I wrote this blog in the beginning of October. Even though it's late, Enjoy!
Written September 4, 2014
This morning I woke up to beautiful rainy morning. As I sat on the balcony doing devotions, I listened for God’s voice. I don’t hear God’s voice audible voice like my mom or dad’s, but I do know when He’s speaking to me and affirming how He’s guiding my heart. He speaks through His Word. He speaks in the quiet moments that I come before Him. He speaks through other people. So what did He say this morning? This morning He reaffirmed that I need to be preparing myself. I need to be getting up early enough in the morning to spend adequate time with my God. It’s just the best time when I have fellowship with God. Lately I have thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in, which is great to do some days. But God needs to prepare me. Prepare me for what you say? Whatever He has planned next in my life. There are many things that I hope and dream for, but without prayer and time of listening to God I won’t be ready for it. I love dreaming big, but I need to know which small steps in take in order to start walking in that direction.
Later Entry, September 30, 2014
I look back on that day and smile. I smile because I love days like that; moments when God speaks truth and it slightly changes your outlook on life. Right before I wrote this God had spoken to me through a couple friends I had just met. In August I met one friend for the first time and after hearing her testimony I just cried. But I didn’t quite know why. I told her about my nervousness about the future, about not knowing what I’m doing after this two year internship. She later said that she wasn’t worried about me, and felt like God was just preparing me…. Hmm, preparing. About a month later my friend was speaking to some youth about being prepared. I wrote the above insert after that night. She challenged everyone to fast. She didn’t say from what or how long, but instantly Facebook came to my mind. So I said, yes Lord, and fasted from Facebook for a month. We were fasting for God to work in our lives, especially in the youths’ lives. And I was fasting to take a break from my constant connection to Facebook. I tend to check it too often needed a break. So this past month, I spent the time that I would spend on Facebook in prayer, and spending time with God. Of course there were challenges, and I spent time doing other stuff. But it was good for me to take a step back. I have to consistently remind myself to take a step back. To stop in the stressfulness, to stop in the busy moments of life, to stop when I get anxious about the future… to stop in all of these moments and just trust God. To think about what He might be preparing me for. To be assured that He loves me and has a plan. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. "I’m reminded of how God uses people and experiences in our lives to prepare us for the next season. When I take the step back, the stress goes away, the busy moments are less, and I’m left to just relax, be patience and live in the peacefulness of God.