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.

Blessings

   I am thankful for the sunshine today. This long winter is getting...well, too long. The hope of spring is here. What a beautiful day to begin the weekend. I am looking forward to time to refuel and catch up on some sleep. I am excited to spend time with friends and get ahead in a few of my classes. It really is the little things in life that can bring so much joy to life. I honestly get so excited when I think about making a cup of tea or taking a hot bubble bath, having a good conversation with a close friend or cuddling up in a blanket. These are such little things but they really do bring happiness to my life. I am blessed.
   I have really been seeking God during my time here at Northwestern. Through my classes, through the lessons taught in chapel and through the different conversations I have had with the people here, God has revealed Himself to me. I have been challenged in my faith. I have been encouraged in my faith. I have made some of the best, genuine friendships I have ever had. I have learned to encourage others and to support others in ways that I have never had to before. I have been pushed out of my comfort zone at times, but it has helped me grow into the person I know God is calling me to be. I am much more secure in my identity in Christ and trusting in the plan He has for me.
   I have learned to count my blessings rather than my frustrations. I have learned to focus on how to utilize the strengths God has gifted me with rather than getting discouraged by my weaknesses. I have learned to be thankful for the gifts God has given me rather than having a heart of discontentment. I have found my identity in Jesus Christ rather than the world. I have found that true joy comes from spending time with my Heavenly Father. I have learned that having a beautiful heart is much more valuable than having a beautiful appearance. I have learned that serving others brings more fulfillment than serving myself. I have learned that prayer is powerful. I can see God's hand in the beauty of His creation around me. I have learned to find God's blessing in every day circumstances.

   Daisies are my favorite flower. They are beautiful on the outside, but to me they are also a symbol of hope. This past summer I was struggling through some difficult circumstances. I was on a walk one evening on the sidewalk in my neighborhood. As I was walking up the hill back to my house, I came across a white daisy. It had grown through the crack in the sidewalk. I was amazed. God knew daisies are my favorite flower and I believe He put that daisy in my path to remind me of His faithfulness to me; how He will restore my spirit, bringing beauty to it once again. Looking back to that summer night to where I am now, that is exactly what God has done. 
   Whether it is daisies or sunshine on a winter day, God is active and alive in everything. I have learned to find hope and joy in the ordinary things in life because with God nothing is ordinary. He can use anything to get our attention and He is faithful to us through every situation. It is amazing how when you begin to focus on God, everything becomes clearer. Purpose is given to ordinary things. Joy is found in simple circumstances. Blessings are discovered every day because God is present and alive. 

Authentic Relationships

   I am feeling especially thankful for my family today. At the end of one of my classes this morning, I checked my phone to find four text messages, two from my sister, one from my mom and one from my dad. I had to chuckle to myself. I enjoy the independence and freedom I am gaining by living away from them, but my relationships with them will always be so precious to me. Throughout my middle school and some of my high school years, I took my relationships with my family members for granted too often. When I moved here to go to school, I realized how important these relationships are to me and my deep desire to strengthen them. God has been showing me the importance of having authentic relationships, with my family and with other believers. 
   Today in one of my classes, the professor was talking about how having authentic relationships with other believers will lessen the temptations in our lives because of the accountability and encouragement those kinds of relationships bring. That made so much sense to me. It seems so obvious, yet we struggle with this daily. He discussed how our thoughts turn into words and our words into our behaviors. It is a slow fade. When we have those authentic relationships, people willing to call us out when they see sin in our lives, we have that support and encouragement to help us as we work through those different situations. 
   God has placed people in our lives and blessed us with the opportunity to have these kinds of relationships, rooted in His truth and love. However, I know there have been times in my life where authenticity has scared me because I was trying so hard to appear "put together" on the outside. We know that being real with someone else will require us to look at our hearts, look at our inner world. It means being vulnerable and open to someone else. It means admitting to those mistakes, struggles, and regrets we have, instead of burying them deeper or ignoring them. 

    
   God has placed people in all of our lives for this purpose; people to guide us, support us, protect us, and confront us, people to challenge us, encourage us, and pray for us. People that will be faithful to us in good times and bad times. People who accept us for who we are and encourage us as we seek out our identity in Christ. God is using us in this way in other people's lives as well. Through God's work in us, we can help others and show them God's love. Having these authentic relationships in our lives will help us grow into the people that God has created us to be.

Contentment

   It has been quite a week so far, very busy and exciting with the end of the school year coming to an end and all the different activities that go along with that. I have started a couple new classes with four quarter starting, Biblical Worldview and Personal Responsibility, along with Principles of Biblical Interpretation. I already know that both classes are going to challenge me, but both are going to deepen my faith and understanding of God's word as well. I am excited for what God is going to reveal to me through the opportunity to take these classes.
   I have talked a lot lately about obstacles that we face in this life. I think this is because I have recently been feeling overwhelmed by my own challenges. God has been showing me what it means to be content right where I'm at, despite the circumstances. Today in chapel, the speaker talked about contentment. She talked about how challenging it is to be content and that it is a life-long learning process. We seem to always be able to think of something that we think we need and then our lives will be better. We think if we have that certain thing, relationship, opportunity, image, talent, lifestyle, or circumstance then we would be fully content. This is never the case. Once we get one thing, something else always catches our hearts and minds. We end up thinking we need that thing too. We keep on living this way, always wanting the next thing and never being fully content where we are.
   There is no way we will ever be fully content in this life, not until we meet our Father face to face. We will always be let down. That thing we so badly wanted and thought we needed will never satisfy us the way that being with our Father for eternity will. Our contentment is not based on our outward situations, but our hearts and our desires, the things we decide to put our time, energy, and heart into- these are the things that our hearts will be devoted to. When we spend time with the Lord and soak in His truths, our hearts will be there too. Only through spending time with our Savior will we come close to experiencing true contentment.

   I have definitely went through continuous cycles of thinking certain things will bring me joy or contentment and I am learning every day that this is not the truth. I have come to a point that being content is not about the fulfillment of what I want, but rather the realization of what I already have. God has blessed me abundantly. Instead of focusing on uncertain outcomes in my life or trying to use earthly things to fulfill the desires of my heart, I have learned that by focusing on the gifts that God has already blessed me with, I am content. 
   There will be many, many more times in my life that I am going to return to that cycle of thinking that something on this earth will make my life more complete or that I will be happier because of it- we all will. However, even when I do go through those times of doubt, I know that my God is faithful. He will pursue my heart. God is showing me each day that He has plans for my life and every day my excitement to get to know Him more grows. I am content because my God loves me for me. I am content because my God forgives my past mistakes and regrets. I am content through any circumstance because I know that my strength comes from the Lord. I am content because my God has given me a purpose on this earth that He is going to reveal to me in His perfect timing.