Give Up.

Psalm 56:3 says, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you."

Genesis 26:24 says, "That night The Lord appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your Father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.""

Psalm 27:1 says, "The Lord is my light and salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is my stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?"

Mark 5:36 says, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

Hebrews 13:6 says, "So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?""

Time after time, God reminds us to stop worrying. Lately I have really struggled with worrying. Every little thing adds stress to my life. It seems like it will never end. I always say, "Once this semester is over, I will be stress free." What a joke. There will always be stress in someones life. However, I need to just give my worries to God. That is one of the hardest things to do. Even after God tells us to stop worrying, I continue. I just pray that one day I can confidently say, "God you are in control. I give everything to you." I need to give up the fact that I am not in charge; He is. He is with me in every situation, every car ride, and every test. It is time to give up. 

A Simple Cup of Coffee

This semester has been a huge struggle for me. I recently learned that one of my classes doesn't transfer to my new school. Part of me wanted to withdraw but I decided that the skills I will learn in this class will help me in the future.

Today was our second test. I failed the first one and left feeling extremely discouraged. I felt like giving up. I decided to stay with the class and keep going. Well today was our second test, let's just say that it didn't go very well.

After the test got done, I decided I needed a coffee. It was just one of those days where you feel like a train hit you on the way to class.  As I was waiting in line for coffee, I couldn't find my coupon for my free cup of coffee. In the process of trying to find it, the lady in front of me bought a $5 gift card for coffee. She handed it to me and said, "Have a great day." At that moment, I was speechless. She didn't have to buy my coffee, but she did. It took a lot to hold back the thankful tears that formed in my eyes.

Just buying a simple cup of coffee for someone, can turn their day around. That is all it took for me today. My day has done a 180. As I am enjoying my coffee, I sit here and think to myself God is so good.

A Big Cup of Joe

Caribou Coffee's slogan is "What do you stay awake for?" It's a question I ask myself everytime I get coffee.

Some days I just stay awake to get through my next homework assignment. Other days I stay awake to spend quality time with my family. As I've grown up our time that we get to spend all together becomes less frequent but when we do get to sit down together, there is no wasted time.

Next time you go past a Caribou Coffee, think about what you stay awake for. Some days I have more things that others, but we all have something to stay awake for.

The Mailbox

When it comes to receiving mail, I turn into a little kid. I absolutely love receiving mail.

After an extremely stressful morning and a very long afternoon, I went home and checked the mail. I had received a card in the mail from a couple from church. They card simple said "Thank you." This past weekend we spent time in small groups at an adult retreat. I was given the honor and privilege of learning about their story. It meant so much that they opened up to not only me but the others in the church.

Just a simple thank you, can make someone's cloudy day into a sunshine filled day. I am so thankful for this Family and the love they have shown me. I ask that you pray for this Family as they are on this journey called life just as you and I are on as well.

Madame Blueberry

While reading a bedtime story to the 6 and 9 year old I nanny, I was reminded of something that I often forget. 

Madame Blueberry was very unhappy. When 3 salemen came to her door, they told her that having the right stuff will make you happy. She decided that she didn't have what was making her happy so she decided to go to the store and buy everything she ever wanted. On the way to the store she passed by a young girl celebrating her birthday. This little girl only recieved a piece of apple pie for her birthday and expressed her thankfulness for this pie. Madame Blueberry conitined to the store. While at the store, she ran into a young boy asking for a train set. His Dad told him that he couldn't afford a train set but he could afford a new ball. The boy gladly accepted the ball and went on with his day. Madame Blueberry realized that she didn't want stuff but instead wanted what the two children had, thankfulness. Just when she realized this, her house broke out of her tree because it was so heavy with her new stuff. 

Now this story is completely unrealistic but the lesson isn't. No matter how much stuff we have, we aren't happy. We need to be thankful for what we have. 

I asked the 6 year old what she was thankful for. She replied, "My family." The 9 year old said the same thing. If a 6 and 9 year old say they are thankful for their family instead of their Nintendo ds or their Wii, the lesson was learned. Please use this lesson from Madame Blueberry as a reminder that a lot stuff doesn't make us happy and that no matter what, we need to be thankful for what we have. 

Just do it.

My Friends and Family are starting to catch on to what I blog about. Time to time someone will say, "Are you going to blog about this?" after something funny or meaningful happens to me. James Rock, this one is for you.

Living in Minnesota, freezing rain can ruin a lot of things. It will freeze water pipes, make roads not drivable, and make tubing hills deadly. In my case, it was the tubing scenario. After arriving up North for the weekend, some close friends and I decided to go tubing. All the way up North we discussed about how this freezing rain was going to affect our weekend. Was it going to close the tubing hill? 

Lucky for us, the tubing hill stayed open. Not only did it stay open but it was slick and fast. The first run I took, I ended up going over a bump and sure enough, I biffed it off my tube. As I arrived back up top, I was asked, "So is this going to end up on your blog now?" and the answer is yes. 

The point I'm trying to make is that even for how miserable Minnesota weather is, I still find joy in waking up and seeing the beautiful snow covered trees. Even when there is freezing rain covering the whole state, that isn't going to stop us from tubing or having a blast with friends. It's memories like this I want to remember. Tubing with someone who is triple my age is something I never want to forget, therefor I blog about it. 

Someone Else's Story

This past weekend I attended an adult retreat with my church family. It had been awhile since I had escaped reality and this weekend made me realize how thankful I am for my parents. 

Over this weekend I got the privilege to listen to a couple share the story of their daughters medical issues. They said how as a parent they felt hopeless, useless, and terrified for the health of their daughter. While giving their story, I couldn't help but think of my parents. My parents are in their exact shoes. 

Over the past 10 years I have struggled with my stomach. There have been weeks where we have spent 5 nights straight in the bathroom. Not once have the doctors been able to tell us what's wrong. 

Not once have my parents not been at my side. Over the years they have continuously been strong for me. They have been the example of the parents I want to be when I have children. I'm sure they have had sleepless night and I'm sure they worry but not once have they shown me that they aren't strong. 

Our Family isn't all hearts and butterflies but in my heart, we are perfect. God gives us these trials to learn from. Whether it is a one day fight or a 13 year struggle. God will get us through as a family. I'm beyond thankful.  

The Story of Jack of All Trades and Sarcastigirl (Episode III)

One late night, Sarcastigirl received a phone call from a very discouraged Jack of All Trades. Jack (for short) told her about how life just isn't going as planned. She wasn't sure where God wanted her and she became very frustrated just talking about it. Sarcastigirl mentioned that there were some big changes happening in her life and that God just kept opening doors for her. The conversation ended with Sarcastigirl hinting at the idea of Jack applying for the same school as her. That way, they could live together and keep each other accountable.

The following morning Sarcastigirl received another phone call from Jack. Except this time, Jack was ecstatic about something. Jack got accepted to the same school as Sarcasitgirl! This was very exciting for both Superhero's. After telling Jacks family, they began to plan. They both agreed that if God told either of them this wasn't his plan, they would tell each other right away.

Please continue to pray for these Superhero's as they begin this mission as a team. They have handed over this decision to the greatest Superhero of all times, God. It's up to him now to show them to where they need to be. They are ready to accept whatever mission comes at them.

What is new with you?

Time after time we are asked as humans, "What is new with you?" 

In some cases there are great things that have been going on in life and you can barely stand how excited you are for your future. 

However, other times, the new things in your life are not positive. Maybe your new car just broke down or your Mothers health isn't doing so well. 

When you have good things happening in life, you don't want to come off as prideful but on the flip side you also don't want to sound like life sucks either. 

As much as I want to say I have the perfect answer to this difficult question, I don't. This is part of life. Nobody ever said life would be easy.  Acts 14:22 says, "Anyone signing up for the Kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard time." God already knows what is going on in your life. Share what he is doing. Tell people what new things God has shown you.