A Journey Thus Far Jan 7th

Hey Guys! I've totally missed blogging the past few days! I got my wisdom teeth out and was dealing with that; and wow that is definitely a miserable experience. 

The devotion I read this morning out of "Abundant Life" was so awesome! It is a great message if you've never experienced what is being talked about, and it reminds you if you have experienced what its talking about. Okay so I'm going to just type this one out for all of you to read, and then I'll talk about it.

"Walking in My Ways Brings Real Blessing

Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you.           
Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him. Deuteronomy 11:22

To know me, walk with me, and share life with me -- this is the essence of real blessing. And the truth is, it is the hard things in your life that cause you to want to know me more intimately, walk with me more closely, and share life with me more fully. That is why, in the losses of life, you can find yourself blessed beyond your imagination or expectation. Because you have found more of me in these hard places. 

When you look up from your hardship with a smile, you know you've moved from just hearing my Word to living it -- putting it to the test. You're finding that giving is better than receiving, neediness is better than self-sufficiency, trust is better than worry. You've discovered that my Word is true, my joy is our strength, my promises are your hope, my presence is your comfort. This is the life of blessing you always longed for but didn't expect to find in this way.

What a blessing to walk with you and hold tightly to you both when the sun is shining and when there is only darkness. Lord, you are the real blessing in my life…"

(Guthrie 7).

These words just spoke so powerfully to me. I remembered the time when I started to get it. When God started hitting me in the face with these things and I started to hold onto it.

Think about a rough time in your life. When you lost a loved one, or you were struggling with something personal. You may have asked God why a million and one times, and in some cases people draw away from God because they are upset, but asking God why…doesn't that mean you are wanting to know more about Him? Doesn't that mean you're trying to grow closer with Him? 

I recall that time. I was just sort of bumbling along. I wasn't entirely on the right track you could say. I was praying in a selfish way when I did. I wasn't praying for what I knew God wanted me to have, I was praying for exactly what I wanted, which was far from what I needed. Then my grandmother passed away. I tried my hardest to think as positively about the situation as I could. I kept reminding my family that "She is in a better place now. She is happy. She is smiling down upon us." But inside I was so torn. I did not know what to do with myself. I prayed to God to just please help me, please please help me.

There was a youth event that I wasn't signed up for or really even participating in. But there was a worship service that was part of the event. I was on edge whether or not to go. I ended up deciding to go. Just sort of going to go. But it was one of the most amazing worship experiences I've ever been a part of. It was dealing with confessing. And oh boy did I need to do some serious confessing. I came to a lot of realizations. That worship service also helped me to be more open to God and what He wanted to do. At this worship service I met a new friend. Someone who was strangely going through the same loss I was dealing with at the time. God put that person in my path. And God continued to build a support system between us. And through that God blessed me so immensely more than I ever imagined He would. I never dreamed of the places God took me next in my life. From that point on, I found the difficult things to be less difficult. I "looked up from my hardship with a smile" knowing that it was going to be okay. From that, I learned to give things over to God instead of worrying about them. I learned to trust. God taught me all these things, it became a time and a journey of discovery. And I've never been more thankful for the work God has done in my life.

I pray that you can hold on to God in the tough situations. I pray that you will realize what He is trying to show you through the rough times. I know a lot of things in life really really suck, but you have got to remember to hold on to God. Hold on to His promises. He will not ever let you go! Pray more selflessly than selfishly. Breathe Him in and trust Him. It's all about the trust. He will show you the way in His time, not yours.