No more stress

These last few weeks have been full of stress. With multiple assignments due and none really getting done. For example here is a pic of my to- do list, notice that nothing is checked off. One of the major reason is because I lack motivation to want to get it done. Two I want to graduate already. Three I no longer care about school!!!! However after last night and spending 4 hours in a study rooms, I walk out the library to hear a group of kids singing songs and while I listened I realized that they were singing praise songs and I walked over and sat down and just listened. In that moment the stress that I had floated away.

Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalms 55:22

Holding onto you.

 Since I have just started this blog most of you know nothing about me...lol. So I just want to tell you all a little something something about myself. I am 22 and I will soon graduate from college. YAY!!!!!!!! I'M FREE!!!!

 Now graduating from college is both incredibly exciting and also extremely terrifying. For the past  17 years of my school life  I have had everything planned out for me. I knew that I would have classes at a certain time and that as long as I showed up I would pass and be pushed along to the next grade. Now that I am at the end and there are no other grades left for me to move onto, I am in state of  "what's next?"

 A state of what do I do with my life. Do I move back home with my mom? :(  Do I move to some random state like Idaho and become a farmer?( hopefully not... but who knows... lol) With so many " What ifs" or " Do I's." There is one thing that I hold fast to  and the is JESUS. I find great comfort in knowing that even though I have no idea what is next in my life Jesus does. That as long as I strive to keep myself in his will and follow his teachings they best way possible I know that he will guide my paths and make them straight.

 I have learned that stressing about stuff and trying to plan out what next, pushes God out of the picture and I put myself in his place.

 I hope this encourages someone be blessed!!

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:6

Phil wickham's I will wait for you there...

I have had this song on constant replay over the past few weeks. To be honest, for the longest time I really had no idea why this song kept replaying in my brain. Then I sat and just listened to the lyrics and truly got a deeper meaning of them. Let me break it down for you…

The song opens up like this:

I will wait for You there
Down on my knees where I met You
Give You all of my cares
Find a grace to hold onto now
I’m calling for You

When we come to the Lord we come broken and in bad need of repair. The Lord states in Matthew 11:28-30 ”  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” When we cast our burdens or “cares” on to the Lord he takes them and makes them his own with no regard for himself. He wants to help us he wants to be there for use all we have to do is let him be there for us. His grace is more than enough for us to cover all the things that have held us back and kept us from fully serving God all we have to do is except it. 

The second verse of the song starts like this : 

I will wait for You there
far from the world and it’s violence
It left broken and bare

Like most people in today’s busy overbearing world we lean on the world and the things of this world for our comfort, to find our rest and our hope. However, since we are so caught up in the world and it illusions of these things  of it we don’t realize until the very end  of our lives that it has left us “broken and bare” . In James 4:14 it says“For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” In the small amount of time that we do have in this world that pretty much chews us up and spits us out sometimes we need to wait for him in our quiet place on our hands and knees. 

Now jumping into the second part of that 2nd verse:

I need to hear You in the silence now

I’m calling for You 

This part really stuck out to me and made me take a step back. When I am all focused on the things  in the world and the people around me I seldom listen for the Lord or call out to him. However, when I remove myself from the distractions of the things in this crazy life of mine I hear him loud and clear. I find myself calling out to him wanting to feel him near me holding me in his arms. Now I am not saying that when there are tons of distractions around I don’t call out for the Lord or hear him. I hear him even when I have a million things going on around me, but I find it hard to focus on him and his will and his teachings for me. 1 Kings 19 really hits the nail on the head about what I am talking about. 

Now on to my favorite part of the song the chorus:

And with outstretched arms 
I will sing out melodies
And my beating heart 
Will pour out a symphony
Hallelujah’s in the morning 
Hallelujah’s in the night
I will wait for you as long as I have life

When we raise our hands unto the Lord we are singing sweet melodies to him our prayers are like sweet smelling perfume to him. With the heart that he gave us, we can us that pour our symphonies to him by using our bodies to share the good news of Jesus. To make our body a living sacrifice to him. When we fully surrender to him we will sing praises to him in the morning and all through the night. We will wait for the Lord to teach us more about him and more about ourselves as long as we have life left in us. 

Then the last part of the song:

I will wait for You there
Down On my knees where I met you
Cause life is a war fought with tears
But You are the strength I hold onto now
I’m calling for you

When we wait for the Lord in humble place with no exceptions on what he will do, just searching and praying that his will be done we will be done he truly amazes us. Our life in the world is fought with tears. Tears of joy or tears of sadness, BUT our strength is found in that of Christ and we can rest in that.  

This short but simple song has caused me to look at my self and the things that I feel are important and truly see that they are not. That my main focus needs to on the ONE that died on the cross and rose again. Finding that quiet time to spend with him and humbling myself before him in all of his glory and wait for his teaching and worship in as long as I have life on this earth.