Following Him, Storms, and Love: Matthew 8:18-27, 9:9-13

Well this is a couple days late, but I still wanted to share what I read on Saturday night. I find it so cool when I open up the Bible and find an answer to a question I have. It's so great! I opened up to Matthew 8: 18-27:

The Cost of Following Jesus

"Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

"And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

The title of the first passage "The Cost of Following Jesus" is very important to look at in our lives. Christ calls us to live radical lives, and that means dropping everything. How can we expect to live our lives for Him if we are holding onto earthly and selfish desires? If someone asked me if I follow Jesus, I would say yes. But how true would that statement be? When I really look at it, not very true. I am holding onto earthly things that I shouldn't, I have a hard time trusting God, and it's not always my number one priority to be in His Word all the time. I have a lot to work on, but I know He's never going to just leave me. In verse 22, Jesus answers back to one of his disciples saying "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead". When I read this, I didn't exactly get the whole concept, but luckily, I have the ESV Study Bible (I highly recommend it!) and it has great study notes. In those notes, it talks about how it was a Biblical commandment to honor father and mother, but the call to follow Him rises above all other allegiances. This was the answer I was looking for. I have wondered if God is calling you to do something, but it goes against your parents or other authority, if you're actually suppose to do it. This passage straight out answered my question, and it reminded me to have absolute obedience to the Lord.

In the second passage, the title is "Jesus Calms a Storm". In this passage, Jesus and his disciples are on a boat and a big storm comes. The storm got worse, and the disciples, being scared, woke up Jesus who was sleeping. They begged for help for Jesus to save them from the storm, and he simply replied "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?". He then calmed the storm. So many times in our lives, we encounter different "storms" and often are scared, worried, etc. We don't always trust Jesus, rather, we rely on our own strength to deliver us, but we can't. Only He can. I always worry, and it's something I am really working on. When I am going through a scary situation, I need to rely on the Lord. I have been seeing this becoming more true in my life recently. For example, on Saturday my parents and I were headed home to Fargo and we hit a very scary storm. Little visibility, lots of wind, snow, and the roads were bad. I was very scared. I couldn't concentrate on anything else, but decided to get my Bible out and start reading. God really comforted me during this scary time; I read from Psalms and prayed that He would deliver us from this (snow) storm, and He did!

The last passage I read was Matthew 9:9-13

Jesus Calls Matthew
"As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

This passage is a good reminder to me to love unconditionally. Jesus is sitting with tax collectors. Jesus. The very Son of God. The Savior of the world. Yet, Jesus is not too good to sit with sinners. In verse 12, Jesus says: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick". We should be living by these words. As Christians, I feel like we like to spend a lot of time together, but not with non-believers, and it should be the other way around. How else are non-belivers suppose to learn about Christ without having Christians around? By the grace of God, He can use us to be the salt and light. I definitely get too caught up in my "Christian circle", and I admit it, I like hanging out with my Christian friends way more than my non-Christian ones. But what if I hung out and put myself around a lot of non-believers? How would I impact them? How could they impact me? I need to push myself to step out of my "Christian circle" and be a light for Him.

So I challenge you. Go out. Be the salt and light. It may be scary and uncomfortable, but the outcome and gain from this will be so worth it.

With Blessings,

         Heather

Change in the Making-Ephesians 4:15-16

There is a song by Addison Road called "Change in the Making". When I bought this CD, this was the first song I fell in love with. The lyrics are so powerful; a true confession and prayer of our imperfect lives to our perfect Creator:

There’s a better version of me
That I can’t quite see
But things are gonna change
Right now I’m a total mess and
Right now I’m completely incomplete
But things are gonna change
‘Cause you’re not through with me yet

This is redemption’s story
With every step that I am taking
Every day, you’re chipping away
What I don’t need
This is me under construction
This is my pride being broken
And every day I’m closer to who I’m meant to be
I am a change in the making

Wish I could live more patiently
Wish I could give a little more of me
Without stopping to think twice
Wish I had faith like a little child
Wish I could walk a single mile
Without tripping on my own feet
But you’re not through with me yet

This is redemption’s story
With every step that I am taking
Every day, you’re chipping away
What I don’t need
This is me under construction
This is my pride being broken
And every day I’m closer to who I’m meant to be

From the dawn of history
You make new and you redeem
From a broken world to a broken heart
You finish what you start in everything

Like a river rolls into the sea
We’re not who we’re going to be
But things are going to change

I am living redemption’s story
With every step that I am taking
Every day, you’re chipping away
What I don’t need
This is me under construction
This is my pride being broken
And every day I’m closer to who I’m meant to be
I am a change in the making

I am a change in the making
I am not who I am gonna be
Moving closer to your glory

As Christians, we should be striving to grow in so many ways. We are so imperfect, yet we serve a God who is perfect. Everyday, He is chipping away what we don't need. What are those things? For me they are pride, love for earthly objects such as money, gossip, selfishness, judging others, and the list goes on. I am no where close where I want to be, but the good thing is, God isn't giving up on me. He continues to shape me into the woman of God He wants me to become, and will never stop. We should never be satisfied in our growth, because there is always room to grow. In Ephesians 4:15-16 it says:

"Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love".

..."We are to grow up in every way into Him". What does that mean to me? Desiring to be like Christ. Always trying to grow by reading the Word, praying, being around others, etc. I definitely do not want to be who I am. I have grown so much over these past 3 years especially, and I want to continue that growth. I can't wait to see who God shapes me into. I know it's going to be painful at times; I may not want to let go of my selfish desires, but I know in the end, it will be worth it.

My "Changes in the Making":

   -my pride

   -selfishness

   -worry

   -trust

   -fully devoted to Him all the time, not just certain times

   -more loving, especially to those who don't always show me love

  -judging others

This list could go on, but these are some of the main ones. I know every change is going to shape me into a better person; a far greater person than I can even imagine. By the grace of God, He continues to love us, He doesn't just leave us because we are imperfect, He stays by our side to change us. It's not easy to look at my heart and dig out what I don't want, but I know every change will bring me into a closer, more satisfying relationship with Him, and what could be better than that?

With Blessings,

Heather

Home Sweet Home

Well I am officially in God's country..aka North Dakota :) I was officially welcomed home by a super super cold and windy day. It's been a long awaited arrival, but I am finally home. It feels great. I've been gone since August 19th, which isn't very long, but it's felt like forever. Going to Northwestern (and the cities in general) was a big change for me; I've lived in West Fargo my ENTIRE life-same house and everything. I've been so blessed to call this beautiful place home for the past 19 years, and hopefully I can call it home for the rest of my life-if it's where God calls me to live. I would say one of the best feelings ever is coming home to your dog. I got to come home to my little Bichon Poodle, Libbie.

Libbie wouldn't leave my lap :)

There truly is no place like home. Just the feeling of sitting here knowing I am home is so great. It's been difficult though, I don't know what to do with myself. I am used to being around my friends 24/7, sharing a room, and doing the piles of homework/studying, so having all this free time at home has been nice, but different.

I have come to the realization that I am going to have to find myself a North Dakota boy. I honestly don't want to live anywhere else, but I will have to see what God has in store for me. I know a lot of people hate ND and want to get out, but I love it. The sunrises, sunsets, snow, rain, 40 mph wind, hail, floods, etc, everything.

I live right off this road. Took this picture on a run a couple years ago.

With Blessings,

         Heather

Understanding: John 13, Jeremiah 32

John 13:

"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times."

The Bible is full of so much wisdom, comfort, and instruction for our lives. To be completely honest, I feel pretty overwhelmed when I open the Bible. I never know what to read, so I usually open to a random page or pray that God will give me a random reference/passage to look up. It's amazing to see what He will reveal to me through this. In verse 5, Jesus is pouring the water into the basin to wash the disciples feet. When Jesus got to Simon Peter, he was very confused in which why Jesus was doing this. He said "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Then Jesus said "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand". When I read this last verse, it completely made sense to me. Not only does this apply to my life at this moment, but it applies to so much more in our lives. "What I am doing now you do not understand now, but afterwards you will understand".

I can definitely say right now I have no idea what God is doing and why He is doing it, but I know in His timing He will reveal why He is doing this. Why did God lead me to Northwestern and is now telling me to go somewhere else? I have no idea, but the great thing is, He knows. God will not reveal everything to us right away, little by little He will start to reveal His purpose. As much as I would like to know God's purpose at times, it's nice to just trust Him and live everyday not knowing how God is going to use me in this situation.

I then stumbled across Jeremiah 32:16-44:

[Jeremiah Prays for Understanding]

“After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying: ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds. You have shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all mankind, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day. You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror. And you gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. And they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or walk in your law. They did nothing of all you commanded them to do. Therefore you have made all this disaster come upon them. Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”—though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.’”

The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Therefore, thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall capture it. The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs offerings have been made to Baal and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger. For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth. The children of Israel have done nothing but provoke me to anger by the work of their hands, declares the LORD. This city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the day it was built to this day, so that I will remove it from my sight because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah that they did to provoke me to anger—their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned to me their back and not their face. And though I have taught them persistently, they have not listened to receive instruction. They set up their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

[They Shall Be My People; I Will Be Their God]

“Now therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence’: Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.

“For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the LORD.”

The first heading "Jeremiah Prays for Understanding" goes hand in hand with John 13. Throughout this passage, Jeremiah is proclaiming how powerful and mighty He is. NOTHING is too difficult for God. He is so powerful and has absolutely every tiny detail under control. This passage really reminded me to be praying for understanding. As I am going through this huge change for me, I need to seek Him and ask for understanding in His timing.

I may not know what God is up to, but it's something heavenly. I am excited, scared, happy, sad, etc..you name it and I am mostly likely feeling that way. I do know one thing for sure: My God is so powerful, gracious, promising, and loving, and everything is in His hands. Now that's a promise that I will always remember.

With Blessings,

        Heather 

Little Blessings Today

I don't think I can describe how great it feels to be done with a really tough and stressful week. It's probably one of the best feelings ever. Well, I survived the week only by the grace of God. He gave me the strength to make it through; He NEVER fails us! To end the week, I got to spend today baking with two wonderful friends Alison and Anna. We met in Western Civ and we always study together, so we figured why not doing something different?! Today we baked Reese Cheesecake Brownies and they were delicious! We also ate Little Caesar's pizza, watched Tangled, and talked. It was a great day! It's these little blessings that make your stressful and long weeks so worth it :)

Here are some pictures of our masterpiece:

Yeah, pretty much the best combo ever :)

Alison, Anna, and I 

Hope we didn't make your mouth water too much! I have already figured out what to do differently next time: add more cheesecake layer and less brownie, so I'm sure I will be trying these out over Thanksgiving/Christmas Break (hint hint Fargo friends) ;)

With Blessings,

             Heather

Philippians 4:12: Being Content

I have realized something important over this past week-I am content. I've gone through a season of not being content, and I did not enjoy it. I was not content with what God was doing or what He did; His plans weren't going the way I wanted. Sometimes things happen in our lives that we don't understand, and it's hard being content with that, but eventually God changes our hearts to be content. It's such a good feeling, praise God! Personally, I feel like this is a strange and surprising time for me to finally feel content. I am in the middle of a huge transition of leaving Northwestern and going to a new school, and it has been very difficult for me to accept and follow His calling at times, but God has changed my heart. In Philippians 4:12, it says:


"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want".


It's important to look at the key word in the verse-every. Every situation, no matter where God is leading you or if you're at a high/low point in life, it's hard being content in every situation. I have been praying so hard for God to give me a sense of being content in life: why things have happened, where He has led me, why He has led me here, and trusting His plan for my life. It's such a great feeling! I can't even describe it. It's been such a struggle for me, and I feel like God has helped me overcome it. In the midst of this season in my life-completely leaving Northwestern and going where God is calling me to go, being content is so weird, but at the same time, it shows God's hand in everything. I'm not saying leaving Northwestern is all of a sudden easy, because it's definitely not, but I feel content about it. I encourage you, whatever you are going through, whether it's a season of difficulty, hardship, or confusion-pray. He will help you through it, you just need to trust His timing. I remember crying out to God, just asking Him to rid me of this feeling, and at many times, I never thought it would come, but I sometimes underestimate God and His glorious plan and timing. At this moment, I could not be happier in life; God has blessed me in so many ways, and I'm so excited to see how He is going to use me as I transition to MSUM. I may not understand everything going on right now, but I am content.


With Blessings,


               Heather

Proverbs 18:24-True Friendship

Friendship is such a blessing from God, especially when you have that one friend who has been through pretty much everything with you. I am so thankful to have a great best friend. Being separated from her has been pretty difficult, but our friendship has not changed one bit. We are still as close as ever and we both know that is not going to change. Through phonecalls,texts, skype, facebook, and letters, we have stayed in constant contact everyday; I don't think we've gone a day without talking. We always joke saying it's almost like we are in a long distance relationship-a long distance friendship :) We've gone through school, Algebra 2 (now that was horrible), breakups, tennis (we are beasts) low points in life, losing friends, and so much more, and it's made our friendship so much stronger.

                                       

"There are "friends" who destroy each other, 

                                                   but a real friend sticks closer than a sister"                                       

Proverbs 18:24

 Getting to talk to her on the phone, skype, or texting is always the highlight of the day-we always have so much to tell each other. God has blessed our friendship in so many ways and it's definitely rooted in Him. I am excited for all the years ahead of us, these past 10+ years of friendship have been wonderful, and know throughout college, and beyond, our friendship will continue to grow. I hope everyone is able to experience this type of friendship and have that one friend who is always there for you. Friends are a blessing for God, and I have definitely been blessed.

With Blessings,

        Heather

Freshmen (Round 2)

High School. Those were the days. So long ago..not really, but you get the point. Lately, I have been thinking back to high school, remembering what I thought of high school and college then, and what I think now. Let's just say my thoughts are way different. I remember thinking in high school "I can't wait to be done", "I want to be at college", etc. I wonder why I said that. I love college, but I definitely miss high school. I NEVER thought I would miss high school, but about a month into college, I realized how much I did miss it. Looking back, I had a wonderful high school career: I had great grades, super involved, had good friends, youth group, and everything else, and it's weird now, I don't have my high school "identity" anymore. I loved my school and had my "identity" there, so I guess you could say I was comfortable in that setting. I wish I wouldn't of tried to rush through high school, wishing for the days of college, because honestly, high school was great. I believe it's one of those things; you really don't know what you have until it's gone.

I guess college is the place where I will discover who I really am. College is so great though. I love it. Yes, it is a TON of work and the workload seems like it never ends, but there is so much more to college than the homework. I love dorm life and the friendships I have made, that has definitely been a highlight. 

Although I feel like college is kicking my butt, I know I will eventually get the hang of it, and I might as well enjoy the ride! High school flew by, and I'm guessing college is going to be the same. These next four years are going to be great, and I am definitely going to enjoy it and not try to grow up-next up is marriage, teaching, kids, and so on!

With Blessings,

        

            Heather 

Is it Thanksgiving Break Yet?

This past week was pretty busy, but nothing compared to these upcoming weeks leading to Thanksgiving Break. I would pretty much sum it up as a big midterms week again. These next couple of weeks are full of  big tests, projects, a paper, and everything else to keep me extremely busy. To say the least, I am very overwhelmed. I have been feeling very stressed out, especially over these past 3 days. The good thing is my best friend is visiting me this weekend, so that will help me relax a little; or at least I am going to try and relax. This morning I woke up at 6:30 and did my much needed devos. I didn't do them the last two days, which I should never skip time in the Word, but I did, and it has definitely affected me. I have felt more stressed out, uptight, and just not the best attitude, so I knew this morning I needed to start out with spending some time with God. I read Isaiah 38:


"In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, and said, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.
“This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has promised: Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.
A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
I said, In the middle of my days
I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
for the rest of my years.
I said, I shall not see the LORD,
the LORD in the land of the living;
I shall look on man no more
among the inhabitants of the world.
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd's tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
he cuts me off from the loom;
from day to night you bring me to an end;
I calmed myself until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from day to night you bring me to an end.
Like a swallow or a crane I chirp;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!
What shall I say? For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
I walk slowly all my years
because of the bitterness of my soul.
O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these is the life of my spirit.
Oh restore me to health and make me live!
Behold, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but in love you have delivered my life
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
behind your back.
For Sheol does not thank you;
death does not praise you;
those who go down to the pit do not hope
for your faithfulness.
The living, the living, he thanks you,
as I do this day;
the father makes known to the children
your faithfulness.
The LORD will save me,
and we will play my music on stringed instruments
all the days of our lives,
at the house of the LORD.
Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”

Just like the Lord heard Hezekiah's prayers, He ALWAYS hears our prayers. Especially with this week, I have been praying for peace, confidence, and overall, not to get super stressed. Even just preparing for my upcoming exams are taking all the energy out of me, but I know I can do ALL things through CHRIST who gives me strength. I've had to write that verse on a sticky note and put it on my computer to remind myself-I am definitely going to need God's strength this week. This week can't be over soon enough, but it will feel so good to be done with everything. College is intense, but God is taking this journey with each and every one of us, and that should give you peace, comfort, and joy. Have a wonderful MONDAY!!! :D


With Blessings,

             Heather

His Strength, Not My Own...

These past couple of days have been a roller coaster of feelings. Having to tell everyone that I am leaving Northwestern was super hard; it was not something I wanted to do. Overall, I have had so much support from my friends. Everyone has been great, and have told me that they are praying for me as I make this transition. It's so hard knowing I am going to have to leave my friends and this wonderful place, but I am taking this one day at a time.  A lot of the comments have made me cry; they have been so genuine and thoughtful, and I am so thankful that God surrounded me with these amazing people. People have complimented me on how strong I am for doing this, but I'm not. It's all God. He is the only one giving me the strength to do this. I honestly don't know how I am going to do this, but I know God will give me the strength, especially as it gets closer to the end of the semester. I have spent a lot of time crying. Even talking about with others makes me tear up, and I know when it gets closer, there will be a lot more tears. I know God has a purpose in this, and He has definitely given me a peace in my heart, but at the same time, it is super hard. I know I have to follow His call, no matter how hard it will be, because He knows what is the best for me (Romans 8:28). In church the other day, during worship, we were singing a song called "None but Jesus". I learned this song about 5 years ago, but I never realized the words in one of the verses:

"In the chaos in confusing

 I know You're sovereign still

 In the moment of my weakness

 You give me grace to do Your will

 When you call I won't delay

 This my song through all my days"

When I sang the line "In the moment of my weakness You give me strength to do Your will", I was overwhelmed. That line completely described how I am feeling-I do feel weak, but I know God is giving me the strength to do His will. Wow. God is so good at reminding us that He is always with us, and this reminded me He is giving  me all the strength. I know everyday will become harder and harder, but I know God will continue to give me the strength, even when I'm at my weakest.

With Blessings,

           Heather