Currently . . . Kind of.

I was woken up to my roommate telling me that the basement had flooded. Again. For the second time in less than a year. I wanted to curl up in bed and ignore the call to get up. The call to be an adult, grab the phone, call the plumber. The call to take responsibility.

I called the plumber and their truck with all of the "heavy-duty" stuff (it's always slightly terrifying when your problems need to be fixed with heavy duty stuff) is stuck in the snow.  Which means he will either miraculously be able to come by today, or we will have to wait until Monday. Monday. Three days away. No showers, no laundry.

He takes my information and tells me he will call me back when he figures out what is going to happen with the truck. I have two options at this point:

1. I can crawl back into bed, cry, and feel sorry for myself.

2. I can set my eyes on the Lord, trust His leadership, and cast my cares upon Him.

And though the second option takes much more effort than the first, the second option is far more rewarding in the long run. So, I pick the Lord.

I pick reading His Word and giving my cares to Him, instead of dwelling in how incapable I feel to be an adult, to own a house, to take care of problems. Because, guess what? 

He is capable. He is strong enough to carry my burdens.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything 

by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your 

requests be made known to God."

- Philippians 4:6

Lean into the Lord. It's always worth it.

On Being Patient

Patience. A quality that I want to posses desperately, but I don't want to go through the rigors of cultivating it. Patience takes time and I'd rather have it be instant. Even if it completely defeats the purpose.

Waiting kind of stinks. But, here's the thing, we have a God who enjoys waiting. He loves the process that our very human hearts fight against. We long for the waiting to be over and He finds delight in the journey. We want the desires of our hearts to be satisfied. Right. Now. But God is more than willing to wait for the perfect moment.

I was spending some time in Psalm 37 yesterday and the constant reminder to wait was being pushed into my mind. Psalm 37 is most well-known for it's fourth verse:

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

But, I feel like the real gold in this Psalm is found in the rest of it's verses. It's found in the little commandments laced throughout the Psalm. In fact, the psalm starts with two words:

Fret not.

In modern-day language that means "stop worrying." At the beginning of this psalm David is reminding the readers/singers (and maybe even himself) to not worry. Why? Because he is oh so acquainted with how the human heart lends itself to worry and anxiety. Especially in the midst of waiting for the desires in our hearts to be fulfilled.

The rest of the psalm continues with phrases much like the first:

"Trust in the Lord."

"Be still"

"Wait patiently"

"Fret not"

"Turn away from evil"

"Do good"

"Wait for the Lord"

The Psalm is a reminder that waiting is a necessity in the life of a believer. But, instead of treating it like a necessary evil, we should delight in it. We should not worry, but instead wait patiently. Even when it looks like wickedness is coming against us, even when it seems as though we can come up with a much better solution than Him. We wait.

We wait on the Lord. For what He has planned at the end of the waiting is far better than anything we can come up with in the midst of it. 

So, beloved, wait on the Lord. Be still. Don't try to strive to make things happen in your life. Delight yourself in the Lord, wait for Him, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

Enjoy the journey.

January Goals

We've made it. 2013 with it's stresses and joys has passed and we are entering into 2014. I don't know about you guys, but it feels like 2014 is going to be a good year. 2014 is my last year of college, which is both terrifying and exciting, and I feel like the year is going to bring about change. Which is also slightly terrifying.

However, as I look back on the year of 2013 I find myself wondering where it went. I can't necessarily pin-point certain moments, but instead the year looks like a giant blur. I don't want 2014 to be like that. I want this year to be a year that is savored, a year full of memories and stories that I tell for years to come. I want to take it all in this year. To not stress over the little things, to say yes to adventure, and to find rest in the day-to-day.

I'm not one to make new year's resolutions, though I do love monthly goals. But, if I had to make one, I'd say my new's resolution can be summed up in one word:

Savor.

I want to savor and dwell and enjoy 2014, no matter what it throws at me.

On that note, it's January! Snow is frequently in the forecast, I'm avoiding the putting away of Christmas decorations, and trying to eat healthier. Here's what I want to accomplish this month:

- I want to have slow, relaxing mornings. Even if that means going to bed earlier.

- I want to clean-out and organize the unfinished half of my basement.

- I want to be zealous for my quiet time.

- I want to be intentional in my relationships with others.

Alright, January, let's do this.

December Goals

 

Oh, December. Thanksgiving has passed, the leaves on the trees are gone, and the temperature hardly ever goes above 40 degrees. Pine trees are lighted and placed by windows, the smell of cinnamon fills the air, and the promise of snow lingers. I like December. I like Christmas and everything that comes along with it. I like snow.

Around here, December means business in the forms of final exams, Christmas, multiple birthdays, and our church's largest conference of the year. So, I think the biggest thing to remember for the month is this: slow down.  Take each day one-by-one, enjoy each moment and every activity, and remember to rest.

We're already quite a ways into the month (err...halfway through), but I thought I'd still make some goals to accomplish for the month because, well, why not?

- Do family time well.

- Finish Christmas shopping "early"

- Rest. Really rest.

- Try a new holiday recipe.

Sounds good to me.

Currently: California Edition

I am remembering how much I enjoy traveling. The packing, the busy airpots, the ending up somewhere different after just a few hours.

I am exploring beaches at low-tide, hi-tide, sunset, sunrise, and everything else in-between.

I am drinking two cups of coffee a day. No one tell my mum (;

I am using my flats for carrying pretty seashells to take home.

I am going barefoot whenever I can because it's back to boots and thirty degrees when I get back to the Midwest.

I am spending as much time as possible with the ones I love here.

I am waking up early and relishing in the quiet couple of hours before the rest of the house rises.

I am thankful for family, friends, and the season I'm in. Also, for cranberry relish. Yum.

P.S. I was actually in California over Thanksgiving break and haven't had the chance to post anything since then (thank you finals weeks!). So, here's a little something to fill the void of space here and something to remind me of my wonderful week on the beach.

On The Reminder Found In Free Coffee

Over the past eight days I have gotten six free cups of coffee. Six. Not because I work at a coffee shop, because I do not. Not all from the same person. Not because I asked for a single one of them, because I'm not very persuasive. But because the Lord me of something that I so easily forget. The six cups of coffee are God's way of screaming at me:

"I see you. I see the little desires in your heart, like coffee, and I'm going to give 

them to you because I want you to realize that I see the big desires, too. I see 

your heart and I've actually put a lot of the desires in there. They will come to 

pass, it's just not time yet."

My heart so desperately needed this reminder over the past week. In the midst of comparison, hurt feelings, and evaluations I wasn't expecting. In the midst of the waiting, which stinks, I needed to be reminded that the Lord's sees me and that He values the things in my heart.

So, be encouraged, wether it be with free coffee or not, that the Lord sees you. He sees your heart and He's working all things for your good.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work 

together for good, for those who are called according to Him purpose."

- Romans 8:28

Hallelujah.

November Goals

I'm one of those people that needs a list to be able to accomplish things. No list = nothing gets done. For example, if I go to the grocery store without a list, like I did last week, I will still come home with things, but nothing that I actually needed. Sure, I'll have some great looking mushrooms, but I'll still need cleaning wipes, eggs, and milk. 

So, that leads us to this list. A list a four things that have nothing to do with my daily things to get done (homework, cleaning, etc.) and everything to do with enjoying life a little bit more. 

November is the month that screams fall to me. The trees outside are changing, the weather is consistently cooler, boots can be worn daily, and being cozy sounds like the best thing. This month I will be getting to go to California for my Thanksgiving break, so that's something to look forward to that's looming on the horizon. I'll also be teaching my first "lesson" that doesn't involve any sort of musical instrument (eek!). 

In the midst of the business of life, I'd like to:

• Go to the cider mill
• Crochet a scarf scarves
• Make the piano corner in my room more lovely
• Hang, make, find pictures for the cutest house in GV.

And that sounds wonderful to me.

Currently.

I am welcoming Fall by drinking pumpkin spice lattes like they're going out of style.

I am going on morning runs with my roommate and marveling at the beauty of being outdoors. I'm leaning that I fit quite a bit better in the country than in the city. Apparently, you can take both the girl out of the city and the city out of the girl. 

I am singing to rooms that are empty and finding that my heart comes more alive. The audience of One far surpasses having an audience of one-thousand. There's less pressure, no cameras, and finally I can focus on why I'm there in the first place.

I am wearing pretty striped dresses from friends and embracing the last little bit of nice weather that we're getting here in the Midwest. News is, this weekend was probably the last "nice" one that we will have all year. So, we had a worship-team hang out, swung on swings, and played croquet without shoes on. Needless to say, my croquet skills are seriously laking, but the company was great. (Also, your iPhone might autocorrect "croquet" to "crochet" and you will probably feel really silly. Just a heads up.)

I am starting a blog (which is why you're reading this (: ) and trying to figure out all of the technical-things that come with doing anything on the internet.

Welcome to my journey.