out of the Snare is my way of trying to do just that. I hope that this blog can be a source of light for you no matter what your circumstances might be!
WHERE AM I FROM?
I was born and raised in a small mountain town in Western North Carolina, and I actually grew up on a horse farm (living every little girl’s dream, right?). I started working for the family business when I was eight, just doing little things here and there to start (my brother and I would earn ten cents for every pile of manure we scooped each day haha!). I worked there all through middle and high school and continued until after I graduated college and got a teaching job in 2021. During the same year, I married an absolute gem of a man, and I am actually typing this on our first anniversary!
What do I do?
I went to college in my hometown and graduated with a degree in Secondary Education and another in English. After wanting to be a teacher since I was six years old, I finished up my first year and knew without a shadow of a doubt that the public school system was not where God wanted me, so I decided not to go back. But God sure does know what He’s doing, because He opened up a door for me to become the Student Ministries Director at my church, and I absolutely love it!
Why did i start out of the snare?
One of my degrees is in English, and I truly love writing. There is just something about the written word that is so very impactful. It has been a dream of mine since I was very young to one day write a book, and while I don’t feel it’s time for that yet, I have definitely felt a pull on my heart to begin sharing my story. It has taken me quite a long time to get up the nerve to actually do this thing, but here I am!
WHY “OUT OF THE SNARE”?
Choosing a name for a blog is actually quite a daunting task. I wanted it to be perfect–to fit exactly what my goals for the blog are and to be personal to me. As I was brainstorming ideas, my mind kept trailing back to a passage in the Bible that I have come to consider as my “anthem.” The whole book of Psalms is a beautiful example of what it really looks like to walk with the Lord. Being a Christian does not mean that life becomes easier, it just means that you always have someone to walk through the difficult times with. Psalms shows those continuous ups and downs in life–the times when you rejoice and when you lament–and I think that’s why it’s one of the most quoted books in the Bible. It’s real, and people need real.
Psalm 124 has a particularly special place in my heart. Growing up, I walked through a lot of pain and loss. I lost my father at 9, my mother at 15, and experienced abuse by a close family member. Thankfully, I was raised to know God, and though it wasn’t always easy, I somehow managed to always trust that He had my back. Whenever people would ask me how I got through everything, my honest response was always “God got me through it.”
The first time I read Psalm 124, I cried. It was everything I believed about my own life but could never quite put into words. I truly would have been swallowed alive had He not been on my side. I am the bird who made it out of the snare.
I never want someone to have to go through their own life feeling as if they are trapped. I want everyone to know that they have God on their side, and all they have to do is invite Him to help and He will. That doesn’t mean the battles will disappear, but it will give you a way to see through them, and that can truly make all the difference.
1 If the Lord had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
2 if the Lord had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
4 the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
5 the raging waters
would have swept us away. 6 Praise be to the Lord,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
