"I know Fresh Face February has
already set your heart so at ease with who you are."
My dear friend Angelle texted that to me yesterday and it struck a
chord. I realized that we are near the close of Fresh Face February as there is
nearly only a week left. As I reflect on the past three weeks, which doesn't
seem like a very long time, but in essence also feels like ages ago, I realized
how much my heart has changed!
In the very best of way, of course.
Here's a few scripture verses I want to share:
Psalm 37:3-7a
Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your ways to the Lord;
trust in Him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication line the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your ways to the Lord;
trust in Him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication line the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him.
Psalms will forever and always be one of my favorite books in the
bible. I have always loved that David was a musician, and I think that is
apparent in the eloquent way he writes. Worship has always been one of my
favorite ways of connect to my Lord and Savior. Perhaps because of that, or my
love for music in general, that I connect to the Psalms quite so. Whatever it
is, as I was reading with these few verse, I felt that they resonated with
how my heart has grown in these past few weeks during FFF.
I love that we are to Trust in the Lord and do good
(obeying his commands and sharing the Gospel). That we should Take
delight in the Lord - that our joy should not be found in worldly
things of any kind (makeup, relationships, education, success,
etc) but instead in only God. Sometimes it is hard to
trust in the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind - but it is true that He
will lead us to the correct path if we do (Proverbs 3:4-6). When we do this,
the Lord rewards us and gives us the desires
of our heart... Which I believe are attributes like that of the Fruits
of the Spirit and other spiritual gifts He has blessed us with (Gal 5:22-23, 1
Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:7-13) . Commit
your ways to the Lord - powerful!
I think that humans have a hard time "committing" to something. I
think humans struggle with commitment - especially long term. Knowing that as
Christians we enter into a covenant with God... That's a big deal! It really is
like a marriage, only no matter what we do, God will not "divorce" us
- he is always there for us, to love us and be with us. Trust in Him. If I've
learned anything over the past few years of my life, it is that I should trust
in the Lord always - for he always provides our way before we even get there (Deuteronomy 1:30-33), or John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled; trust in God." Too many times we try to take control of situations and plan our future, when we really just need to step back and trust that the Lord has a plan greater than our own (Jeremiah 29:11). I think the last part of the Psalms, Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him goes along with what I just said - that we need to trust in the Lord and have patience in that he will provide. This month especially, God has been teaching me how to "be still" before Him. I've learned how to be content with quiet moments, I've had to turn down social activities I wanted to participate in because I knew it was more important for my heart to have some "alone" time with God and with myself. Maybe this isn't the case for you, but I do not like being alone! My thoughts often captivate me and I let myself get distracted with nonsense. However, through a lot of prayer and powerfully quiet quiet times with my Lord, I have found a new peace in the stillness and the quiet, something I am eternally grateful for. I still have a lot to learn, and am by no means anywhere near a "perfect Christian" or any nonsense like that, but I can genuinely say that this month I have found peace. Which, for me, is a really big deal. I am thankful so much for a Lord who has such a stronghold of my heart and has taught me so much about myself, my faith, and stillness.
I suppose this was a lot of talk, but I wanted to share my heart.
Maybe it encouraged you - or maybe you disagree completely! I think that is the
beauty and the difficulty of the Bible... Sometimes we take things out of
context and choose to make it mean what we want it to, and other times I think
we understand the purity of the words. Either way, I know that God is doing a
lot on my heart right now and I am so thankful for it! I know this post wasn't
entire about Fresh Face February, per se, but it is my current reflection on
where I am in this journey.
Is such a blessing that the Lord continually answers prayers and
blesses me with trials to
develop myself in Christ. While being revealed how silly my attachment to
makeup was, it has opened my eyes to other "silly" things that have
captured my heart over Christ. I love how God can take something small, like a
month-long makeup-free challenge, and reveal so much more in the depths of your
heart. I pray that you are challenge in someway to let the Lord reveal the
barriers that keep you from developing your relationship with him. Praying this
next chapter, or month, brings new trials so that we can find the true meaning
of joy in Christ. I know I've been learning to say more thanks
whenever I am going through a trial, because trials remind me of all the wonderful things that I am blessed to have in my
life! So instead of reflecting on the one "bad" thing that is going
on in your life, reflect on all the good (which
if you think about it, the list would never end...). And don't forget to smile
:) It's contagious.
James 1:2-3
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many
kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."
