Set Free

   It is very cloudy and rainy outside today. At first I was not super excited about walking around campus in the rain, especially with having an early morning class. However, I suppose rain is refreshing and a simple rainy afternoon can be nice once in a while so I am making the best of it. My nana came to visit me yesterday afternoon. She took me out to lunch and we went shopping for a bit too. I am so blessed to have her in my life and to have the relationship with her that I do. She is so wise and has so much insight to give. I know God put her in my life for a reason. I was very much encouraged by our conversation and am beyond blessed to call this wonderful lady my nana.
   This past week has been very eye-opening to me. God works all things together for our good. He has a perfect plan. This truth has been sinking deeper into my heart this week. God can heal and restore all things. I have often struggled with doubt; doubt that certain situations or relationships could not be healed. This doubt has caused me to put up a barrier between God and me. Over these past couple of weeks, God has exposed to me this doubt that I have been holding onto. He has revealed this to me and is reassuring me that I have no need to doubt Him. He knows all things and works all things together for my good. 
   Often times we feel tied down by our burdens and our circumstances. We feel weighed down by our sin and the sin of this world. We have trouble trusting in God's truth because of all the lies we are surrounded with each day. We doubt God's power in our lives and instead become frustrated or confused. We get so caught up in focusing on the difficulties of our lives that we lose sight of our Savior and what He has done to redeem us. We slip into following the ways of this world and becoming doubtful and fearful of the future. 

   Every morning when I go on my run, I follow a path that goes through a nearby park. There is a playground with swings and every morning when I get to that point, I stop and swing. When I was younger and living at home, I would often go out in our back yard and swing when I needed to clear my mind and get away to be alone with God. I find that I still do this same thing today. During this time every morning when I am swinging, I pray to God. I surrender my troubles and the day that lies before me in His hands. When I came across this picture, it was a perfect representation to me of this precious time I spend with Him.

   We are all set free in Christ. He asks us to surrender all our worries, pain, and anxiety to Him. We have no reason to be in bondage to our past sin and regret. God has forgiven us and when we surrender our lives to Him, we are free. He will give us the strength and courage we need to stand up for this. Through His grace and redemption, we are set free and given purpose.

Understanding

   Today is another gorgeous day that God has blessed us with! I went on another run this morning and was so thankful for the sunshine and the promise of a new day. It was lovely to be able to have the windows open with the sun shining through them as I was getting ready for school. It is one of my good friend's birthdays today so my roommate and I decorated her door with balloons early this morning as well. We had worship chapel earlier as well and it was so encouraging to be in the midst of many others my age worshiping our Savior. God's blessings are so abundant every day.
   I have had many thoughts on my mind lately. I have had many different things I feel that God has placed on my heart as well. I have to admit, I have been confused and unsure of what direction God is leading me in. However, this morning, I felt His reassurance and invitation to me to go to Him for understanding. He will make clear His plans and purposes for my life. He will guide me in my decisions and direct me in my steps. No detail in our lives is hidden from our Lord. He comprehends us despite our complexity and confusion. 
  He views us through eyes of grace and desires to renew us each day. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. He asks to allow His presence to shine into the deepest corners of our hearts, to cleanse, to refresh, and to restore us. When no one else seems to understand us or when we're struggling to understand ourselves, God beckons us to draw closer to him. We can be joyful and rejoice because we have One who understand us completely and loves us perfectly. He provides us with hope, wisdom, and strength. 

   As we go about each day, may we remember that our God is one who provides us with understanding and clarity. Drawing near to Him, being in His presence, and pursuing Him will grow our personal relationship with our Savior. He knows what is best for us and works everything together for our good and His glory. At times He asks us to be patient and other times the answer seems to be clear quickly, but whatever the case, God will reveal His plan in His perfect timing. He asks us to abide in Him, to trust Him and He will make our path clear and His purpose in our lives known. 

I am the Clay

   It is absolutely gorgeous outside today. Spring is finally here! Over Easter break this past weekend when I was at home, I went running with my sister a couple times. I decided to continue to run while being back here at school too. So, this morning I went running through a couple different parks nearby and on a bike path along a lake. It was so beautiful. The sun was just coming up and the air was chilly, but so refreshing. In the past I have not liked running, but lately I found that I have actually come to enjoy it. It is a good way to start the day- alone with the Lord, enjoying His creation.
   In chapel yesterday we talked a bit about the concept of God as the potter and how we are the clay. I have heard this many times before, but it hit me in a different way yesterday. I always understood how God has formed us and created us as a potter shapes the clay in his hands, but yesterday that idea went even deeper for me. Pottery is fragile. It is easily broken and needs to be handled with extreme care. Our hearts are the same way. God has created each of us carefully. He knows every detail about each of us. He knows our hearts, what our passions are, and what we love. God knows that our hearts are extremely fragile. They can become tangled in webs of emotions. We can be led astray when we follow our hearts. Our hearts are easily broken, easily damaged. 
  God knew this when He created us. He knows that we are fragile beings and there will be times in life when we are broken and hurt. When these trials come, God is faithful. He is forming us and molding us more and more each day. He is shaping us to be more like Him. God has a purpose for every circumstance and challenge we face. Sometimes we need to become broken to fully know the faithfulness of God. It is at these times of desperation that we come to the point of surrender. It is at these times of brokenness that we realize our frailness. It is during times of weakness and exhaustion that we realize God is our only source of strength in this life.

   As we continue to experience life, along with its complications, heartaches, and disappointments, may we always remember that God has overcome all of these things. He has renewed and restored. His blessings are abundant. His mercies are new each day and His grace is made perfect in our weakness. There will be days where we will be broken, but God holds us together. He holds our hearts in His hands. We can be joyful in every circumstance because God is shaping us more and more each day to fulfill His purposes for each of our lives.

By His Wounds

   Today is Good Friday. We remember Christ's selfless act of love for us as He died on the cross for our sins, taking our place. God sent His son to die a painful, brutal death so that we may have the gift of eternal life. This is the love that Christ has for us, selfless, pure, and perfect. As I sit here, reflecting on the meaning of this day and how Jesus put down His life to save me, I am humbled and beyond grateful. We cannot fathom God's love for us; it is unconditional and immeasurable. He laid down His life, taking a death that was meant for us because of the love that He has for us. This day changed history and has forever changed me.
   I believe the reason we find it difficult to trust in God's love for us is because we have become so accustomed to doubting, doubting motives, outcomes, and relationships. We live in a world where the word "love" has been tainted and thrown around carelessly. Love is too often based on personal gain rather than serving another. Because of this shifted view, we have trouble fully understanding and grasping the love of Christ. However, God already knew this and yet, still pursues us. 
   Jesus was sent to earth, knowing full well His purpose for being here. On this day so many years ago, He was betrayed, beaten, mocked, and crucified. He took upon Him the sin of the entire world. He remembered our name and died in our place. He knew that we would sin against Him, but He died for us anyway. He knew that we would doubt Him, but He took our penalty anyway. He knew that we would fail, but He loves us anyway. 

   "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart! For I have overcome the world and will give you peace."
- John 16:33 
   As we go through this day, reflecting on God's death and His love for us, may we also remember that we have no reason to be discouraged or to be afraid. God made a way for our sins to be forgiven and for us to have eternal life someday with Him. We worship a God whose love is everlasting. He has overcome the world and all its sin. By His wounds, we are healed. We are forgiven. We are made new and we have a purpose. 

Give Thanks

   I go home tomorrow. My dad is picking me up tomorrow afternoon. It is crazy to think back to all of the times that I have made the trip home and back throughout this year and now this will be the last time I go back until I go home for the summer...time is flying. I am eating strawberries and drinking raspberry lemonade as I sit on the top floor of the library by a big window overlooking the lake below. The sun is shining bright today and is shining over the homework that is laying on the table in front of me. As overwhelming as homework can be at times, I am realizing how much I love to learn and the sense of accomplishment I have when I have completed an assignment well. I am wearing my favorite cardigan today and no coat because it is so gorgeous outside! I brought out the bright turquoise flats today too, exposing my tattoo that has been hibernating all winter. It is such a sweet reminder to me of the peace that I have in Jesus Christ wherever I go and in any circumstance I face. 

   These are just a few of the precious, simple things that I have recognized as gifts from God today. Last week in chapel, we had a speaker come in and talk about giving thanks to God and recognizing the work He has done in our lives. It really got me thinking of how often I let these gifts pass me by without offering my thanks up to God. I know a lot of people that journal and recognize God's work in their lives through reflection in their writing. Others I know keep a list of things that they are thankful for. They refer to the list in times of difficulty as a reminder of the many blessings that they have in their life. Personally, I have been writing down one thing I am thankful for each day on a post-it note and putting the post-its above my desk so I can see them every day. I write down something that God has revealed to me or taught me that day.
   When I look over at the bright colored post-its every morning when I wake up, I can't help but smile as I remember how faithful God is to me. It is always exciting as I anticipate what I will experience that day and what will end up on the post-it note that night. When I go to bed, it is always encouraging to look over to my desk and see all my post-it notes, each one representing God's work and presence in my life; the joy, love, and peace He brings me in so many different ways.

   Every day we are given is a reason to be thankful. God provides us with exactly what we need exactly when we need it. It is difficult to do this at times, but we are called to give thanks in all circumstances. We worship a faithful God; He is so good. Each day He gives us is filled with His blessings and His grace. When we take the time to recognize these things in our lives, the difficult times are not as tough because we know that our God is looking after us, continually blessing us. God's purpose for us is great. We have a reason to praise God for all He has done in our lives and all that He will continue to do in us.

A Gift

   It is feeling a lot more like spring today. The sun is shining and I did not have to wear my mittens for the first time in months while walking to class this morning. It has been a long winter, but it is crazy how fast this school year has gone for me and how quickly summer is approaching. I am looking forward to summer break and being back home. I am so blessed to have the experience of being at this school. Each day that goes by is a reminder that this year is quickly coming to an end and each moment is so precious and valuable.
   God has a purpose for each day of our lives. He asks us to focus on today and not to be distracted by or anxious about the future. In His time, He will reveal His plan for us. Since we are human, we become impatient easily. We want to know answers and have results right away. It makes us nervous to have to wait. We often desire to have power and control in our lives. We fail to put our trust in God and instead we put it in others things; things such as people, relationships, our status, the world; things that disappoint us, let us down and leave us empty and confused. 
   God never said that by believing and trusting in Him life would be easy. It is full of difficult circumstances and different challenges. However, He also promised that we would never be alone. He is always with us giving us strength, courage, and a purpose. He has given us each day as a gift for us to seek Him more.

   When we take each day one at a time, we are able to truly enjoy and be blessed by each gift God has given us that day. It is good to be fully present in every situation. You never know how God will speak to you or how a certain moment may impact your life. God works in unexpected ways. By following Him and focusing on each day one at a time, God will show us the purpose that He created us for. 

In Christ

   This week is a short school week for me. Easter break starts on Friday. I am excited. It will be nice to spend some time with my family, celebrating our risen Lord and Savior. This will be the last time I go home until I am done with school for the year. I have been going home every other weekend to work, but I want to focus on my school work as the year comes to an end. I also want to spend as much time as I can with the friends I have made here before we all go our separate ways over the summer. I am abundantly blessed by the people here and want to finish off the school year with them. 
   God has been continually reminding me that my identity is in Him and in Him alone. I have been experiencing the peace that comes from resting in my Father's plan. God has been showing me the strength and confidence He provides when I my identity is in Him. I have no reason to be fearful or intimidated by anything because my worth is from God. It is determined by this world. God has been reminding me who I am in Christ.
   So often we get caught up in what the world's opinion of us is. We receive so many false messages about who we are every day and fall into the trap of believing that they are truth. We doubt if our personalities or appearance are good enough. We question our self-worth. We believe the lies about what we should be like or how we should act. We become confused and disappointed because we keep searching for solutions that will never fulfill the longing we are trying to fill. I find myself doing this often and I become frustrated. I am so thankful for a faithful God, One that never gives up on me and pursues my heart relentlessly. 

   Our joy and security is robbed when we begin to compare ourselves to the world's standards. We lose self-confidence because our confidence is relying on faulty circumstances. When we put our hope and identity in Christ alone, we are filled with His peace and experience His love. We are a new creation. We are forgiven and free. Our future may be unknown to us, but we can be reassured that our God will make it clear to us in His time as we seek His plan for our lives. In Christ, we have a purpose on this earth.