THIS WEEK could easily have been really awful, but it was great.
I was introduced to an initially frustrating concept in my Architecture class, and Photoshop gave me a lot of trouble. I had to walk a long way and got rained on. I was so busy some days that I had to go out to get things printed at 1:30 AM. I lost my key and locked myself out of my building without my phone or my supplies. And on top of it all, I didn't know for most of the week whether I would be too busy to go home for the weekend.
But I'm doing great. I think what made the difference was my Life Group meeting with all my wonderful friends. We discussed the difference between happiness and joy. I had had a pretty bad day and was tired, but I was reminded of something I already knew that really helped: Happiness is a good feeling we get that lasts a little while. But, as one of my friends explained, Joy is choosing to be content because God's unfailing promises remain even while our situations constantly change. We can't be happy all the time, but we can be joyful in any situation. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, so when we make that choice to rejoice in God despite appearances, people take notice and see the difference God makes. It makes people want the hope He gives.
My group looked at 1 Peter 1:8-9, in which Paul explains that tough situations lead to great things when we face them by standing strong in our faith in Christ, "[8] whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, [9] receiving the end of your faith - the salvation of your souls."
That's what got me through this week. Knowing that even the inconvenient things and frustrating problems must happen for some good reason, I was able to remember how beautiful the day was and how good life is. I wasn't worried about anything because I knew it was all going to work together for good (Romans 8:28). And so it did. I got the hang of my project and was able to help some people out with it. I had some good conversations with strangers on a bus. My new friend Erin gave me some beef jerky and flavored nuts. And best of all, I got to go home this weekend and be with my family, which is one of my favorite things to do.
Today I visited my home church Southpoint, where I got to hear my pastor speak about the importance of suffering. He emphasized that God's promises to us are not tools for us to make our plans work out. Because if we decide what God is going to do based on our interpretation of His promises to provide and deliver and fill us with joy, then it's easy to get confused. God is extremely unpredictable, but He is faithful. He keeps all of his promises, and He wants us to expect him to, but it's wrong for us to give up faith in Him because things didn't work out how we expected. He doesn't work for us. He works in and through us.
If your mother dies of cancer after everyone prayed so hard for healing, or if your family is still broken no matter how often you asked for peace, it doesn't mean God has failed. It means it's time for us to look at the big picture and trust that God is faithful. Maybe your mother's healing came when she landed in the arms of Jesus, and maybe peace in your family begins with peace in you. Just don't stop praising.
Pastor Russ referred to 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18, in which Paul explains that all the pain we feel is brief in the grand scheme of God's plan: "[16] Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. [17] For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and external weight of glory, [18] while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
No amount of suffering, or of anything else, in life compares to the wonder and beauty of heaven's joy in the presence of God.
So sadness is the opposite of happiness, but it isn't the opposite of joy. I'd say the opposite of joy is despair, because despair is hopeless and fearful. We have the choice to remember Jesus, who said things would be hard but that He would be with us always, and who suffered unimaginably without losing faith in the goodness of God.
Psalm 30:4-5, "[4] Sing praises to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks to His holy name. [5] For His anger is but for a moment, His favor for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
Whether the "night" lasts a day or a lifetime, God promises that He will bring us joy in the end. When we make the choice to rejoice, it doesn't matter what goes wrong, because God won't.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Broken
THIS WEEK was very eventful. After Tuesday everything was unusually relaxed, because I had a rare break from my architecture work. I haven't been to the studio in days. I got to go to my first Gator game, which we won to Tennessee 33 to 23.
But I had to work for that break. The first half of this week was insane. All weekend, Monday and Tuesday I spent most of my time working in the studio on my final project. Tuesday I was working for 13 hours from noon to 1:00 AM. Then my escort bus left me. Then my phone died. A Teacher's Assistant drove me back to my room, and I got to sleep around 3 to wake up at 5:30 the next day.
It was just one of those days (and nights). It can't all be easy, I suppose. When my bus left me I was really upset. After rushing to catch it with my shoes practically flying off my feet, I felt like God didn't answer my prayer, and I didn't know why.
But when I got to my room, my room mate Sarah gave me a big hug and had some dinner ready for me. She decorated the box with encouraging things like "You did it!" and "Welcome home!" as well as a reference to Isaiah 41:10.
God makes a big promise to His people in Isaiah 41:9-10. "[9] You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: [10] Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'"
When I read this, I heard God say, "Don't believe it? Look up." So I looked up and saw the verse I had written on the white board, Philippians 4:6-7. "[6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
If it isn't amazing that the all-seeing Almighty God promises to hold us by the hand, then nothing is amazing. It's not always easy to believe. When the bus leaves you, or when your loved ones say things to hurt you, or when you don't understand what you're called to do, it's easier to pull away and try to deal only in the things we understand, to try to make it through alone.
When everything is a mess, how can we trust God that He knows what He is doing? And when we feel far from Him, how can we believe He is close by?
Monday night my Life group was talking about love, especially God's love. My new friend Shannon told us about one of her favorite songs, which tells how God uses brokenness to reflect His mercy "a million different ways." When we are broken, she says, it's like light coming out from between the cracks of a pot that has been reassembled. Maybe God uses times of confusion and frustration to get our hearts ready to shine.
I remember once at FISH club in high school we finished reading a psalm that spoke about brokenness, and someone asked what it meant. I think it means being in a condition of humility before God as we acknowledge our need for Him. It means accepting our smallness and His greatness as our pride and self-sufficiency lay broken all around. And sometimes it takes tough times to get us to that place.
I've been reading the story of Abraham again lately. There's a lot to learn from it, but what stands out to me is Abraham's amazing faith. In Genesis 22, God asks him to sacrifice the son he has waited a long time to have, the son who is his promise of having a long line of descendants.
Abraham couldn't have understood why God was asking this or have wanted to obey. But his faith in God's goodness and his reverence for His power led him to obey anyway. And because he showed such faith and godly fear, God spared Abraham and promised to bless Abraham's descendants abundantly. As it turns out, we are the children of Abraham because we are the descendants of his faith in God. When He said "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed," He was talking about when He would give His own Son to us so that we could live by faith as well.
Abraham was broken before God, and God values brokenness like that. He even called Abraham His friend.
In Psalm 51:16-17 the psalmist prays, "[16] For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. [17] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart - these, O God, You will not despise."
This means that God sees us for what our hearts are like. He is looking for things like humility and love, justice and mercy, people to worship Him in Spirit and truth. He doesn't want to see us acting like we've got this God thing figured out. The whole point of salvation is living continually like we know how far we have left to go, and that only God can get us there.
Paul explains this really well in 2 Corinthians 4:6-7. "[6] For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
God, and God alone, has the power to do with us what we simply cannot do ourselves. The power is of him and NOT of us. He turned Saul, a Christian-killing enemy of the faith, into Paul, the greatest missionary in the history of the world. It took an encounter with God to change his life, so that he went on in total humility, calling himself "less than the least of all the saints" in gratitude and awe toward God.
With God, times of trouble and confusion often come right before moments of glory. He loves to use brokenness to show His power to fix things, as well as His power to overwhelm the odds. He wants us to have faith despite appearances and love without fear, and in return He will show the world a good reason for us to be that way. He dreams big, and He wants us to be part of reaching those dreams.
So maybe when the bus leaves without you, when you don't know where to go or what to do, when you've ended up broken on the floor once again, you're really in the best place you could be. Because once the illusion of our control is out of the way, there's room to see what God can do. When you've hit the low point, look up to God and see what He's doing now.
But I had to work for that break. The first half of this week was insane. All weekend, Monday and Tuesday I spent most of my time working in the studio on my final project. Tuesday I was working for 13 hours from noon to 1:00 AM. Then my escort bus left me. Then my phone died. A Teacher's Assistant drove me back to my room, and I got to sleep around 3 to wake up at 5:30 the next day.
It was just one of those days (and nights). It can't all be easy, I suppose. When my bus left me I was really upset. After rushing to catch it with my shoes practically flying off my feet, I felt like God didn't answer my prayer, and I didn't know why.
But when I got to my room, my room mate Sarah gave me a big hug and had some dinner ready for me. She decorated the box with encouraging things like "You did it!" and "Welcome home!" as well as a reference to Isaiah 41:10.
God makes a big promise to His people in Isaiah 41:9-10. "[9] You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: [10] Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'"
When I read this, I heard God say, "Don't believe it? Look up." So I looked up and saw the verse I had written on the white board, Philippians 4:6-7. "[6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
If it isn't amazing that the all-seeing Almighty God promises to hold us by the hand, then nothing is amazing. It's not always easy to believe. When the bus leaves you, or when your loved ones say things to hurt you, or when you don't understand what you're called to do, it's easier to pull away and try to deal only in the things we understand, to try to make it through alone.
When everything is a mess, how can we trust God that He knows what He is doing? And when we feel far from Him, how can we believe He is close by?
Monday night my Life group was talking about love, especially God's love. My new friend Shannon told us about one of her favorite songs, which tells how God uses brokenness to reflect His mercy "a million different ways." When we are broken, she says, it's like light coming out from between the cracks of a pot that has been reassembled. Maybe God uses times of confusion and frustration to get our hearts ready to shine.
I remember once at FISH club in high school we finished reading a psalm that spoke about brokenness, and someone asked what it meant. I think it means being in a condition of humility before God as we acknowledge our need for Him. It means accepting our smallness and His greatness as our pride and self-sufficiency lay broken all around. And sometimes it takes tough times to get us to that place.
I've been reading the story of Abraham again lately. There's a lot to learn from it, but what stands out to me is Abraham's amazing faith. In Genesis 22, God asks him to sacrifice the son he has waited a long time to have, the son who is his promise of having a long line of descendants.
Abraham couldn't have understood why God was asking this or have wanted to obey. But his faith in God's goodness and his reverence for His power led him to obey anyway. And because he showed such faith and godly fear, God spared Abraham and promised to bless Abraham's descendants abundantly. As it turns out, we are the children of Abraham because we are the descendants of his faith in God. When He said "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed," He was talking about when He would give His own Son to us so that we could live by faith as well.
Abraham was broken before God, and God values brokenness like that. He even called Abraham His friend.
In Psalm 51:16-17 the psalmist prays, "[16] For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. [17] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart - these, O God, You will not despise."
This means that God sees us for what our hearts are like. He is looking for things like humility and love, justice and mercy, people to worship Him in Spirit and truth. He doesn't want to see us acting like we've got this God thing figured out. The whole point of salvation is living continually like we know how far we have left to go, and that only God can get us there.
Paul explains this really well in 2 Corinthians 4:6-7. "[6] For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
God, and God alone, has the power to do with us what we simply cannot do ourselves. The power is of him and NOT of us. He turned Saul, a Christian-killing enemy of the faith, into Paul, the greatest missionary in the history of the world. It took an encounter with God to change his life, so that he went on in total humility, calling himself "less than the least of all the saints" in gratitude and awe toward God.
With God, times of trouble and confusion often come right before moments of glory. He loves to use brokenness to show His power to fix things, as well as His power to overwhelm the odds. He wants us to have faith despite appearances and love without fear, and in return He will show the world a good reason for us to be that way. He dreams big, and He wants us to be part of reaching those dreams.
So maybe when the bus leaves without you, when you don't know where to go or what to do, when you've ended up broken on the floor once again, you're really in the best place you could be. Because once the illusion of our control is out of the way, there's room to see what God can do. When you've hit the low point, look up to God and see what He's doing now.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Tough Major
THIS WEEK I am exhausted. I love college, but I spend a lot of my time in the Studio working on my models, and I'm working on the final of Project One: The Cube. I have hardly any time for my other classes, and I can't believe I've only been doing this for three weeks.
You see, I'm majoring in Architecture. Whenever I tell other students that I'm in Architecture, they express awe and terror. Who has ever seen an Architecture student? Don't they live in the Studio and never leave? Whatever happened to Bruce, who started architecture three years ago and hasn't been seen since?
And I sigh. Yeah, Architecture's really hard. But I love it, and I just can't stop. There's no other major for me.
When I come back to my room late at night and still see basswood sticks and chipboard in my mind all over the ceiling, I want to collapse and sleep. But I never want to quit. Because I love it, and I really just can't stop.
Then I remember another persistent love that endures despite all difficulty, and I'm more certain that I will survive. When I fear I will end my days trapped in a maze of planes and lines with only my cell phone to distract me, I recall that for years God has been working on me like I'm working on Architecture, and He's still not done.
I've only been in Architecture for a few weeks, so I know that despite the way the study fills my time and my mind, I know almost nothing yet. Then I look at the Teacher's Assistants, higher-level students who know everything I'm doing wrong, and I'm amazed that I will be there one day. Just when I think I know something, I don't. Nevertheless, I am learning. I will "get it" soon.
Now isn't that just like the way life is with God? He starts out on us, and we're a complete mess. It's a slow process to gain spiritual maturity and understanding. But with guidance from those who have been there, we do grow.
I am like Architecture. It demands a lot of patience, takes a lot of time, makes me laugh and cry to my Mama. It gets me on my feet and it brings me to my knees, and I know that with a lot of work it's going places. And it's definitely not going to work without God's help. Architecture does this to me, and I do it to God.
I remember Philippians 1:3-6, and I find it very encouraging. "[3] I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, [4] always in every prayer of mine making rquest for you all with joy, [5] for you fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, [6] being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
When God saves us, the work has only begun. We have miles of growth to cover. We have so much room to mature spiritually. There are days when we push Him away, cross our arms and are impossible to deal with. Just like in Architecture, sometimes we are so far from the goal with so much left to do that it's hard to imagine we will ever sit still and cooperate. Sometimes the superglue just won't dry, and the basswood is disconnecting itseld, and the whole model looks like a mess.
So why does He bother? Why doesn't He "transfer to another major?" It's because He loves us, and He knows what we can be if we stick with Him. He sees the potential we have to be great for His glory. I see that in Architecture, and it's encouraging that He sees that in me and each of us.
I've also seen that trying to grow spiritually, as well as to get better at Architecture, is not going to work out without God's help. If I tried to become an architect on my own, I would end up jaded and tired with a dead look in my eyes, and I can't live with that idea. In the same way, trying to grow closer to God without seeking God and depending on Him is like trying to use superglue to attach something to a blue foam armature. It doesn't work. (Superglue eats foam.)
But if we trust God as the Ruler by which we measure ourselves, as the Triangle that will always keep us straight, then we won't fail.
Jesus tells us in John 15:4-5, "[4] Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. [5] I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
I'm about to go back to the Studio and work with new energy. Unless God calls me to something else instead, I'm sticking with this subject that I love, and I'm going to see it grow. And when I'm exhausted, with blue foam in my hair and glue on my fingers, I'll remember the work God is doing on me and be thankful that He hasn't given up.
You see, I'm majoring in Architecture. Whenever I tell other students that I'm in Architecture, they express awe and terror. Who has ever seen an Architecture student? Don't they live in the Studio and never leave? Whatever happened to Bruce, who started architecture three years ago and hasn't been seen since?
And I sigh. Yeah, Architecture's really hard. But I love it, and I just can't stop. There's no other major for me.
When I come back to my room late at night and still see basswood sticks and chipboard in my mind all over the ceiling, I want to collapse and sleep. But I never want to quit. Because I love it, and I really just can't stop.
Then I remember another persistent love that endures despite all difficulty, and I'm more certain that I will survive. When I fear I will end my days trapped in a maze of planes and lines with only my cell phone to distract me, I recall that for years God has been working on me like I'm working on Architecture, and He's still not done.
I've only been in Architecture for a few weeks, so I know that despite the way the study fills my time and my mind, I know almost nothing yet. Then I look at the Teacher's Assistants, higher-level students who know everything I'm doing wrong, and I'm amazed that I will be there one day. Just when I think I know something, I don't. Nevertheless, I am learning. I will "get it" soon.
Now isn't that just like the way life is with God? He starts out on us, and we're a complete mess. It's a slow process to gain spiritual maturity and understanding. But with guidance from those who have been there, we do grow.
I am like Architecture. It demands a lot of patience, takes a lot of time, makes me laugh and cry to my Mama. It gets me on my feet and it brings me to my knees, and I know that with a lot of work it's going places. And it's definitely not going to work without God's help. Architecture does this to me, and I do it to God.
I remember Philippians 1:3-6, and I find it very encouraging. "[3] I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, [4] always in every prayer of mine making rquest for you all with joy, [5] for you fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, [6] being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
When God saves us, the work has only begun. We have miles of growth to cover. We have so much room to mature spiritually. There are days when we push Him away, cross our arms and are impossible to deal with. Just like in Architecture, sometimes we are so far from the goal with so much left to do that it's hard to imagine we will ever sit still and cooperate. Sometimes the superglue just won't dry, and the basswood is disconnecting itseld, and the whole model looks like a mess.
So why does He bother? Why doesn't He "transfer to another major?" It's because He loves us, and He knows what we can be if we stick with Him. He sees the potential we have to be great for His glory. I see that in Architecture, and it's encouraging that He sees that in me and each of us.
I've also seen that trying to grow spiritually, as well as to get better at Architecture, is not going to work out without God's help. If I tried to become an architect on my own, I would end up jaded and tired with a dead look in my eyes, and I can't live with that idea. In the same way, trying to grow closer to God without seeking God and depending on Him is like trying to use superglue to attach something to a blue foam armature. It doesn't work. (Superglue eats foam.)
But if we trust God as the Ruler by which we measure ourselves, as the Triangle that will always keep us straight, then we won't fail.
Jesus tells us in John 15:4-5, "[4] Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. [5] I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
I'm about to go back to the Studio and work with new energy. Unless God calls me to something else instead, I'm sticking with this subject that I love, and I'm going to see it grow. And when I'm exhausted, with blue foam in my hair and glue on my fingers, I'll remember the work God is doing on me and be thankful that He hasn't given up.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
The Hill
THIS WEEK was my second week of college, and I'm relaxing at home while I visit for a couple days. College is a big challenge and a lot of fun at the same time. God is answering my prayers for the right Christian group, and I think I will meet the right church soon too. I'm already a part of a Life Group and making a lot of new friends.
During the week I stay really busy, and it's not always easy. I've gotten lost a couple times, and I spend hours in the studio working on homework. To be honest, there are moments when I get really frustrated and just want to be asleep or go home. But I find I never want to give up. I don't want to change my mind and do something easier. I think it's because God's peace is staying with me, telling me that this is what is necessary right now.
I remember one of my favorite places in the Word: Philippians 4:6-7 "[6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
I'm studying architecture, and my Design class involves a lot of interesting but time-consuming work in the studio. I love it, but a lot goes through my mind when I'm sitting there working for hours at a time. Do I really want to do this? Can I do it? Will I have any real friends in architecture? Where are all the cute boys? How much longer will this glue take to dry?
I'm loving college, but I get tired thinking all of these things, and countless other things. But I'm never overwhelemed because I'm never alone.
On a hard day of class I read a great verse, Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates instruction is stupid." How's that for a reason to keep trying?
Here's a brief lesson from college: every hill has two sides. My room mate Sarah has a lot of fun riding her bike between classes, and she tells me about the hills. There are more in Gainesville than in Jacksonville. She says it's a real pain to climb the hills on a bike, but on the other side it's a thrill to just glide down without peddling.
I think life works the same way. Not everything can be easy. But not everything will be hard. You know that if you climb the hill God calls you to, there will be a downhill side sometime. He wants to bless us. I've found that the point of the tough times is to teach us to trust Him. To trust that He knows best, and to trust that He can fulfill His promises.
My youth pastor spoke this morning at church about trusting in God's promises. Can we trust Him even when it doesn't look possible for His promise to come true? Can we do what Abraham did?
As an old man he rejected the chance to be fabulously wealthy and believed instead in God's promise for his future. He had no children and feared another would inherit his place. But God disagreed.
Genesis 15:4-6 "[4] And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: 'This man will not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.' [5] And He brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then He said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' [6] And he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness."
It's hard to trust God with everything. It's easier to be like Job and question His ability. Isn't it better to handle things ourselves? But God tells us that He, who manages the universe, knows better than we do, and even Job repented of his doubt. Job 42:3 "'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." God honored his repentence and humility and "blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning."
Is there really a guy/girl out there for you? Will all your hard work in school pay off? Will you have what you need? In Matthew 6:33 Jesus answers the hard questions, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." We will probably have to go uphill for a while, and as long as we are climbing the other side will seem to be out of our view. But we have faith in God for the joy of riding down the other side.
During the week I stay really busy, and it's not always easy. I've gotten lost a couple times, and I spend hours in the studio working on homework. To be honest, there are moments when I get really frustrated and just want to be asleep or go home. But I find I never want to give up. I don't want to change my mind and do something easier. I think it's because God's peace is staying with me, telling me that this is what is necessary right now.
I remember one of my favorite places in the Word: Philippians 4:6-7 "[6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
I'm studying architecture, and my Design class involves a lot of interesting but time-consuming work in the studio. I love it, but a lot goes through my mind when I'm sitting there working for hours at a time. Do I really want to do this? Can I do it? Will I have any real friends in architecture? Where are all the cute boys? How much longer will this glue take to dry?
I'm loving college, but I get tired thinking all of these things, and countless other things. But I'm never overwhelemed because I'm never alone.
On a hard day of class I read a great verse, Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates instruction is stupid." How's that for a reason to keep trying?
Here's a brief lesson from college: every hill has two sides. My room mate Sarah has a lot of fun riding her bike between classes, and she tells me about the hills. There are more in Gainesville than in Jacksonville. She says it's a real pain to climb the hills on a bike, but on the other side it's a thrill to just glide down without peddling.
I think life works the same way. Not everything can be easy. But not everything will be hard. You know that if you climb the hill God calls you to, there will be a downhill side sometime. He wants to bless us. I've found that the point of the tough times is to teach us to trust Him. To trust that He knows best, and to trust that He can fulfill His promises.
My youth pastor spoke this morning at church about trusting in God's promises. Can we trust Him even when it doesn't look possible for His promise to come true? Can we do what Abraham did?
As an old man he rejected the chance to be fabulously wealthy and believed instead in God's promise for his future. He had no children and feared another would inherit his place. But God disagreed.
Genesis 15:4-6 "[4] And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: 'This man will not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.' [5] And He brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then He said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' [6] And he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness."
It's hard to trust God with everything. It's easier to be like Job and question His ability. Isn't it better to handle things ourselves? But God tells us that He, who manages the universe, knows better than we do, and even Job repented of his doubt. Job 42:3 "'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." God honored his repentence and humility and "blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning."
Is there really a guy/girl out there for you? Will all your hard work in school pay off? Will you have what you need? In Matthew 6:33 Jesus answers the hard questions, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." We will probably have to go uphill for a while, and as long as we are climbing the other side will seem to be out of our view. But we have faith in God for the joy of riding down the other side.
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