Follow and pray

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Now that I have that outta the way.. time for the real post.  

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always ... Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Hello!  I hope that your week is going well - for me, it's going at about glacial speed.  Not to mention there are some things going on in my life that are up in the air and are in God's hands.  As much as I want to say that I always have faith and patience in Him, there are days where I doubt His plan.

I remember that moment when I received the rejection letter for graduate school at a particular university, and it was like a knife in the gut.  The plan was perfect (in my eyes at least).  Stay in the current town that I was living in, attend class in the same building that I've always been used to, and be able to travel the less than an hour drive to get back home.  But He had other plans.  Without that rejection letter, I wouldn't have met the amazing ladies that I did and formed the friendships that I made.  For all of that, it was all worth it - regardless of the internal program problems.  

I thought I was going to marry him.  I thought that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together and I was going to be able to finish college before I married him.  I thought we were going to have the white-picket fence with the cute little house and cute little kids.  God had different plans - plans to protect and guide me.  I had no idea that three little conversations would alter my life.  I wish I could go back in time and give myself some advice, but nonetheless I owe it to Jesus for saving my life.

We've all made mistakes or made choices that have altered our lives.  The purpose of those lessons in life are not to harm you, not to bring you down, but to protect you.  There is so much more forest than the tree you see.  Pray about a fork in the road - He will listen.  Pray about the relationship that may or may not be what you need in your life.  Pray about the job interview and pray about the other offers that don't seem right.  God hears your prayers, even when you have a shadow of a doubt.  It will all be worth it in the end.

Persevere: James 1:2-4

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Life isn't supposed to be perfect, right? There are definitely times that I wish that saying were true.
"When life is going well, it can be easy to forget God. So, sometimes God will use painful circumstances -- difficulties, trials, and troubles -- to get our attention and remind us of our need for Him."

Ain't that the truth... You know the saying, "when it rains, it pours"? That's my testimony.

I try so hard to not become stressed out in stressful circumstances, especially when those circumstances can determine the future (i.e. grades). Prime example: studying for four midterms in a span of two weeks. Not that I can complain - I signed up for grad school, I knew what I was getting myself into the minute I filled out the info sheet to enroll me into classes I have never taken before. Still, the stress of creating thirty pages worth of study guides per class is enough to send me into "I need coffee" mode; and for those of you who know, I never liked nor never will like coffee.

My patience was tested on the day we received one of our midterms back, and out of thirty-one people, seventeen chose the wrong answer and we weren't given back the two points. Granted, it is two points and my grade wouldn't have changed, but it's the principle of the thing. But even through that trial-test of my patience, God was there to calm me down and say, "we'll get 'em next time".

So here I am, watching that really popular show on ABC last Monday night. And when the results were announced, my excitement decided to overcome my hands and send out a mass text. Oops. Next thing I know I receive replies saying that my friends had a life and weren't watching it that second. Crap.

Life throws us curve balls in the shape of ping-pongs up to bowling balls. It's important to remember that God will always be here regardless of the size, and even when life is going well and we feel like Jack flying on the back of the ship, we still need to acknowledge Him. For me, my ping-pong was trying to stay patient as two semis were pacing each other on the highway going ten under. My bowling ball is getting through grad school and passing the Praxis (the big test at the end that determines if I get to do what I have been working for all this time).

Lord, You know my other unmentioned curve balls. You know what's on my heart, and I know that You can get me through anything. Help me be a good example of how relying on You can get me through anything.

Time to enjoy the sunshine. :)

Love,
Kelsea