Friday, July 27, 2012

Home.

After a long week of working with children, home is where my heart is.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Pondering what the future holds

Today has been an interesting day emotionally for me. I've been a little all over the map with how I have been feeling from morning till now, the afternoon.
I find that my soul becomes anxious when I am not spending a window of time just to communicate with God. If I have that special time to spend with Him, it makes the day seem more lovely & little bit more manageable. I see more blessings rather than losses in my life.
A big question I have been asking myself is "what does the Lord have for me this year?" It's a scary thought at times, but overall, I have had a peace about my senior year of high school. This summer alone has brought about very unexpected changes already & it has been a season of growth, a tremendous time of heart searching. It gives me peace to know that God knows me & He sees me even during the darkest & uncertain times. That is the biggest thing that I have been giving thanks to God for over these past couple of weeks; God sees me & knows me more than anyone.
Having been thinking a lot about my future, I have been meditating on the crazy fact that God is outside of time. He sees me now & he also sees me at my wedding years from now. He knows it all because He has planned it according to who I am.
This upcoming week, I will be counseling a group of 7 girls at a Christian camp. I am very excited about this opportunity! I know that God has placed me with the girls that He wants me to be with & I am confident that Christ will work through my weaknesses to minister to them. Tomorrow is camp check-in, so I get to meet my girls for the first time! I can't wait.
I strongly believe that this week at camp will be amazing, not only for the kids attending, but for the counselors as well. I am looking forward to the yummy milkshakes during free time, rock climbing, walking, & having quiet times away.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

"a woman of noble character"

Last week, my dad told me that I really needed to read the book of Ruth. As crazy as this may sound, I seriously could not remember the story of Ruth & Boaz, even though it is one of the most well-known Bible stories, especially among women.
So I read the first portion that day & the second portion the next morning. It's such a short book that I could have read in one sitting but I decided to stretch it out instead & I ended up reflecting & rereading Ruth through the rest of the week. I couldn't help but just cry at some of the verses, which definitely showed me that the Lord wanted me to read it.
It hit me pretty hard because I have truly been reflecting on who I am as a person & how I define myself. I have these goals that I desire so much to obtain but the problem is that I end up trying to get there on my own strength, & that never works out well. But it was just the overall character of Ruth that really captured my heart. The fact that she was steadfast in everything she did was amazing & she had the reputation of "a woman of noble character." I don't think there is anything as amazing as that phrase to tell a girl who is genuinely seeking after Christ. I want to have that same reputation among my peers & fellow Christians. She had such faith in God & waited patiently for her kinsman-redeemer. The part that is my favorite by far is when she goes to lay at the feet of Boaz, dressed her best, & he wakes up to ask her, "who are you?" & her response is simply, "I am your servant, Ruth."
It got me thinking that where I belong is at the feet of Jesus, the ultimate kinsman-redeemer. & the fact is that I don't live everyday at His feet. The second point that stood out was how she answered the question "who are you?" She responded as a servant. & those two things make a beautiful image for me when I apply that to my relationship with Christ. To be at His feet continually is showing submission like a servant of Christ. & we all are servants which is amazing to have that gift, but we also have access to know Him intimately, like a friend. & He calls us friends which blows my mind!
I'm grateful that I have been reflecting on those little passages ever since reading them last week for the first time. It just makes it so evident to me that I just want to submit to Him my life so that He can truly transform my heart in order for me to become a woman of noble character as well.