Time

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heaven:
    a time to be born and a time to die
  a time to plant and a time to uproot, 
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."

                                            - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8"

This scripture came to mind to me this morning. I feel it's definitely fitting for the time I am in right now. With graduation in two weeks, this scriptures is encouraging. It shows that God has a time for everything, and a perfect timing in all that He has for us. The time and season he has had me in has been a time of restoration, renewal, healing, equipping me, and so much more. The capstones and spiritual foundations and practices I have learned here at New Hope have prepared me to this point and time.

I will take these things and apply them to my life outside this campus, this "city on a hill". There is a time for everything. This time for me is a time to rejoice, but it also a time to weep and laugh. I know when I leave and graduate on December 14th I am leaving behind amazing friends who have become a part of my life in ways I never thought imaginable. 

This isn't the end. It's the beginning of new life a new beginning for me. I am excited and thrilled to see what the next chapter has for me. This time I know it will be filled with joy, happiness and full abandon as I walk with God guiding and leading me every step of the way. Time is such a hard thing to get and understand. There is a time and timing for every thing. You just need to have enough faith to trust that the Lord's timing is better than your own. 

This time...I'm giving it all to Him. Let it be in His will and timing. It's time. 

Fight Against Burdens, Find Rest

"Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find REST for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden in light." - Matthew 11:28-30

22 days until I graduate from New Hope Christian College. This has been my home for four years and the thought of leaving has been difficult and painful. So many question marks and unknowns and it's so easy to feel burdened by all of it as I transition into the next step of life. I really needed to read this as a reminder for where I am at right now. If you're feeling weary and burdened like me, take this as a reminder for yourself as well. 

We all have moments of being weary, life can be real overwhelming at times. I am reminded of the story in Exodus when Moses got tired and weary himself. 

"Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword." - Exodus 17:11-13

Whenever Moses had his arms raised, Israel was winning the battle, but his arms got tired, he couldn't keep his arms raised, it wasn't humanly possible. So Aaron and Hur came alongside him, and held his arms up. Without the support of Aaron and Hur, Moses couldn't have kept his arms up and Israel would have lost the battle. 

In your times of heavy burdens and weariness, don't be afraid to have people come alongside of you and support you. I have no idea how I would be getting through this time I am in without my amazing family, friends and mentors who are always there for me. They cover me in prayer and support my arms to stay lifted to make it through the battle. 

Also allow Christ to give you rest and peace. He will always be there to give you all you need to succeed and make it through. Be encouraged today to find your Aaron and Hur, don't do it alone. Also find rest in Christ and trust in Him who takes your burdens away. REST today knowing Christ has it all taken care of and we have no reason to feel burdened or stressed because ultimately HE covers us every single day. 

Love or Judgment?

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with COMPASSION, KINDNESS, HUMILITY, GENTLENESS and PATIENCE. Bear with each other and FORGIVE whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the LORD forgave you. And over all these virtues put on LOVE, which binds them all together in perfect unity." - Colossians 3:12-14

I honestly never gave the book of Colossians much attention. But this semester I have been reading through the New Testament and I have learned so much. I've read scriptures that had gone unnoticed by myself that have ended up impacting me

heavily. These verses here have done that again.

As chosen people, God's people, His children we are called to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. But above all LOVE ties it all together. I see so often in the news and life that we as believers do not show these characteristics much. There are those ministries and believers that do, I'm not categorizing all of us. But believers rarely make headlines by showing love.

You do not see headlines often about "Local church gives back to community" we tend to see "Local church pickets gay rally" with signs that say, "My God hates Gays!" I would love to go up to that person and ask them where in the Word it says that. As far as I know GOD'S Word says that God loves and died for EVERYONE. We tend to forget that WE ALL are sinners, and are sinful. 

Matthew 7:1 says, "Do not judge or you too will be judged."

John 12:47, Jesus himself says, "For I did not come to JUDGE the world, but SAVE it."

James 4:12 says, "There is only ONE lawgiver, and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But YOU - Who are you to judge your neighbor?" 

Wouldn't it be amazing if a church made headlines by showing the attributes of God, the same attributes that Christ himself has called us to have? I think we all need a heavy dose of a reality check and be reminded that no sin is greater than the other. It is not our job as believers and God's people to judge or ridicule. We are sinners as well, but Christ died to save us from our sins. Christ has called us to go into the world and share the LOVE of Christ. Christ is judge, not us. We need to be believers who show compassion, humility, love, and gentleness. Not judgment, ridicule and condemnation. What kind of believer do you want to be? 

Forget The Past, Focus on the Future

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: FORGETTING the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." 

Philippians 3:13-14 (New Living Translation) 

A year or so ago, in my Bible after this scripture I wrote that this was my life scripture. Throughout my life journey there are parts of it that have held me down and, at times kept me from living. I had to get to a point where I didn't let my past dictate who I am today and who God has called me to be. It wasn't an easy thing and it's a strenuous process, but I am so glad it happened.

I had to realize that those parts of my past have helped me become the woman I am today, but you need to let it go and let the past be the past. You need to LEAVE it there. If you are always living in to the past you will not be able to look forward to the future that God has for you. It's hard to let go of the past and some part of it you won't forget completely. I think Paul (the writer of this book) was talking more about letting go of what is in your past and walking forward. 

Your past can easily become your own prison of sorts if you live and dwell on it constantly. You become enslaved to your past, and we don't have to live in bondage anymore. Jesus Christ conquered our bondage when he died on the cross. We can live in freedom, but it's up to us to embrace that freedom or let ourselves become captives by our past. Christ promises us a future of hope and prosperity. (Jeremiah 29:11) 

So if I can encourage you in any way it would be to say, start letting go of the past and look forward at the amazing future we have promised for us. Life can only get better from here, but it's your choice. Choose to be a conqueror, not a slave to your past.