As I look back and reflect on my life - where God has taken me, how He has taken me, and why He has taken me to certain places is no short story. He has taken me from state to state, city to city, and on multiple occasions to other parts of the world. A good majority of the journey, I am ashamed to report, have been to places I had no desire to go to. However, at the end of the day, God has shown me over and over again His divine leading is always with purpose even though I fail to see it in the moment. He has also shown me that life's most richest blessings have been found in the places I desired to go the least.
Along the way I have learned many lessons, big and small. I am so grateful for the experiences and opportunities that He has provided me; both in my career, and in my personal ministry. I am undeservingly blessed by the miracles He has granted for the advancement of my career/ministry at the University of Pittsburgh. While we all have a general idea of what comes next, we never fully know what the future holds, but we can trust who holds the future. Today, and everyday, I choose to walk by faith, practicing patience, while doing and pursuing everything for God's glory. Never mind the fact that I am not always the most graceful at it. I lack patience and faith on a good day. Trust me friends, it doesn't always look pretty from my end, as I'm sure some of you could testify. But, I will stand tall, and claim the promise of Philippians 1:6, being confident that He who started a good work in me will finish it until the day of completion. Hallelujah!
Life and some of it's details...
Today is Father's Day! I am sad that I am on the west coast and missing the chance to spend the day with my dad. I am headed home next on July 8th, and I will be able to spend some quality time with him. He is going to help me move into my apartment in Pittsburgh! I am so thankful that God has blessed me with an amazing father. He has been a wonderful example of our Heavenly Father and has been there for me from the beginning. Life hasn't always been pretty, but he has been a faithful and constant supporter, for that I am grateful. I will forever be your little girl, Dad. I love you with my whole heart, all the way to the moon and back!
Living life in Loma Linda has still been quite the experience for me. June 8th, I started my contract at Children's Hospital of Orange County. Working night shift has presented it's own set of challenges, but has proven to be a blessing in disguise. It is nice to commute to Orange County, California from Loma Linda against the grain of traffic; going into work at 7pm and coming home from work at 7am. My body doesn't like the night shift adjustment so much, and sometimes driving home can get scary. Most of you who know me, know that I fall asleep at the wheel while driving after a full night of sleep. YIKES! That being said, this contract is only for a short while and sometimes I am lucky enough to chat with some special people on the ride home in the morning and that helps a lot.
I am learning all over again that...
And that post work grunge is a legit condition.
Like I said, "It ain't always pretty here folks!"
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of accompanying two of Loma Linda's finest young ladies (Skyla and Briella) to Market Night. They showed me what it was all about and I had a blast.
Silly Faces
Happy Faces
Sad Faces
As most of you know, I love people. I love the study of people and our interactions with each other, especially in relationships; with God, each other, and romantic relationships. Sometimes, I get a little carried away reading, thinking, and sharing.
Recently, I read this article called, Love is a Choice, by James Michael Sama (who wrote my previous blog post or "re:blog") and found it to be incredibly profound. The article talks about love as a choice, and not just a euphoric spontaneous feeling. Feelings come by day and change by night.
In a book called The Sacred Search I read this, "You could marry for money, health, or good looks but keep in mind that none of those things are certain to remain. Character is the surest thing. You don’t know what the future holds, but you can know the kind of character you’re marrying. I’ve seen infatuation lead far more people astray than into satisfying marriages. I’ve seen people fail to pursue a relationship, even though they respected, admired, and loved another person, because there didn’t seem to be an over-the-top, make-my-knees-weak feeling or sexual chemistry."
When I think about it deeper, I think of Jesus and His character. I think of the love that He has for us. I am so grateful that while we were still sinners He chose to love us despite the fact that we are undeserving, and despite the fact that He should have just walked away. He defined our value and counted us worthy! You. Me. Hallelujah! Doesn't that just make your heart want to sing?! Mine does.
I am so grateful that He chose to love us through the hurt, the pain, and the suffering. I am so grateful that in the Garden of Gethsemane through to His crucifixion, He didn't make any decision based on how He felt. My human mind cannot even begin to wrap my head around everything that He felt. The cogent truth: He chose to love us. Now we can love Him, and love in His way because He first loved us.
I hope you enjoy the article it as much as I did.
