Things I'm learning....

This past break was a whirlwind and I learned a lot of things. So here is what I've been thinking about lately...
- When God made the world, he made it beautiful and good. I love to watch the sunset, or go star gazing, or look at the mountains and see all the wonderful things that he's made. But when he was making the world he wasn't done until he got to us. To him, we are the most beautiful creation. I have realized that, while I will always love to watch the sun go down, I don't need to see it to see God's most beautiful creation. All I have to do is look up from my books at the library, or go to class, or church, or the grocery store, or look across the hall at my roommate. All I really need, is to look someone in the eye, make them smile, give them a shakey hug. You start to see every single person as the best creation, and you start loving people for who they are. I realized that every single person was made to be exactly who God meant for them to be, and its beautiful. It sounds ridiculous, but its so true.
- Love must be sincere- Romans 12:9 In light of the above paragraph, this verse has a whole new meaning. But I was thinking about my life and the way I treat others and the truth is, that I wasn't being sincere with a lot of the people in my life. And If I am going to love people the way that God does (or at least try to...)then the first thing I have to do is be sincere.
- God has blessed me with the most amazing friends. I have two beautiful, wonderful, amazing roommates that teach me how to laugh at myself and how to love myself when it counts the most. They are one of the biggest blessings in my life and I thank God everyday for making the two of them a part of my life. I have some really amazing girl friends who always bring a smile to my face and who challenge me to look at the world through new eyes. And, more recently God has blessed me with lots of really great guy friends. I have been single for a long time, and I have always felt like it was because God was protecting me, because he knew I wouldn't be very good at guarding my heart. But for the first time in my life I really feel like I can recognize a good guy when I see one, and I feel blessed because of it.
-Say Anything is a hilarious movie. Everyone should watch it. Immediately.
-Barack Obama was sworn in on Tuesday. I have never been prouder to be an American. I know that sounds cheesy but I'm completely serious. The truth is, that what happened on Tuesday changed what so many African Americans will dream about for a future. The idea that they can grow up to be or do anything they dream, is finally true. There are a whole segment of people that didn't have that kind of hope before that do now, and we, the American people, did it. We did that, and I am so proud to have been a part of the whole process. More so, Barack Obama didn't just make history because he is a black man. He mad history because he is the right man. And I am excited to see what there is to come.
-There are a lot of lies out there and sometimes its hard to tell them from the truth. So this year I am going to be spending time in the Word and learning to live my life in the Truth. It is the only solution to the problem that I can seem to come up with.
- Lately I've been thinking a lot about the faith of Carrollton in their decision to plant a church in Hollygrove. In Hebrews 11, there is this long list of heroes who stepped out in faith and did what God asked of them even though they didn't know what would come of it. The "hall of faith" as it sometimes referred to, is full of people like Abraham, Issac, Joseph, and Rahab. At the end of the chapter the write says this: "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better." - Hebrews 11:39-40 I wrestled so much last semester with the thought of God's plan. In all of my doubts after the storm, the one that really never went away was feeling completely confused as to what God's plan could possibly be. In all my thoughts, I just stopped thinking about it, because I didn't know what to think. But now, when I read this verse I think I'm beginning to understand that God does indeed have a plan and it is good, and even when you don't receive what has been promised, God has planned something better, and that gives me great hope.