Quick job update: I have a job interview at Interiors Marketplace in Charlotte, NC on Friday so please be praying for that. I am excited and nervous, obviously but I am trying to rest in God's will and timing and let him worry about all that stuff. I am doing pretty good about not planning out my life. So I am just riding the ride currently but as I have learned it is a lot easier for me to lay it in God's hands when odds are in my favor haha! That takes a lot of strength and maturity, I know...please read the sarcasm in there! So yes, I am trying to not pick out apartments or churches or groceries stores or anything like that yet. The temptation is huge but I am trying and so far lately, I have been succeeding in not getting ahead of myself or God. We will see how long that lasts haha! But anyway, so I have that on the horizon.
RUF doings: Last week we had Mike Sharrett of Redeemer PCA speak. He spoke on the passage in Luke 18 about the tax collector and the pharisee praying in the temple. He reminded us of a very convicting truth, that the way we relate to people is a direct reflection of how we understand or misunderstand the Gospel. Have you ever thought about it that way? The Gospel is to shape our lives and if we misunderstand the Gospel then our lives and hearts get totally out of wack. We easily judge, dislike, and avoid people. If I had a truer understanding of the Gospel I would be patient, because the Trinity is infinitely patient with my sins and failures. If I had a truer understanding of the Gospel I would be loving to people who are unlovable because my heavenly Father has loved, is loving, and will love me when I have been, when I am and when I will be unlovable. I would be free of judgement since I have no legs to stand on because I am deserving of an unspeakable punishment yet have been redeemed and forgiven but a holy and just God and apart from that grace and mercy I would be even worse than anything I could take offense at! I would be more sacrificial in my love because the sacrifice given for me is more than I could ever give or be asked to give. How humbling it is to see how the Gospel is not shaping my life as it should.
In other news!!!!
I have signed up for Summer Conference 2011 and I am soooooo stinking excited about that! Finally after 3 years of trying I can go to Summer Conference!
Mercy's latest: Marc Corbett spoke at Mercy this Sunday as Rob Edwards and his family were on vacation. The sermon was on the humiliation of Christ as he was being led into Jerusalem on a donkey (seeing as it was Palm Sunday). Something that Marc said was that humility is not thinking less of yourself but it is thinking of yourself less. Now this is a very common saying in Christian circles. At least I have heard it on many occasion but what he said after really caught my attention. He quoted Tim Keller when he said that we should think of our self like we think of our elbows. Let me unpack that. How ridiculous would someone seem to us if all they every talked about was their elbows? How strange would someone be if all they ever thought about was how their elbow will function as they go about their daily tasks? We would be concerned about them mentally if that was the case! Unless our elbow isn't working as it should we NEVER think of them. They are unassuming; they get the job done; they never get the credit; they are definitely a behind the scenes joint. That is how we should be when thinking of ourselves. Work as you should and you should never cross your mind. Another kick in the pants for me...
Getting personal: Life is really good right now. It is almost scary how good it is. I am more blessed then I could possibly imagine. I honestly didn't know that this kind of happiness existed. I recently read a quote by C. S. Lewis and it said, "When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place." This is so true and I totally am seeing that manifested in my life right now. It was definitely disappointing that the RUF internship didn't work out. There was a lot of fear and disappointment and tears in that dark providence but God has taken one blessing away so that there is room for another. I thought I knew how my life was going to go. I thought I knew the best way for things to work and God is proving me wrong daily and I actually love it! I don't know where this blessing will take me (again trying not to plan out my life or someone else's) but I am so excited and so thankful for what God is doing and how He is using this season of my life and the people in it, no matter how long the season lasts and no matter the outcome.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks
for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven
give good gifts to those who ask him!"
Don't worry one day there will be specifics ;) God is at work!
TTFN
Rach~