in my world

my world is

broken. Shattered.

In my world,

countless women are oppressed and abused.

In my world,

children are starving while parents feel helpless.

In my world,

human beings are used to support the greed of other human beings.

In my world,

people are consistently torn down by words.

In my world,

there is death. Pain. Evil. Hatred.

BUT IN MY WORLD THERE IS JESUS.

He is MOVING and SAVING.

And with my Jesus,

there is hope. Love. Forgiveness. peace.

When you are used, abused, broken, and helpless

Reach for Jesus.

When you feel like no one loves you and no one ever could

Reach for Jesus.

He's here. 

Rejoice

"Though the fig tree does not bud, 
and there are no grapes on the vines,
 though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stall,
yet I will REJOICE in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior."

This verse hit me hard the other day. This past year or so has been a gigantic whirlwind of amazingness and exciting things. But it's also been a whirlwind of stress on my part. Stress about whether I'm making the right decisions, stress about my future, stress about relationships in my life. Basically, it terrifies me to not have everything figured out.

In the book bearing his name, Habakkuk cries out to God, asking Him when all this confusion and chaos will end. And at the end of the book, Habakkuk the prophet makes a decision. He chooses to rejoice in the Lord, even in the midst of turmoil.

"Though I don't have my major or college figured out, and I constantly doubt my choices, though I don't know where to start on my dreams, or where to go and what to do, though I don't really know what I'm doing, I choose you, Jesus. I will praise you what You've done in me, and I will put all my hope in You."

We have a good God. We are not putting our faith in something that can't see or hear us, or doesn't care. He wants what is best for us and He gives direction in every moment. The future will work itself out. While I'm waiting, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

go

Faith

To ask for the guidance of God is to make a choice, and this takes faith. It must be faith of a far higher kind than the breezy "if I like what I see I'll take it." It is the faith that has strength to wait for the rewards God holds, strength to believe they are worth waiting for, worth the price asked. Our prayers for guidance (or for anything else) really begin here: I trust him. This requires abandonment. We are no longer saying "if I trust him, he'll give me such and such," but "I trust him. Let him give me or withhold from me what he chooses."
—Elisabeth Elliot, A Slow & Certain Light (p. 15)

Proverbs 28:1

New

Happy New Year! 2012 was incredible. It was full of joy and hurt and the grace of God was always there. May 2013 be a year of rejoicing, healing, s t r e t c h i n g, learning, and growing closer to God and people every day. Enjoy 2013!

deep breaths.

you guys, worry and stress are simply not worth it.

i've been reading in Revelation lately and it feels like I've been hit over the head with the finite nature of the world.
someday, the earth will disappear and God will roll up the sky like a scroll. all of our worries and earthly possessions will be gone.

                                                           the only thing we will have is Jesus.
                   always stay close to him, rather than worrying about the future or the little details in life.

enjoy every second of your life. make the most you possibly can out of it. it is a beautiful, generous gift from God and far too often we belittle it by filling it with trivial worries.
                                         
                                love freely. give freely. serve freely. be joyful with out restraint.
                                       
                                                             that's what you were made for.
                                                                        -Brianna//