Refinement

I am sure you have noticed a pattern in my last couple blogs. Life in a standstill, seeking contentment, questioning my purpose, desiring God's will and plan etc. Today I am thankful for my trials, I am thankful for God's patience with me, I am thankful that he will never give up on me, I am thankful each day he draws me closer and closer to him through my everyday circumstances. It is so easy to say God is great. God's plan is perfect. The part that gets tricky and sometimes messy is the application and truly living it out(especially on those dark days). Every person I come in contact with has the opportunity to see Christ in me whether it is through my actions or words. They have the opportunity to see Christ in me during the good and bad times. Lets face it we are human and no matter what, we are going to have bad days. It's those days that we can choose to wallow in disappointment and self pity or we can stop, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and be thankful that we are saved. We have to be mindful to move past the focus on "me" and move on to the focus of serving Christ through our relationships with others. This life has nothing to do with me but it has everything to do with God's Kingdom and if I get too caught up in "my" life I begin to miss the whole point. I am here to be a living example of Christ and to allow others to know Christ through my life and my example. God has me at the exact place he wants me and I am here to serve him abundantly in my everyday life as a wife, teacher, friend, daughter, and sister. I am so glad God has brought me to this place and continues to refine my life.

"I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. Psalm 145: 1-3

Time to listen.

Nothing clears my mind more than a long run outside. Unfortunately for me the winter usually puts a damper on outdoor running. However, this winter I was forced to come to terms with baring the brutal cold. I discovered that if you wear the right layers it really isn't that bad. After the way this winter has gone, I am glad I have come to terms with winter running! I was able to get a 5 1/2 mile run in yesterday and it felt great! I had to stick to the streets because of the snow but most drivers went around me respectfully. At the beginning of my run my mind was filled with many different thoughts and I began to filter through those and remove the pointless annoyances/stresses. I was able to move on to quality thoughts and finally a time of quietness and a point where I could finally hear God speaking to me. This run left me with a deep sense of peace and God's unconditional love surrounding me. There are many days that I question my life and wonder whether or not I am truly following in God's plan for my life. This past year I feel as if my life as been in a stand still. I wonder if this is where God wants me right now? Then I the question comes to mind am I questioning my place in life because I am not happy where I am it? This could be exactly where God wants me to be and is using this "standstill" time to teach me and guide. I have always been a person who loves change and loves to see what the next move is going to be. I don't like to sit around and I am always seeking the next step in life. This run left me with the answers I had been seeking and battling with for sometime. God gave me a sense of peace in knowing that I am living out His plan right now. Each day, each trial, and each challenge I am growing deeper in my relationship with him and trusting in God's perfect plan no matter what trials and difficulties I face, in the end God is good and that is all that matters.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28

I am thankful to know that I have not been placed on this earth to live a life depicted by societies idea of "perfection". I have been placed on this earth to live in God's perfection for my life and that is so much greater. At the middle of my run I specifically remember words from The David Crowder Band "The Veil" that stated "do not fall, something greater is on the way, try to hang on". These words were so clear to me and I just felt a great amount of peace after hearing those words. I was filled with love and could feel Christ's presence with me. I have been struggling these last couple of weeks emotionally and have just found myself drained and empty. There are just so many things I don't understand and at times find life's trials to be unbearable. However I am continually reminded of the far greater sacrifices that Christ made for me and I am humbled by his amazing love for us all and in awe of His grace. I know God is guiding and growing me right now and I am thankful for these times that I am brought to my knees. I am a sinner and without Christ there is no purpose to my life. I am thankful for my savior and excited to serve Him in His perfect plan. For now I will take one day at a time to trust, listen and serve him wholeheartedly.

I pray for spiritual strength Romans 3:14-19, desire to walk in love Romans 5:1-4 and seek strength in the Lord Romans 6:10-20.