Forgotten Plans

I woke up this morning with birds chirping out my window, listening to Jack Johnson and sipping my coffee as I got ready for yet another beautiful day. Although I found out some unfortunate news that I was not expecting to hear later on that morning.

About a month ago, I applied for a job at a conference center near my hometown that coordinates weddings and events. Something that has been my dream job since I can remember. I am one of those girls that has had their wedding planned down to the finest details since middle school. I have hundreds of ideas pinned on Pinterest for that day I walk down the isle and say I do. I know what flowers I want, what dress to wear, how I want my hair, what the cake will look like and taste as well as the color of ribbons that will be tied on the chairs. When I saw this job open up, I typed up a resume, cover letter and references proof reading it over and over again while doing a mock interview to ultimately prepare myself for what could be my dream job. And as I was sipping my coffee early this morning for what I thought would be a beautiful day, I opened my email to find that I didn't get the job. Immediately I was crushed. I went over all the possible reasons in my head to why I didn't get the job and felt anger flow over my entire body as my muscles tightened and my nerves tingled. I don't understand, but what I do know is that God does.

I took a deep breath and let that bitter air leave my lungs and soaked in the good air. Reading those words over the email was not what I wanted to read; it was not in my plan. My plan was the get this job, get experience, make money and accomplish goals I've had since I was young. Yet I never stepped back to ask God what his plan was. Through my anger and bitterness, God told me to listen and stop making plans for myself and my future because without God in the center, those plans will never prevail. We can lay out a step by step process of what we want in our life and how we want to get there, but those plans can change in a split second if we don't always seek our Father first.

After those deep breaths were taken in, I sat back and simply asked "Lord what do you want me to do. Because where you go, I will follow. Here I am God, send me to the world."

Jeremiah 29:11 "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. I want you to enjoy success. I do not plan to harm you. I will give you hope for the years to come. When you call out to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me with all your heart, you will find me."

Unusual Serving

With a high of 75, it was a beautiful Saturday to take walks, lay in the sun and have a kick off to the first bonfire of the season and today I did just so. Although as evening rolled around, I was caught off guard by an unusual act of service. My feet were washed.

If you don't know the meaning of a foot washing ceremony, it can have several meanings to several people and is practiced among many different Christian denominations. But, one of the general themes of a foot  washing ceremony is the act of serving one another. Jesus carried out the greatest act of service to mankind, and He fully intends that we serve just as He did. He gave us the foot washing ceremony to teach us to be servants to one another, just as He came to serve us.

I was nearly barefoot the entire day letting the bottoms of my feet warm on the pavement, from which they have not felt all winter long. I stuck my feet in a cold green river, ran in the dirt and across the brown fields of grass. I walked on rocks and sand and even stepped in some sap as well as ashes from the late bonfire. My feet were dirty and smelly and even a little sticky.
As my boyfriend and I walked up to his house, I stated out loud how nasty my feet were and asked if I could wash them. He went upstairs and let the water run in the tub for me to rinse my feet in, and as I sat down on the edge to wash the dirt away, he asked if he could wash them for me. Without waiting for an answer he grabbed a bar of soap and washed my feet with gentleness and an act of service. I was taken back by his actions not expecting such gratitude. As I fought back the urge to giggle from my ticklish feet, he grabbed a towel and knelt down and dried my feet as well. As he did this, I was reminded of Jesus and how he came to serve. He served the unrighteous and washed the sinners feet, yet did not gloat and ask for anything in return. We should learn to serve just as Jesus did, and wash the sinners feet, and not ask for ours to be washed in return.

John 13:14-15 "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."

Spring Peepers

Today is one of the first days that I am able to sit outdoors with shorts on, sunglasses on my face and an iced vanilla latte in hand. It is simply beautiful. My dorm is right next to a small swamp, but as I sit outside near this swamp the sound of the spring peepers surpass all noises and I am reminded of home.
I grew up in a tiny town with a population of 635, a graduating class of 48 and not a stoplight in sight. I can walk out my door and run down a hill of grass and jump off a ledge onto a sandy beach followed by a clear lake and a splash. This place that I call home, is where I find God in the midst of madness, gladness and peacefulness. I am taken back by the creation surrounding us and the amazing beauty of a sunset and leaves on the trees or the simple sound of the spring peepers. In the late summer evenings I have the reassurance that I can run to the end of my dock or jump in my hammock and feel God there. I can lay back with a pile of blankets on my beach and look at the stars in awe with the sound of a crackling fire and the smell of s'mores knowing that without a doubt that the creator has blessed us immensely. Just simply being in Gods creation and enjoying the beauty is where I find God, and there is no other way that I would rather spend my time with Him. When I look at the still lake I am filled with wonder and almost sadness in a way that when some people look at this creation that our Heavenly Father has given us for our enjoyment, don't believe that there is a God. As I watch the fish swim under the dock I am crushed that people believed that this came about by a bang of chemical reactions and cells. As God shows me his beauty through the trees, the bees and the leaves, I find myself wanting to share this with more than just myself but show others the beauty and complexity of his surrounding works. As summer is rounding the corner, I know that I will be lost in creation yet found in His beauty with a cup of iced coffee in hand.

Psalms 104 "I will praise the Lord. Lord my God, you are very great. You are dressed in glory and majesty. You wrap yourself in light as if it were a robe. You spread the heavens out like a tent. You build your palace high in the heavens. You make the clouds serve as your chariot. You ride on the wings of the wind. You make the winds serve as your messengers. You make flashes of lightening serve you. You placed earth on its foundations. It can never be moved. You covered the oceans like a blanket. The waters covered the mountains. But you commanded the waters and they ran away. At the sound of your thunder they rushed off. They flowed down the mountains.They went into the valleys. You make springs pour water into the valleys. The springs give water to all of the wild animals. The birds of the air build nests by the waters, they sing among the branches. You water the mountains from your palace high in the clouds...The earth is filled with the thing you have made.

Thirsty

As I was driving home from a study date with a dear friend, I was taken back by the supremacy and sufficiency of our Lord and Savior that I felt compelled to write. Although not just simply write in my journal for myself, but to start sharing my words and heart with others because as Christians and followers of Christ, our faith is something that we shouldn't keep to ourselves but share with others.
Tonight I was asking myself the question, how am I being fed? Have I been feeding myself with selfish and worldly desires or have I been feeding myself with Gods love? Have I been feeding myself through the choices I make through by sitting on Netflix rather than going to the prayer chapel? I have been dehydrated and starved. God's word is the bread of life and the water for our soul, so why is it when we become thirsty we reach for a drink that will only quench our thirst temporarily rather than fill us?
After tonight, I realized I have been thirsting for fellowship. As a person who loves conversing with others and making new friends, I thrive after fellowship; big groups, small groups, prayer groups, worship groups and coffee dates. I love encouraging others and building people up as well as being encouraged and hearing others stories and struggles. Sometimes we can best learn from each other and what they have experienced as well as how God is working in their life daily. We shouldn't be afraid to share our faith with others, especially with our brothers and sisters in Christ, because simply asking how their walk with God has been could mean the world to someone or be a reminder to the other. Share verses with one another, say a prayer together or send a little encouragement to a friend this week. This evening I was fed through fellowship with a beautiful sister in Christ through talking about our experiences and where God is at in our lives as well as sitting on the living room floor working on homework. I was thirty and God didn't hold back from hydrating me. I was hungry and God provided the right foods to fill me.
So my question for you is how are you feeding yourself? Are you feeding yourself with the proper nutrients you need to fill you or are you filling yourself with junk food that will only satisfy you temporarily?

John 6:35 "Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."