Preparing for Eternity

I've been thinking about heaven lately.

It's not something I ponder all that often, although my mom tells me that when I was little I would talk a lot about wanting to be in heaven and with Jesus.  That has always been something I have looked forward to with great excitement and anticipation.

However, the last few days--especially with all the "hype" about the Mayan calendar's supposed prediction of the end of the world--I've been thinking a little more about heaven than usual.

On the way home from my in-laws' tonight (we had a wonderful Christmas with Joshua's family), I was looking out at the stars, and the snow glowing in the reflected moonlight, and thinking about the world and how long it will last.  Then I realized that it doesn't matter how long the world will last--one day, a week, a year, or a thousand years.  No matter when I die, or when Jesus comes back, I will go to heaven to be with him for eternity.

Eternity.  That's a really long time.

Eternity, to be with the God who created us, the Son who died for us, the Spirit who lives in our hearts.

Eternity, to talk with those people from the Bible who sometimes seem like characters in a wonderful story, but who were real people who walked and breathed and lived on earth, and who are living now in heaven.  Real people, part of the body of Christ in heaven and on earth, the body of which we, his children, are also a part.

People like Mary--who I've been thinking about a lot lately--and Paul (just imagine having a theological conversation with that guy!), and Adam and Eve, Moses, and King David.  People who lived lives that were not perfect, but who trusted in God and his promises.  People like us.

We'll get to meet them someday.  Because we know, we can trust and believe, that Jesus will come back for us to take us to live with him.

It changes my view of life, and my priorities.  Because if Jesus could come back any minute, what matters is not what my house looks like, but what my heart looks like.  "Let every heart prepare Him room," we sang today.  Are we preparing our hearts for the next coming of that newborn King?

I wish to live my life--each and every day--preparing my heart for eternity...

The Privilege of Being His Witness

Joshua and I read in Matthew for our devotions this morning.  Part of the passage was the Great Commission in Matthew 28:

"Then Jesus came to [the disciples] and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"  

Matthew 28:18-20

The account of Jesus' ascension in Acts 1 adds some more insight:

"[Jesus] said to [the disciples]: 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power then the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'" 

Acts 1:7-8

We are called to be Christ's witnesses, making disciples "of all nations."  For some Christians, that means going to faraway countries to preach the Gospel.  For others, that means witnessing for Jesus in our neighborhoods, workplaces and towns.  Jesus told the disciples they would be witnesses in Jerusalem--the city they were in at the time--and in Judea--the country where they were.

Being Christ's witnesses doesn't necessarily mean going to Africa or China or Russia to be a missionary.
It means sharing our faith in our daily lives, everywhere we go.

No believer has an excuse for NOT being a witness.

And no believer has to despair that they don't have the time, money or resources to become a missionary to a foreign country.

We are witnesses in the places and vocations in which God has placed us.

For me, that means I am a witness at home (yes, to my husband, even though he is a believer!), at school, at work, in my little town, and to my friends, acquaintances and others who read what I put on the internet every day.

(Have you ever thought of that?  Your Facebook posts, tweets, and blog posts are all part of your Christian witness!  How are you sharing the love of Christ through your online presence?)

These passages in Matthew and Acts are always a wake-up call for me.   It's a conviction: I need to be aware of how I'm witnessing Christ, and be intentional about it!  And it's also an encouragement: I have been given the incredible privilege of representing the God of the universe, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to every person I see each day.

How incredible is that?

My encouragement, to myself and to you, today is this:
Look for ways God has given you to witness him.
Be intentional at least once today about speaking the Gospel and the name of Jesus to someone you normally wouldn't.
Remember--God will give you the words to say, because His Holy Spirit is in your heart.


Linking up with these lovely ladies:
The Houtz House Party; New Life Steward; A Wise Woman Builds Her Home; Deep Roots at Home; Women Living Well

family, friends, faith--so many blessings

I love Thankful Thursdays.
They're a rock in a sea of change.
They ground me.
They re-focus me.

OK, maybe that's a little dramatic, but I still love having a day every week that reminds me to focus on all the amazing blessings God has given me.  I mean, I know God is awesome, but really!!  He is so incredibly gracious all the time.  (For more on that, see yesterday's post.)

Today, I am thankful (as always!) for my amazing husband.  I can't put into words the blessing he is to me every day.  He is my reality check, my self-esteem-booster, my source of romance, my personal comedian, my best friend and my favorite person.  And just this morning he told me that the homemade cinnamon rolls I made for breakfast were the best he's ever had.  Bar none.  Including Cinnabon.  If he hadn't already endeared himself to me, that would have done it right there.

I am thankful that in TEN DAYS not only will my parents and sister be here, but so will my best friend and her family...and the two families will get to meet for the first time!!  I last saw my family in May and I last saw my friend...well, about two weeks after that, so it is high time for a visit.  And THEN the first week of August we're going to a family reunion with my parents, siblings, and, well, the whole family on my grandma's side.  (This happens about once every two years, so we are tight. :) )  And Joshua gets to meet most of them for the first time...which will be a little overwhelming, but I'm so excited!

I am thankful for good food.  Beef, cream-of-mushroom soup, and red wine in a slowcooker for six hours on high results in some of the most yumminess I've put in my mouth for a while.  And, as I mentioned, killer cinnamon rolls.  YUM.

I am thankful for friends with whom we can talk about our faith, and who challenge, inspire and encourage us.  We and another couple decided to start meeting on Saturday nights for dinner and a Bible study for the rest of the summer (and maybe into the school year) and I'm so thankful for them and our time together.  And we get to hang out again the day after tomorrow!

I am thankful that God continually speaks to and encourages me, and the many creative ways he chooses to do so...books, blogs, friends, family.  I have felt his presence more clearly the last week or so than I have before.  I want nothing more to be in intimate fellowship with my heavenly Father...may he grant me the grace to be open to that and to be in communication with him.

I'm also so very thankful for the new, wonderful people I am getting to know through blogging.  I wish I had more hours in a day to keep in better touch with everyone!  It's amazing to realize how many other people are so much like me...and how far the Body of Christ really reaches.  Heaven is going to be incredible (we'll have to have a big bloggers' get-together once we're all there! :D ).

Share in the comments, if you would like, all the ways God has blessed you in the last few days.  I love to hear how he is working!


Linking today with:
black tag diaries; The Fontenot Four; First Day of My Life; Kate Says Stuff; A Punk, a Pumpkin and a Peanut; Live Called

every friendship for God's purpose

I firmly believe that everything in our lives happens for a purpose.

One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 8:28.  For some comparison, here are three translations of the verse, thanks to www.biblegateway.com:

Amplified Bible (AMP)

²⁸ We are assured and know that [^[a]God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.

Footnotes:

Romans 8:28 Some manuscripts read, “God works all things with them.”

English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, ^[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.

Footnotes:

Romans 8:28 Some manuscripts God works all things together for good, or God works in all things for the good

New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together^[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Footnotes:

Romans 8:28 Some manuscripts read And we know that everything works together.

My NIV Bible reads, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  This is my favorite translation, along with the NLT, because of one thing: Those versions focus on God working.  Yes, everything does work out in our lives for good--but it's not because of luck, or some unknown force.  It's because of GOD.  It's important to remember that we might not understand why he allows certain things to happen.  God does not cause evil.  Evil is a result of the work of Satan and every person's own sinful nature.  However, God sometimes allows evil to happen because through it he can work good.  We may not see at the time why certain things happen.  We may never know why it was allowed.  But we can trust that God worked some good out of it--because he always does.

Specifically today I want to talk about how God brings people into our lives to fulfill his purposes for us.  Two dear friends of ours, Joseph and Ruth, are moving away to begin a new chapter in their lives.  We've been good friends with them for just over a year: Ruth and I met and became friends in January of last year, and it's gone from there.  They and we were engaged at the same time, and we got married just a couple of months before they did.  We have that kind of friendship where everyone can be themselves and not feel judged in any way; we all love each other for who we are.  We've been there for each other though the first year of our marriages, encouraging each other, praying for each other, and just being there.

It certainly hasn't been perfect.  We all communicate in very different ways, and although we learned that and understood it, sometimes that caused misunderstandings between us.  But that's what forgiveness is for.

Ruth and Joseph have been an incredible blessing to Joshua and me in so many ways.  Just having friends who understand this first-year-of-marriage thing has been a huge gift.  We're not as close with any other young married couples around here--although I do hope to become better friends with some other people over the next months.

I believe that God places people in our lives because he has something he wants to tell or teach us or of which we need reminding.  With friends like Joseph and Ruth, and my friend Sara, some of those things are pretty obvious.  God reminds us that he is always there for us.  That he will always provide.  That we are precious to him.  That we are loved even when we feel most unlovable.  That we don't have to hide who we really are.  That the way he created us is the way he wants us to be.  That he still has so much he wants to do in our lives.  That he loves us, more than we could possibly imagine.

I am so thankful for the friends that God has placed in my and Joshua's lives.  Some of them are just for a time.  Others, I think, will last for years, perhaps even our whole earthly lives.  Ruth and Joseph are two such friends.  I take great comfort in knowing that, even if we don't see each other very much any more, we have eternity to look forward to--all of us together, in the presence of God.

Never Alone

It's been so long since I've written.  At least five days. :)

I had an insanely busy weekend...homework, housework, spending time with my hubby and family and friends.  And since yesterday afternoon I haven't been feeling well.  I've been drinking a lot of tea, trying to combat the gunk-filled, itchy, scratchy throat and a cough.  And taking painkillers for the headache and aches.

But I miss writing, and I need to write.  Not that I care so much about the pageviews.  I know I'll share this and people will read.  You always do, and thank you.  But I need to write.  To get in the written, or typed, word what's in my mind.

I had a long talk with my friend Stephanie today.  And before that I had a talk with a favorite professor.  And before that class with another great prof.  All three things had something in common: they reminded me that I'm not alone.  That I'm not in this crazy thing called life by myself.

Let me explain.  In my first class today ("Exile to Christ," a history course covering that period in history), we were talking about the things that Christians in the early church, and even Jews in the time before Christ lived, went through.  Things like wondering when the Messiah would come, and for the Christians, wondering when He would come back.  Things like trying to live according to God's laws.  Things like fighting against the ways of the world, because the ways of the world are so different from our ways.  What we as Christians experience today, this minute, is no different than what Christians have been experiencing for hundreds of years.

After my second class, I stayed behind to talk to my professor for a little bit.  I forget how the conversation started, but we talked about struggles we've had, and that we've witnessed in others.  How he struggled with depression without knowing that he even had it.  How I had to fight a life-affecting phobia in high school.  How a beloved friend of mine struggled with her self-image.  And my professor and I talked about how we had loved ones who helped us through those hard times.  For him, it was a psychologist friend who realized that my professor had depression.  For me, it was Joshua who helped me fight the phobia till it's now almost gone.  And more than anything, it was our faith in Christ that got us through.

Then my friend Stephanie and I were working together at the library.  And we started talking about our faith, struggles we've had, things we've learned, ways God has taught us and brought us closer to him in the last few years.  And we realized how much we have in common, and she and I were able to encourage each other and just listen.  She's a good listener. :)

Tonight our dear friends Ruth and Joe came over with yummy snacks and a great movie, to keep sick little me company while Joshua was at work.  It was exactly what I needed.

In so many ways, God has revealed himself to me.  So many people have been Christ to me throughout my life.  They have been his hands, his arms, his smile, his voice.  God has chosen to love me through other people.  Through them I know that God takes care of me.  That he is always near me.  That he is watching over me, and that he has my life, my self, my soul in his hands.  That he has been working in everything in my life for my good and his glory.

"Never will I leave you," Jesus told his disciples.  "Never will I forsake you."
He hasn't.  He won't.

The Gift of Community

If I lived all alone, had no friends or family, and spoke to no more people than were necessary each day, God would still bless me incredibly.  He would give me a home, food, a way to support myself, and most importantly his Word and forgiveness and eternal life.

However, my life is SO much more full and complete with friends, family and spouse!  Besides being a blessing to me, having interactions with many people over the course of the day gives me opportunities to be a blessing to others.  God works through me to accomplish his purpose in the lives of many people besides me.

Today's Joy Dare (well, yesterday's actually) has to do with the blessings of interacting with other people:
"One thing you wore, one thing you gave away, one thing you shared."

I wore (am still wearing, in fact) a real pearl necklace that I got while I was in Hong Kong my freshman year of high school.  I haven't worn it in a while, and having it on brings back memories of the day I bought it, the people I was with, the other experiences I had that day, and the things God taught me on that trip.

I gave away time and energy at work, to help feed a LOT of college students (technically I got paid for that, but I think it counts!) and I gave time and energy at home to get the kitchen clean, food made, and bread baked for my husband and me.

I shared hugs.  Quite a few at church!  I thrive on hugs, and I have several friends who appreciate hugs as much as I do.  Giving and receiving hugs is comforting, reassuring, and joy-filling.

I appreciate being by myself as much as the next person--sometimes even as much as an introvert, even though I most certainly am extroverted!  However, I LOVE my family and friends, and I am so thankful that they are a huge part of my life.

You know what's a blessing?

So many things are blessings today!

Twenty followers!  (One doesn't show up on the blog, just my owner's "dashboard.")  THANK YOU!

Comments and encouragement from new people, wonderful people, sisters in Christ.

Bloggy link-ups leading me to people I needed to find, words I needed to read.

Most amazing of all... the realization, while reading all these lovely people's words, how far-flung the family of believers is.  I'm reading the words of women all over the country--all over the world!--and they're going through the same struggles I am, they're encouraging me in the ways I need it most, they're looking and longing to serve God too.

What a wondrous thing this blogging community is!  Bringing together people from all backgrounds and walks of life--but with a shared, common faith.


All these people whom I'll probably never meet in this lifetime are people I'll be sharing eternity with.  How incredible IS that?!?

If you're reading this, please leave a link to your blog--only God knows who needs to read it today.  And visit at least one other person who commented, so that you can be a blessing to them as well!  I pray that God will make all of us a blessing to each other, as he uses our simple words to speak His glorious truth.

In His peace...

Five Minute Friday: Awake

Linking up for the first time with The Gypsy Mama.
Five Minute Fridays begin with a given topic (today it's "awake") and the instructions to write, for five minutes only, on whatever that topic inspires.

I didn't want to be awake this morning.  The alarm went of at 8:30, late for many people, I know, but we had stayed up a little late last night and I wanted more sleep.  The bed was warm, the sheets were soft, my husband was still asleep beside me.
But I got up, eventually, with his encouragement once he woke up.  I do every day, whether I like it or not.  Whether I want to or not.  There's always something to do, somewhere to go, someone to meet.
I spend most of my life awake.  But am I really alert?  Am I really paying attention to what's going on around me?
Some days I just go through the motions, just do what needs to be done.  I want to do more than that.  I want to be more than awake: I want to be alive, to be energized, to be eager for every new day, to look for ways to serve others and be productive with my time.  I want to see God in everything.  I want to embrace every opportunity to do good that He places before me.  God has given me this life for a reason: I want to make the most of it.  "So as you have opportunity, do good to everyone, but especially those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:10, my paraphrase.)
I want to live life more than awake.  I want to live it alive!

Off to School Again!

Last night I wasn't very excited for school to start.  The back-and-forth between school and home (because, of course, Hubby and I can't both have all our classes back-to-back.  No, that would be too easy), the homework, the studying, the summer freedom gone...

All of that is true, and is happening now, I suppose.  But this morning, sitting beside my husband in chapel with a complete stranger on my other side, surrounded by friends and people I don't know yet...I knew I had come home.  We all sang the Doxology, in harmony because that's how we do it here, and I had chills from my scalp to my toes.  I was even excited to get my syllabus in my Doctrine class before chapel (also sitting beside Hubby), because that is something I'm passionate about and can get really interested in.  And I have to admit, sitting there in the front row knowing the whole class behind me knew I was married...it was pretty cool.  :)

It's been a fun summer, living here in this college town.  But now that all my friends are back, it really feels like home.  It felt so good to know that I had friends happy to see me, excited even.  There's those other people who I know could care less about my existence, but at the same time, seeing their familiar faces brings a sense of contentment, of knowing that I belong here.

Now that I'm an upperclassman it feels a little weird--there's a whole class of freshmen that I don't know, and half (or nearly) the student population is younger than I.  Junior year?  Already?  When did that happen?!?

I'm thankful to be back on campus, thankful for the opportunity to learn, thankful for my wise and caring professors who have a lot to teach me.  But I have to say, I'm most thankful for the relationships I have with my friends and classmates here, friendships that may be for just this season, and that may last our whole lives.  I know God has me here, at this time, for a very good reason.  I hope that once again this year I can bring him praise, honor, and glory in everything I say and do and think.

The Encouraging Body of Christ

I am in awe of how wonderfully God works through his people to build them up.  As Christians, we're all in this journey of faith together.  It's different for all of us, as unique individuals, but we have a lot of common struggles and experiences.  As such, we're able to encourage each other in our faith.

I've had people tell me that I've been encouraging to them in their lives and faith.  I'm so thankful for that, humbled that God would use me to bless his children, and honored that he works through me.  But I have had so many other people be a blessing and encouragement to me in my faith as well--even sometimes those same people who said they were encouraged by me.

I think we all experience highs and lows in our faith walk, days where trusting God comes easy, and times when trials cause us to worry and fret and doubt.  God, in his infinite grace and mercy, knows that we worry and doubt, and he gives us people who can be his hands and voice to reassure us and speak his words of comfort and forgiveness to us.

This post in particular spoke to me today.  Thank you, Kayla.

This post was a huge encouragement to me the other day.  Thank you, Nikki.

What an incredible gift God has given us, in our brothers and sisters in Christ, to build up and encourage one another.