Wednesday, April 20, 2011
I Wonder.
How hard will I cry out of joy when I get to Heaven and God looks at me and says, "I love you."
Monday, April 18, 2011
Be Still.
Last night after Stand (the Sunday Night College Ministry at First Baptist Church of Brownwood), Austin (First Baptist's Youth Minister) brought up a really good point that he said had been coming up a lot in his own life over the past week: people in general will not rest. We stress ourselves out and in these times of stress, afternoon naps and movies are merely used as tools of distraction away from our stress. These do not actually relieve stress or fix it, they simply hinder it for the time. People more often need to be told to just... be still.
This is on my mind because I happen to be mid-stress mode right now. Summer is technically 17 days away, there are 4 days of finals and every project that has been assigned in any of my classes seems to be due either this week or next. I have a test tomorrow and a book report on the most boring book I have ever picked up due Wednesday, and it all has to be finished today since I have work tomorrow. This still would not propose such a time constraint if it were not for the fact that tonight and tomorrow afternoon there are Chapel services that I have to attend in order to finish up my Chapel credit for the semester. My mind feels like it is going a hundred miles a minute, but no matter how much I seem to beg myself to just STOP and take a minute to refocus, I get consumed by worry: worry that I won't make a good grade on this test tomorrow, worry that I'll be up late tonight working on my biology book report which will make me tired at work tomorrow which will in turn make work ten times longer which will then make work ten times more dull....... my muscles tense up just thinking about it.
But then there's Psalm 46.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Reading that slowly is so calming. Reading the Bible and being in God's Word doesn't take our "to-do's" away. It doesn't necessarily make tests simpler and homework easier. What it does do though, is so much more valuable and important: it reminds us of who God is, and that no matter what, He is our refuge in good times and in times of trouble. He can be counted on no matter what, and there is nothing more valuable than a relationship with Him.
The end of school is near. The end of my freshman year of college is imminent. Although everything seems to be colliding together and stressed within a two-week time constraint, God is always here: strong and unchanging. Reliable and powerful, full of understanding and love.
His love is strong, His love is great, His love is good.
Knowing that is more important than anything I could ever memorize for a test.
This is on my mind because I happen to be mid-stress mode right now. Summer is technically 17 days away, there are 4 days of finals and every project that has been assigned in any of my classes seems to be due either this week or next. I have a test tomorrow and a book report on the most boring book I have ever picked up due Wednesday, and it all has to be finished today since I have work tomorrow. This still would not propose such a time constraint if it were not for the fact that tonight and tomorrow afternoon there are Chapel services that I have to attend in order to finish up my Chapel credit for the semester. My mind feels like it is going a hundred miles a minute, but no matter how much I seem to beg myself to just STOP and take a minute to refocus, I get consumed by worry: worry that I won't make a good grade on this test tomorrow, worry that I'll be up late tonight working on my biology book report which will make me tired at work tomorrow which will in turn make work ten times longer which will then make work ten times more dull....... my muscles tense up just thinking about it.
But then there's Psalm 46.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Reading that slowly is so calming. Reading the Bible and being in God's Word doesn't take our "to-do's" away. It doesn't necessarily make tests simpler and homework easier. What it does do though, is so much more valuable and important: it reminds us of who God is, and that no matter what, He is our refuge in good times and in times of trouble. He can be counted on no matter what, and there is nothing more valuable than a relationship with Him.
The end of school is near. The end of my freshman year of college is imminent. Although everything seems to be colliding together and stressed within a two-week time constraint, God is always here: strong and unchanging. Reliable and powerful, full of understanding and love.
His love is strong, His love is great, His love is good.
Knowing that is more important than anything I could ever memorize for a test.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Patience.
God made me a thinker. God made me a planner. God also gave me a lot of excitement and anticipation. This is good: it keeps me bubbly and joyful, but it also means that by my own power, I allow myself to get caught up in my thoughts and my plans. When things (surprisingly enough?) don't go as I (of course) envisioned that they would, I get even more caught up in them: tripping over my own feelings as though they're a rug that's not laying flat. All I can then concentrate on is the bump in the rug and the problem it's caused me. I'll be frustrated that MY plan didn't go how I wanted and expected them to.
I think this is true for everyone to some extent, but it has definitely ALWAYS been an issue for me. Sure, I "know" that God wants me to just let Him take control, but sometimes, I think that I just say my plans are like... "in God's name" or something, and I think that if I pray for something REALLY hard, then I'll get it. I expect it to work like a secret formula, so that what I anticipate is going to happen, does.
But God isn't a secret formula, there isn't a hocus-pocus type of spell in prayer which will make us succeed in everything we do. Praying doesn't necessarily give us what we ask for, and using prayer as a selfish tool only makes us lose sight of the true value and importance of it.
It's true that God does call us to come to Him with our everything, (He also instructed us to come to him with our needs in thanksgiving. I think that's a really awesome reminder of the perspective we're supposed to have on this world.) but there are a lot of things which we, or I, feel entitled to merely because it is the "social norm", or because I want it.
No one has the PERFECT relationship with God; we will ALWAYS have our struggles against Him. I don't want to always be stubborn when it comes to relinquishing what I imagine to be my own control over situations to Him, but this could possibly be something I do have to be wary of for the rest of my life. Still, no matter how much I may fight and struggle against Him, He will always prevail. God is bigger than any box I could ever try and put Him in.
A thought that has been coming up often lately, is that whenever God says "no" to something I ask for, it's because He's saying "No, I have something even better than that."
SO: if I happen to be in your prayers, please pray that I be given more patience.
In the end... God ALWAYS has something better.
I think this is true for everyone to some extent, but it has definitely ALWAYS been an issue for me. Sure, I "know" that God wants me to just let Him take control, but sometimes, I think that I just say my plans are like... "in God's name" or something, and I think that if I pray for something REALLY hard, then I'll get it. I expect it to work like a secret formula, so that what I anticipate is going to happen, does.
But God isn't a secret formula, there isn't a hocus-pocus type of spell in prayer which will make us succeed in everything we do. Praying doesn't necessarily give us what we ask for, and using prayer as a selfish tool only makes us lose sight of the true value and importance of it.
It's true that God does call us to come to Him with our everything, (He also instructed us to come to him with our needs in thanksgiving. I think that's a really awesome reminder of the perspective we're supposed to have on this world.) but there are a lot of things which we, or I, feel entitled to merely because it is the "social norm", or because I want it.
No one has the PERFECT relationship with God; we will ALWAYS have our struggles against Him. I don't want to always be stubborn when it comes to relinquishing what I imagine to be my own control over situations to Him, but this could possibly be something I do have to be wary of for the rest of my life. Still, no matter how much I may fight and struggle against Him, He will always prevail. God is bigger than any box I could ever try and put Him in.
A thought that has been coming up often lately, is that whenever God says "no" to something I ask for, it's because He's saying "No, I have something even better than that."
SO: if I happen to be in your prayers, please pray that I be given more patience.
In the end... God ALWAYS has something better.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Happiness.
Today in class I looked at my biology professor. I realize this might come off as "creepy" or "weird" since he was not lecturing since it was before class, and it was somewhat awkward when we made eye contact, but I found myself wondering about him, what I realize I tend to wonder about a lot of adults: "is he happy"?
He stands at the front of the classroom with a try-to-be-smile-which-is-actually-a-side-smirk on his face, but his eyes always look so sad whenever he is not in the process of lecturing. He's a very nice man; a few weeks ago I was standing in line to buy a snack on my break at work, and I didn't notice that he happened to be standing behind me. He remembered my name, said hello, and scared me to death. It was also quite awkward, because past a small, formal conversation, we did not really have anything to say to each other, yet I was not through the line.
Despite being a kind man with a good sense of humor, I do wonder how happy he is.
........I wonder how happy a lot of people are.
Donald Miller talks about happiness a lot in his newest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. I think I've talked about it once or twice before, but it really is a great book.
I don't necessarily have a goal to be happy. I find myself happy a lot, but I do recognize that God doesn't promise us happiness. Believing in a "religion" that's based upon the Son of God dying on a cross to forgive us of our sin, and then thousands of murders due to persecution of his followers afterwards, does not exactly seem to lay out the happiest of all lives. But... I don't think you actually need to be happy if you're satisfied. I don't want to get in to a rant about the difference between happiness and joy, because I feel like I've made that differentiation a lot: but that's what it comes down to. Being rooted in Truth, and living a life according to God's calling and commandments, brings about a life of true satisfaction.
I don't think that there's anything wrong with wanting to be happy. But when our concern for our own happiness comes before our love of God, all it really is, is a selfish desire. Telling God "no", or hesitating to His call because we think it will interfere with our happiness, is an act of pride. Like, we seriously think that we know better. We really do act like children in most areas of thought and understanding; I think this is one of the reasons why we are often referred to as "children" in the New Testament. Of course, we're children of God and it's fitting because He is the father, but this acts as a way to remind us that we don't know best and we are immature in all things. Happiness isn't necessarily something God doesn't want us to have, but I still don't necessarily think it is His personal goal.
Our lives are meant to be centered around God. God isn't meant to be centered around us.
He stands at the front of the classroom with a try-to-be-smile-which-is-actually-a-side-smirk on his face, but his eyes always look so sad whenever he is not in the process of lecturing. He's a very nice man; a few weeks ago I was standing in line to buy a snack on my break at work, and I didn't notice that he happened to be standing behind me. He remembered my name, said hello, and scared me to death. It was also quite awkward, because past a small, formal conversation, we did not really have anything to say to each other, yet I was not through the line.
Despite being a kind man with a good sense of humor, I do wonder how happy he is.
........I wonder how happy a lot of people are.
Donald Miller talks about happiness a lot in his newest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. I think I've talked about it once or twice before, but it really is a great book.
I don't necessarily have a goal to be happy. I find myself happy a lot, but I do recognize that God doesn't promise us happiness. Believing in a "religion" that's based upon the Son of God dying on a cross to forgive us of our sin, and then thousands of murders due to persecution of his followers afterwards, does not exactly seem to lay out the happiest of all lives. But... I don't think you actually need to be happy if you're satisfied. I don't want to get in to a rant about the difference between happiness and joy, because I feel like I've made that differentiation a lot: but that's what it comes down to. Being rooted in Truth, and living a life according to God's calling and commandments, brings about a life of true satisfaction.
1 John 3: 1See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
I don't think that there's anything wrong with wanting to be happy. But when our concern for our own happiness comes before our love of God, all it really is, is a selfish desire. Telling God "no", or hesitating to His call because we think it will interfere with our happiness, is an act of pride. Like, we seriously think that we know better. We really do act like children in most areas of thought and understanding; I think this is one of the reasons why we are often referred to as "children" in the New Testament. Of course, we're children of God and it's fitting because He is the father, but this acts as a way to remind us that we don't know best and we are immature in all things. Happiness isn't necessarily something God doesn't want us to have, but I still don't necessarily think it is His personal goal.
Our lives are meant to be centered around God. God isn't meant to be centered around us.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Friday Favorites
And now, another installment of Friday Favorites! These are the things which have come to define my week!
1. The News. Whether it be watching on of my new favorite shows, "60 Minutes", or catching up on all the latest news headlines through various iPod Apps, I adore the news. I also adore actually knowing what is going on in the world. My heart goes out to the Japanese who have had to deal with homes and country being destroyed, my heart breaks for you, and my heart also goes out to all of those fighting for freedom and justice in Egypt and Libya.
2. T-Shirts. These days my attire basically consists of whatever pair of pants I can find, and a plain white v-neck t-shirt. I plan on designing a lot of t-shirts with random slogans that somehow have come to define my life on them but as for now (considering I do not necessarily have a large amount of money) I'll stick with these plain white ones.
3. Donald Miller. He's a very cool author. Last week on the beach I read his newest book (as far as I know), A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. What an AWESOME read. I could rant about this book and about him for a VERY long time, but I'll just sum it up by saying you need to read it, especially if you're like me: confused as to what the road of life is called to look like.
4. How I Met Your Mother. I already knew this was a funny show, but I've only ever watched it by myself. On Tuesday I had the joy of watching it with some friends, and golly-gee-wiz, is it funny! I have already watched all of these episodes before, but I found myself laughing as though it was for the first time. Great show, great show.
6. Subway. Subway will always be a favorite. I love Subway. MMMMMMMHMMMMMM.
7. Busy Schedules. Nothing makes you feel quite as useful and productive as does actually having to sit down and plan. I have meetings and interviews and school projects and work and anything else you could possibly imagine coming up this next week, and I'm excited. I love being busy. Love it!
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend full of joy! I myself will be spending it with two dear friends, Kendyl Moore and Kelsey Clegg, in San Antonio at Kelsey's house for a girls weekend excursion! (This means shopping trip for Kelsey who needs to find a pair of jeans, and a cute white dress for her to wear when leaving her wedding reception in June.) I'm excited. These girls are exactly who I want to spend my weekend with!
1. The News. Whether it be watching on of my new favorite shows, "60 Minutes", or catching up on all the latest news headlines through various iPod Apps, I adore the news. I also adore actually knowing what is going on in the world. My heart goes out to the Japanese who have had to deal with homes and country being destroyed, my heart breaks for you, and my heart also goes out to all of those fighting for freedom and justice in Egypt and Libya.
2. T-Shirts. These days my attire basically consists of whatever pair of pants I can find, and a plain white v-neck t-shirt. I plan on designing a lot of t-shirts with random slogans that somehow have come to define my life on them but as for now (considering I do not necessarily have a large amount of money) I'll stick with these plain white ones.
3. Donald Miller. He's a very cool author. Last week on the beach I read his newest book (as far as I know), A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. What an AWESOME read. I could rant about this book and about him for a VERY long time, but I'll just sum it up by saying you need to read it, especially if you're like me: confused as to what the road of life is called to look like.
4. How I Met Your Mother. I already knew this was a funny show, but I've only ever watched it by myself. On Tuesday I had the joy of watching it with some friends, and golly-gee-wiz, is it funny! I have already watched all of these episodes before, but I found myself laughing as though it was for the first time. Great show, great show.
5. Pass Out Pooch. (We watched it in psychology on Tuesday. Never have I laughed so hard at such a sad thing. But oh my, it's funny.)
6. Subway. Subway will always be a favorite. I love Subway. MMMMMMMHMMMMMM.
7. Busy Schedules. Nothing makes you feel quite as useful and productive as does actually having to sit down and plan. I have meetings and interviews and school projects and work and anything else you could possibly imagine coming up this next week, and I'm excited. I love being busy. Love it!
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend full of joy! I myself will be spending it with two dear friends, Kendyl Moore and Kelsey Clegg, in San Antonio at Kelsey's house for a girls weekend excursion! (This means shopping trip for Kelsey who needs to find a pair of jeans, and a cute white dress for her to wear when leaving her wedding reception in June.) I'm excited. These girls are exactly who I want to spend my weekend with!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)