let’s watch this glorious unfolding

I know this is not
Anything like you thought
The story of your life was gonna be

Have you ever prayed a prayer that you didn’t actually want to come true? I have. There’s this one prayer in particular that I’ve been praying for quite a while, ever since the Lord laid it on my heart. Without going into too many personal details, it is basically a just a specific form of Your will, be done, O Lord, and not my own. And all along I have known that it was the right thing to pray, but deep down, if I’m totally honest, I have hoped it wouldn’t come true. And now what I prayed for and hoped against seems to be coming true. And it’s surprisingly hard.

And it feels like the end
Has started closing in on you
But that’s just not true
There’s so much of this story
That’s still yet to unfold

I honestly thought, before, that I would be able to be content if this prayer came true, since I know what I’ve been praying for is that the Lord’s will be done. But in all honesty it’s really difficult to trust Him because my hopes and dreams are at stake. But I’m reminded that even though the outlook may not be what I hoped, this story isn’t over.

God’s plan from the start
For this world and your heart
Has been to show His glory and His grace
Forever revealing
The depth and the beauty
Of His unfailing love
And the story has only begun

And that’s just the point. No matter what happens, I know that God is working it all out for his glory, and to lead me, and everyone involved, closer to Him. It’s not about getting what I want – it’s about my God getting the glory. And that, deep down, is what I want, too.

Let us remember
That this life we’re living
Is just the beginning of the beginning

In the big scheme of things, that little thing that I want is just a small piece of God’s bigger plan. And I don’t want to get in the way of Him working out that plan. I want to be used by Him to bring it to fruition. Oh, let me not stand in the way of His will, even if it hurts me for a moment.

And this is going to be a glorious unfolding
Just you wait and see and you will be amazed
You’ve just got to believe
The story is so far from over
So hold on to every promise God has made to us
And watch this glorious unfolding!
– Steven Curtis Chapman, Glorious Unfolding

So if you need me, you’ll find me in the kitchen, popping a big bowl of popcorn. And then I’ll sit back and watch. And just like in any good movie, I might cry a little bit, during the sad parts, and maybe even during the happy ones, too. But I know that the happy ending is coming – even if it’s not the one I first thought it would be. Won’t you join me in watching the glorious unfolding? 

 

So You Think Your Words Don’t Matter?

As you have probably noticed, things have been quiet on my blogs for almost two months now! Unfortunately, with all my busyness, and distractions of different kinds, I have utterly neglected my blogs.

It was partly purposeful. I’ve been studying for a big test and needed the time to focus on that without worrying about trying to get posts out as well.

At the same time, even when I was free and could easily have written a quick post, I’ve often resisted the urge to write. I buy into the lie that what I say doesn’t really matter in the big scheme of things. I think that surely my words won’t make a difference when so many people can say it better than I. I diminish my gift because I’m afraid to lay myself bare and discover that my offering was worthless.

But the truth is this: If the Creator of the universe places something on my heart and leads me to share it, it isn’t worthless. There’s no need to fear what others think. There’s no need to evaluate it’s worth. If my God tells me to speak, I should speak, whether one million are listening or my words are only heard by one.

My words matter. Your words matter. Don’t let the fear, the lies, the comparison, or the doubts come between you and your calling.

You may not write, but you have a gift that is uniquely yours. God made you and placed you here for a reason. He doesn’t make mistakes. You may feel you have nothing to offer, but know this: if you are here for a reason, then you have a purpose. And once you see your purpose and your potential, don’t let anything stop you from chasing it.

But what if you don’t have a clear purpose? What if you feel like the only one who doesn’t have it all together? (Psst: nobody has it all together. Not a single one of us.) What if you feel like you’re wandering around in the dark?

If you feel purposeless, if you fear you bring nothing to the table, here are some ways to discover that purpose and open your heart up to God’s will and His amazing plan for your life.

Dig into God’s Word. Ask God to speak to you through His word. And don’t just read the words: study them; get to the heart of what each verse means for you. Then go out and live it!

Spend time in prayer. Not just petitions for health and well being, either. Pray what God puts on your heart. Praise Him for His awesome power. Thank Him for the many blessings He has given you. Ask Him for wisdom and strength to respond as He would in every situation.

Seek to know your God personally. Go beyond a daily prayer and Bible study time. Don’t just read a few verses and spout off a few prayer requests (I’m preaching this to myself!). Let God’s Word its implications penetrate into and saturate the very core of your existence. Be open to His leading and allow Him to show you what it is He wants you to do, moment by moment, day by day.

Seek to use your talents and abilities for the glory of God. God can use anyone for His service if only we let Him. We don’t have to be well spoken (Moses wasn’t). We don’t have to have great resources (Paul didn’t). We don’t even have to have a specific gift or talent that surpasses that of others. All that is required is that we be willing to let God use what we have for His glory. We don’t have to shine; we have to let Him shine through us.

Day 10 – May Blogging Challenge

Day 10 – Daily Routine

I can’t say that I have a daily routine. I’m rather unpredictable. I do try to wake up a 6:30 am and have a time of Bible study and prayer for about an hour before I start my day, but that’s really the only constant in my days. And sadly even this often gets forgotten.

Day 9 – May Blogging Challenge

 

You may notice that I didn’t post yesterday. The problem is the topic was “Biggest Pet Peeve” and I really couldn’t think of any of the top of my head. And I also didn’t want to have a whole post (even a short one) that was just me complaining about things that bug me :) So yesterday was not an accident. There will just be no day eight. :)

Day 9 – What’s on your life list/bucket list?

I like to have things on my bucket list that I really actually think I could do. I have a whole board on Pinterest along these lines called Doable Bucket List. Here is a sample:

• Go on a road trip with friends
• Sit on a roof and watch the sunset
• Play hide and seek in IKEA
• Tie messages on balloons and let them go
• Spend a night in a treehouse
• Sleep under the stars
• Go an entire day without using and technology

And then I have some bigger dreams of things that I would love to do in my lifetime that may or may not happen.

• Get married and raise a family
• Travel to another country
• Adopt a child
• Meet a famous person
• Meet my online friends!
• Live in a cabin in the mountains
• Read all the books on my “to read” list

What’s on YOUR bucket list?

Day 7 – May Blogging Challenge

Day 7 – What’s your dream job?

My dream job would be working with kids all day. I would honestly do that with no pay, so to be paid for it would be incredible! I’m not sure whether that would be teaching, working at a daycare center, nannying, or something else, but I can’t wait to see what God has planned for me!

Other top competitors for the dream job spot are:

• Reading – If I could earn money reading fiction, I would be set for life!
• Pinterest – To bad I can’t be paid to pin!
• Writer – I can write, but I don’t feel my writing is publishing worthy. I would love not only to write my own fiction but also to support myself with it. I don’t see that happening, though…

What’s YOUR dream job?

Day 6 – May Blogging Challenge

Day 6 – Your last random act of kindness.

I’ve never really thought about random acts of kindness. I like the general idea, but I’ve never thought: “I think I’ll do a random act of kindness today!” I don’t want to do something nice because I decided to. My goal is to be led by the Holy Spirit so that I am kind to others as an outflow of that.

One of the quotes I mentioned as one of my favorites on Day 2 of this challenge is this: “Spread love wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” (Mother Teresa) I don’t want just randomly do kind things, I want to be the girl – the woman – who spreads love wherever she goes. I don’t want anyone to come to me without leaving happier. Most importantly, I want others to see Jesus in me. I want to spread love and joy, I want to do kind things, for His glory.

Day 5 – May Blogging Challenge

Day 5 – Favorite movies you never get sick of watching

First, another random fact about me: I haven’t watch a whole lot of movies, and the ones I have, I haven’t watched multiple times. I’m more likely to want to watch a new movie then repeat one I’ve already seen. So the only movie that I have watched multiple times and still like is Tangled. And then there are several that I’ve seen only once or twice but would probably be able to watch over and over again. These are: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, October Baby, Frozen, and the Lord of the Rings movies. In all honesty, I’ve only seen the first two Lord of the Rings movies. I have read the books, though, so I assume I will like The Return of the King. I hope to watch it very soon!

I love this movie. I’ve probably seen it three or four times, but I haven’t gotten tired of it yet.

This is an old classic that I absolutely love. If you haven’t seen it, I it’s worth a watch.

This is a very sweet movie and a great story of forgiveness and grace. However, it is definitely PG-13 because of some mature themes.

I love this movie. I watched it in the theater and then got it the day it came out on DVD. :)

The first movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I thought it was very well done, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The second movie in the LOTR trilogy. They strayed more from the book in this one, but overall I liked it a lot.

What’s YOUR favorite movie?

Day 4 – May Blogging Challenge

Day 4 – Best childhood memory

I don’t know that I have one standout favorite memory. Honestly my childhood is mostly a happy blur. If I think back I can pinpoint especially happy moments, but for the most part I just have a general idea of happy memories. If I have to pick, here are three.

1. May 2000 – (This is one of my earliest memories.) I was four. On my way home from Cubbies, I talked with my mom about what it meant to ask Jesus to be my Savior. She explained it to me and talked to me, helping me to make sure I knew what it meant. I insisted that I wanted to “ask Jesus into my heart.” She guided me to pray in my own words and ask Jesus to forgive me and be my Savior. I didn’t fully understand what it meant for me that day, but I just remember how happy I was and how excited I was to tell the rest of my family.

2. September 2005 – I was ten. My family went to the beach with another family. We were having a great time, and then Hurricane Katrina approached. We weren’t too near the path of the storm, but it was recommended that we evacuate. After our parents watched the weather and prayed about it, they decided that we would stay on the island. They were more worried about crossing the bridge to the mainland than staying in our beach house. Needless to say, we made it out just fine. The water didn’t rise very far at all. But afterwards the sea was really fun to swim in — lots of semi-high waves to ride on. :)

3. October 2006 – On a camping trip with my family, I got to hold a baby for a while. He fell asleep in my arms! It was the first time that had ever happened to me and I remember how much I loved it (and it’s still one of my very favorite things). I remember that even though it was a little uncomfortable I didn’t want to move for fear he would wake up. Even when someone offered to take him I didn’t want to give him up. :)

Care to share one of YOUR favorite childhood memories? I’d love to hear it!

Day 3 – May Blogging Challenge

Day 3 – What makes you happy?

One of my favorite songs coming on the radio or Pandora.
Little kids and the cute things they say. Brightening someone’s day.
Seeing other happy people!
Blue skies and bright sunlight.
Discovering truth in Scripture.
Driving with the windows down and the radio up.
Learning something new.
The color yellow.
Doing something nice for someone else.
Being needed.
Answered prayer.
Reading a really good book.
Holding a baby.
Spending time outside.
Fireflies.
Laughter.
Rainbows.
Sunsets and sunrises.
The beach.

Just like I said yesterday, this is only a very small sample of the many things that make me happy. To see more, check out my other blog where I post one thing that I’m thankful for every day.

What makes YOU happy? Leave a comment about it!

Day 2 – May Blogging Challenge

To see my first post in this series, click here. 

Day 2: Favorite quotes

I love far too many quotes put them all here. I have blogged about some of them in my Wednesday Words posts. I also have a board on Pinterest with over 1,000 of my favorite quotes! For today, here is a small sample of the quotes I love.

“I have learned that I will not change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, change the world for one person. So I keep loving one person at a time. Because this is my call as a follower of Jesus.” — Katie Davis

“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.” — Thomas Merton

“To me, a lady is not frilly, flouncy, flippant, frivolous and fluff-brained, but she is gentle, she is gracious, she is godly and she is giving.” — Elisabeth Elliot

“The great thing to remember is that though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.” — C. S. Lewis

“Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strength.” — Corrie Ten Boom

“Every experience God gives us, every person He puts into our lives, is the perfect preparation for a future only He can see.” — Corrie Ten Boom

“How completely satisfying to turn from our limitations to a God who has none.” — A. W. Tozer

“It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desires which He creates.” — Amy Carmichael

“Spread love wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” — Mother Teresa

“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” — Anne Lamott

Comment one of YOUR favorite quotes!