Thankful for the little things.

Oh fall. It's one of my favorite times of year! The cooler weather, the leaves changing, jackets, pie, family get togethers, thanksgiving, and did I mention pie? I just love everything about fall! Especially Thanksgiving. 

Even though I absolutely love this holiday, the other day something hit me. Why is it that we, as Americans, take just this one day to truly sit back and think of everything we're thankful for. We are blessed throughout the whole year. Every single day we are blessed, yet we only think about it on one day. Yes, I know. We all do sit back every now and then and are truly thankful for the people or things around us. But why don't we do that everyday? God has taken the time to actually care and love for us to bless us, and yet we can't even thank Him. 

I recently helped with my college class at church by putting together Christmas shoeboxes for children in other countries who don't have enough money to get a Christmas. We watched a video of the kids receiving these boxes and you should have seen the looks they had. They were so thankful and they looked as if they had been given the whole world. All over a shoebox that contained a handful of items. Items us Americans have and use every single day. How blessed we are, yet we take it all for granted. 

I want to start taking each and every moment I am given as a blessing. I want to be thankful for everything I have and the people around me. If a child in another country can be forever grateful over a tiny shoebox, I can certainly be thankful for everything in my life. 

God has been working on my heart for a while now, and He is truly teaching me how to be thankful for the little things. 

Words.

For the majority of my life, I have been afraid of the future. What it will bring, the people involved, and how it will change. I have never known why, but I have always had a feeling it could be because the future  is really unpredicted. Your life can change in an instant and never be the same. 

But all of that is starting to change. Some things happened recently that have started to make me excited and eager for the future. Especially the near future. I can feel myself opening up and breaking out of my shell and I think that is what is making me excited for the future. 

I have always asked God to show me where He wants me and what He wants for my life, and I think he is showing me. Part of what He is showing me is that there is no reason to be afraid, He knows everything about everything. He has the ultimate control and knows exactly what will happen in the future, therefore there is no reason for me to be afraid and worry. 

So from this moment forward I am going to do my best to break out of my shell, stop worrying, and give it all to Him. 

I guess this is just another side road on my endless journey to please and glorify Him. 

I can't wait. :) 

How can anyone look at  a view like this and say there is no God? 

"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of Lord is to be praised!"

Psalm 113:3

Waiting.

What has happened to this world? It seems like everyone is only concerned with themselves. You see people with their $100,000 cars and their $400 pair of jeans walking around, completely focused on themselves. There are millions of people in need in this world. Millions! Yet we all, myself included, sometimes don't even care. We always want the next new thing, or the bigger thing. I find it interesting when people who have those $400 pair of jeans decided they want to help, so they send a check to save the children in Darfur or to a Aids clinic in Africa. Now, I am not saying it is wrong of them to send money because alot of those organizations need funding. But what I am saying is that here, in America, people are dying everyday. How many children go unfed every night? Or how many families are sleeping on the street? Millions of people are dying here, yet we don't seem to care or even notice. We are always so focused on helping other countries when our own is falling apart. Our country needs to stop and help those in need here.
Back in August the college group at my church went on a mission trip to San Diego and it was an amazing trip. Let me just say that it was probably one of the best mission trips I have ever been on, and I have been on my fair share of trips. One of the activities that we did was that everyone was to take $2 and as a team we were to go to a grocery store or someplace that sold food and put together bags for the homeless. I'm not going to lie, as soon as our leader said homeless it freaked me out. When I used to hear that word, I automatically thought 1) scary 2) dirty 3) crazy. Hah! Which is a ridiculous thing for me to think! Sheesh how judgemental am I? Before we leave to do this activity the leader said something that made me change my thoughts towards the homeless. She said, "These people are just like you and me. They are simply in need. We all have been in need at some point in our lives, and these people just might need a little more help.'' O how true her words were! Of course these people would be like me, they are just people. Children of God who need help from fellow children of God. So anyways, we went out and put together 5 bags for the homeless and went out searching for people in need. I was able to go out with a teammate and actually physically give a bag to a person in need and it opened my eyes and made the words that our leader said come to life. That man was just in need. That was all. God had blessed me with the ability to help him and I was so glad God chose to use me to help touch someone's life.
When we all were back together, we started talking about how easy it was to go and take $2  and a few hours to help someone in need.  What a simple and inexpensive thing to do!
After doing that it really hit me how wasteful this world is. I know there are alot of people out there who do love helping others and showing God's love. But I also know that a majority of the world is consumed with themselves and it breaks my heart.

I hope God can use me to be a light to those who are in need. Whether that need is something as simple as food, or if it is showing them that we need to be helping others. I am ready for the challenging. I'm just waiting for His guidance.

Overwhelmed.

Lately I have been feeling completely overwhelmed. Not with life necessarily, although life  has it's overwhelming moments, but with the thoughts and opinions of the people around   me. I mean, I know what I believe when it comes to God but I also know you can always learn more and have a better perspective of the things you believe.

 I am surrounded by mature Christians who have a strong faith and walk with the Lord. But  am also surrounded by baby Christians who are working on their relationship with Christ. I know, that as a more mature (so to say) Christian, it is my responsibility to help guide and   be a role model to baby Christian and it frightens me. The mature Christians in my life are 

guiding me and trying to help me grow, but sometimes I feel like what one person says another contradicts. I know that when it comes down to it, I have to look in the Bible for 

myself and see what it says to determine what the truth is and what God is showing me. I am so frightened that I am going to misinterpret something and then mislead a "baby"

Christian. I would hate to guide someone wrongly because I know I am spiritually responsible for the guidance I give anyone. 

I guess it all comes down to the fact that I need to pray about it and let God give me the confidence to guide the young Christians and to know what is the truth from the mature Christians in my life.

"Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you!"-

Psalm 102:1

Letting go.

Yesterday I went to the movies with a couple of friends and one of the previews was for the movie 2012. It's basically about the world coming to an end. In the preview you see the things that we all treasure or value on this earth get destroyed. Vatican City collapses, the Eiffel Tower is swept under a huge wave, even the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy is lost in the ending of the world. 

While I was sitting there, something hit me. Nothing in this world matters. Nothing. That thought has always been in my mind, but I guess I never really truly thought about it. Every single one of us clings to the things of this world, and for what purpose? When we die, it doesn't come with us. We don't get to cash it in and get something for it. It stays here on this earth. I know that I cling to the things of this world, and I have no clue why. I need to let it all go. The only thing I need to cling to is God. He is always there. He's my Rock. My Salvation. My Savior. My Father. My Everything. He never let's go of me, yet sometimes I overlook him for the things of this world. 

There's this song that I have recent;y fallen in love with call "You never let go".  These are the lyrics. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

Your perfect love is casting out fear

And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life

I won’t turn back

I know You are near

And I will fear no evil

For my God is with me

And if my God is with me

Whom then shall I fear?

Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:

Oh no, You never let go

Through the calm and through the storm

Oh no, You never let go

In every high and every low

Oh no, You never let go

Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on

A glorious light beyond all compare

And there will be an end to these troubles

But until that day comes

We’ll live to know You here on the earth

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on

And there will be an end to these troubles 

But until that day comes

Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

I want to be like this song. I don't want to let go of God when things are bad. I want to turn to Him. I don't want to not thank Him when things are good because it's because of Him that things are that way. He is there in every high and every low. Nothing in this world matters. 

I want my focus to be only on God. Nothing else. I know once it's focused on Him I will be able to reach those in need and show them God's steadfast and everlasting love. His grace and mercy. He is an awesome God who loves me and the people of this world. I want to show his love to those around me. I just need to let go of this world and focus on Him.

Opportunities

Do you ever do or see something that just stays on your thoughts? It always seems to be there, even if it's in the back of your mind? 

When I went to Denmark, something hit me. Since that trip I can not seem to stop thinking about it. The things that happened there, the people, the country, the ministry, everything is always running through my mind. Denmark has been on my heart for over 2 years now. At the beginning of this year I really wanted to go back but never pursued it. Now that the summer is over, I wish I could have gone. But as I look back on   the trip I feel like I wasted alot of my time over there. To say I was young and unfocused are lame excuses for my lack of passion on that trip. I know that God sent me there to show me that I did have a passion for missions but I had a little bit to go before I should jump in. Missions has always been a part of my life. Even when I was a kid I did mission orientated things. Every summer with the youth group we went on a mission trip. So growing up I knew that missions was awesome and that I wanted it apart of my life. I feel like God has brought me a long way since Denmark two summers ago. He has stretched me and used me and challenged me. I feel ready. So I got in contact with my trip leader and asked her about a trip next summer and to my amazement she was forming a team and said she would love to have me come along. What an awesome opportunity God presented me with! After praying about it I told her that I am more than willing to go and would jump on a plane today if I could. 

See how amazing God is? He sees a passion in us, prepares us, and then sends us out. How amazing He is. I asked a few of my friends if they wanted to come since I know they love missions as well, but they are still praying about it. Normally I wouldn't even think of going on a mission trip without any friends. But I think it would be an amazing experience with or without them there. If they come it will be awesome, but if they don't I know I am supposed to go. That's what matters. 

I can't wait for the other amazing opportunities God has in store for me. I am ready to dive on in. 

& so it starts here.

God has been working with me through out this whole summer and I can sense a real change starting to occur. I feel like my attitude and my out look on life has finally started to focus fully on Him. How He wants things to go and His plan for my life as well as the life of others around me. I decided to start this blog to write down the changes in my life. This past summer I really feel that God has spoken to me and I actually listened this time. I am ready to do whatever He is asking of me. No matter what the sacrifice. I am ready for it. 

I have never been at that place in my life before and it is kind of mind boggling to say the least. I am generally the girl who will wait for a couple of people to dive into a situation first so I can see how they do and how it turns out. But not this time. I want to be the first to take that leap off the edge. I can't wait to see how that water feels. 

I am not writing in this blog for anyone but myself. Maybe someone will read it and be inspired or influenced by it, but if not that's ok. I am hoping I can look back on this blog in a year or even a couple months and see how far God has taken me. I am excited for this exciting and endless journey.