Encouraging Quote

"I pray for you, that all your misgivings will be melted to thanksgivings. Remember that the shadow a thing casts often far exceeds the size of the thing itself (especially if the light be low on the horizon) and though some future fear may strut brave darkness as you approach, the thing itself will be but a speck when seen from beyond. Oh that He would restore us often with that 'aspect from beyond,' to see a thing as He sees it, to remember that He dealeth with us as with sons."
-Jim Elliot

Love this quote. Sometimes trials seem huge when actually they aren't, we just have the wrong perspective. If only we saw things as we ought, as God does, we would be able to truly "Consider it all joy...when [we] encounter various trials." I don't want to downplay hard times - because sometimes we do encounter intense pain and suffering. I just want to remember to keep it in perspective, and not see things as larger than they really are. Oh to be so mature, to see things as God sees them!

Sweet Truths

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."

Ephesians 1:3-14

Beautiful words, amazing truths. We were reminded of all of these blessings in church this morning, and I thought that this was such a rich reminder that I would share it with you all.

Isn't it amazing - He chose us and adopted us?!

It's incredible. But true.

Thank You, Father.

Loving God

Hello! I am back once again. It's been forever since I've posted on this blog but I am finally back with something to say. It's something that's been on my mind a lot lately, and something that I've talked about with my discipler and a few other friends.

I have really been thinking about what it means and looks like to love God. One of my friends said something about her boyfriend that we hear a lot in Christian circles, but this time it really got me thinking. She said that he made her love God more. I wondered, "What does that really mean? What does it look like when a person makes me love God more?" I began to think of the people in my life who really have helped me love Him more, and that was a good starting point. I realized it was people like my parents, certain teachers or college professors, small group leaders, past and present disciplers, all of my college group leaders, certain friends, etc... I am blessed in that this list could keep going.

So then I thought, why do these people help me love God? What do they do that causes my love for God (and also, for others) to grow? Here are a few things that I came up with:

• They talk to me about loving God and their passion is so obvious that it spills over to me.
• They talk about God's love for us, which causes us to love Him more.
• They teach me more about God, or explain things I've never understood, and this increase in knowledge yields an increase in love.
• Their lives are consistently centered on and governed by Christ, and He is always at work in their lives.
• They teach me how my own life can be centered on Christ and governed by Him. 
• They encourage me to lean on Him when times are good and when times are bad.
• They challenge me to do hard things and trust Him with the results.

One verse that has come to mind repeatedly is when Jesus was talking to His disciples in John 14:15. It says "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." I think this statement, though simple, is hard. This verse is what really helped me understand that if we love Him, we obey Him. We cannot truly claim to love Him if we are unwilling to obey to Him. We must submit to Him, letting His ways govern our life.

I know this may sound burdensome, wearying, or just plain hard. I don't want to share the gospel with my unsaved friends - what if they don't talk to me anymore? I don't want to be honest with my friend when she asks if what she did was okay (looking for affirmation), when the answer is "no" - how awkward! I don't want to die to myself and prefer others' needs above my own needs - I have homework that is due by midnight! I don't want to work to correct my thinking according to Philippians 4:8 - that's too hard! All of these things, or things similar to them, have crossed my mind before. It does feel like a lot of work. But that's when we remember that the focus is not on our works but on our hearts.

Again John helped me to understand more about this. I John 5:3 says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome" (emphasis mine). When we truly love God, we will want to obey Him. When we love Him as we should, as He is worthy, we will want to do whatever it takes to obey, serve, and glorify Him. Personal cost won't matter, because love isn't thinking about ourselves, but of the object of our affection. To love God is to put Him first and decide that we are going to follow Him wherever He leads us and submit to Him along the way. We will desire to be obedient, so obeying won't feel like a burden. When are hearts are enamored by Him, we will strive to please Him, and will rejoice when we do so.

I do not want to sound legalistic in any way - we don't have to obey Him to earn salvation. We don't have to obey Him to make Him like us better. Jesus has already done all of the work necessary - to add to that is to say that His work was not enough, and it definitely was enough. I am just saying that we need to remember that our love and our faith are shown by our obedience to Him. Remember this song from Sunday school - "Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe..."? Or this old hymn "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey"? Belief/trust is coupled with obedience, because obeying shows our love.

So who is it that makes me love God more? I think that while everything I stated in the above list is true, I believe that the people who really encourage me to love Him are the ones who encourage me to obey Him, even when it's hard or seems pointless. It's the people who help me think rightly about a situation, based on what is true instead of what is assumed or imagined, knowing that God has called us to think true thoughts. It's the people who encourage me to pray heartily about a decision before making it. It's even the ones who may not realize they're helping me when they make comments that show me how prideful I am and how I need to change. These people are the ones who encourage me to love Him more. These are the people I want to stick around in my life. These are the friendships I want to grow in and continue to look for. This is the kind of person I eventually want to marry. And maybe most importantly, this is the kind of person I want to be.

Thoughts

As a 21year old Christian college single, I am bombarded with all sorts of relationship advice. I am surrounded by friends who are seriously dating, engaged, or married. My best friend from high school is now married to another good friend and they recently bought their first home. In the last week alone, two new Facebook engagements have popped up on my feed. Chapel and college group messages are often about dating and/or marriage, or at least touch on the subject.

Let me be clear: I am NOT complaining. In fact, I love that I know so many people who are in such an exciting stage of life. I do not envy my dating/engaged/married friends, but instead rejoice with them. It's a fun time in life right now where I can hang out with couples but I still have lots of single friends as well. But there is a danger in this stage of life, and that danger is thinking.

In our thought lives, it is easy to be idealistic about marriage. Let's be honest, as girls we have been at least thinking about our weddings since junior high or earlier. We wonder what man will be at the end of the aisle we'll walk down. We pretty much know what we're looking for. Tall, dark, and handsome, with just a hint of nerdiness (read: loves argyle) and a deep baritone singing voice? Yes please. Or one of my favorite lists: holy, hot, and humble. We're going to have a perfect marriage, working through every problem easily and comfortably. We'll also have a perfectly decorated and neat home. We'll be the ideal Christian American dream parents, too. Life will be perfect once I'm married.

That's what we think, anyway. Fast forward ten or fifteen years when we're married to a man and the romance isn't alive as it once was. Your kids repeatedly bicker with one another and your house is a mess more often than not. Three years after you've found the "perfect" church, you find out it's not after a messy split. We have preconceived notions about what married life will be like, and sometimes they couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, it may be great 90% of the time, but there will still be really hard days. I catch myself thinking "If only I was __________, life would be easier."

Why is this mindset harmful? Because it sets you up for disappointment. It sets you up to believe that you chose the wrong home, church, spouse, or whatever. But that isn't true! Life will always be full of both good times and bad. Even if you always made the right decision, life would still have trials. We need to stop thinking wrongly about what the future holds in order to have a good attitude both now and then.

At the end of the semester, my Bible study group went to the home of Austin Duncan. His wife Merrily talked to us about the dangers of wrongful thinking. She gave practical advice on how to think correctly so that we do not set ourselves up for disappointment. One thing she said was that most discontentment comes from wrongful thinking. It's true if you think about it - when I find myself discontent in my singleness, it's because I'm imagining the perfect life with the perfect man and how I'll be fulfilled when that comes along. But the truth is, I don't need a man to be fulfilled - a Man already has made it possible for me to be fulfilled. That man is Jesus Christ, and because of Him, I am whole and complete. 

Another thing Merrily said was that we need to train ourselves to think rightly. Train yourself. Put some work into it. She said we must pay attention to our thoughts. This is where some super practical advice came in. You know the verse Philippians 4:8?

via

Well, she said that she uses it as a sort of check list. Because sometimes as a woman married to a pastor whose ministry is pretty big and whose three young children keep her busy, she can be discontent if she allows certain thought to take form. So when she feels those thoughts arise, she thinks of the verse and asks herself, "Is what I'm thinking right now TRUE?" If the answer is no, then she stops there and makes herself instead think of what is true. If the answer is yes, she moves on to ask, "Is what I'm thinking right now HONORABLE?" and the list goes on. Only if it passes each little test with a yes does she allow thought to take form. If not, away it goes. She told us that our doctrine must determine our thinking, not the other way around. If our thoughts are not based on truths from the Bible, then they are wrong. Merrily admitted that there are even certain words she does not allow herself to think, such as "overwhelmed". If she allows herself to believe she's overwhelmed, then she'll become too stressed. But if her mind isn't even allowed to go there, she knows she can get through the tasks at hand. There are probably words that we all may use from time to time in our thoughts that aren't helpful. Friends, if a thought is hindering you rather than helping you, get rid of it! Replace your wrongful thoughts with ones that are based on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Don't let that verse become cliche. Let God use it to change you and mold you into the image of Christ.

This is something that the Lord has reminded me again and again that I must change. Contentment is hard! But if we don't learn it today, then it will only get harder and harder to fight for it. Ask God where you are thinking wrongly about things, and ask Him to help you change your thoughts and your attitude. You know He will help you if you only ask Him! The last tidbit of wisdom taken from Merrily is that we all have things that we consider to be more important than what God has given us right now. But we must remember that God knows what's best for us and His timing is impeccable. If I don't have something right now and I think I need it, then I am essentially thinking that it's more important than what God has already given me. This is the root of our discontentment. We must believe that God wants what's best for us and He'll give it to us at the right time. Until then though, we must take charge of our thoughts and only believe what is true.

Pursuing God in Singleness

[Warning: my "o" key decided to be temperamental a few days ago so if any words are missing one, don't be surprised.]

Last week sweet Erin announced that she would be involved in a mini series called Ablaze with a few other blogs. They talked about how to pursue Christ in singleness (Annie #1), while dating (Nicole, on breaking up and readjusting to the single life (Erin), and in marriage (Annie #2). It was a very good series and I appreciated the transparency each shared. While maintaining that they had not yet arrived, they gave practical advice and tips on pursuing Christ in the midst of whatever stage they're in. Today, they're providing a linkup for anyone to share how they're pursuing Christ in their own season of life.

I could go on and tell you all about the long saga that is my love life, but that is beside the point. What I can say is that I have learned through both success and failure how to pursue my relationship with God through each season described, excluding marriage. But right now, I'm single, so that's going to be my focus. 

There are many things I've learned through my singleness, especially in the past year. I have not always enjoyed being single, and it doesn't help that I'm about to be a senior at a small Christian college and my "ring by spring" is nowhere in sight. (Now, I never expected to graduate engaged, I'm just stating the stereotype. Many people do graduate engaged or married, so many of my friends are in that stage.) But lately, this summer especially, I have learned to not only accept my singleness, but to really embrace it and thank God for it. Here are some practical ways I've learned to pursue Christ in my singleness. They might all apply in every season, but work uniquely in each one.

1. Spend alone time with God. This is obvious, but it's central, and without it everything else would be pointless. As Christians, it's important to learn that our relationship with God is not just a part of our life. It IS our life. My wise-beyond-her-years friend in high school explained that life is like a wheel: God should be at the center of the wheel and everything else in our life should be a spoke that comes from our relationship with Him. Spending time in His Word, getting to know His character and growing in our knowledge of Him all yield the most important thing: loving Him. We also need to be spending time in prayer regularly. Talk to Him, ask Him to help you in certain things and pray for others. But remember to thank Him for His blessings and praise Him for who He is. 

2. Get involved in your church. Again, obvious, and important in every season. But while you're single, the truth is, you just have more time. Use it for furthering God's kingdom. I Corinthians 7:32-34a says, "But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided." It goes on to describe the same thing for women, too. Right now, as single people, we are free to be only concerned about the things of the Lord, but once we're married it will change. So get involved! Do you like kids? Teach Sunday school, become an Awana leader, or do VBS. Do you like to learn from older women and encourage younger women? Become involved in women's ministry, maybe a women's Bible study. Are you a behind the scenes person? See if the church office needs help folding a stuffing bulletins. Prepare the Communion elements whenever your church observes it. Volunteer to clean the church kitchen. Speaking of kitchens, if you have one, occasionally make meals for someone who's sick or just had a baby. Whatever your gifts may be, use them to serve God and serve your brothers and sisters in Christ.

3. Get wisdom. Talk to older ladies, married or unmarried. Learn from them. Learn how they pursued Christ while they were single. Get a realistic view on what it's like to be married. If you've read my blog before, you may know that I'm being discipled by an awesome lady named Meredith. We were connected through our church, but she lives on campus because her husband is a men's dorm RD. She has given me so much sound, practical advice, whether I'm single or dating someone.She's also shown me by example some of the struggles involved when you are married and have a two-year-old daughter (who is just the cutest thing!). She never complains or says anything bad about her husband or daughter. But I can see that my own romanticized view of marriage/parenting was skewed and not realistic. Yes, it is great and it's fun at times, but it's not always fun and games. Realizing that once you're married and start having kids life isn't just peachy and easy all the time has definitely helped me in my own contentment in this season of singleness.

4. Talk about it. Share with your peers your own thoughts on singleness. Share with them why you love it and why you dislike it, at times. Listen to their own likes and dislikes of it. I'm not saying to complain. Complaining never helps. But share with others what about singleness makes you struggle. This past semester I lived with my friend and her family, and it was great! There were times when I was struggling with contentment in singleness. When I'd share it with my friend, she would give me advice and share verses or quotes that had helped her when she'd struggled with the same thing. But make sure you reflect on why you enjoy it and share that too, because you never know who can be benefited by that.

5. Chase contentment. That word keeps popping up, but it's crucial. Be content. Remember who is in control? God, who is always good and kind. He has you in whatever season you're in because that's what's best for you right now. That sounds cliche, but don't let it be cliche, believe it to be true. He is wise and His ways are way better than ours, even if we don't think so at the time. Remember that God is the Giver of gifts - He has saved you from the power of sin, made you right with Him even though He's holy (!!), and given you eternal life. You probably have a roof over your head, food in your belly, clothes in your body. You may have great friends and family, a job, a computer (at least access to one), etc. He gives us so much yet we always want more. Learn contentment now, while single. Because when you're dating you're going to want marriage. When you're married, you're going to want kids. When your family outgrows your house, you'll want a bigger one. The list goes on. The thing is to be content at ALL times, because there's always something we want. We might as well learn it now.

6. Remember this verse. "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory, no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly" Psalm 84:11. If you're walking with Him, and you don't have something, then it must not be good for you! Because if something is good for you, He wouldn't withhold it.

These are just a few things that have helped me while I'm single. I know I'm young and have a lot to learn, but I hope that by God's grace something I said may help someone else. I'm so thankful to the hosts and for their words and the chance to share my own two cents. 

To The Cross I Cling

"No day of my life has passed that has not proved me guilty in Your sight
The best I have to offer are these filthy rags and yet You love me.

All things in me call for my rejection; all things in You plead my acceptance.

I am guilty, but pardoned; by grace I've been set free.
I am ransomed through the blood You shed for me.
I was dead in my transgressions, but life you brought to me.
I am reconciled through mercy; to the cross I cling, to the cross I cling.

No more I am a slave to sin but bought with a price
Redemption that was purchased through the blessed cross that You bore for me.

All in things in me call for my rejection; all things in You plead my acceptance.

I am guilty, but pardoned; by grace I've been set free.
I am ransomed through the blood You shed for me.
I was dead in my transgressions, but life you brought to me
I am reconciled through mercy; to the cross I cling, to the cross I cling.

The cross is where I find death, is find where I find life, where mercy found me.
All things in me call for my rejection; all things in You plead my acceptance.

I am guilty, but pardoned; by grace I've been set free.
I am ransomed through the blood You shed for me.
I was dead in my transgressions, but life you brought to me
I am reconciled through mercy; to the cross I cling, to the cross I cling."

-To The Cross I Cling by The Village Church

This song has made an incredible impact in my life. Based off of a prayer from the Valley of Vision, "The Broken Heart", it succinctly states many truths Christians hold dear:
-Every day we prove we deserve death
-Nothing in us - even our best - is worthy of God
-He loves us anyway
-Everything inside of me shows that God should reject me
-Everything in Him accepts me, because Christ paid the debt on my behalf
-I AM guilty, but I've been pardoned anyway!
-His blood on the cross bought my freedom
-I was dead in my sin but He brought me life
-Through God's mercy I am now right with Him!

Because of all of these things that were accomplished by God at the cross, I cling (hold tight) to it. From the cross and the work completed on it, the price for my sins has been paid. Though God is a merciful, gracious, loving God, He is holy and just. His justice demands payments for my sins. But His mercy enables us to be reconciled -before, I was not right with God, but now we have a right relationship, for when He looks at me He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is why I cling to the cross - it reminds me what I once was, who God is, and who I now am because of the kindness of God. May we never forget these truths or allow them to become mundane, but rather cling to the cross.

(Find this song, listen to it, memorize it, get it stuck in your head.)

The Broken Heart {Valley of Vision}

"O Lord,
No day of my life has passed that has not
    proved me guilty in thy sight.
Prayers have been uttered from a prayerless heart;
Praise has been often praiseless sound;
My best services are filthy rags.
Blessed Jesus let me find  covert in thy appeasing wounds.
Though my sins rise to heaven thy merits soar above them;
Though unrighteousness weighs me down to hell,
    thy righteousness exalts me to thy throne.
All things in me call for my rejection,
All things in thee plead my acceptance.
I appeal from the throne of perfect justice
    to thy throne of boundless grace.
Grant me to hear thy voice assuring me:
    that by thy stripes I am healed,
    that thou wast bruised for my iniquities,
    that thou hast been made sin for me
    that I might be righteous in thee,
    that my grievous sins, my manifold sins
      are all forgiven,
    buried in the ocean of thy concealing blood.
I am guilty, but pardoned,
    lost, but saved,
    wandering, but found,
    sinning, but cleansed.
Give me perpetual broken-heartedness,
Keep me always clinging to thy cross,
Flood me every moment with descending grace,
Open to me the springs of divine knowledge,
    sparkling like crystal,
    flowing clear and unsullied
    through my wilderness of life."