Fresh Hope for the Journey

2 Corinthians 12:9--But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I really have enjoyed my time with God these past few days. I have really struggled to be consistent in my alone time with God over the past several weeks letting homework, classes and work be my excuse for not taking the time. Even the first few days of break I let them slide. But yesterday I just really had this desire to spend time alone with God and I'm so glad I didn't put it off! I really needed what I learned yesterday and today. Mary Southerland did a 2 part devotional about finding hope in the midst of the darkness & pits we find ourselves in (whether we were the ones to get there because of making wrong choices or if they just came our way). She showed 4 steps to follow...

1. Identify the purpose of the pit. 

Why are we going through this? How did we get into this pit we're in? "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God." (Psalm 40:1-3, NIV).

2. Choose a response to the pit. 

We may not totally understand why we're going through what we are, but we do have a choice on how to respond in this pit. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, “So that I would not become too proud of the wonderful things that were shown to me, a painful physical problem was given to me. I begged the Lord three times to take this problem away from me.But he said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you.’” We can become bitter and blame God for the pain or we can give up and wallow in the mire and mud of that slimy pit. I am guilty of plastering a smile on my face, gritting my teeth and denying that the pit even exists. However, the choice we should make is to trust God, knowing He will deliver us in and from the pit.

3. Embrace the power of the pit.

2 Corinthians 12:9, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.’ So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can live in me.” God’s grace turns defeat into victory, tragedy into triumph and weakness into strength by providing real power over circumstances. People without Christ can muster up enough courage and human strength to get through a trial. God will not only enable us to survive the hard times, He wants us to thrive in and because of them.

4. Find joy in the pit.

2 Corinthians 12:9 “I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can live in me.” Joy is not an earthly treasure but a heavenly gift from our loving Father who is committed to the joy of His children. I am convinced that God entrusts the greatest trials to those who will respond to them in the right way. I love the story of the little girl who misquoted her favorite Bible verse, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have ever-laughing life.” Jesus wants to give us a life of joy, pits and all. We need to remember that joy is the deeply-rooted confidence that God is in control and that our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outer circumstances. We can find joy in the pit. 

God's allowed a lot of "pits" in my life but through each one I'm learning to have joy through them. I certainly didn't start out that way, but as I've learned more of God and his love, grace and mercy I have been able to find joy even in the "pits" of life. I'm still growing and I know that I still have a ways to go. I'm excited to see where God is taking my life!!! I know that His will is best and even if it includes hard times, I know that in the end I'll be able to grow closer to my Savior and be able to have others see me and say, "She has an indescribable joy in her life even during the hard times" and I'll know that joy comes from God--my Savior!

Blessings

    These past few weeks have been quite stressful and overwhelming for me. I'm over my head in homework for classes I don't really understand, over my head in bills that I can't pay, and severe migraines daily taking over! I've come to a point where I don't even think I can handle it...I've been kind of waiting to just lose it emotionally! We had a simple "project" our RA wanted us to do this past week where we write down something that God blessed us with in that week (or how He worked in our life that week) and I felt horrible because that whole week I couldn't think of anything because I felt like everything was going wrong in my life...but I didn't want to say that God didn't work in my life...that doesn't sound good. I haven't been doing well with giving time for God because I've let my homework and friends take place before that and I know that didn't help! These past few days though I have been able to do better and have spent a considerable amount of time praying more because I had totally let that go these past several weeks. I felt so much better.

    Then today I read my devotional by Mary Southerland and it was called "Put That Burden Down!" I read the title and knew it was going to be something I needed...and it was! She talked about how we have so many burdens we will carry around every day (financial, physical, academically, emotionally) that weigh us down. We are told in Matthew 11:28 to "come all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest". Jesus is our Shepherd and wants to carry those burdens for us. We cannot deal with them on our own and need His help! I've been trying to hand all these things over to God and it's been hard. I'd tell Him that I'm giving them over to Him but then I still would sit and worry about it! I'm going to work really hard at leaving all these things at His feet because I know He will care for me! What burden do you have? What is weighing you down? Bring it to Jesus. He will comfort and guide you. He will give you rest. Right now, in the midst of that worry or issue or concern, the God of the universe is asking you to turn it over to Him. Let Him work it out in His timing and His perfect way. 

    

    I know some of these things may seem small that I am dealing with compared to what I know others I know are going through, but this song I heard last night really encouraged me and has stuck with me since then...I can't get it out of my head! 

"Blessings"

By Laura Story 

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise 

"Lord, I bring my burdens to You, knowing that I can do nothing apart from You and Your power. You know my situation. It is not a surprise to You, Lord. Please fill my heart with Your peace and comfort my soul. Guide me, Father. Give me strength. I give You my burdens; please give me Your rest. In Jesus’ name,
Amen."

Is There a Light at the End of This Tunnel?

    So I have to admit I have not been doing as well with my devotions as I'd hope to. I've been letting my piles and piles of homework take priority = ( Which is NOT good at all! I've been trying to be better this week about it which is been somewhat successful so far...it does help that this is the first time that I've been ahead on homework! But I really want to work this semester on continually growing closer in my relationship with Christ. I've come a long way since high school and even since the first few years of college, but still not where I need to be. I know I'll spend my whole life growing though! But I want to become a woman after God's own heart and I really do desire to serve Him with my whole life.
   
    Yeah, is there a light at the end of this tunnel? What tunnel you might ask? I've been struggling severely with finances the past couple months and it hasn't gotten any better! I'm trying to pay off my bills and it just doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. I have accumulated bills that total around $1000 and a very small income paying job. I have to pay my $100 hospital bill from the summer, which I've been putting off...I have my $240 credit card bill that I used to pay for my school books...and I owe my dad $750 for my car repair which he initially paid for. I'm really trying to trust God and not freak out about these bills!!! But honestly it's really hard not knowing where this money is going to come from. And I still have to pay phone bills and gas and such. This past week I did come up with an idea to save me some money that I did put into action...it cost me a bit of money to start but I can make up that money within no time with what I save--I ended my AT&T cell phone contract that was costing me around $75-80/month (and that was the cheapest plan they had) and switched to a Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go phone that you can put on a monthly unlimited plan but it's not under contract for $35/month........that saved me $40-$45/month!!! So I had to pay some money to end the contract early and get the new phone but I can pay that off pretty quickly. So I was pretty excited about that. But trust has become a big thing in my life right now! Something I'm really trying hard at, but sometimes I see myself failing at! I know God will supply all my needs and these bills will get paid in time...and by God's grace my dad has been very gracious with waiting for any money and has not even asked about it. I know I'd feel pressured and overwhelmed if he kept asking for it, but yet I do know I have to pay him.

"My Shepherd will supply my need:
Jehovah is His Name;
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy’s sake,
In paths of truth and grace."

"'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. Just to take Him at His Word; Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know, Thus says the Lord! Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more!"

"I Need a Friend" Part 1

     Well, I switched back to this blog website because the other one wasn't letting put up new posts. Really annoying so you can't see any of my old ones right now because I don't have time to transfer them over to this one, and I don't know if I ever will but here I am again writing! It's been a while! A lot has happened since the last time I wrote! The summer is over and I'm back at school! Almost done the first week of classes and it's going to be a CRAZY semester. I don't have many classes but the ones I do have are going to be a lot of work. The summer was long and hard. God taught me a lot about trust and patience...especially in the area of finances. I was really excited that I got my car inspected on a Saturday and it had nothing wrong with it and I only had to pay $50 for the inspection then that next Monday it wouldn't start! It had to be towed and the mechanic couldn't do anything with it and said it needed to be towed to the dealership. They had it for a week and it ended up just being a $45 sensor that needed replaced but they charged me for $750 worth of labor when they just needed to read the owner's manual that said to check the sensor if the car wouldn't start. It's frustrating because now I owe that money to my dad, but I know God will provide that money. Then I still have my $100 hospital bill from when I had my stomach issues at the beginning of the summer. My credit card bill, phone bill and other expenses. I really am learning to trust! "TRUST in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path!". I honestly was just writing out that verse and I usually listen to music when I write my blogs and guess what song came on?...."Trust in the Lord" by Point of Grace! I think God is saying something to me there :) I had some fun times this summer too at my aunt and uncle's in VA with Liz. Then a Lancaster trip at the end with the Harris family and some fun night with Liz and Kevin! I learned a lot this summer, but I'm glad to be back at school with my friends and am so excited to see where God will lead me and what He will teach me! A huge praise is that I think I got a babysitting job with a family in the Clarks Summit area for the semester. They have 3 kids (5,4,2) and they want a babysitter and are willing to be flexible with days and time and with negotiate with a pay. I have been praying for a second job and then I found this one! God really is providing!

     Today's devotional was the first part in a series about friendships. It was by Mary Southerland. It was very encouraging and it made me really thankful for the friends that God has placed into my life! I could not have asked for any better of friends. They have been there for me through thick and thin and help encourage me to grow closer to Christ each day! Mary Southerland talked about the friendship and relationship between Ruth and Naomi. Naomi lost her husband and two sons and told Ruth and Orpah to go back to Moab to find new husbands, but Ruth refused. She valued her relationship and friendship with her mother-in-law too much and wanted to stay with her. The first thing Mary Southerland pointed out as a key to a healthy and vital friendship is time! It is so important to invest time into your friendships. You cannot expect to have a good and meaningful friendship if you don't invest time into that friendship. "Ruth was willing to commit her life and time in friendship. Friendship doesn’t just happen. True friendship takes consistent investments of time. Time spent together in friendship creates a memory bank from which we can make withdrawals when tough times come and we need encouragement. Time is a priceless gift and one of the most powerful communicators of love. When we are willing to give 30 minutes of time, we are actually giving 30 minutes of life. Ruth was willing to sacrifice her entire life agenda for the sake of her friendship with Naomi." The waters of daily life are often difficult to navigate.  True friends are willing to get in the boat and ride out the storm with us. Friendships take time, are you willing to take it that time?