but this morning as i woke up i began to pray for a lot of people in my life. people with good news and exciting adventures, people who are struggling, tired, weak, and people whose lives i have no idea what is going on, but were placed on my heart.
i have been reading this book, how to hear from God by joyce meyer. and it seems, that God continuously provides the Word, truth, and practical thinking at the times that i need to hear it the most. its strange, its like He knows that i needed to hear it! ;) haha well, duh. He's God. He's cool like that.
i also found that God uses every day life examples and materialistic items as tools to get an analogy and point across. i've been struggling with transitions in my life. transition from college life to home life. having the freedom in making a decision and only affecting myself where now, other people are involved. and relationship transitions. from having available access to people to talk with, laugh with, and basically be silly with are suddenly hours away and i have to rely on the means of technology to stay in contact (except for the fact that i like to write letters and hope that i can recruit some people to the idea of pen-paling).
i've had to face the fact that life changes and moves on and adjustments need to be made. that i'm NOT alone and i AM special. i do have friends regardless of our differences in age, careers, stage of life, and interests. in Christ there is hope. hope that His perfect and unfailing love will pierce the inner beings of those who are hurting, aching, and see no possible outcome to their current situations. i am not defined by my job or abilities. i am more than that and there is more of myself that will be revealed. job or no job, i need to be thankful in all things....
...hence. the portion of the book that i want to mention. the section is labeled as "Thankfulness Opens Our Receivers". its a lengthy excerpt, but bear with me:
God's general will for us is to 'thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the revealer and mediator of that will]' (1 thess5:18). we don't need to worry about whether it is God's will that we go to the mission field until we have learned to obey His will right where we are.
thankfulness keeps our ears open to hear God. the Bible says we are to thank God in everything, not for everything, but in everything. that means that no matter what is going on in our life, we are not to complain, murmur, grumble, or find fault. God doesn't want to hear us whine because whining is evidence that we have no faith in His ability to make things better.
...people who grumble and complain from daylight until dark never hear God, because to hear Him they must quit complaining!
so...i'm done complaining. i am thankful for the things unseen. i know there is something greater at the other end of the tunnel, and i'm excited! i'm excited for this new phase in my life, my new job that i'll get, and the new people i meet! thank you Jesus :)
