A great God

Ever have those times in your life where God's just hitting you over the head with something? I think he's been doing that a lot with me lately. I should be getting goose-eggs on my head soon enough! You'd think I'd learn. Unfortunately, God has to keep hammering some things into me; and fortunately, God is willing to keep doing that, proving himself again and again.

This weekend was pretty fun. Friday I had time to do some homework that afternoon/evening, and I checked out a BOOK! Woo-hoo! I'm actually reading a book for pleasure again! I just decided I'd make time for it. I'm reading The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum--great book! I didn't realize it was so long. I'm now on page 249 of 597 pages...I'll finish it someday! Anywho, so I got to read some Friday evening, and then I went to see a later movie with Kirstin, Melissa, Rachel, Kelsey, and a friend of Melissa's, Chrystal. Saturday was a very productive day; I did about 3 and a 1/2 hours of homework. It felt really good to set aside time for homework and get stuff done. So I got a speech ready (which I give tonight) and studied for a test (which I just took). Then I got to read my book again (yay!) and went out to eat with Melissa and Rachel at Luby's. Then we went to Target for a while before going to the mall, where we walked around pretending we were going to buy something. We spent some time at Sonic, talking about things (ok, stuff about the guys in our lives). Then Melissa and Rachel decided to go (last-minute) to a dance going on that night, and I headed back to my room (where I got to read more...yay!).

Sunday was a pretty good day. I got up early to get music ready for Sunday school, although we had a pretty small group that morning. The sermon was really, really good, talking about discouragment and about how God raises us up (Isaiah 40:29, I think). It was rather good for me. That afternoon I had a lot on my mind and was just letting a lot get to me...and God led me to the verse where it says he will give us "abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine." I just felt my spirit crying out, saying, "Lord, I believe it, but it's so hard to even know what to ask for, much less to see the answer. Help me see!" And he sure did. Not right away, but he did.

I went to eat at church that evening and came back to find a message from Lance on my voicemail, so I called him back. We ended up talking for...well, let's just say it was a rather long time. But we had a lot to catch up on, and it was a good talk. He's out of the hospital now and at home, so that's a definite praise! I get to see him this Friday during fall break, so I'm excited about that.

This morning, I've been in an incredibly good mood all day, hyper even. :-) Mostly I'm just amazed at how God can work things out even when we see no possible way. I'm dismayed sometimes at my lack of faith. I believe so much that the Lord is working out his will in my life, but when life keeps going on and I still can't see where it's going, I have a tendancy to pull into myself and fret and try to figure things out. I'm so thankful that God is faithful even when I become faithless. "Lord, I believe...help my unbelief!" He is so good. I forget that the Lord cares more about the things in my life than maybe even I do; I forget that he is more committed to working out his glory and goodness in my life than I am in seeking them. This is God, my Father, my Best Friend, the one who knows and loves me better than anyone else in the whole world! And yet I still lose my focus and start staring at the problems instead of my Problem-Solver. So I'd just like to publicly profess how good God has been, time and again throughout my life, but especially this weekend as he led me from sorrow to thankfulness. I still don't understand everything--very little of it, in fact. But God has given me an incredible reminder that he is very much in control--and that he is good!

May the Lord show you his goodness in your own life this week!