Looking back

Lately, I have been astonished at the way God reveals things to me. I have been meeting and observing a lot of guys who are spiritually mature and could be leaders in a relationship. And God whispers in my ear, "See, I have everything under control. If you follow Me, I will provide you with a man who complements you in every way and loves Me with all his heart."

More than anything, that's what I long for. I long for a guy who can lead me, who will inspire me to be the best that I can be. I know that can happen; I just need to exercise patience.

When I look back at this past year, I can see God's hand so clearly in everything that happened to me. My tears have ceased, and joy and peace are flooding my heart. All praise be to You, God.

Words of wisdom

I read today
that
Jesus
didn't come to earth
so that
we could lead
blissful
painless
lives
but to
make sure
that we won't
be
alone
in our pain.

Realizations - Part 2

God is so good.

I've realized that I can actually say that I believe this no matter where I am in life. I believe it when I'm crying and overwhelmed with misery, and I believe it when I feel as if my life couldn't get much better.

Thank you, Jesus, for granting me such unfailing trust and faith in You!

Counting my blessings

Do you ever have days where you feel as if you're going to burst with gratitude for God's irreplaceable role in your life? For me, this past year has been like that. Every time I turn around, it seems, God is teaching me another valuable lesson, allowing me to experience amazing things, practically placing great opportunities in my lap... and on and on it goes. There are three main things that come to mind when I say this.

First, after a year of hanging out with a guy and learning to love him with everything that is in me, God shut the door--very firmly and obviously--on that friendship becoming anything more. Although at one time I was convinced that he and I were perfect for each other, I gradually came to realize that we weren't. So, end of story, right? Hardly. Despite the fact that I know he and I shouldn't be together, I still absolutely adore him. And I have to deal with seeing his face on campus this coming school year. I can only imagine how much I will ache to talk to him the way I used to. I am still grieving, but in the midst of this aching I feel, I have such a wellspring of joy inside me at the thought of God's infinite mercy and His love for me that knows no boundaries. And I know for a fact that I'm not alone and everything will be all right. What a blessing to have that reassurance!

Secondly, this summer I have had the privilege of working with 1st and 2nd graders. God has instilled in me a deeply felt love for these children. They have been my constant companions this summer. I spent eight hours of each day (M-F) with them, making crafts with them, playing "freeze dance" with them, eating snacks with them, playing tag with them, etc. My eyes have been fully opened to how precious children truly are, and I am so thankful for that.

Lastly, I recently received the news that I am now officially an intern for World Vision! This is such an amazing opportunity, one that was quite literally orchestrated by God. Everything just fell into place. I can't explain it any better than that. I am so thrilled to be interning for World Vision, and I can't wait to see how God will use me there.