In His time.

I’m a time person. Ask anyone I know with, “What is Sarah’s biggest pet peeve?” They would tell you, “Being late!” I will show up to class 15 minutes early. I also love scheduling out my week. If I lost my planner, I would probably cry. That has all my appointments, due dates, etc.

I have this bad habit. I’ve been setting a time limit on God. I’ve been wanting God to use when I want Him to, not when He wants me to. I recently decided to take 6 months off from dating (well, boys!) I want these 6 months with the Lord to be some amazing times of intimate moments with the Lord. I want Him to speak to me like never before. I recently was speaking to a friend of mine who lives in Texas. She told me something that really hit home with me. “Don’t put a time limit on God.” Woah! “What about after these 6 months? What will your relationship with God look like?” I never really thought about it. What is my relationship with the Lord going to look like? Am I just going to go back to where I was?

I absolutely love Ecclesiastes 3:11. The Message version says, “True, God has made everything beautiful in itself and in it’s time…” This verse is just amazing because it shows how God has planned every moment to be beautiful. Sometimes I get caught up in making timelines in what I want to see, when God is telling me, “Hey Sarah? Look what I’m doing. It’s a beautiful thing.” Sometimes God wants to use us when we tell Him we want to take a time out. Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” How can I stop God’s will in my life. We have learned that in His time, everything is beautiful.

I want amazing things to happen in my life. I don’t want to stop the good things that He has planned for me because I’ve planned how my walk with the Lord is going to look like. “The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps”-Proverbs 16:9. Now if you’re taking time off from girls or guys to focus your heart on God, I’m so excited for you! I pray that these times with the Lord will be amazing & He will speak to you. But from what I’ve learned, watch out for putting limits on God. We might not see the good things He has in front of us when we are thinking “I have 3 months to go. I hope these last few months with God is going to be awesome!” Every day with God should be awesome.

Give God your attention fully. Be in synch with His time. God knows that a desire of my heart is to fall in love with man of God. But during this time of waiting, I should constantly be falling more in love with the Lord, not just putting out a few months of my life out there. Our time together is beautiful.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”-Psalm 37:4.
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him”-Psalm 37:7. 

GO. BE. LOVE.

It’s that time of the month. The stores are full of the color red, boxes of candy are located anywhere & everywhere, and sooner than later you’ll be seeing your friends on Facebook getting engaged. Some people love this month and others dread it like a plague. Sometimes I am one of those people who hate this time of year. The green monster comes out and I say, “I’m so lonely. I want someone, besides my mom & dad, to think of me! I want flowers! I want a boyfriend!!!!” But I’ve decided that this year, February 14th it’s going to be different.

I’m going to be Christ’s love.

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”-Ephesians 5:1-2

It’s so easy to get caught up in this month either in spending a lot of money on your significant other or complaining about how lonely you are and how you wish February 14th never existed. Now I’m not saying you should not buy anything for your guy or gal, but on this day lets also think of others. When Christ died on the cross He thought of ALL of us. Not just a few. You aren’t going to affect everyone. There is no need to give everyone you come in contact with a Valentines card but in action and speech you can love. How can you be the love of Christ? There are so many people out there who want someone who can just listen to them. I want to be those ears for those who need them. I want to walk around more with a smile on my face then having a blank look draped on me. I need to ALWAYS have joy within. The joy of the Lord is my strength. People need strength. People need to know of the hope that Christ provides. Just how I present myself could change someone’s life. Remember that through Christ, all things are possible.

What are you going to do differently that could change someone’s life this February 14th? You don’t have to spend any money. For example I want to go to my friends pages on FaceBook and just share with them how blessed  I am to have them in my life. You could make cookies. You could write notes. You could just call someone up and tell them you were thinking of them. You could purchase someone’s meal or drink when you’re in the Drive-Thru. But remember that in everything, do it in love.  1 Corinthians 16:14 tells us to do so.

Christ is our one TRUE love. He is love that conquers all. He fills the void in our hearts. Friends, we need to shine with this amazing love to a world that is in so much misery.

GO. BE. LOVE.

 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”-1 John 4:7-8

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”-John 13:34-35

“We love because He first loved us.”-1 John 4:19

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”-1 Corinthians 13:4-7

He’s not finished with me yet.

“There is hope, for me yet. Because God won’t forget. All the plans He’s made for me, I just have to wait & see. He’s not finished with me yet.”-Brandon Heath ‘Wait & See’

I have recently turned 22. *Applause!* It’s weird. I remember when I was 16 and 22 just seemed like light years away. When I look back at my life when I was 16, I was a completely different person. I felt so fake back then. My relationship with the Lord wasn’t real. Yeah, my classmates called me a “Bible Thumper” but in all actuality I never opened my Bible unless I was in church. My Bible literally had dust on it. But here I am, 22 years old. My Bible is filled with notes, different colored highlighter marks, and maybe some stains. It’s moved from my backpack, purse, desk, etc. My daily life is never the same. I can’t imagine having the same life I did when I was 16. I know when I’m 28 I’m going to be telling myself that I could not imagine having the same life I did at 22.

I’ve learned to accept change. Having a relationship with the Lord consists of change! I’m either gaining or losing habits. I might be losing loads of friends & then just gaining 2 new friends. But as I step back and reflect, I realize how God is molding me. Isaiah 64:8 says it beautifully-“Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.” I love being the work of His hand. I love the fact that Christ is so present in my life. I constantly want to be molded into the vessel that God wants me to be.

Just think about it. A potter starts with a wet lump of clay. He envisions what he wants then he throws the lump of clay on his pottery wheel. With wet hands, he works the clay out & is constantly working the clay by adding pressure from his hands. He finds the center and works his thumb through the clay to make the hole of the pot. He keeps working it. It widens the hole & thins out the sides. The vessel is shaped and smoothed out.

Think about your life spiritual life. We start out as a lump of clay & God starts molding us into a vessel. Jeremiah 18:6 says, “…Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand...” God is constantly molding, stretching, & working out our lives. But at the end, we are this beautiful vessel. A vessel used to glorify His name. A vessel to be used for His Kingdom. A vessel to pour out into others & to share the love of Christ.

God is still molding me. Everyday something is being changed. He’s not done with me. & I love the fact that He isn’t. I want to be so much more different than I am now. I want to be used in different ways. Ways that I would never imagine.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”-Psalms 139:14-16

1 Peter 3:3-4

I love spending time with people who just shine of Jesus whole heartedly. I never hear them: complain, be rude, gossip about others, etc. They have an amazing spirit! I especially love talking to Godly women who you can just sense that their spirit has been drenched with the Lord. When they speak, it’s beautiful. I just can’t even explain. You would know the feeling if you ever encountered a woman of God like this. Every word that comes out is like a melody. They glorify God. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

I don’t know about you, but I want to be that person. Now, the Bible isn’t saying that we should NEVER wear our hair braided (I would die! That’s my go-to hair-do practically everyday) or we should NEVER wear nice things. God wants us to work on our spirit. Because when God looks at us He doesn’t think, “You only looks good when you wear Banana Republic and wear that watch from Michael Kors.” He thinks, “You are beautiful not only because I created you but because your spirit is beautiful.” Our spirit should echo Jesus. When I think of Jesus, I don’t think of an man who was angry who shouted at other, One who made a big announcement of His arrival (“Jesus is here!!! Everyone stand up!!!”), or a Man who yelled at the kids who would run to Him. I think of a Man whose Spirit was so full of love, compassion, encouragement, etc. All of the Fruits of the Spirit. I want my spirit to echo Him everyday. When I speak, I want my words to be gentle and kind.

This inner beauty is something that is so challenging but it is so important. For me, there are so many young girls in my life who need to see my inner beauty. I want my inner beauty to resonate God glorifying Himself within me. My spirit constantly needs to be worked on. It’s like putting makeup on my face. I want to look good. My spirit needs to look good as well. If I want to have this gentle and quiet spirit which shines like a diamond, I need to watch what goes into my life. That can be my music, who I hang out with, books I read, TV shows I watch, etc. I need to fill my spirit everyday with Jesus & I encourage you to do the same.