February 4th

Today, my beautiful family came to see me. After driving a little over 200 miles, I had a wonderful day! I miss seeing them and gleaning from my mom the wisdom that she has to offer.

Everyone Struggles

This sounds completely ridiculous, but something finally dawned on me today: people are CONSTANTLY going through trials. Not just my close friends, or even the people that I would just call acquaintances, everyone is constantly experiencing something that I have no idea about. God has been opening so many doors for me to speak with people about things that they are going through. I feel as though He has entrusted me to be with His flock, even though I am a part of that flock and I have to seek out counsel as well. Yet, somehow, He keeps confirming that I am a trustworthy person. But, without a doubt, I would not be this way if it wasn't for Him. This entry is not to brag it's just a note of what I have seen in my life. I couldn't believe how hard it hit me that people are constantly experiencing something! Why has that never occurred to me before? People all over the world are suffering, rejoicing, depressed, joyful, every emotion is currently being felt by someone on this big planet as I type! How mind-blowing is that! And what's more is that I am only affected by the few people that I know! So, this means that there are so many more opportunities out there that I am unaware of! My prayer is that God would give me His eyes to see those that need someone. Whether it is just a small affirmation of how much they mean to me, or how much they are cherished, we are a people that need to be built up and God has gifted us with that ability. Whether it is a gift or not, saying something small to someone could change their whole outlook. For me, how much more could I be showing the love of God to people that I am not even aware of! Like the Live Dead challenge, I am simply praying. Praying that opportunities would arise, that God would change someone's heart, that I would be deemed worthy of being used. I believe that God gave us voices to use for His glory and His purpose and if we choose to use our words to tear people down, judge (which I will admit I am guilty of), belittle, or anything that brings harm to someone, we are not using our God-given abilities for the glory of the One who gave them to us! How we react to hurt or anger or sadness is our decision, but how we show our love to others....well, the Bible says that we were made in the image of God and that He knit us together in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13) and what better way to show the love of God, than to love on someone the way Jesus did for us. Offering every piece of ourselves to His service is hard, but it is more than worth it.