Time is Running Out

This school year is coming to an end...finally. It's taken a lot of getting used to, but overall it has been wonderful! I mean, come on, college compared to high school is way better. But as this academic year dwindles to an end, I feel so pressured with so much work...busy work it seems. Nonetheless, work is work. I feel like I have no time for me. More importantly, I feel like I've been leaving God out of the mix.

The only time I've really set aside for God is my car ride to and from the gym and every night before I go to sleep. I'm one of those crazy people you see jamming out in the car to the radio, but instead it's my Sanctuary CD. Sanctuary is a praise and worship thing that goes on in Nashville every Thursday and I like to replay the moment in the car. I can't get enough of it. But when I step back to look at the big picture, I really don't give enough of myself or my time to my Creator. 

I guess it just all comes down to time management. I'm a college student. I should be a pro at time management, but that's not the case when it comes to God. That's not right. Wow. 

This last week, I've started something new. The second I wake up, I say, "Good morning, God." Throughout the day, I live my prayer. I never open or close. Just live. I talk to him now. When I go to bed at night, I tell him goodnight.  I've already seen a difference in how I feel about my relationship with God. It feels so good. 

So I just wanted to encourage setting more time aside for God. It will change your day. I promise. 

Philippians 4:13

"I can do anything through him who gives me strength."- Phil. 4:13

We all have heard this verse. I even have it written on a bracelet that I wear around my wrist every day. But I was thinking about it and looking back on things I've been through in the past, and I started to wonder...do i REALLY believe this? I can say I believe that with God, all things are possible, but sometimes I feel like I am just fooling myself. That thought process is totally and completely dumb. It's almost as if it's my placebo pill to get rid of a migraine. Just tell myself it's going to be okay and that everything is going to be fixed. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm getting that strength and I'm just living like a zombie getting through life.

The great thing here is that my thought process is off. I CAN do anything through him who gives me strength. I've been through interesting situations in my life that the word pleasant wouldn't describe, but I'm still here. I'm still kickin', I'm still breathing, and I'm still believing. God has given me strength to persevere through anything. And I DO believe that. 

Rest

So Spring Break starts tomorrow. Boy do I need it. It's like I'm craving a break. But at the same time, I feel uneasy about it. 

Normally I do some sort of missions for spring break, and this year I'm not. It breaks my heart. I'm actually just going to Chattanooga and then home for the week. But I feel so incomplete that I'm not going to do missions. Is that a selfish viewpoint? I honestly don't really know. I've been asking myself why I'm not going anywhere, but maybe God wanted me to stay home for some reason. Maybe I'm following God's plan by NOT going anywhere for spring break. Who knows. 

Sometimes rest is good. But sometimes I don't want it. I guess I just need to suck it up and wait it out. There's a reason for everything. We'll see.

Emily

John 14:27

"Peace, I leave with you my peace, I give unto you, not as the worth giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." -John 14:27

So I just pledged with a social group at school. It wasn't easy, that's for sure. Every night we had a different "activity" to be nervous about, simply because we had no idea what was coming. It was always a surprise. Well John 14:27 is my club's motto and it helped me out so much during the whole week. 

Bible verses are so good to have in your head. I always have had a few memorized, but I never really understood how helpful they are until I needed it bad enough. That sorta sounds selfish, I know, but it sort of comes down to how when you're at your lowest, you get closer to God. Pledging was just a minor example, but it's even more obvious when someone close to you dies, or you're having relationship problems, or times when you feel alone when you get super close to God. 

I think that's why life isn't always good. You need the good times to know that God is good and the bad times to know that you can't do everything alone. You're never alone. 

Sorry if that was random, but it's just something that's been on my mind for the past week. 

Emily

Happy Thought

So I was reading Lamentations the other day. It was required. I don't like reading sad things...I mean, hello! Lamentations doesn't sound pleasant. But as I was reading all the depressing stuff being said, I came across some verses that struck my attention...

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness." -Lamentations 3:22-23

Wow. I love that. After reading all these sad things and making me think about all the crap I've done so far in my short life, this verse actually gave me hope...it gives me hope. I love how I serve a God who loves me so unconditionally, that no matter what I do, He loves me the same. Every morning is a blank slate, and even though the past is the past, I am still loved the same.

What an Awesome God.

Emily

I Miss...

Recently I've been thinking a lot about my past. High school, football games, parties, people, ex-boyfriends, everything. It's weird to think how you can remember the most random things. Like it's hard to remember your best friend's birthday, but you remember the color hair bow your sister wore in her first grade yearbook photo. I don't really understand it. 

Do I really miss everything I remember from back in the day? Or things I don't remember? What's the point of missing things? Sorry this is a random thought, but I had to talk it out. My friend just recently had a three year anniversary of a friend's death and it made me think of my friend Seth who died two years ago. I miss him. Why does God let us miss things? Not even really miss things, but mainly be sad when we miss things. 

So here's my conclusion for my random thought: God makes us miss things, especially people, to make us realize how much of a gift they are. Never take anything or anyone around you for granted. Everything is a gift. The act of missing is a simple reminder that God loves us so much that he lets us connect with something in such a way to make us feel that way. When people die, it's nice to know you're not not going to see them again...because we will. :)

Emily

Blessed

Right now, I'm sitting outside with my friends, taking in this beautiful day that God has blessed me with. It's days like this that make me think about how incredibly blessed I am. 

Recently, a lot of good things have happened back to back. That NEVER happens. I'm trying not to enjoy it too much, mainly out of fear that it's all going to go away. I know I shouldn't feel that way, but I just can't help it. I hate living out of fear that the good things in life that I have been blessed with might disappear. And in reality, they eventually will. But that's why I need to take them in as they come and appreciate them while they are still here. 

That's really all I have to say about that. Sorry if that was just me rambling. It happens. :)

Emily