Happy Birthday

A year ago today, I started a blog for the sake of having a blog, little did I know then what an impact it would have on me even a year later today. Looking back on my posts and just remembering where I was and where I am now has been pretty awesome.

I am no saint, not even close, but I'm a little closer than I was last year, though some days it doesn't feel that way. God has shown me a lot in this last year and has done so much more.

I think the hardest lesson I am learning right now though is living by faith and not by sight. Something I have picked up on in myself and something I pray God helps me work out is this idea of focusing on the glory moments rather than just being faithful in the little.

Zechariah tells us not to despise the small things and he couldn't be more right. 2 Cor 5:7 has been a huge staple in my life these last few weeks. Sometimes we get so caught up in the results of what God has done in us that we forget God. Sometimes we get so used to Him spoon feeding us encouragement that we forget He isn't always going to operate that way. When we pray "God give us more faith," He does just that and as Jesus reminds us in John 15, often it requires pruning and sometimes that means He may not say much to us. That doesn't mean He isn't there, that doesn't mean you lost Him. It just means He is giving you what you asked for, more faith.

God's grace has been an issue for me as well. Accepting it I have found is harded than I thought. When your mind is bent on working for your stuff and the flesh says you have to go out and get on it, it truly is a situation of death to self. I heard an interesting quote this morning from Bob Coy, (I'll paraphrase), God is in the business of blessing us and giving us gifts that we should put to use and give back to Him for His glory, the one thing though that God can't give us is obedience, that originates in us. God can't force us to obey, He can only take things from us and that isn't obedience, that is chastening.

I'm learning that God isn't always going to work the way you think He is, and just when you think (because we all do at some point) that you have it figured out, He may have had something else in mind.

Love isn't as easy as everyone paints it out to be, in fact, it is sometimes a hard decision to make, especially when your flesh is always looking out for itself. Love is centered around being others-centered. For an example, see the cross of calvary.

Most of our problems and questions can be answered at the cross and by that I mean that our tribulations, our trials, those things about us we hate, they can all be left at the foot of the cross.

Don't think you have it all, it will hurt so much more when you realize you don't.

God isn't done with you, it is a lifelong process, that's why we are called to run with endurance. If it were to run with speed then many of us would have died by now...

You aren't always going to feel God. The Euphoric feelings will come and go, you will have your ups and downs, valleys and mountain tops. Thankfully, our faith is based on a constant, consistent Person, not our own hearts....(could you imagine it the other way around...?)

The devil is a jerk and he knows what he is doing, God is bigger though.

It has been a sweet year, plenty more lessons this year I am sure. Hopefully God has some serious rain on the horizon for us all. If you're in a desert right now, be of good cheer, it is nice to know that this isn't eternity for us, and that is something we need to remind ourselves of everyday...

Happy Birthday blog!