Dear 19 year old me:
Happy Birthday! I know you won't hear it a lot today, but that doesn't mean you are not loved, and are not special. This is just a reality when you're in the working world. Take some time to enjoy the mountain air, bask in the beauty of God's creation and stop moping around because you don't get to be with your boyfriend on your birthday. Trust me, you will have a lifetime of birthdays with him.
You will hate me for saying this, but you are young and very naive. Take time to learn from people older than you. You won't always like what they have to say but these people have a very valuable gift they want to share with you: Life Experience.
You don't have all the answers, even though you think you do. You need to go back to Bible College so you can learn more about Christ. Don't waste your year continually sad because you have to long distance with your boyfriend. Trust me, this too will pass. Focus on building your friendships, and even more importantly, your relationship with Christ because when you leave this little greenhouse, you will feel like you were thrown to a pack of wolves.
Enjoy life! Make good decisions! Exercise, eat healthy and get some sleep. Even though you think you're missing out on fun, it is ok to go to bed before 4 am.
Your life will not be easy, but it is a good life. When you go through the valley's, ask God to make you better, and not bitter. When you're on the mountain tops, continue to strive for godliness because you will need closeness with Him to get you through the tough times.
Remember you are beautiful. No matter how much weight you gain... you are a beautiful person. Allow yourself to be mentored, and continue to work on your relationships in your family. They too won't always tell you what you want to hear, but they are family and they love you deeply!
Enjoy today, and everyday because they all are valuable gifts!
Oh, and one more thing: Stop thinking of 29 year olds as old. Face it kid... in a decade you will be 29 and will be writing this exact letter to yourself.
Love,
The 29 year old you
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The Answer Of Course Is Hippopotamus!
Wow! It's been a while. I have had so many moments where I have been staring at this screen wondering what I should write. How I can explain all I am learning, how I am struggling but how it is making me a better person, and what God is doing in my life.
All I can do is sum it up to one word: Hippopotamus!
A couple weeks ago, I went for coffee with a good friend of mine. I vented about what was going on in our life. She told me about a sermon she had heard a while ago on Job. This sermon was about God's response to Job when he cried out to Him. When reading it, God's answer seems a little obscure and frustrating, but digging deeper into it, it makes sense. It puts me into my place. God told Job about creation. He never gave the answer to why this happened to Job. He did, however, describe animals. One animal in particular sounds like a hippopotamus. Therefore, the answer, of course is hippopotamus!
I don't have any answer whatsoever to why we have gone through all we have gone through in the past few months. I don't have any answer to why I have friends going through all they are going through. I do know I serve an AMAZING GOD who hasn't forgotten about me. An amazing God who not only created the heavens and the earth, He had fun creating animals, and created me.
This makes sense to me because hippo's have a special place in my heart. When I was young and went to Vacation Bible School, a song was sung about hippo's. The first verse talks about creation and then how somethings God just made for fun. The chorus is "hip-hip-hippopotamus, hip-hip horray God made all of us..." I have always thought of a hippo as something fun God made. So if God made something for fun, He obviously has a reason for everything.
**Just a note, I re-read the section where God speaks to Job. To cover my bases I have now realized the one animal doesn't sound like a hippopotamus, but the analogy still sticks with me.**
All I can do is sum it up to one word: Hippopotamus!
A couple weeks ago, I went for coffee with a good friend of mine. I vented about what was going on in our life. She told me about a sermon she had heard a while ago on Job. This sermon was about God's response to Job when he cried out to Him. When reading it, God's answer seems a little obscure and frustrating, but digging deeper into it, it makes sense. It puts me into my place. God told Job about creation. He never gave the answer to why this happened to Job. He did, however, describe animals. One animal in particular sounds like a hippopotamus. Therefore, the answer, of course is hippopotamus!
I don't have any answer whatsoever to why we have gone through all we have gone through in the past few months. I don't have any answer to why I have friends going through all they are going through. I do know I serve an AMAZING GOD who hasn't forgotten about me. An amazing God who not only created the heavens and the earth, He had fun creating animals, and created me.
This makes sense to me because hippo's have a special place in my heart. When I was young and went to Vacation Bible School, a song was sung about hippo's. The first verse talks about creation and then how somethings God just made for fun. The chorus is "hip-hip-hippopotamus, hip-hip horray God made all of us..." I have always thought of a hippo as something fun God made. So if God made something for fun, He obviously has a reason for everything.
**Just a note, I re-read the section where God speaks to Job. To cover my bases I have now realized the one animal doesn't sound like a hippopotamus, but the analogy still sticks with me.**
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