Show and Tell

This is a feel-good post.  Don't expect something to stomp on your toes today.

I often get bogged down in a muddled mess of this thing I call a life.  I sit back and remember people and things that have emphatically danced out of my days, and without being aware of it, I begin to mourn.  So for days--weeks, even--I lose myself in a spiral of heartache; wishing things were as they were before, pushing for my current hardships to cease.  I'm not merely talking about trivial things, I swear.  It's more than just,  "I have this paper to do..." or "no one signed up to do the group project with me..."  The things I grieve for are the things that are out of my hands--things that I can no longer hold on to and affectionately call my own.

But the other morning, God provided me with an amazing revelation.  I've only recently begun to be down-right brutally honest with God (I suppose I had it reasoned that if I didn't tell Him what was really going on, then it wasn't real).  This, however, is an idea for another blog, so hold that thought...
So in the midst of one of my brutally honest moments, God took away my words and showed me the good that has flown from my heartaches.  I've met amazing people, and been given exceptional opportunities.  I've grown closer to friends than I ever thought possible, and through my times of self-pity, He showed me the ways in which I could give what I had left to Him.  I'm not telling you that I've got my life figured out.  In fact, if there's anything that the past two paragraphs should be screaming at any reader right now it's that I've got a very long way to go, but to serve the God who gives grace despite so many of my shortcomings is well worth it.

Yep.  With that said, I just wanted to share some things that made me smile this past week.  Call them quaint quirks that God sent my way, if you wish.

1.  Soup in a mug that smiles at me.

2.  The love of friends on Valentines' Day.

3.  A hike with a friend.

        And would you believe me if I told you that I only almost died twice?  

 4.  Snail Mail Galore

5.  Finishing another Stickdude comic.
        Yeah...I'm well aware of just how weird I am for this one.

I suppose that's enough about me for one post.  Have an amazing, God-glorifying day!

Rivers and Roads

Oh dear heavens.  Can you hear that suspenseful theatrical drone playing in the background?  It's like a blend of the Jaws theme song and something by Katy Perry--one of those sounds you just know means that something bad is about to happen.
It's February.
Officially.

All right, so I'm really not all that torn up over the change of months, but after some intense people watching/listening, I've come to the conclusion that the vast majority of single girls I know are not too thrilled about the oh-so-lovely holiday that February likes to bring about, and I'm not talking about Groundhog day, either.

While Valentine's Day is not a holiday that I particularly enjoy ringing in, I still don't hate it.  My opinion will probably always be that while it might be a not-so-happy-making holiday for the single folks, it does give the greatest excuse ever for lots of chocolate, plenty of the corny lovey dovey movies, and a wardrobe with ridiculous amounts of pink. Please note the one-size-fits-all shirt that my sister conned me into:

Don't judge--she has a matching one.

I have to admit that God has definitely revealed a weak spot in my life over the past month or so.  I have all of these amazing people in my life who keep pouring into me.  They love and encourage me, even without realizing it, and for the longest time, I was just sitting back and spilling over with that blessing.  I know that doesn't sound like a weak spot, but here's what the problem was:  when your own cup starts spilling over, you stop actually receiving what is being poured into you.  We are not put on this earth to only be receivers of love, but givers also.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.    

                1 Thessalonians 5:11

I'm not saying that I'm excelling at this, but I can promise that I'm working on it.  I cannot tell you how many times I've felt like I was at my lowest, and the love of a friend kept supporting me.  I believe that to be counted as such a friend to someone else would be among the greatest accomplishments of my short life.  I mean, I look back at Paul writing to the church at Philippi, and I cannot help but think that he did not really have to write to them. The main point of correction in the book is where he was telling two women to be kind to each other.  Other than that, he just kept encouraging them, and pouring into them, and as a reader of the letter, you can almost feel the passion with which he wrote!

For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:8

I know this all sounds kind of sticky-sweet.  It sounds like I'm telling you what you've heard all of your life.  "It's better to give than to receive;" "Be nice to each other."  But if my words are meaning anything right now, then I hope and pray that you'll hear what is between the lines.  It's not quite so simple.  There will be people who try to hurt you.  There are going to be trials that make you ache with every fiber of your being, and you will question whether you have anything to give.  There are going to be times that you feel like you are pouring into others without being poured back into, and with that, I encourage you to be strong.  Let yourself be filled with the Holy Spirit and give what you can.

All right.  Enough rambling for one morning.

OH!  But one last thing!  A friend of mine was talking to me the other day.  Somehow, we got on the subject of dating and breaking up, and settling and regretting, and he told me one of the wisest things I've heard in a while.  "Girls keep settling for the first good guy that they find, but they can't wait for the only great guy."  Take it with a grain of sand, or paint it on a canvas and hang it on your wall.  Either way, it made me smile.

I know everyone at the service got one, but I'm still going to call it a Valentine.  

Have a fantastic February!