As Iron Sharpens Iron

I’ve decided to try and write everyday; I may not post something everyday but it is my desire to put pen to page in my notebook on a more regular basis. So what can I say about today? Simply, I love my friends. About a week maybe a week and a half ago I got a message from the mother of one of my friends, thanking me for being such a good friend to her daughter, the only reason I bring this up is that in this message she included a quote that read something like, a true friend is one who pushes you closer to God. These are not the exact words from this quote but this is my way to describe the feeling that that resonates with me at the end of a most wonderful summer. I can honestly say the most beautiful thing I have found this summer is a deeper relationship with God, and the time and energy I spent with my friends was such a vital part of my new found hunger for this relationship. People change people, true friends push you closer to God and relationship with God make the world a more beautiful place to behold. I love my friends

Proverbs 27:17
 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Each and Every Day

Almost 10pm on a Thursday night and I should so be asleep right now, alas, that is not the course this night would be taking. My story tonight begins a little over a week ago when I was hanging out at Amy’s helping her pack for school and a backpacking trip she is currently on right now, it was a Monday night and I had to be at work the next morning, I had really been struggling with work for a few weeks at that point; I didn’t want to go anymore, I didn’t have any desire to talk to the people I worked with all day, and I couldn’t see the point, I was just getting through my days. But that night Amy said the words I needed to hear; something like, pray that God will give you a reason to want to go to work, and that He will give you something new. Over the past week I saw something new; and I’ve come to appreciate the beauty of my world; this somewhat ordinary existence which I walk through each and every day. I still struggle going to work everyday when my alarm is going off at 5 in the morning, but I’m taking it one day at a time, holding on to the word that God has placed on my heart to live and do everything like it’s for Him; to be faithful in what He has given me and wait.

The second event of tonight’s story happened a few hours ago when Jason called; he is raising money to go to this program in Dallas Texas called Masters Commission, it’s some sort of school slash ministry training program, he recently found out that if he refers someone who signs up he will get money for his tuition, they told him to ask friends who he thought might be interested, he thought of me. To him this was simply a question that needed to be asked, because it might pay off for the both of us if I wanted to go. As he described the program and all the benefits that go along with this path he is soon to be walking down I already knew what my answer would be, simply no.

I have peace in my heart in this moment, on this day that my path for this season remains in Michigan with my family, at my job, going to my church. As much as Masters Commission would most definitely put me closer to my desired career path, as much as it would satisfy my college dreams, I know that’s not the next step on my path. God told me to be faithful and to me it’s very clear what that means, to do everything unto God is to cherish every moment, to work with excellence, to find opportunity to grow each and every day, and to be thankful for the path He is leading me on. Today I stand on the edge of a new season, not because I am running away to a new and unfamiliar world, simply because my eyes are opened to the change in the one I currently live in, for today is a new day and this is my season to see the new and beautiful in an all too familiar land.

Scenery

I noticed leaves on trees changing color today. August 22nd and I’m not quite ready for summer to be over yet; this was a most beautiful season and even though I look forward to the next I desire to enjoy my last few moments before we move on and things are never the same again. This life we live is ever changing, we move from season to season and leave behind things that we can never quite get back, but as we walk this path the change can be something lovely to behold. The change of this season started coming a few months ago near the start of this summer when graduation hit and the path for a few of my friends was clearly to go out rather than stay here, as I sought direction and purpose on my own path I found people who brought me closer to God and through this summer my eyes have become more opened to see God’s beauty and in my heart I’ve found greater joy in simply living my life. This path is one I started walking almost a year ago and one that I’m not remotely close to being finished with if ever, but today the scenery seems to be changing all around me and I’m still holding on to this old view that I’ve fallen so dearly in love with. But I keep walking, with my eyes open wide and as these last few moments of summer find their end I cherish them, knowing in my heart that the next time they come around everything will be different because “to everything there is a season, a time for purpose under heaven”* and I will not be one to hold God back from what He has planed next. People leave, relationships change but God is faithful and we must keep moving, even when were not so sure about the new view coming our way.

*Ecclesiastes 3:1

Are Any of You Busy?

I realized yesterday morning that for the past few weeks I have been going to work with my only intention being to get through the day; it’s not fun and work has been kind of awful. My days in general have been more that just busy, over the past month I have found much joy spending more time with my friends than I would have even thought possible but after you add in 40 not to enjoyable hours at work every week my life becomes too busy and I become very exhausted. So last night in youth service when Betsy opened her lesson with “are any of you busy?” I was glad to be sitting in that room. Her teaching spoke straight to my heart and gave me a much needed reminder of something I knew I should have been doing already; her words were simply “be still”. All I could think of when I heard this was wow, how could I have forgotten that; I find it kind of crazy how you can spend so much time at church, with Christian friends and trying your hardest to seek after God, reading your Bible, and listening to worship music, how you can go to church feel His presence in the room and still not find Him because you forgot to be quite long enough to hear Him speak. The message last night was simple, to the point and exactly what I needed. This morning I took this message to heart; when I woke up I lay in my bed and said a simple prayer “God I’m listening, what do I need to hear” and I waited, it only took a few short minuets and He spoke to me; He said something like when you are faithful over few I will give you more and whatever you do in word or in deed you do in My name. I knew these where His words I have the scripture to back them up, and it was just what I needed to face the day; my desire is to live with purpose, not to just get through, I want more and I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately; about passion and priorities and what I want out of life, these words from this morning fit what has been on my heart, I needed that reminder, to be faithful with today, to wait on God and His plan but to remember to live, to live everything like it’s for God because it is. Today I walked this walk, I did more that just survive and life was once again beautiful.

Matthew 25:21

His Lord said to him, “well done good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Barriers

I fit, but do I fit? This weekend was lovely, wonderful and down right fun; I met some people who I dare say became some friends, but do I really fit? This summer has been one of the best of my life; what makes it so special is the way I have gotten to see it. I spent this year so far looking for moments learning how to “Be” and be me, this summer is special because I got to live so many moments. Over the past month I spent so much time enjoying the company of my friends that I down right wore myself out, but it’s the time I spent with these people that made everything so beautiful. This weekend I was invited by one of my best friends to enter her college world; I met Amy near the beginning of this summer, she just finished her first year at Hope, but since our connection did not happen until June I had yet to meet any of her college friends. This was Coast Guard weekend and many of her Hope friends were going to be in town and she wanted me to meet them, I must say in a strange way meeting all of them makes me love Amy even more; these people, her friends, are all unique, with different gifts, personalities and talents; I am honored to now know them and I look forward to the opportunity to be friends with them as well. One weekend, watching a movie, walking the pier, worshiping together and playing Apples to Apples, one weekend and I wish I went to Hope. I am 22 years old, I have a full time job, I am a leader in two youth ministries at my church, I have been on 4 missions trips, and I sing on the worship team Tuesday nights, I help out in Sunday school and have taught at youth services 3 times, My life is busy and blessed and I truly enjoy the ways God is growing me in my life, but I am not a college student. I was always the smart girl who got the good grades, I thought for sure that I would go to college (don’t get me wrong I have not given up on that and I may still go) but right here right now this is my life, it shouldn’t matter whether or not I go to school, but this; the idea in my head that I’m less because I haven’t made it to college, is my barrier, one of the walls that I put up between me and whoever, if I never make it back to school it does not make me any less important to God, He has a plan and a purpose for my life and this is the knowledge that I walk in, if His plan for me is school He will show me my way and if it is not then whether or not I’m in school should not hold me back from enjoying these new people I wish to call my friends.

The 99

This weekend I went to this thing call the 99; each day an average of 99 young people die from preventable cases, these causes are the focus of this event, alcohol and texting related car crashes, drugs, gang violence and suicide, the 99 is a walkthrough theater spotlighting these deaths, as you walk from room to room you become witness to these deaths and the reality of the choices these young people make everyday. The devil is your guide as he collects the souls of these lost children on this typical night in America. As you near the end of this journey you get a glimpse of hell and the prison these lost ones can no longer escape from, but this is not the end of your trip you also get a promise of hope and become witness to the truth that lies in Jesus and the sacrifice He made so that He could bring those who believe home with Him.

As I took this walk Friday night I could feel the heaviness in the air, the hardest part about the experience was not fear, or condemnation over choices I’ve made in my life, it was sadly the reality that we witnessed, it was the sorrow found in the truth that for 99 people that night these events were not merely a theater but were true and final choices for their lives. The room that stuck with me the most was a video on a screen; the suicide note of a beautiful young girl, the lie she believed that this world would be better off if she were not in it. The reality of her choice made me want to cry. Her room looked like one of any average teenager, she looked like a normal girl, she was a normal girl, a normal girl who believed a lie, a lie that so many normal girls and boys around the world believe each and every day. The truth is the devil lies, he tells us we are worthless, he tells us we need to be at that party, he tells us to get in that car, he lies and lies and lies all he has the power to do is lie. His voice, his lies have become a part of society and if we don’t pay attention, if we don’t fill our minds with a different voice, one of truth and hope, with the word of God then the lies obtain more power than they have the right to; the lies obtain the power to steal lives. This is what the 99 is about, this is what I witnessed, the lies the devil tells us and the reality of what can happen when we believe him. My prayer tonight is that God’s truth overshadows the lies of the devil.