God Has A Purpose For Me!

"The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands." Psalm 138:8

I love how the NASB version states the first part of the verse, "The LORD will accomplish ALL that concerns me..."

I know I've been talking a lot in these blogs about stress and worry over my future and this verse totally and completely speaks to me at this point in my life. This verse let's me take a giant step back, take a deep breath in, and helps me to realize it really is going to be alright!!!

I've been trying to figure out my nursing school future since July and I still don't have a solid plan in place come January. I have this set mindset of when I will start school and when I will be done. MY timeline is all planned out and I'm "patiently waiting" for things to fall into place. I've prayed and prayed, have had others pray for my future and it's already December and I'm still clueless to where I'll be come January. This verse tells me to slow down, catch my anxious little breath, and know that everything will be okay. It will happen, God will fulfill the desires of my heart, but in His time, not mine.

You see, He has everything planned out for me (and you) already. He knows just when we will start something, the moment we will finish it, and He will be sure to include those "sure God moments" in between. I think that God is totally using this situation of mine to teach me a few things. I think He wants to teach me patience and guide me towards a worry-free mindset. I also think He wants me to wait on faith---to really wait on Him to fulfill His works. Maybe I am waiting because a few years down the road, when and if I do become a nurse, there will be one of those "sure God moments" that I will be needed and used for and if I had rushed into school on my own--I would miss the oppourtunity He has laid ahead.

So, here's to oversized school books and late-night study sessions, clinical rotations and scrubs...I will let God accomplish ALL that concerns me, instead of trying to do it all by my little self. My life and purpose is bigger than me and I can't wait to see God fulfill each and every detail that concerns me.

Be My Everything.

I'm changing my blog up for today. Last night at bible study and Sunday at church we sang this awesome worship song by Tim Hughes called "Everything." Look at the words. Really look at them. Feel them. God is in everything. Let Him be your everything.

God in my living
There in my breathing
God in my waking
God in my sleeping

God in my resting
There in my working
God in my thinking
God in my speaking

Be My Everything
Be My Everything

God in my hoping
There in my dreaming
God in my watching
God in my waiting

God in my laughing
There in my weeping
God in my hurting
God in my healing

Be My Everything
Be My Everything

A Whale Of A Time

"From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God..." Jonah 2:1


What whale's belly are you in? Are you praying to get out or are you barely above water surrounded by stinky belly fish? Whatever your situation, I hope you are praying, and praying constantly. I hope you don't feel uncomfortable in the silence of prayer and I hope you realize that however big or small of a belly you are in, that God is in there with you, rotten fish smell and all...ready to help you out.

Turn off your car radio...and pray. People will think you are jamming to a hit song on the radio...or with blue tooth these days...they may think you are chatting it up with a long time friend...which you are! Go on a long run outside and pray. Pray about the weather, the beautiful scenery, or simply thank him for your nike's...once you start you will find things to pray about (and end up 2 miles farther than expected). Put down the remote, open a journal and write out your prayer requests to God. He's there. He always there...no matter what belly you are in, no matter what ocean you may find yourself, He's there avoiding the taste of salt water right there with you. He loves you and He wants you to pray to Him---whenever, wherever, and however you can! Let's remember Jonah this week and be whale belly pray-ers!

Jesus+U = U+Jesus

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)

I can clearly hear Jesus in this verse. I can hear his tender, sweet voice speaking directly to me. I can hear Him confidently calling to each of you to forget what the world tells you about religion and faith and to simply rest on him. I can hear Him saying that it's alright to be sick of religion, but instead to be filled with faith and love for Him. Just Him.

My Dad always tells us 4 kids that if we simply, "Live your whole life with Jesus, it will be a great life." There's no doubt in my mind that my Dad's right. Aside from looking at his life, I look at my own and when I consciously let Jesus in my life--it's great--and when I don't--well it's not so great. I also know when I'm tired and burnt out on bible study groups, church events, church politics, "wrong religion," etc. that Jesus is there with an easy yoke and a light burden ready to take on ALL that I have for Him and more.

What this verse and my dad's advice isn't saying is that it won't be hard, because it will; it never says that you won't have unthinkably tough times, because you will; and neither the verse nor my dad's advice says that you will have your faith and all that comes with it handed to you, because it won't be. Living a life of faith and walking with Jesus means hard work, determination for change, love for something bigger than you (that at times you can't see and might not even know is there, but must trust that it is--that He is there). To have a great life, one with Jesus, means 100+% reliance on Him, accepting whole-hearted grace, and a complete realization that nothing in your life is bigger than Him... "...For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Pumpkin Pancake Unbelief.

"Don't take the pressure of your provision upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is unbelief; worrying means we do not believe that God can look after the practical details of our lives..." ~Oswald Chambers~

I heard a heart warming story last night from one of my "God Girls" Heidi (see pic below of Heidi and I being goofballs). Let me set the scene and give you some background. Heidi is an amazing all around person---one of those people that no matter what situation you meet her in she brings life, joy, fun, and laughter. She's one of those people that everyone wants to know because she brings out the best in people and is not only honestly comfortable in any situation, but finds the joy and life in every situation. Heidi is currently a teacher at a low-income elementary school for a 5th grade class. Think of the worst family situations imaginable (parents from gangs, to jailed parents, etc.) and those are the kids she teaches. Heidi is facing struggles of her own and is constantly seeking and trusting God for her worries. Last night she told us this story.....

It was around 7:30am (an hour before school starts) and Heidi was at school early (as always) preparing for the day feeling as if it was, "just another day" and had more than enough of her own "life worries" on her mind to keep her pre-occupied. She heard a little knock on her classroom door--only to look up to see her student Lattrell standing at the door. Heidi opened the door and let little Lattrell in, asking why he came to school so early. Unexpectedly, Lattrell told her he had something for her. In his little hands were fresh, hot, pancakes, pumpkin pancakes wrapped in foil. He held out his other hand which held a ziplock bag filled with mapel syrup. Confused, Heidi asked where Lattrell had gotten the pancakes...with sleep-filled eyes he told her that he got up early and made them for her in his apartment!!! His Grandma had taught him a while back how to make them, and that morning he woke up extra early to suprise her telling her, "I knew you would want to eat these." Heidi's heart broke as she hadn't eaten breakfast that morning and was shocked and filled with unbelief that God had a 10-year old boy provide breakfast for her that morning.

It's amazing to me that God uses people, things, and situations the way he does. Never in my wildest imagination would I think that God could use Pumpkin Pancakes to soften my heart and dissapate my unbelief. I guess I expect different from God. He is SO big, yet I find myself missing Him daily because I'm too busy worrying about life or expecting Him to answer me in a different way, instead of letting him finish what He has started.

This week I'm going to stop worrying about nursing school pre-reqs and admissions. I'm going to stop worrying that my hair isn't perfect and that my car is dirty. I'm going to stop worrying about where I'll be in January. I'm going to start trusting the Lord and stop letting my worry turn into unbelief. God is big and real and is who He says He is. This week I'm putting my faith to the test and trusting our Pumpkin Pancake God.

"...do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; not about your body, what you will put on." Matthew 6:25

believing means trusting.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt..." James 1:2-6 (NIV)

Let's read it in the message.

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought..." James 1:2-8 (MSG)

What a loaded set of verses. There is so much to be understood here, yet it is truly a simple concept that God wants us to understand. I think what God is getting at is that...when your faith is tested it produces many things. Things like joy, patience, trust, reliance, prayer, help, love, and a deeper understanding and belief of God.

Think of an athlete. No athlete is perfect and no athlete has ever been fully equipped for every situation that comes his/her way without training and preparing before hand. Through trails and tests, by practice and determination, to patience and help, an athlete matures and grows in his/her sport BOLDLY BELIEVING AND NEVER SECOND GUESSING that they will succeed, grow, and learn, all while perservering to accomplish his/her goal. Kind of like the verse huh?

This verse is still a lot to understand. I made the visual below (b/c I'm the most visual person ever) in the most simple terms I could think of to help ALL of us understand it more.

It starts with Faith (fill the arrows in with the word "leads"):

Faith--->Trials
Trials--->Joy
Joy--->Perserverance
Perserverance--->Maturity
Maturity--->Wisdom
Wisdom--->Help
Help--->Prayer
Prayer--->Father
Father--->Trust
Trust--->Faith

Yup, He's Still There.

As you can see...I've missed the last couple of days of blogging. I haven't forgotten about you guys or my daily blogging goal...but I've been computerless. A group of girls and I went to Arnold this weekend. A small mountain-like town with beautiful redwood trees and quiet. Lots of quiet (minus the laughter the girls added to the peaceful oasis)! Anyway, I was excited to post today since I've missed out on it the last couple of days and found just the perfect verse to write on.

At my desk I keep this book called, "Grace for the Moment" by Max Lucado. Basically, it has verses and stories for every single day of the year. I opened the book to today, November 19th and found just the right verse...one of those verses that meets me right where I am today--feeling guilty for not getting into the word this weekend while being away (what can I say--climbing through redwood trees was much more appealing).

"If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful, because he cannot be false to himself."

2 Timothy 2:13

Thanks God for being faithful to me, even when I am not at my best, on top of my game, or acting upon each moment given to me by you. Thank you for still being there in the quiet, in the noise, in the distraction, in this crazed holiday season, in times of the "unknown", and in doubt. You are truly an AWESOME and FAITHFUL God, that even when I can't see or feel you, and my faith feels like it's just about to run out....you are there and more faithful than ever.

Follow The Leader.

"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow....Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose."
Psalm 25:4,12 (NLT)

Path:
-a way beaten, formed, or trodden
-narrow walk or way
-route, course
-course of action or conduct

Have you ever been in a situation where you feel like the Lord isn't there to guide you? Like there isn't even dust getting your feet dirty from the supposed "path" you are on? Do you feel like you are throwing arrow prayers in the air just for them to miss the target and come back down landing at your feet?

This last question gives me the best visual. For those of you who have seen the movie, "Garden State" (if you haven't--you should), there is a scene where this guy is outside throwing flamming arrows into the sky and the main characters are all running around the grass hoping not to get hit by the fire arrow when it comes down. It ends up landing right next to the girl's foot and she pulls on her ear to secretly signal to her friend she's definitely ready to go. Time for a new path!

Don't you wish you could simply look up to God, tug on your earlobe, and suddenly a new path would be laid in front of you?

When you look back at these certain times in your life, once your feet are firmly planted on a path, you see God was there the whole time. He's answering prayers left and right, but in different ways than you expected. He brought you back around to the narrow path and look where you are now. It may be hard to see when you are living in the meantime, but when you turn the corner from the invisible path to "highway 101," or whatever path God chooses for you (remember EVERYONE'S is DIFFERENT)...you see that Jesus was there all along guiding you, pulling you, loving you, and preparing you for your chosen path.

Open to Opportunity.

"What he opens, no on can close; and what he closes, no one can open. I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close." Revelation 3:7-8

Here is the first verse to start my blog adventure! To put it simply...this is the verse God opened my eyes to today.

This totally speaks to me at this time in my life. Being in your 20's is a strange time in life. Lately, it's been called, "Living in the Meantime" for me. It's that unplanned time after college, before family, and a "real" career, if there is such a thing. There are transitions left and right, and opportunities every way you turn, but no clear directions pointing you to the path you should take. There are all these decisions that need to be made now that will affect the rest of your life, and somehow all these decisions can wait.

That's exactly the point I'm at.
God's telling me to wait on HIS timing.
He WILL OPEN what needs to be opened and CLOSE what needs to be closed.

Right when I read this verse, a few examples of this popped into my head of how God has already worked in certain areas of my life. I'll share...
1. He's blessed me with a move to CA in the last year and a half to be with my family who has shown me Christ through their love. Only He could open that door...it was His perfect timing.

2. He closed the door on a really really unhealthy relationship in my life...which can never be opened back up. Praise the Lord.

3. He opened up a job opportunity a month after my move here. A job that was literally created and designed for me at this time in my life. No HR Hiring director could close that door, or my young age and lack of experience couldn't stop me from being hired because God OPENED the opportunity up for me.

What has God opened or closed for you recently? Did he provide a friendship for you at just the right time? Maybe it was a specific moment, you know one of those "Sure God Moments" that the only explanation for that moment was God. If you can't think of anything...pray about it. Look at the big AND small things in your life. God will show you what He is doing and what He has done.

What things in your life do you want God to open or close for you in the near future?
Again, pray about it.

This blog is getting lengthy, so I'll end it by sharing with you the things I need to trust God in opening....
1. Nursing School--acceptance, getting into the pre-req. classes that I need.
2. Relationships. Deepening my friendships. Possibility of leading a girls high school aged bible study group.
3. I need to trust God in closing the door to Lorri's cancer. :) Again, read her blog...it will change your life daily.

First Blog Ever

This is my first time, "blogging." I've never really had an interest in blogging (--I thought it was too internet "trendy") until recently, and especially today my interest was sparked enough to start it up.

What really got my attention to blogging and the good it can spread was through a good family friend who recently got diagnosed with breast cancer. She uses her cancer as a testimony to others and blogs about her daily joys, trials, health, and how God is using her to work in and through all of it. She is an AMAZING example of letting God live through you and love on you daily. You can check her blog out at: http://www.lorriscancerupdates.blogspot.com/.

Through her blog, it has inspired me to think about a lot of things in my life. From things I worry about that are unimportant, to how I miss God's work in my everyday life, and realizing that I am flat out not getting enough God in my daily life. Over this last week, God has put on my heart that some things need to change and that they can only change by getting closer to Him through prayer, trusting Him, and getting into His word daily. So, this is my attempt to do so and we'll see what happens and where this goes. :)

Every day I'm going to try and find a verse that applies to my life...and hopefully yours. I will reflect on it, and share how it personally affects my life. I would love for you to come on this journey with me and see God as he works through me...and maybe through some of you to?! :)