A Crazy Beautiful Life♥

I know, it has been entirely too long since I wrote last! Life has been life, ups and downs... Crazy yet beautiful.


The most beautiful of all? Grace...
Love...
God. 


I've felt lately that my relationship with God has been stagnant. I have, however, been keeping up adamantly with my quiet time. *thumbs up* But doing my quiet time without truly growing and learning and collecting is kind of running in circles. 


But yesterday... dear yesterday. It was magnificent. From the time I woke up I felt that He was up to something. As I was getting ready I felt Him tugging at me, telling me that my thoughts weren't focused in the right place. I made a quick entry in my journal about how I've felt lately that idols have taken over my life and that was why i was stagnant. 


At church I was attentive and the same point that has been brought to mind multiple times this week was the fact that He has given us all amazing gifts. Gifts that He truly PRE THOUGHT to give us. What are some gifts He's given you? My "spiritual gifts" have remained the same since I was very, very small. Every spiritual gifts assessment has come to the same conclusion: encouragement. How often do I encourage people? Not often. There is even an encouragement team here on campus. Am I a part of it? Nope. I've failed in being an encouraging person. In general in life what are your gifts that can be used for His glory? Mine? Piano, I'm not amazing, but with practice I could use it for Him. Even if I never played a lick for anyone else, I could use it as my own personal worship. Photography. I'm by no means a photographer, but He has given me an eye for seeing beauty in the little things. How many times have I had the opportunity to bring the little things into big light for others to be able to admire as well? Not often. I'm sure if I sat and truly dug into my abilities I could use every one to bring glory to God, yet I rarely do. 


At an old music school I used to go to we used to sing a song that went like this, 

I have a talent, I use it for the Lord. I have a talent, I use it for the Lord. If I do not use it, I will surely lose it! I have a talent, I use it for the Lord.

It's funny, because since this whole gifts thought has been in my head, that song has been playing on repeat. Ask anyone that has been with me, I sing it all the time. God has been laying this on my heart, and He used yesterday to really punch it into my head. 

NEXT part... Yesterday I decided to use my "talent" of adding butter and an egg to premade cookie mix to make a few cookies for church last night. I didn't really think that people would enjoy them as much as they did, but i was asked to make them again. That is a simple ministry that God can use me for. Something as small as making cookies Sunday afternoons to bring to church Sunday night is seemingly small, but to those who enjoy the cookies is a great happy maker.
 THEN... At Sunday night church Josh led us in a close knit Bible discussion. We read piece by peace through Acts 1-2 and just asked questions and talked it out. Through one of our minor rabbit chases we began talking about baptism and the importance of it. As a young un I was baptized, but to me *not truly being a Christian at the time* i was just going swimming and doing what everyone else was doing. There was no real importance or meaning in it. In our discussion we talked about that very same issue and I felt convicted. I went to Mark afterwards and told him what was going through my mind. Huzzah, guess who's getting rebaptized? 


God used yesterday... a simple, regular day to show me so much. I feel like i'm making progress... God obviously has something huge planned for me in my life. Something for His will and my good. 


I'm stoked to know what it is!


...It may be a little wheezy... but i'm learning to breathe...