Let go.

"Trust me enough to let things happen without striving to predict or control them. Relax, and refresh yourself in the Light of my everlasting Love...Don't divide your life into things you can do by yourself and things that require My help. Instead, learn to rely on me in every situation. This discipline will enable you to enjoy life more and to face each day confidently" (297). -Sarah Young.

God makes no mistakes.

You are special
You are treasured
You are loved
You are chosen
by the Almighty God of the Universe
You are wanted by Him...
or else, He as the omnipotent One, would have stopped your existence.
You have a purpose.

The other day in my Christian Beliefs class we talked about God as the One who makes no mistakes. My roommate broke down as the concept of being chosen and special because so evident to her. Her realization was beautiful and meant a lot to every one in the class.

Since that class on Thursday, I have been thinking a lot about being chosen by God and thinking about how he did not make mistakes in the people around me. I hate to admit I struggle with pride and viewing people in ways that I shouldn't. I can get frustrated of people when I shouldn't, but God is showing me a lot about His works. Getting irritated and allowing myself to act bitterly towards people is wrong because God is the creator of all existence and he makes NO mistakes.

After realizing this, may I know this in my heart. God makes no mistakes. May I take on His attitude, for he makes no mistakes and no person is less important. No person has less of a purpose.

Just something short and profound.

"Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things- with resignations, yes, but above all with blazing serene hope" -Corazon Aquino

Because of my weakness

How is it even possible to be experiencing so much joy and peace in the midst of hardship? I feel like I'm crying everyday still, but it's not this I have no hope sort of cry. It's a needy cry. It's a heartbroken I have no control sort of cry. But the joy comes by Who I'm crying to. I know I may sound weak to some, but I refuse to stuff my hurt in and just let it explode later, but I'm at the point where I can't just mindlessly cry. And that's why I have joy. I still don't like the situation, but I keep saying "God help me to accept this today". I may pray it multiple times throughout the day. He is fulfilling it. It doesn't mean I don't hurt. I just feel this incredible hope. It's a hope I can't explain. I don't know what the hope is for other than just living. It's a strength. It's an excitement. It's me looking forward to thanking God for every moment throughout the day that I can think and breathe and have food to eat and a place to sleep. It's a hope that causes me to depend completely on God. And I love it. And I just can't get over it.

And I feel as though I am bringing glory to Him because of my weakness.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness". -2 Corinthians 12:9

Ultimate Good.

It's pretty crazy to think about all the good that can come from a bad situation. There's still a lot of good I can't see from this situation, but I know I've been growing a lot spiritually and just as an individual. I'm seeking to let go.

C.S. Lewis said "Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved one's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained". I know I've failed at loving in this way because I couldn't get my mind off of ME being his ultimate good. I still think we could have been for each other, but right now I'm just focusing on ultimate good even if it doesn't involve me.

I don't know what God has in store for my ultimate good yet, but I don't want to exclude Him while I'm waiting to find out.

Psalm 13
"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, I have overcome him, and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me."

Lord, thank you for who you are. I don't say that enough. You are peace. You are strength. You are the purest of all love. Let your spirit shine brightly through me, so others may look at me and see your spirit. May I recognize you always as the Ultimate Good, the only reason I can begin to associate myself with any good.

Service, Change, and Investments

I've been thinking a lot lately about service. As a Christ follower, I know I am called to live my life in service. I am called to invest my life in people and show Christ's attitude to them.

So why is it that so often we hear Christians talk about being comfortable? I hear it a lot in college. "I don't want to go to church here because I'm not going to live here after college anyway. My church home is way better than anything here". I don't understand this statement. As Christians we are all a part of One body, saved by One God. I understand having a home church body, but why be so close minded to the rest of the church body? Wouldn't this be a great opportunity to be unified with other believers? Isn't this the time to explore new relations?

Especially at my school, it is pretty common for one to find his spouse in college. College is the time of change, new experiences, new investments. That's the way I view church. I go to build relationships for the rest of the three years I'm here. I have no idea where I'll be after college. Kansas isn't a top priority for me, that's for sure. But where would I be three years from now if I never got out of my comfort zone and never got established in a church body?

In a chapel service recently I was challenged to invest in people. The speaker reminded me that we cannot take anything we own or anything we create in this world to heaven. Nothing. But people go to heaven. And what if we invested in people and those people were able to go to heaven? He challenged us to invest in people in the unexpected times. Serve people fully when they come to you. Seek to meet needs of those around you. Who are we to be so self-focused?

This is why I am seeing the importance of church. I know I can learn so much from the people around me and I am so excited for the three years of learning I can do just by attending a church nearby. And from there I am choosing to be involved. Why? Because God calls us to service. He doesn't say "hey you won't be there for awhile, so you're off the hook!"

So maybe I don't have all the answers. I don't know what I'll be doing a few years from now, who I'll marry, how I'll serve, or even where I'll be. Something I hope to learn is how to serve others in my every day life. The book "The Power of Serving Others" challenged me with the type of mindset I should be having to others. Humble yourself to be able to say to people: "I see you. You matter...being ignored, or unseen is a terrible disease. Feeling unworthy is another one" (72). It is my prayer that I can put this thought into action not only for the people I already have relationships with but in my everyday attitude.

One last quote from Frank E. Peretti that challenges me to grow: ""Comfort can be a dangerous thing. You stick around home all the time where it's safe and nothing ever changes, and before you know it, you get set in your ways and you quit learning, you quit changing, you don't grow anymore."

"Give the world the best you have anyway"

This excerpt the words of Kent Keith in "Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments" hangs in one of Mother Teresa's orphanages in Calcutta:

"People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend your years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway"