Tuesday, October 11, 2011

consistent love

"be still in the presence of the LORD
and wait patiently for him to act...
the LORD directs the steps of the godly.  
he delights in every detail of their lives.
though they stumble they will never fall
for the LORD holds them by the hand."
psalm 37:7, 23-24

i love that scripture never gets old.  
i love that God speaks through words that were spoken thousands ago and that his words apply so strongly to each and every moment of my life.
i love that God uses the same scripture and truth to teach thousands of his children a thousand different lessons, and to comfort a thousand different hearts.

these verses have brought comfort to my heart time and time and time again. 
i can't get enough.

this is my prayer:
to have confidence in his timing and in his power.
to have confidence in his sovereignty.
to wait with patience and faith and courage.
to trust that he is guiding me through each and every day, 
and that he has a plan.
i am so grateful for his love.

man o man,
God is so good.
:)


Saturday, October 8, 2011

in enemy territory

i'm in enemy territory today.
a red raider in aggie land.
but i'm cheering loud and proud for a red raider victory!! :)

red raiders vs. the aggies.
wreck em!!! :)



p.s. check out my blog post over at faith village! :)

Monday, October 3, 2011

remaining faithful in the unknown


Sitting in the holding room prior to walking across the stage for my college graduation, I, along with 40 of my fellow Marketing students, discussed our post-graduation plans.  Of the 40, I’d generously estimate that 30 of us were still unemployed.  Finding a job as a new graduate is a difficult task to begin with, but add on a terrible economy and a degree concentration that provides you with “an endless selection of career paths”, and you’ve got yourself a stressful and trying situation.  I was excited about the “endless selection of possibilities” when I first decided to study marketing, but the reality of my choice was an entirely different, and overwhelming, situation.

Weeks prior to graduation, I spent night after night searching career sites, applying for positions, writing cover letters and follow up responses.  I even began taking career aptitude tests thinking that maybe marketing wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing.  Maybe the reason I couldn’t find a job was because God didn’t want me to be a marketing professional.  I think that thought goes right along with the philosophy of: if you’re out of laundry detergent, God just doesn’t want you to do laundry.  But time after time, marketing came up as the job most compatible with my skill set and personality. A solid confirmation that God’s plans are sovereign.

So there I was, sitting in a room about to graduate from college, ready to move back home with my parents and find a part time retail job until something better came along, and the only thought that brought me peace was to remember: God is sovereign and fully in control.
I think God gives us situations like this for a reason. It’s a season of growth.  These seasons of uncertainty require us to trust in his plan with 100% confidence.  Sure, it’s easy to sit around and worry, complain, and panic at the uncertainty of your future.  But there is no comfort or peace to be found in those thoughts.

Each day when I called my mom in a panic, she would remind me that we serve a powerful and sovereign God.  He had a plan for Abraham and Isaac, he had a plan when Moses arrived at the Red Sea, he had a plan for me to be born, and he has a plan for my future.  God doesn’t just forget about his children.  He has a plan for each and every one of us. 

During these conversations, my mom would pray this verse over me:


”Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

At the end of each day, I would pray for peace and for patience.  I prayed that God would continue to remind me of his faithfulness and give me courage to remain confident in his sovereignty. I prayed that God would help me to see these seasons of change and uncertainty as blessings, not curses.  And what do you know, after a few weeks of prayer and uncertainty, I received a call for an interview, which resulted in a job offer. A fabulous job offer.

God is sovereign, all the time.

My prayer is that I would never forget God’s faithfulness.  I pray that in every season of my life, I would remain steadfast in the knowledge that God is in complete control.  His plan is bigger and better than anything I could come up with on my own, and I am so grateful that he never gives up on me.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

crazy canton adventures

watch out, 
we be crazy canton girls.







what's a canton trip adventure without a little leg cramping and a lot of laughter?

i'm pretty sure the inside of my car expanded, 
kind of like mary poppin's magic carpet bag, 
minus the elasticity. but somehow God allowed it all to fit.
praise his Holy and creativity loving name!

courtney was such a sport. what a pal.