Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts

Friday, July 21, 2017

Day 202: "But The LORD Said to Him"

Judges 6:22-23English Standard Version (ESV)

22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Days 162-167: "Fear Not, Little Flock"

Hi friends! Both L. and I are going to be gone at different camps serving this week, so we're posting a set of verses ahead of time for y'all to read and be encouraged with. This passage from Luke 12 is so heavy with encouragements from Jesus not to worry because the one who holds us knows what will happen and promises to take care of us! I pray it encourages you; I challenge you to meditate on it daily with me this week, trusting Jesus for our needs.
Love you guys! -M.

Luke 12:1-34 (ESV)

"In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first,"Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But he said to him,"Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them,"Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them a parable, saying,"The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Monday, May 29, 2017

Day 149: "It Is I"

Mark 6:49-51

Mark 6:49-51 ESV "But when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, 'Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.' And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded."

Monday, April 24, 2017

Days 111-114: "Fret Not Yourself"

Proverbs 24:19-22

Proverbs 24:19-22 (ESV) "Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise, for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?"

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Day 110:"Believe In God"

John 14:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)

 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?"

-Jesus

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Day 108-109: "Jesus Himself"

Luke 24:36-39 English Standard Version (ESV)

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, 'Peace to you!' But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?  See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

Day 107: "Go And Tell"

Matthew 28:9-10 English Standard Version (ESV)

"And behold, Jesus met them and said, 'Greetings!' And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.'"

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Day 106: "He Has Risen"

Mark 16:6-7 ESV


 "And he said to them, 'Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"

Friday, April 14, 2017

Day 104: "The Due Reward"

Luke 23:40-43

Luke 23:40-43 (ESV) "But the other rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'"  

Happy Good Friday, friends! May we remember where we stand with the Lord if we are without Him - deserving the same condemnation as the thieves on the cross. And we too would receive that justly if not for the high cost Jesus was willing to pay.

Here's a video that I hope will encourage and remind you of the love of Jesus: 


Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Day 102: "Not as the World Gives"

John 14:27

John 14:27 (ESV) "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Day 96: "Standing Firm in The Spirit"

Philippians 1:27-28 English Standard Version (ESV)

 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,  and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Day 31: "They Had Been With Jesus"



Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Day 10: "I Will Show You Kindness"

1 Samuel 9:7

And David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always." (ESV)

Years before saying this, David had made a promise to his best friend Jonathan to show the steadfast love of God to him and his family forever (1 Samuel 20:12-17 [you should read it]). Later David became the king of Israel but by then Jonathan had been killed so David started asking questions to see if any of Jonathan's family was still alive so he could fulfill his promise. A servant told him where to find Mephibosheth, Jonathan's only living son. David sent for him and made the promise above, and he kept it. He didn't just give him land and send servants to care for it but he gave him a seat at his table with his sons, to sit there always.
The Bible tell's us twice that Mephibosheth was crippled in both feet so he couldn't do much to replay David, but David didn't expect anything; he just cared for Maphiboshelth out of love for Johnathan, and faithfulness to his promise. He showed him kindness, not because of what he did, but because of who his father was.

The first time I remember hearing this story was at a church summer camp. My pastor pointed out that striking reflection of God's grace to mankind. God lavishes His love on us, calls us to His family (1 John 3:1), and offers us an inheritance with His Son (Romans 8:17), and  not because of what we have done or can do (remember? Mephibosheth was crippled,) but because of who we are to Him, because of who our father is.
So don't be afraid; God welcomes you freely; you don't have to earn his grace, He loves you for who you are and nothing will ever change that.
-L.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Easter - Is Jesus Missing?

Hey friends!!!

Happy Easter and happy almost April!! I wanted to share a poem with you guys!! I wrote it Sunday night when I was really just thinking a lot because this year felt so different from past Easters. Something felt wrong but I was still doing the same basic thing I'd always done for the holiday that is supposed to be designed for celebrating that Jesus rose from the grave. 

Disclaimer: the words of this poem might and probably will be considered offensive to some people. It's not pointed at anyone and I am not blaming or judging anybody in this poem. However, I am shamelessly calling out what I believe to be an oversight in the church and I honestly don't really care if that's offensive to people. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Oops, I forgot to take an Easter selfie yesterday and post it on the Internet with #heisrisen 
so all can see I love Jesus because that's all Easter is, isn't it, 
wait, Easter is the family picture, dressed to the nines, in front of our church, 
reminding the world that our family is perfect, 
that's all it's about. 

It couldn't be about the homeless man who walked up the street 
a few minutes after you stepped in to find a seat 
in an air conditioned room to listen to a sweet concert 
and hear the story again that Jesus died to make a way 
then he rose from the grave and he still lives today

But it can't be about that guy outside too, 
when he smells too bad to step foot in that room, 
you say God is risen but this man feels like he's in a tomb 
and he's starving for something more than just food 
but he probably didn't eat today either, 
but it's okay because you did and this is about you. 

Jesus forgave you for your sin
And he made you alive inside again
And he gave you a home to live in
And he let you take that for granted again

Because Easter is about you, right?
Jesus even died to give you new life! 
But he gave that guy outside new life also 
and he pays attention to him and loves him with all of his heart 
so much that he died,

And if this message moves you 
maybe you'll give your church fund some money,
maybe even go outside and slip him a twenty,

But aren't you gonna ask him his name? Learn about his journey in life? 
Pull him up from his darkness and share with him new life,
Even if it means you'll be late to family night,

All I'm saying is isn't Easter supposed to be about sacrifice? 

I think Jesus is missing not just from the tomb 
but maybe from our churches and hearts a bit too

I'm not trying to be pretentious. 
I'm still learning to walk my talk 
and live the words I give 
and reach out the same way I preach out 
but sometimes I've got to saying it 
so I can start making it happen 
and prove my words have actions. 

What if we start dying to live 
and trying to give light to those in darkness? 
Show em His heart for the heartless, 
maybe they'll see after all it isn't religion we worship 
it's the change in our lives that makes Jesus more than worth it to us 
to give up more than just our Sunday mornings to dress up 
while we mess up the rest of the week 
away from the eyes of the people 
but the eyes of the father still see. 

We are all homeless 
if Christ's tomb was still full. 
We would all be out in that cold 
world so many people are living in, 
they're really missing living in two homes; 
a home for their body but also a home for their heart 
that's why maybe we should think about starting 
to sacrifice a bit of ours to help them find both. 
But this point can't be contained in a single blog post

so I pray it reaches deeper past just mere words 
but transforms people who can then transform the world. 
-MB

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Crazy Months (and new adventures)


Hey all!

How have you been? We're sorry for leaving you all in the middle of October and never coming back (just kidding, I'm writing right now!!!)

Last time I hung out with you guys, it was the middle of SEPTEMBER (oops) and I had just been getting into a new school and work routine for my life. I haven't written here since then because I've been writing in other ways!!! (Like songs and spoken words!!! And another project that I'll tell you about in a minute...)

ON CLASSES: They're going really good for the most part! I still really am not loving my 8:25 music theory class (and that's not even that early!). We are done with Aristotle in our English class and only have one more paper and one presentation for the semester!!! We're looking at Ethics in my "university success" class and at the person of Jesus Christ in theology. :D

ON MUSIC: I've written two songs here at school!!! Both were homework assignments. :P I also am really looking forward to learning how to use the tech equipment we have in our new RECORDING STUDIO!!!! I really love the band that I'm a part of - it's so much fun to jam out with other people who love and follow Jesus and want to lift Him high the same way you do!

ON OTHER FUN THINGS: I was in a play!!!!! And I am currently doing a writing project called "NaNoWriMo!" That's an abbreviation for National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write 50,000 words in the month of November. That's 1,667 words a day!!! So the writing side of my brain is a little shot currently. I hope to blog at least a few more times here in November; but I apologize in advance if I end up under a rock the whole month!!! Maybe I'll post a little excerpt from the rough draft here sometime this month :D

ON THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit has been more present in my life in the last few weeks than I've ever felt Him. I used to worry about my salvation because of how sinful or messed up I was, but the fact that I hear the Holy Spirit's conviction so often in my, I am more assured and confident in my salvation than ever! I'm also more convinced of the things that God is calling me to do; even when I don't want to do it or feel uncomfortable doing it. (Especially when I feel uncomfortable doing it!)

ON SLEEP: Is it normal to fall asleep in the middle of the day and accidentally sleep for THREE AND A HALF HOURS??? I've done that twice in the last ten days.... (hehe oops). Hey, at least I didn't sleep through any classes!

ON MY NEW SISTER!!! We're adopting my baby sister!! We've had her in foster care for over a year now and on Friday, we are officially adopting her!!! I'M SO EXCITED GUYS!!!!!!!! (Can you tell?)

ON SIMPLEX STUFF: I have a post in my mind about Identity that I'm hoping to work on soon!! So you all can look forward to that! :D Also life gets simpler and simpler the more I think about it. Here's a new little perspective on what simplex means to me lately:

"The world gets crazier and crazier. God calls, 'talk with me.' 
Your life circumstances get heavier, Jesus says, 'I died for those.' 
The culture whispers to you to enjoy yourself, the Holy Spirit cries, 'deny yourself.'
It's a simple sentence. But the fact that it's from the Lord of the galaxies makes it astronomical."

Thanks for reading! Talk to you all soon!
-M.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

New Project: 10,000 Reasons


Hi readers! M. here :D

I was going about my day today and decided I needed some encouragement or motivation (or something of that sort). I have a lovely little jar from my graduation last year containing notes of encouragement (AND PAPER CLIPS!!! --Ahem. Sorry.) from E. and L. (Aren't they just aa-mazing?? Yeah, I know.)

Anyway.

I pulled this one out today:

 
It was a very timely encouragement for me. I  recalled a project I'd dreamed of doing, but never made any progress on, that I like to call "10,000 Reasons." The idea is to write out literally 10,000 reasons that God is worthy to be praised.

So I took some time tonight to do that!! I got out some small canvases that I'd been saving for some art project that I'd never do and this resulted: 



This is only 50 different words/praises/reasons so I'm really looking forward to what this looks like at the end!! (To put it in perspective, I'm half of 1% of the way done with the project. I need to do this again 199 times before I reach 10,000 reasons...) I'm planning to keep you all updated every hundred words/praises/reasons.
 
This is my new project, guys! I don't know if it'll just take the summer or the whole school year or multiple school years!! I do know this, though: Christ is worthy to be praised over 10,000 times and I owe Him praise every day in every way!

What else should I add on to this project? Comment below and I'll write it in! :D
As always, thanks for reading!
-M.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Random Vent on Purpose

Hello, readers! M. here.

I was inspired the other day by this quote I saw on Pinterest:
(credit goes to the original author, it is not my property)
I wanted to love it so much. It sounds like the quaintest little description of people I've ever read. But at the same time; this view of us is really so wrong.

Why? I think that whoever wrote this missed an important part of the picture. Yes, humans are cute. We have our weird quirks and habits, we are living and loving under the countless stars. But we're not just animals, we don't just do this stuff for no reason. We're more than bodies, we are souls. And we were created by a loving God to have breakfast beneath billions of stars. And we were created to do that for His glory. 
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

I like thinking about the beauty of the story that God is writing into each life on earth.

If I rewrote this little passage, it would look like this:

"Humans are so cute; when we say goodbye we put our arms around each other and to show we love someone we bring them flowers. We say hello by holding each others hand, and sometimes tiny little dewdrops form in our eyes. But the simple things like that can't even begin to describe how much greater our purpose in life really is. We are God's precious creations, and he loves us so much he'd die to have time with us in eternity. And we bring God our tiny little efforts to be like him because it makes him smile when we want to please Him. We're just His children learning to fall in love with Him and having breakfast beneath billions of stars; stars that He made to give us just a glimpse of His magnificence." 

There's my random vent on purpose for you all today! Talk to you later!

Friday, April 17, 2015

Who I am

Hello dearest readers!

M. here. It really has been over a month since I last shared with you guys... and I have officially run out of excuses. Sorry. :/

I've been in my head too much lately, and I've been aware of it. So I started trying something new where I write out stuff that's going on, in my head and in the world.

"I need to get out of my head."

"It's too quick, too random, too MUCH in general. I just can't think a thought because all of the sub-thoughts that follow drown it out."


I made a list of the main thoughts and sub-thoughts (and random connections) that had been floating around that day and drew arrows that connected different points. Off to the side, I wrote, "But in the end, your grace covers it all?"

I ended that last sentence with a question mark, because sometimes I don't feel worthy of God's grace. Okay, I almost ALWAYS feel unworthy of God's grace. My levels of self-confidence and self-worth are fairly connected, so when I feel good, I get prideful (bad) but when I am humble, I'm also usually feeling worthless (also bad!). So I made three more lists...

List 1. I am:
  • Busy
  • Stressed
  • Tired
  • Sore
  • Distracted
  • Selfish
  • Prideful
  • Uncaring
  • Alone
Without Christ

So this list was a description of how my day-to-day living feels when I don't let Christ in.

List 2. I am NOT:
  • Worthless
  • Hopeless
  • Too far gone
  • Identified by my past
  • Broken beyond repair
  • Defeated
  • Ugly
  • Stupid
  • Who I make myself
  • Just a story
  • A failure
  • A waste of God's time
  • What others think of me
  • My makeup, clothes, or hairstyle
Because Christ says these are lies.

This list was just a needed reminder of the countless things the devil is trying to get me to believe that simply aren't true.

And finally... List 3. CHRIST calls me:
  • Redeemed
  • Treasured
  • Faithful
  • Loving
  • Caring (This and the last two are struggles for me; Christ's GRACE alone makes me able)
  • To die for!
  • A masterpiece
  • Beautiful
  • "The resurrection with skin" (We have the power that made Christ rise from the dead inside of us!!)
  • Part of the best Story
  • Victorious
  • A child of His
  • A co-heir with Christ
  • Identified by His grace
  • Selfless (along with faith, love, and caring)
  • At peace (stress doesn't need to control me)
  • Renewed
  • His delight
And I am worth it ALL to Him!

So, yeah. Basically Christ's claims are more important to me than the craziness going on in my brain. I think I might do this writing thing more often... :D What would you add to these lists?

I'll close with a quote of L.'s from a recent Bible study: "It must be insane to be God!" :D
See you next time! (Hopefully it won't be another month... I'll try, friends! I'll try.)
-M.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

On College and "Those Days"

Hello, dear readers! Happy Spring! :D

M. here. I feel like I'm returning to an old home. It hasn't really been that long since I last blogged (yeah, it has) but it's FELT like forever!! My life has just been packed with school, music, work, organizing, planning, and dreaming of the future. Every time I returned to this page, I felt like I had nothing to write about... So sad. But my mind has been far from empty; most of my thoughts are of school, or more importantly, getting ready for COLLEGE!!!!

Guys, I'm going to college in 5 1/2 months. 159 days. (Yes, I'm counting now.) Which is 3816 hours.... Oh, forget it!!

I'm going to college. (shrieks in excitement)

I've got my schedule, my room assignment, my packing list, my summer job, and my AWESOME friends and family helping me along the way with it all. My major will be a dream experience for me; by studying Worship Arts I get to take music classes, voice lessons, be in choirs, and ALSO get to take theology courses!!! I honestly don't know which ones I'm more excited for.

Why am I going to college?? I thought I was like, 12 three weeks ago. Who let me grow up???

I am thinking about starting a series or collection of posts for the blog on my college experience, including packing and planning, organizing and prettifying my dorm, what I learn in classes, studying and learning tips, and all the simplex things that happen throughout the journey! (If I have time, that is....) I'll probably begin posting things of that sort once I finish my online classes in May. :D

Okay, enough about schoolish things. Here is some simplex encouragement for you today!!! (In hindsight, it's actually really deep... but that's okay!)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

You know those days when you want to kick a chair over? Or maybe those days when you want to disappear into your room and melt away into your bed? Or maybe those days when you really, really need a hug and no one's around?? Or even those days when you can't think straight because of the constant barrage of things to do and places to be and work to finish but you have no time???

You know "those days?" If someone came up and asked you how you were, would you say, "It's been one of those days!"

Yeah, I have those days too. (Duh.) Everyone has those days! (Again, duh.) The worst part of days like that, for me, are when I don't learn anything from them. I know that God is supposed to be using every moment to teach me something about Him, or myself; but a lot of the time it seems like those days are just there. I try to ask God what He's teaching me, but I hear no answer. Then without skipping a beat I get mad at God and turn to something, anything besides Him for comfort. I don't really even bother to wait any longer than a minute for a calming peace, a solution to the problem, or a teaching moment.

My problem with "those days" isn't really how bad the day actually is. It's that God isn't helping fix it when I want Him to.

It's taken me a really long time to figure out this sentence I'm going to share with you: God doesn't run on your timing; He is not your servant but your King. That is a very simple sentence that I'm sure most you would agree with. But during one of those days, do you really live like it's true?

Here's an example. (It's kind of a long one.) Last fall, I was set to attend a gap year program in another state. I had attended youth camps put on by this association and had always loved them; but an actual nine month study program sounded beyond epic to me. Because I hadn't originally intended to do any school during my gap year, I was torn between staying home or trying to go there.

I trusted God with the decision and sent in my application. I actually put my dreams in His hands and was confident He'd help me make the right decision. I was accepted and was ecstatic!! I began dreaming of the opportunities, obviously. But it was short-lived excitement. I couldn't afford the cost of the program and had to withdraw a month before it began. I was crushed. All the trust I'd put in Jesus, and it felt like He'd dumped me in the garbage. 

For the last year, this experience has weighed on me because I could not understand why God put me through that. I've had some great moments this year that showed me that I was meant to stay home (See: It's the Little Things, Hugs from Jesus) and I understood that, but why didn't He just steer me away from the opportunity or tell me not to apply, so I wouldn't get my dreams shattered? My level of passion in the things I loved went waaay down last fall, even unconsciously, because God had taken something away from me.

That's always the magic question, isn't it: why?? Here's the magic answer: God doesn't run on your timing; He is not your servant but your King. (Look familiar?) Technically, we don't have the right to ask God why He does things His way. Sure, He lets us ask away, but He's never obliged to answer.

Here's the most important part, though, in this equation: If God wants us to know what's going on, He will tell us!! He loves us enough to want to do that for us. He doesn't have to tell us anything really (See: the book of Job!!) but He chooses to give us answers sometimes for the sake of showing us how He loves us!!

In the example I gave, I only recently have come to an understanding of why I went through that time of confusion last summer. God wanted to give me something beyond me and out of my control. It forced me to trust Him with it, which I did. But He also wanted me to accept the outcome I didn't expect (having the door opened and then quickly shut again) and continue to trust Him, which I did not do. I tried to take back the control of my own life once I thought that God couldn't handle it. Obviously He could have and did, but I was running the wrong direction to see it!

Yeah, that's basically what happened last summer!! ;)
Through the Christmas season and these first two months of this year, God has been revealing why I went through that tough time: He was teaching me to accept His changes of direction because they're way better! I probably wouldn't be going to the college I am this fall, if I had gone to that program last year. I might have not pursued a degree in Worship Arts, I might not have seen our little brother's adoption (!!) or met the AWESOME kids I work with each week. And I definitely wouldn't have learned the lesson of changing direction when I really needed it.

It only took me a few months for this resolution, but sometimes it may take years to get it. You may never get it. (Again, see: the book of Job.) God doesn't run on your timing!! I've learned the hard way that going God's way will hurt your heart less in the long run, and I hope you never have to learn it the hard way. Do you have any thoughts on this topic? Comment away!

Remember this: God hears. He knows. His timing is perfect.
As always, thanks for reading!
M.

Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!
-Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)