Reason #152
I have said, "I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday" at least 6 times today.
Tomorrow is not Friday...
But today is Wednesday. The middle of the week. Half way to the weekend! My feet are killing me. My eyeballs are, too. But my heart is so full tonight and I am completely overwhelmed. Tonight, I was so fortunate to sit in a room of 20 people, 5 of whom I already knew, and share how Jesus Christ has changed my life. My anxiety levels were a little high today, as my stomach can well testify. I didn't know how this evening was going to turn out. The first night of a new adventure! Really, the first of anything is a little nerve-racking isn't it? The first loose tooth, first time without training wheels, first plane ride, first date, first job... life is full of firsts. But once you get that first thing out of the way, it becomes a little easier. Tonight was a first for me. And I think about all the first experiences I've had in life and how much anxiety they've caused. Next thing you know, it's said and done and you realize it wasn't near as scary as you anticipated. But you have to be brave that first time. Take a chance and put yourself out there. It's a little risky, and with everything in life there is the fear of failure, a fear of rejection.
Well, after spending a good 8ish hours worrying about how tonight was going to go, I can now say (with a sigh of relief) that all went well. Truthfully, it exceeded my expectations. And I don't really know why this should surprise me. I suppose I am just so amazed by how God has perfectly orchestrated everything. Every detail, every plan, has been divinely crafted by Him. And I just get chills thinking about how long He has been working this into motion. As I was getting ready for bed tonight, I was listening to the radio and a sermon came on. I don't even know who was preaching but the man began talking about timing. He talked about how much we try to rush God to answer our prayers. We pray and we ask and we expect Him to answer them yesterday. But often times our answered prayers are being worked out in the lives of others. Often times other people are the answer to our prayers. But God has a plan for each of us and so we have to wait for Him to work in the lives of those other people, those answered prayers. We sure don't apprecaite being rushed ourselves, and we shouldn't expect that anyone else would feel differently.
I've been waiting for a while for this. I haven't been the only one waiting either. And tonight, I saw how many more people have been waiting and asking and hoping. And God, in His incredible sovereignty, has been working in each of our lives. Weaving paths, crossing paths, and doing it at just the right time. Not a moment too soon, not a moment later than necessary. Some paths were crossed years ago, some paths were crossed weeks ago, some paths were crossed tonight. But each path has been an answered prayer. And tonight, 20 answered prayers sat in a room with me and blessed my heart in a way that words can't describe.
So after all was said and done and this new first was now over, I walked outside to be greeted by a beautiful sunset. Shades of pink and purple spread out across the sky and I was reminded again at how wonderful our Creator is. The same God whose powerful hand crafted a spectacular sunset is the same God who is crafting spectacular things in my life. And although I feel so undeserving of such love, such beauty, such attention, my heart is grateful. So grateful that He would take the time each day to remind me of His love for me, to constantly exceed my expectations, and to give me new opportunties... new firsts!
#152 - Because of new firsts!
"He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD." - Psalm 40:3
Tomorrow is not Friday...
But today is Wednesday. The middle of the week. Half way to the weekend! My feet are killing me. My eyeballs are, too. But my heart is so full tonight and I am completely overwhelmed. Tonight, I was so fortunate to sit in a room of 20 people, 5 of whom I already knew, and share how Jesus Christ has changed my life. My anxiety levels were a little high today, as my stomach can well testify. I didn't know how this evening was going to turn out. The first night of a new adventure! Really, the first of anything is a little nerve-racking isn't it? The first loose tooth, first time without training wheels, first plane ride, first date, first job... life is full of firsts. But once you get that first thing out of the way, it becomes a little easier. Tonight was a first for me. And I think about all the first experiences I've had in life and how much anxiety they've caused. Next thing you know, it's said and done and you realize it wasn't near as scary as you anticipated. But you have to be brave that first time. Take a chance and put yourself out there. It's a little risky, and with everything in life there is the fear of failure, a fear of rejection.
Well, after spending a good 8ish hours worrying about how tonight was going to go, I can now say (with a sigh of relief) that all went well. Truthfully, it exceeded my expectations. And I don't really know why this should surprise me. I suppose I am just so amazed by how God has perfectly orchestrated everything. Every detail, every plan, has been divinely crafted by Him. And I just get chills thinking about how long He has been working this into motion. As I was getting ready for bed tonight, I was listening to the radio and a sermon came on. I don't even know who was preaching but the man began talking about timing. He talked about how much we try to rush God to answer our prayers. We pray and we ask and we expect Him to answer them yesterday. But often times our answered prayers are being worked out in the lives of others. Often times other people are the answer to our prayers. But God has a plan for each of us and so we have to wait for Him to work in the lives of those other people, those answered prayers. We sure don't apprecaite being rushed ourselves, and we shouldn't expect that anyone else would feel differently.
I've been waiting for a while for this. I haven't been the only one waiting either. And tonight, I saw how many more people have been waiting and asking and hoping. And God, in His incredible sovereignty, has been working in each of our lives. Weaving paths, crossing paths, and doing it at just the right time. Not a moment too soon, not a moment later than necessary. Some paths were crossed years ago, some paths were crossed weeks ago, some paths were crossed tonight. But each path has been an answered prayer. And tonight, 20 answered prayers sat in a room with me and blessed my heart in a way that words can't describe.
So after all was said and done and this new first was now over, I walked outside to be greeted by a beautiful sunset. Shades of pink and purple spread out across the sky and I was reminded again at how wonderful our Creator is. The same God whose powerful hand crafted a spectacular sunset is the same God who is crafting spectacular things in my life. And although I feel so undeserving of such love, such beauty, such attention, my heart is grateful. So grateful that He would take the time each day to remind me of His love for me, to constantly exceed my expectations, and to give me new opportunties... new firsts!
#152 - Because of new firsts!
"He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD." - Psalm 40:3