Sustained

I went out with four friends and we watched Captain America (good movie by the way) and after the movie we decided that we would go out in minus 30 degrees celcius, snow and all, and build a campfire to enjoy. Well, it took awhile, but we got the fire started and by then most of our hands and feet were freezing. It was then that I discovered that I could unfreeze my hands and feet by running around. Unfortunately, the problem with this method of warming up is that you have to continue running in order to stay warm and I know for a fact that I cannot run forever. This reminded me of a spiritual lesson that I have been learning when it comes to my daily life, God sustains me and keeps me alive and I need to rely on Him because there are so many things that I am finding I cannot possibly do on my own. I am reminded of Isaiah 40:30-31, "Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; bu they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Thank you LORD!

What's a Girl To Do?

Something that I've always wondered as a Christian woman is, what do I do when I get feelings for a guy? Technically if we really understand our roles as women, pursuit of dating relationships is not part of them. Now the problem with feelings is that regardless of whether or not we want to show the guy that we are interested, our actions will reflect it anyways, it's just an unfortunate part of life, or fortunate depending on your situation. After just recently dealing with some feelings that God has graciously taken from me after I surrendered them to Him. I wondered, well if this happens again, what am I supposed to do about it? A Christian website called boundless.org has lots of good and helpful advice thankfully and I want to share it with you. The first question when I get feelings for someone is naturally, does he like me back? The answer makes sense, if we have to ask this question, he probably doesn't because like girls, guys tend to show their affection naturally, we can't help it, it's virtually impossible to avoid. So what do we do with our new found feelings? Well first of all, we as women have a responsibility to protect our hearts and be wise with them. "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" - Proverbs 4:23 If we have feelings for someone who is not pursuing us, it would be unwise for us to indulge in those feelings. Song of Songs puts it this way, "Do not awaken love before it so desires." As a generation of women drunk on chick flicks, we want romance to happen so badly we allow ourselves to fantasize about relationships that have no founding. So my solution? Personally, it's a mixture of the information above, being wise with my heart and surrendering my feelings to God. I've discovered that if I really desire God above all else, I will choose to not let silly distractions like feelings get between us. Besides, if we do act upon our feelings, we are likely to be left broken-hearted. Patience in this season of life must be something that we as women must learn. Yes, we will make mistakes but God always works despite them so I will put my trust in Him alone. :)

Blessed...Again!

Having just got back from family vacation and freaking out because I thought that I was not going to have enough money from school, God surprises me again and reminds me that He is in control and is watching out for me. First, my employer allows me to work some extra hours no problem, then I get an unexpected paycheck, then my employer pours out some compliments about my work ethic and my day was brightened. I feel encouraged to know that people do see my hard work and recognize my personality because they are seeing my efforts for Christ and I definitely am going to have more than enough money for school! Just another time for God to remind me not to worry! Thank you Lord!

Blind To The Blessings

Lately I have found my attitude towards certain parts of life to be quite negative. Being very good at hiding my feelings inside, I don't show this negativity to many people. Discontentment has snuck into my life once again and it feels like it's here to stay for awhile. I know that God expects us to be content with what we have because He has provided everything I need and more but this world constantly nags me to want the next best thing and I become blind to how blessed I already am to have all that I have. It's really disappointing but it's something for me to focus on now and hopefully overcome soon. Thank you Lord for your many blessings, which include wisdom and encouragement from your Word. Philippians 4:11-13

Working With A Higher Purpose

So I am currently working at Canadian Tire in the hardware department and sometimes it is the hardest place to spend my time in because it is simply boring. I find myself really discouraged by this and that makes the days even longer. I was reading a book today called "The Practice of Godliness" by Jerry Bridges and I realized that if my desire is to become a more godly woman, I need to be working diligently, being aware of the people around me and do my best to help develop the fruit of the Spirit in my daily life. The first step of improvement for me is to be focusing on constantly maintaining a positive attitude and seeking to follow the example of Christ in my conduct. This is by no means an easy task but by the grace of God I know that I can lean on Him to be my strength to get it through the hardest work days as He has consistently been doing. Thank you Lord!