A Traveler's Tale

My friend Macy is obsessed with foreigners. Her love for them could actually be mistaken as exploitation.

Well this weekend she met a guy from Sri Lanka...

I was watching her and this man have a conversation. He didn't speak much English, but this guy could really tell a good story.

Not only could he tell a good story, but he was awesome at making himself look pretty epic in the process...

What was most fascinating to watch was when he would tell stories of epic duels he had taken part of.

With each story Macy's eyes would widen with fascination. Maybe a few heart strings might have been pulled too, a kind of Casanova, if you will.

But really, I am not doing him justice. His back story is pretty amazing...

Which lead me to thinking, there is a whole eastern part of this world that many have yet to come in contact with.

And we think we have all the answers?

Despair

Broken beyond repair. This is the earth.

"For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases." - Ecclesiastes 1:18

So much confusion I could do without.

So much pain.

So much controversy.

"Absolute futility, everything is futile."

Lost. Lost. Lost.

But...

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Death will no longer exist;
grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer,
because the previous things have passed away." - Revelation 21:4

"To the one with distant eyes, all this crying has left you dry. Wait the light will come, wait the light will come."

Jolted.

Moments that shake you. When were jolted out of our everyday routine and for five seconds we become aware of what in life is truly important.

God thank you for this day, for it is indeed a gift.

Stir Crazy

"Some how we've gone and lost our way. This is where we are."

Here I am in Arizona. After a 13 hour trip that was more than eventful...exhausting. Our luggage is lost. My sister and I have been sitting around the house for what is now 48 hours.

Netflix has somewhat lost its entertainment value.

The last two days have been more than frustrating... especially when you get 3 ticked off women in a room. The atmosphere isn't exactly uplifting.

On the plus side the house looks great, Christmas decorations up and all.

I have nothing to REALLY complain about. I have what is necessary to live, and that should be enough. But it's not you know... human beings are complicated creatures.

Which leads me to my next thought. My frustrations, I have been taking them out on God.

Why is that I do that? I really haven't been able to bring myself to pray the past week. It's hard when He feels so far away.

On the plus side I got a 4.0 this semester. That rocks right? It really was by no doing of my own.

Purely mercy and grace.

As for next semester I have no idea what's going on. I know I am not taking any classes. I know I need a full time job to get me though April, then maybe I can take off to Peru. That would be great.

I guess this is where it's like "Ok God, direct me, even though I really don't want to even think about direction right now..."

I mean it's kind of Biblical to live for today, now. to Be Present. So I guess it's not such a bad thing.

Well I guess we shall see how it goes!

Here's to adventure, cheers!

LOVE

I know we can't define it. But we know what it looks like. Can't we show our love?

If you love Jesus, you should show others you love Him by loving everyone.

Frustrated. Sin. Destructs. I am frustrated that sin destructs our most important relationships.

That we allow sin in and allow it to take over our actions... take away our love.



Every person is alive on this earth once. That means we have ONE, hopefully long term chance to show everyone that they are loved. Not only by us, but by their Creator.

We need to serve, serve love.

Defend, hug, hold, lift up, support, sympathize, understand, forgive, aid, honor, compliment, nurture, thank, admire, talk to, listen to, write a note to, be loyal to, be gentle with, spend time with, laugh with, smile with, cry with, serve... someone...everyone.

"But Jesus called them over and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them. 26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many." -Matthew 20: 25-28

Wrestling with God

I've noticed that these past few months have been a constant wrestling match with God.

and today, I have become content with that.

People often think wrestling with God is a sin, but it's not. It's a sign of intimacy, because you can't wrestle with someone who is far away!

The Sting of Death Cuts Deep

The sting of death cuts deep.

However, not nearly as deep as her family will experience.

Tonight a young girl lost her life in a car crash.

It's in moments like this when I go to the Lord in prayer and I can't think of the words to say...

"God please uplift her family, be with them, comfort them, love on them, let them know you're near."

But not even this covers what this family needs at the present moment.

It is now when I reminded that God is God and I don't have to instruct Him in what to do.

He knows precisely what to do. He knows everything that needs to be done and He is doing it.

It is now when I am reminded of what is important. Not the two hour infuriating meeting I just sat through at work, but every single moment spent with the people I love. Every laugh, every tear, every conversation.

It is now that I remember what is most important, letting the world know that Jesus loves them. That He has conquered death. That He has promised to be with us. That He promises us healing. He promises us Heaven. He promises us unconditional love. He does not condemn, He simply loves everyone. His arms are open wide and He is ready to accept anyone and everyone.

We need to take every moment and live it. Take it in. Realize the beauty of life. We are here for a short time. We have a purpose, to let His light shine. Let us bring it to the masses. Change lives. Revive souls.

Lord, it is solely in you that I find strength.

You, Oh Lord, are eternal.

A Mud Puddle

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I have a plan in mind.
His is different!

Isn't that how it always happens?

The sad thing is I know His plan is 100 times better than anything I could ever come up with.

I heard a story recently it goes something like this. " My son loves sand and the water so we were going to take him to the beach. As we are walking towards the hill that the ocean would be over, my son begins playing in a muddle puddle. We tried reasoning with him, explaining what was on the other side of the hill, but he insisted on playing in this puddle."

So that's a really dulled down version. But isn't it the truth? Instead of investigating God's plan for us, which is far bigger than we could ever imagine(the ocean), we would rather go forth with our own (the mud puddle).

I don't want to be stuck in this mud puddle. My purpose is to serve Him. He can guide my life.

I Serve a God Who Knows

It's good to know I serve a God who knows what it is like to carry the weightiness of this world.

And that He loves me. But not just me, He loves everyone.

He has given me freedom and a shoulder to lean on and I am thankful for that.

Fail. I forgot to blog yesterday!

I saw this woman in Chipotle today who I believe was trying to steal my wallet. She was wearing this extremely thick and long winter jacket and a blue.and white crocheted beanie. She was looking at the art on the wall and when I walked back to my table from getting a drink she was taken back by my presence. She smiled, she was missing a few teeth but it was a pleasant smile. She was a mysterious woman. I would like to know her story.