But wow, so much has happened since my last post. So many eye opening things that have really made me realize the power and sovereignty of Jesus.
I'm not a Bible shover by any means. I love and respect everyone and what they believe, but I do have this blog to share what I personally believe and the things that the Lord has done in my life. This joy that I have just can't be contained within my mind. It's the overflow of my heart I have to let people know somehow. And this is it :)
Happiness is something everyone wants. Everyone wants it. Everyone wants to find it somehow. Some find it in things, people, spiritual figures, and the list goes on. Throughout the past year, I've learned so much about happiness and contentment and how to achieve a lasting joy. I never really understood it before. Music was my go-to, my shelter, my support when I was upset, my fall back when nothing else seemed to be going right. But music was and is just a thing. It's not eternal. It's not something I can take with me when I go. It's something that God has instilled in my heart as a passion and something I love doing, but it in no way could bring me that happiness that God does. In this world it is so easy to place your faith in "things" or other people rather than God. But the downfall comes when those things go away. If you make something or someone your world, when they are gone, all you will feel is empty and alone. But you're not alone! He is there. He has always been there, waiting for you to find your joy in him and his goodness.
In an inconsistent world, he remains a consistent loving God. His love never changes.
This past year has been the best of my life. It's really opened my eyes to all the things that the Lord has for me, and all the things that I missed before. I believe he uses situations in our lives to strengthen us and better equip us to accomplish his will for our lives.
"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. James 1:2-4
I was thinking about it today:
1.God....He knows us better than we know ourselves. He made us. He "knit us together in our mother's womb." Read this:
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s
womb.
I praise you because
I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. My frame was not
hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the
depths of the earth, your eyes saw my
unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one
of them came to be.
This guy, he knows everything about you. He knows everything about me. More than any person on earth could ever know. More than any best friend, more than any boyfriend, more than any pastor, mother, father, cousin, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, you name it!
2. You and me. All we know of ourselves how many years we have been on this earth. That's it.
I'd say that the God of the universe has the advantage over us. Once again: He knows us better than we know ourselves. He made us.
So, that brings me to....
3. So if the God of the universe made us this intricate human being, & knows us better than we know ourselves, why would we question his plan for us? I'm not saying this like I've never questioned it. I have. Sometimes I've done it and not even realized I was. But I always go back to those simple facts every time.
Why question his plan? He makes all things work together for our good. Whether we at the time may see them as devastating, humiliating, unfair, or whatever. These things don't happen to harm us or to cut us down! They make us better people and more prepared for what he has for us ahead. Without the pain, victory wouldn't be so sweet.
It's really easy to settle for what you already know, but it takes faith and courage to encounter what you don't.
The unknown is scary. Even the word unknown just kind of creeps me out. But on the other hand, the unknown can be exciting. It can be exhilarating to know that when one chapter of your life ends, another one is going to begin. That is where the unknown becomes a little less scary to me.
For I know the
plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
He didn't stutter in that statement. He didn't say, " I think I have plans for you." He didn't say, "I'm going to leave you hangin." He said he HAS plans for you and me. Plans that are ten million times better than we could ever make on our own. Trusting these words is what can be difficult to us when things don't turn out exactly the way we planned. Although they may not have turned out the way WE may have planned, they always turn out the way God has planned.
I hope this has encouraged you just as much as it has encouraged me as I've studied and written this. I think we all need a reminder every once in a while; a weight lifted off our shoulders. Our own understanding will always fail us and trying fix things on our own will only lead us further away from him. We don't have to do this alone. He is there.
