Word

So last year I got this idea from another blogger, that I would have a word for 2013 that would be what I tried to focus on in my life for the year, and so I prayed for a word that seemed appropriate and 'Faithful' kept coming up. So my word was faithful, I wanted to be more faithful to God in more aspects of my life.


Looking back through my journal over the course of the past year I realized (with complete horror) that there was a lot of things that I was not faithful about, lots of compromises and distractions and (here comes the horror part) many of them were completely willful. Yes, I knew at the time (and even more-so now) that maybe some of these things I should have been determinedly running away from when tempted by them  but I didn't. So as I read over my journal I felt over whelming shame of all these things in my life that weren't allowing me to be faithful to God, and I just felt like I had failed - and dismally at that. So I failed, but I also grew from it.
I realized that although I might not have been faithful, God had been faithful to me! Every time I went against Him He brought me through lots of trials, traps and temptations even though I didn't deserve  it. 

So it's been really amazing to look back on that! I've been praying about a word for this year and currently have two that seem to be popping up so we'll see what the final outcome is and what God does this year! :) 

• I'd encourage others to try this out and let me know what word God gives you and what happens through the year! 

Whether it is favourable

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us.  

Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.” 

~~ Jeremiah 42:5-6  ~~

What a great attitude to have! To do what God says whether we find it favourable or unfavourable. Except in this case, the army officers inquiring as to what they should do, truly had no intention of listening to what God said. They asked, and knew what God wanted to do and still chose their own way, going to Eygpt rather than remaining where God had told them to.

My reaction to things like this that I read in the Old Testament is usually something like 'you dummies, God just told you not to do that!' But every time I remind myself that I do that same thing. I know what God says and still choose not to listen, I still choose to do what I want or what I think might be best. 

And that's an attitude I want to avoid. 

Wonderful Counsellor

...And he will be called

 Wonderful Counsellor, 

Mighty God, 

Everlasting Father,

 Prince of Peace. 

~ Isaiah 9:6 ~

I like this verse a lot. Because God really IS all these things, but I've learned some  things the past few months that make one of His titles even more interesting. 

In my program we're taking a interviewing and counselling course. But what's really neat is the fact that, counselling, though there are types of questions and different skills to use to get people to open up and share the one outstanding factor is this: 

'The therapeutic relationship' 

Yep. you read that right. The number one most important thing - is apparently having a good,  trusting relationship with the counsellor. **

**(This is actually in my counselling textbook) 

And... I imagine it works the same way in the spiritual realm as well with 

the Wonderful Counsellor! 

:) 

The price of a soul

Just another simple little drawing

Based off Matthew 16:26 .......

No crazy meaning to the drawing, it's just what came out when I put my hand on the page after reading this verse.

Zoomed in a bit

What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 

Joy, Humility and the Path Unwinding

You know, I have had an amazing couple weeks, I've just been spending a lot of time with God and reading the Bible. I actually have no plan for what I want to write here... This is just going to be typed out and unedited (so if it doesn't make a lot of sense...well sorry but that's my thought process)

Firstly I have felt really encouraged to keep being a light to the world where I am this past week and encouraging others to grow in their walk with God as well!

This past Sunday at church we had a really powerful church service and 6 people gave their lives to Jesus. Myself, a friend of mine, other church members and the pastors all went and prayed for these 6 people whose names I don't even know but in the flurry of tears of joy and hugs it was such a joyful and peaceful moment to be in and the rejoicing of the angels in Heaven over these people just makes me so joyful!
It was also quite powerful for me on Sunday because I remember I was in the same place two years ago today - being asked if we were going to give our lives to Jesus.

I've also just had several moments the last week to just let God really examine my life and some of the small things that I have felt convicted in and to pray about them. I had a really humbling moment last Saturday at a friend's small bible study group and we were singing 'How deep the Father's love for us'
And I remember about two years ago when this was the only Christian song I listened to besides amazing grace and I remember never being able to sing the line 'I will not boast in anything - no gifts, no power, no wisdom- But I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection'.  I had forgotten that line was even in the song - and I can sing it now, but I used to think that was pretty extreme- to only boast in Jesus? I've learned it takes a lot of humility before God to sing that, something that was a huge issue for me a couple years ago - but now I realize that He's so completely worthy to be boasted of, because what is more important than Him? :) 

You know, I really think I'm falling in love with this Jesus guy... I mean... I was planning our future together earlier this week and thinking of all the amazing things He can show me as I go through life - from (hopefully one day) marrying a man that is in love with Him and exemplifies Jesus's qualities, to one day being a mother and understanding the tragedy of what it would have been like for the Father to give up His Son and just seeing my life unfold and one day being able to look back at how He's knit my life together - even at this point- and how my journey is changing and unfolding, it's just awesome! :)

Praise God!

Obedience

I learned this week that obedience to God is tough.

That seems pretty obvious maybe, but I've never had much of an issue trying to obey God in most of the big areas of my life. I choose not to go out and party or get involved in anything that God would disapprove of because I want to honor Him.
But that was easy - that stuff isn't my scene anyway.

I recently gave up TV in the last month because I didn't want it anymore and God had been putting it in my mind to just cut it out. So I have and I don't miss it. And that was easy too.

But this past week was something a little more difficult.
Not that what I may have gone through was huge, I'd just never been tested before.

It was a small issue that I hadn't realized I was so involved in and I knew it probably wasn't best for me.
 But I know what I'm doing right?

Well part of me was praying for intervention for God to do something before it became an issue and the other part was saying 'Go away I know how to handle this'

But God is just really good to me and decided to intervene the next day! And yes... I was upset. I was still convinced I could've handled it.

But deep down I knew that I needed to listen and trust God's plan rather than walk myself off of His plan.

The second difficult part about this obedience thing was my attitude towards it. It's been fluctuating back and forth between being sad and being glad. And again I tried to control that- to reign it in, cheer myself up.
But I was doing it in my own strength and that wasn't working. So my go to verse this week had been this:

My flesh and my heart may fail,

    but God is the strength of my heart

    and my portion forever. 

~Psalm 73:26~

This is where

You know when you question where you should be and are scared it's not the right place?
Well I'd thought about it a couple times since starting college.

But over the last week I've just been giving it to God and every time He's just calmed me and I'm completely at  peace with where I am and am not going to doubt where I'm to be.

To confirm this more, last Thursday one of my professors told the class that this year there were hundreds of applications to the Social Service Worker program and the faculty that teaches the course had to gather, sit down and hand pick the 75-80 students that were accepted!
Isn't that crazy?!

 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' 

This verse popped into mind during my prayer time last week and I didn't think much of it because that's not what I was thinking about at the time. But today as I sat down to just have some quiet time it came to mind again and I realized I really am at peace right now because that verse is true! :) 

Simple drawings

Something I drew: 

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him...

Colossians 2:7 

I don't normally read the NLT version of the bible but I really liked how this verse was worded.

And I just thought it was so simply put and lovely that I had to draw something simple and lovely to go along with it. 

So the roots are growing down into Christ/ the Rock
 (if you can tell that's what the tree is growing on) 

And I decided to add more symbolism and draw fruit growing on the tree. Get it? :D

Just wanted to share that!  :) 

Where His heart is

There's always worry when choosing a career path.

In 7 days I will be moving away from home and heading to school to become a Social Service Worker.
I'm really excited about my classes and am eager for school to start.

The last couple months I've been having times of second guessing a lot of things. Things along the line of:

'What if I can't handle the heart break of all the people with needs as I become a social worker?' 

But it doesn't matter. I have Jesus to lean on.

He would go help those who are sick, hungry, hurting. Listen to them and care for them in every single way  He can.

The problem is me, I  don't want to have to experience other's heart break, suffering and problems as they try to handle life. I have my own share of it too. 
But that's the selfish part of me talking.  

But this is where Jesus's heart is. With His children.
And so it should be close to my heart as well.
To help others with needs. It's what He would do.
And so that is what I will do.

God works in *funny* ways

After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

“Yes, he does,” he replied.

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”

“From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

[Matthew 17:24-27]

 

Can you imagine that? Jesus literally just asked him the craziest thing... Go fishing and you'll find enough money to pay the taxes in the fish's mouth. That sounds completely bonkers. But Peter listened, he obeyed and what happened? Jesus proved (again) that He is enough. He could've handed Peter the money - but He asked him to trust His plan and I'm gave Peter a hilariously strange story - that would also make me laugh 2000 years later!


* I posted this on my Facebook as well and thought I'd share on here*

:) 

Concerning angels

 "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"

[Hebrews 1:14]

~~~

So I was reading this during my prayer time at the boardwalk today and I got thinking about the similarities in job descriptions of human and angels. 

Firstly, God made humans 'a little lower than the angels' and so (to me at least) it makes sense that we have some of the same 'jobs' such as worshiping and ministering to others.

It's hard to convey in words how cool that thought is. Just let it sink in. 

That's all! 

I'm a big kid!

You know what I love? Being a child. Not physically (seeing as I'm turning 19 this week), but just having a child like joy from trusting in God.

Some peers my age think it's strange that I delight in cool playgrounds, dressing up, pretty colours and skipping around humming songs usually reserved for Sunday school.
Actually most people don't even notice this about me and I've only ever once had it pointed out (by another person) that I really am a child at heart (And I was SO glad, that it had been noticed)!!!

And you know I am completely happy with this because Jesus said:  

 “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven"

[Matthew 18:3]

AND

 "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

[Matthew 19:14] 

I think as people get older they forget how to be a child - but that's gonna be what people are like in Heaven - so why not be like that on earth as well?! 

God Bless! :) 

A snapshot of my vacation

I haven't posted anything in a few weeks, not because there's been nothing to write about but because I just got back from vacation on the East Coast of Canada! :D

We went through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI all in 10 days! It was truly beautiful!

There was ziplinig, whale watching, sigh seeing, light house visiting, Cabot trail driving, fortress exploring, beaches, Anne of Green Gables and visiting friends! Quite a whirl wind! So I thought I'd post a few pictures of the vacation.

Zip lining in New Brunswick! (Something that was on my bucket list- not necessarily the New Brunswick specific part - just the zip lining)

Visited the Hopewell Rocks in NB

At Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia. 

We were really busy the whole trip and this was one of the few moments I just got to learn "Be still and know that I am God' as I listened to the waves of the ocean. Sure it was only for 10 minutes. But that still moment was great none the less. 

This was driving along the Cabot trail.

I love this picture so much! I loved green fields and cliffs right beside the ocean! 

This was also somewhere along the trail... 

LOOK: Trees and... trees....and more treeees! 

A look out point on the Cabot trail. 

One of the beaches we went to in PEI 

Yep. Red rocks and dirt and sand. I was actually there!

I can cross off going to PEI off my bucket list as well now! Although... I want to go back many more times so maybe I won't ;P
I really loved it there!

Wild Lupins growing outside our hotel 

Anyway that's a little snapshot of the vacation! 

I love...

Right now I'm really learning bits and pieces.

I mentioned in my last post about how I was learning to pray out loud more. And I'm still doing that!

I'm also starting to learn how to just

“Be still, and know that He is God" [psalm 46:10]

I got a few of those moments out on vacation, where i just sat and listened to the sound of the waves and took in the vastness of the ocean and the number of the trees! 

I've noticed that lately, I like just going out and sitting down, being still(which is difficult for me) and sitting with Jesus. Not really praying or anything at the time, just sitting in unearthly peacefulness and maybe humming a song. 

And I've realized in these times that I just want to spend time with Him for no reason what-so-ever is probably because I'm falling in love with Him. 

And that's actually a really amazing thought and I've suddenly realized how much God has really protected me in my love life. 

I have never had many crushes in my life (about 4 as far as I can remember) while I did go through a weird phase in grade 7 where I wanted boys to really like me, I never really had much interest in them and all through high school friends would ask who I was crushing on and 98% of the time it was nobody. And sometimes they didn't believe, but eventually they realized I actually don't really 'crush' on boys. 

And I've realized just how blessed I really am that my heart has not been broken over and over by guys, like a lot of girls my age. 

To top it all off, I know what I want in a guy and most of the character traits I have in my mind of 'Mr. Right' are character traits that Jesus has. And I've noticed lately that a guy can't seem to capture my heart if he doesn't love Jesus as well! 
And that is just a huge blessing! 


So that is the basically what I've been learning and thinking about and noticing the last few weeks! :) 

What's up?

I haven't posted anything in a little while but..  I've been spending time with God and learning things that are personal that I don't need to really share because they're between me and Him and just spending time with Him.


I've tried to get into the habit of going off on my own and praying out loud. Generally I write things down in a journal- because trying to pray in my head gets me waaaay sidetracked, and with journal you can go back and read it again afterwards.
But I'm actually really liking going out to the backyard or down to the boardwalk and just having a conversation with God. And it's really funny because I have a tendency to pace back and forth the entire time and sometimes i'll just start dancing randomly (which for those who know me is not out of the ordinary) and I generally start singing at some point... which also isn't unusual for me. But I've sure if you saw someone like that down at the boardwalk it would look quite silly. And that's ok because I was having a fantastic time for that half hour I was out there and it was just a really wow moment because... (ok.. this is going to sound dumb... but...)

 I'm really realizing that Jesus can be one of my best friends and who I can talk to about anything. 

I've tried to grasp that in the past but it just hasn't clicked before.
 It was a really sweet evening! :)


I've also been keeping up a mini bible study I started. Finding all the parts in the Gospels where Jesus says something along the lines of 'blessed is the one who...something something something'  (besides the sermon on the mount) There actually weren't that many.. So I decided to go through the psalms and find them as well. I'm not done but I'm getting close to halfway through them.

What I've noticed though is most of them seem to say something very similar and simple

        (These are my 4 favourites I've picked out of the growing list I've complied)

Blesses are those who hear the Word of God and obey it 

 [Luke 11:28]

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they might have right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city

 [Revelation 22:14]

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them

 [psalm 32:2]

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord

 [psalm 40:4]

I've found that most of the 'blessings' say something along the lines of Trust God, obey Him, and stay righteous before Him. 

No need to complicate that. :) 

You give and take away

You give and take away 

Have you ever had something that you wanted to give up, that you knew wasn't good for you, that you felt ashamed of, that you prayed would be taken away but you still refused to do anything to help yourself out of it? 

Well, I did. 

God is so good, he stepped in, intervened several times as this was going on- and I was happy because I thought He had gotten me out. But I got myself back in, again and again, and I still willfully stepped into it and didn't really keep myself from it. 

But again God stepped in and took it away - for good this time. 

And I wasn't happy. 

In fact I was kind of angry (not at God, at myself) and it hurt, and I felt completely stupid that I let myself slip like that. And I was more hurt by the fact that I was hurt about having to give up something I know God was asking me to give up. 

I think that God must have been kind of disgusted with me, but I just poured myself out to Him. And He's glad to pick my sorry butt up out of the hole I'd dug myself into! Praise God! 

He gives and takes away...

 

Still my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be Your name :) 

Flaws

So lately I've noticed how God's been able to take one of my flaws and using it to help the relationship we have.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a tough time making decisions, even if it's something small like "Do you want to go out to lunch?"

I run through everything in my mind, the pros and cons and then usually can't decide on something as simple as that. This flaw sure annoys me and probably gets on other people's nerves too, but I've noticed that.. well.. in that moment I have to decide and I'm learning to remember to ask God about it.

 So my inability to make a decision forces me to ask God about it so He can direct my life more! :D

 [whoa!]

I just think it's so cool how He can use that for good!
I'm actually kind of excited to see what other flaws He can turn around and use too!

Dear readers:  Is there any flaw you've noticed that God has been able to use for Him?

Feel free to comment!