Something Beautiful

Yesterday...I made pie. And I got paid to do it. How awesome is that?!?! I felt like I was just playing all day long. I'm really kind of starting to think I should have gone to culinary school. I still think I made the right decisions about college and all that, but I seriously love cooking and baking. I love that my bosses are so incredibly affirming. They are so encouraging to me, and I want to work hard and do well for them because they are so encouraging. They see value in me and in what I do and how I conduct myself, and it makes me want to show them how valuable I am as an employee. I am blessed by the amazingness of my job. God really did give me the perfect job, and I love the way everything happened to bring me to this job. It could have been no one but Him orchestrating the entire thing, and I love that!! Yet, sometimes I feel like I am still just playing grown-up. I can't believe the responsibility and the trust and faith they have in me. I look at myself, and I don&

I was sitting in the backyard the other morning, and I was looking at one of the trees in our backyard. It has lost most of its leaves, and I was a little depressed because that means winter is just around the corner...yuck. I was sitting there when God's still small voice started speaking to me about that tree. During the Spring and Summer the tree spends most of its energy on keeping its leaves green. If it had leaves all year long it would never have time to work on other things like growing and deepening its roots. It is during the winter when you have growth. That made me a little more receptive about winter, but I'm still not thrilled about the concept. You know how sometimes God surprises you with a little thing that isn't really a big deal, but it's just a little something that makes you happy? Well, I had one of those moments recently. I love white shirts. I am instinctively attracted to them when I am shopping, and I wear them frequently. However, I constantly

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. If ever there was a true maxim I think this is it. I generally suck at long distance relationships because I am a serious quality time person. If I don't hang out with you, I tend to begin to question our friendship. Don't get me wrong, I try very hard to maintain relationships over a long distance, but it is really difficult for me. I was thinking about this because I have friends who are in different countries, or will be moving to different countries soon, and I was realizing how much I miss (or will miss) them. If it were up to me, I would be surrounded by those I love all the time. People wouldn't have to move away whether for a short time or forever. Life would constantly be lived out walking side by side with those I love most. However, when I was thinking about this, God gave me a metaphor. (I love metaphors by the way.) Long distance relationships are a picture of our relationship with Him. Yes, I spend time with God every day a

I love finding random bits of sunshine in life--those little moments that bring a smile to your face and give you a tiny glimpse of something more than just day to day life. Today, for instance, I have had several little moments like that. While I was at work serving lunch today, a guy in line randomly asked me how he knew me. I didn't recognize him at first...but after he told me his name, I knew where I knew him from. He was one of my students when I was an Supplemental Instruction Leader in economics. It was funny because as soon as I heard his name, my brain immediately went to his file and recalled almost everything I knew about him. I always enjoyed him as a student because he was actually interested in doing well, and he grasped the material. That was a ray of sunshine. I decided on my way to Potter's after I got off work, that I wanted to get lunch from Panera. It was one of the most delightful ordering experiences I've had there in a long time. My cashier even told

Tired doesn't really seem to be the word to describe how I feel right now...maybe drained is better, but that doesn't even seem to fit that well. I am peaceful. I am filled and satisfied. Yet, I am exhausted. I feel it in my limbs...as if they are heavy with a heaviness that I cannot shake. I think maybe weariness is the best word. I am weary. I need rest. I'm glad that I have One to go to who is able to give rest. "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28 I had lunch with a dear friend today who is leaving the country for a couple of years. She is going home. It was the best kind of lunch...unrushed, unhurried, just dwelling with each other for a little while. We took our time and caught up and encouraged each other. We talked about the different ways God was leading us, about His abundant goodness, and about the amazing way He provides in the bleakest situations. And we talked about how much we love having our

Have you ever done something nice just to do it? Something that no one will ever know it was you...you know you will never get credit for it, but you do it anyway? This is a true story of one day when K and N and I went to the library. We sat down in a reading cube and noticed that there was a scrap of paper wedged in between the cushion and the wall. N pulled it out and turned it around and this is what we saw... Whoever put that there didn't know that we would pick it up and read it. They have probably never even met us, but it made our day. It put a smile on our faces and a spark of joy in our hearts. It makes me smile just recalling the experience. That person gave just a little bit of herself in order to show love to those around her. Giving has been a topic of conversation of late among my friends. We are reexamining our views and beliefs and practices on giving. I know that in my life, I am discovering a shocking truth. It seems that the more I give, the more I have to giv

It's been a while since I blogged last...I have been just a trifle busy. My weekend was insane, and I wanted to just stay in bed all day today. However, I knew that wouldn't be a very wise use of my time today, so I slept in an hour late and then got up...I'd say that's a good compromise. So the reason my weekend was so crazy...I GOT A JOB!!! :) And on my first day of work (on Saturday), I worked a 12.5 hour shift. Yeah...it was pretty much exhausting, but sooooo good. I am working at a pie store and also a catering company because they are owned by the same person, so I'm kind of just filling in where they need me at right now. However, I think I'm going to be trained to work more at the pie store. I'm so excited. I love my job so far. I love the way that my employers have already made me feel like a valuable person, and the way they have just been so positive. I love working for a local business. Basically I am incredibly blessed. It is so nice after being

I love when I realize how blessed I am--little moments when God reveals to me how great His blessings are. It might be a sun-soaked morning, an encouraging word from a friend, or laughter shared over a brilliantly brewed cup of coffee. It's a moment when I get a tiny glimpse of Heaven. I don't realize often enough how blessed I am. I don't have nearly enough of those moments. Lately, though, I have been really aware of my blessings. One blessing in particular has been really hitting home. That is the blessing of answered prayers. There are things and situations and people that I have been praying for for years...and nothing ever seems to change. I know that often times (in fact Hebrews 11 is full of these examples) we never see that which we hope for, pray for and desire to happen. But then there are the rare instances where God reveals to us that our persistence in prayer has paid off. God has given me several of these instances lately, and for that I am abundantly gratefu

I have so many thoughts rolling around in my head right now...probably not the greatest because I want to go to sleep soon, but I'm tired enough it probably won't be a problem. It has been a long day...a long two days, but so good. Last night, S, B, and I stayed at Nana and Papaw's house, so we didn't have to get up at some ridiculous hour of the morning to drive to the church we were speaking at this morning. I love staying at their house. It is so refreshing, and it's like stepping into another world--a good, wholesome, down-to-earth, still knowing what the good things in life are world. It is a place where the old things and the old ways are treasured, with a healthy embrace of modern ways. It is a place where sitting down to visit is the top order of the day instead of checking your facebook and e-mail ten times every minute. It is a place where Sunday afternoon naps are still expected and appreciated. It is a place for slowing down, for stopping and realizing t

I love the way the Bible all connects together. For instance, this last week I was reading in Matthew 21. Verse 13 says: "He [Jesus] said to them, 'It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.'" I love this verse to start with...it's so thought provoking. We are called God's Temple later in the New Testament, so that brings a whole new perspective to this verse. We are called to be a house of prayer, a holy place where God dwells...but we allow robbers into our temple. We allow other things into our lives that distract us from our focus on God. We allow other things into our hearts that keep us from being holy. I sat and thought about that for a long time. But then...I was also reading Jeremiah 7. Verse 11 says: "Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord." This is the verse that Jesus quotes in Matthew. How cool is