Today, I’m so thankful
for summer break and the few days of rest it has brought with it. I’m thankful
for the ability to have my quiet time, work on my crafts, open my house to
beautiful people, and to drink coffee with friends whenever I want to. I’ve been afforded the opportunity to go on so
many trips and make memories with so many special people. This little wonderful window of time between
semesters has been such a blessing. This
time, as I start off another crazy semester as a nursing student, I feel like I
get to do it with a fresh perspective and renewed spirit.
The best thing about the break is that in the slowness and
the quietness, I can feel and see God molding my heart and bringing me through
sanctification so vividly. Honestly, 2011 was a rocky year, plagued with
instability, heartbreak, and the sharp knife of unwelcomed change. I fought
through the busyness, hoping that my ability to balance everything and succeed
would bring me the desired approval I was longing for. I felt like even as I
leaned in to God, even as I called on Him to save me from the mess, I was
thrown another curveball, another thing to balance.
James tells us that we are to count trials as pure joy because
they produce a steadfastness of faith. Though it has taken me a while to
process, I see growth in me that could only be attested to God’s work in the
trials. Seeing joy in the midst of
trials seems like such a huge request sometimes, but the promise that God has
control and He is shaping me allows me to rest in Him. And the resting is the key, not to try
harder, to be better, to look like you have it all figured out, it’s to rest in
Christ, in his grace, and in the promise the his mercies are new every morning.
I have so much more to talk about, from my conquest of
several pinterest crafts with Kelli to my thoughts on the shortening road that
leads to graduation.
Shout out to those sweet friends of mine who got coffee, ate
lunch, or just hung out with me this week- you stir my affections for Christ
and make my life so special.
Joy,
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