Be Still

Still is not a word that has crossed my mind nor an action that my body has engaged in over the last several months. Tonight I finally crashed, I am still. My mind is slowly quieting down and my body has no choice but to be still, as I am exhausted. Over the year my life has changed dramatically, and I have had little time to process it all, beginning with getting engaged last September, graduating, beginning post-graduate life, planning a wedding, getting married, making major life decisions 3 weeks after being married, finding jobs, starting jobs, moving to a "new" town, starting another new job, moving into another new house. I'm exhausted. I don't care that my house is packed in boxes and my car, I don't care that my closet isn't organized neatly, I just want to rest and savor the fact that my house is quiet, and I have nothing to do tonight that can't wait until tomorrow.

The last year seems like a blur, and here I sit, married, in a new house, living next door to my relatives who lived in Seattle for the past 5 years, graduated from college, my best friends gone all over the US, and it seems so surreal. But tonight I am enjoying being still and soaking in all the changes that have taken place in the past year of my life. Its hard to believe things I dreamed of for so many years have finally taken place, and yet I know there are more to come.

Freedom

I'm sure that this is going to be a common blog theme for today, seeing as how it is July 4, Independence Day. However, I don't think that our freedom in Christ can ever be overstated. Today I have been in awe of the fact that all the freedoms I enjoy are ones that I have not fought for or done anything to recieve. My freedom in Christ was paid for by the blood of Jesus, and my American freedoms were fought for by brave men. So often I fail to remember the price that has been paid for the daily freedoms that I enjoy, so here's my remembering the blood that has been shed for us to enjoy freedom on so many levels. Thank you sweet Jesus.

"What are you doing in the world?"-Dax Isbell

My two and half year old nephew, Dax Isbell, who is learning how to talk got his words mixed up one day and instead of saying, "What in the world are you doing?", he said "What are you doing in the world?". Well when my sister-in-law told me this story immediately the phrase went straight to my heart and I have pondered it since she told me.

Bryan and I are in a place of waiting. We don't know what the futureholds, we only have glimpses and the next immediate step. However, the question resonates in my heart because as I go through out my day it keeps my focus on glorifying the Lord. I know that He has a plan and a purpose in this time of preperation for the things to come, but I don't want to be so caught up in the things to come that I miss those divine appointments to minister His love and grace to those around me. We are looking forward to our move "home" in August to be closer to family and to begin this season of preperation as the Lord continues to mold in us the plans He has for us.

I thought I would share the profound thought of my nephew with you because its a good question to ask ourselves..."what are we doing in the world?" to minister grace and love to the lost? Are we spending our days glorifying our creator or magnifying ourselves?