July 21, 2014

trusting God . . . daily

He said to them, "When you pray, say: . . . 'Give us each day our daily bread.'"
Luke 11:2-3 (emphasis mine)

I have been reading through Luke as of late, and this morning I came across Luke 11, which focuses on prayer.

Something that jumped out at me was this instruction from Jesus to pray for daily bread.

What does this look like for us as Christians? He is pointing out that we are to live in a state of continual dependence on God. That God is our daily provider. Day by day. Sometimes moment by moment.

It is so easy for me to forget that everything I have comes from the hand of the Father. If you stop and think about it . . . what do you have that He has not given to you? Even the ability to wake up in the morning . . . down to the air in my lungs, it's all from Him.

How quickly do I forget and start to live as though I'm self-sufficient and in control of my days?

This manifests itself the most in the form of anxiety and fear.

Just last night, my mind started to wander and those "What if" questions started to populate my thoughts. What if I have to find another roommate? What if all my friends get married and the only people I can hang out with are ten years younger than me and I can't relate to them?  What if I have nothing to do and no one to see on the weekends?

How quickly I can run away with my imagination! I know that other women struggle with this. I was listening to a sermon last week on fear, and Veronica Greear was talking about how we do this - we imagine the worst possible situation and then freak out over it.

We have to reign our emotions and our imaginations back in. What is reality? If I stop, I can see that God is taking care of me right now. Today. He has not called me to go through a time of having no friends, or having to look for a new roommate. He has provided so abundantly and He is upholding me right now. He always has. Even when I did not know how to provide for myself, He knows.

Veronica also pointed out that when we go to these places in our minds, God's grace and power is not available to us. Only when we are called to go through trials does He give us exactly what we need, only when we need it. Of course you don't feel equipped to handle it now - He's not calling you to go through it.

I have to trust that God is going to provide for me daily. So if I do have to go through a time of wilderness or aloneness, I can know that He will be with me, He will carry me, and He will sustain me. It's not my job to figure it all out now - that's not where He has me right now.

July 18, 2014

Florida recap

the real reason I flew: free biscoff!

golf cart joyride

the manly bonding

beautiful cupcakes by my mom :)

Happy Birthday G'ma!

I hope I look this good when I'm 80


Last Friday I flew to Florida to celebrate my grandma's 80th birthday.

It was a super short trip - Friday morning until Sunday morning. It was fun to be reunited with family that I haven't seen in almost 2 years. 

A few of my favorite things from the trip . . . watching my dad and cousin enjoy each other and bond, going to 4 different grocery stores in one day (no joke - we kept forgetting things), my grandma being with her 3 kids all together, and seeing her get rowdy during a game of dominos where she kept harassing my dad. Quite entertaining. 

Just when I start to think that I'm a fairly calm person, God puts me on a plane . . . and it all goes out the window. The funny part is, I was listening to a sermon - on fear (and why we don't need to fear) - when the plane was descending to RDU. We hit an air pocket or something and I thought, this is it! we're going down! my palms were sweaty and my heart rate shot up. Juuuust kidding guys - being on a plane can bring out the worst in someone. :)

July 1, 2014

when you're in the waiting

As a follow-up on yesterday's post . . . 

Sometimes, you are called to a season of waiting. What are some reasons for waiting, and how can we practice this season well?

I never have any original thoughts, so I would love to just share some resources I've found to be helpful on this topic. 


"In ministry you will be both called to wait and also find waiting personally and corporately difficult. So it is important to recognize that there are lots of good reasons why waiting is not merely inescapable but necessary and helpful."




5 Ways to Wait on God Well - Relevant Magazine

"We need to take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture. It's not about what we think will satisfy us now, but what God wants to do in us, for us and through us later. When we remember that immediate gratification is not the goal and God has our greater interests at heart, we can faithfully continue to wait and trust Him."

A few months ago, J.D. gave this message: The Insanity of God. In it, he speaks about how it's a pattern in the Bible to see God give people a calling, and then immediately places them in a waiting time. J.D. encourages us not to waste this time of waiting - it's where God teaches us patience, where God shapes our character.

And lastly, a quote from Blackaby in Experiencing God:

You may think of waiting as a passive, inactive time. Waiting on the Lord is anything but inactivity. While you wait on Him, pray with a passion to know Him, His purposes, and His ways. Watch circumstances and ask God to interpret them by revealing His perspective to you. . . By waiting, you shift the responsibility of the outcome to God, where it belongs. 
Waiting on Him is always worth the effort. His timing and His ways are always right. Depend on Him to guide you in His way and in His timing to accomplish His purpose.
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