Happy Days with a Side of Joy

I have started the 100 happy days challenge! I started it because I get extra credit in one of my classes for doing so, but I am excited because it will make me think of all the reasons I have to rejoice.

This summer, I spent a month in Zambia serving for a non profit organization called Arise Africa. One of my goals as I left was to daily choose to rejoice and be content, and not to dwell on the yucky things that come up. I realized that I can't choose my circumstances, but I CAN and do choose to either dwell on the bad or the good. Both are always present, and so many of us, including me, choose to dwell on the bad and ignore the good.

The thing that separates me from the rest of the (unsaved) world is that no matter how bad things get, the good always FAR outweighs the bad because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ. I want to focus on the little things in life that bring me happiness, but I most want to make a habit of remembering the one thing that gives me true joy. Jesus is my one source of true hope and peace.

I know that is true without a doubt in my mind, but lately it has not been a reality in my heart. I have been like the Pharisees who Jesus described as beautiful coffee mugs... full of moldy week old coffee (more or less). Apathy and discipline have been my biggest enemies. Pretty sucky combo.

Insert Bible passage and inspiring commentary with an action plan here cause I don't have one today. But I am grateful for a God who loves us when we don't love him.

I am actually relatively content with my temporary discontentment toward my relationship with God. I pray it gets me out of bed, into the Word, and wrestling with my doubts well. These times are necessary for all believers and I welcome it, because I am sure that my faith will be more solid than before. Now I just have to care a little more than I do right now. Until then, I'll continue to dwell on the happy things in life.

Sanctification

It's hard to see my sanctification. Most days I feel like I've moved backwards, becoming less like Jesus. Regardless of how it seems, God is at work. I am being molded every day, by negative and positive influences. In retrospect, it is easy to see that I am being sanctified. In the moment, I'm terribly unaware of God's presence. I fill my life with things that de-sensitize me, distract me, and discourage me. But God is faithful to mold me and to equip me to fight the sin in my life.

{Desensitized} He reminds me that his standard is the same always, and that the pursuit of holiness is LIFE-GIVING. 

Proverbs...

3:22 "They (wisdom and discretion) will be life for your soul."

4:13, 22 "Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life... For they are life to those who find them and healing to all their flesh."

8:35 "For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from The Lord."

10:2, 11, 17, 27 "Righteousness delivers from death... The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life... Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life... The fear of The Lord prolongs life."

11:4, 19 "Righteous delivers from death... Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live."

12:28 "In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death."

{Distracted} When I forget to focus on eternal things, I forget that this world isn't all there is. I forget that the world doesn't revolve around me. I forget what my end goal is. His purposes are the same even when I forget them and He wants me to join him no matter how many times I wander. He brings me back into reality and I find more joy in life when God is in control. I no longer carry the weight of big decisions or big responsibilities because I know God is sovereign, God is good, and He promises to meet all my needs.

{Discouraged} He reminds me that there is hope despite myself. Living for a bigger purpose is what gives me courage to persevere. When my worth is in anything other than being bought with the blood of Christ, I lose courage. I tend to give a lot of weight to others opinions of me, valuing their perspective over God's.  Or I find value in my own abilities. Both of these lead to discouragement because people don't love me unconditionally and I'm far from perfect. 

I want to be grounded, focused, and overflowing in courage. 

Goals: 

-Spending more time getting knowledge and perspective through prayer, the Bible, and reflecting back to see God at work.

-Allowing myself to be wrong and welcoming help and correction from others.

-Finding a church to attend on Sundays.

-Balancing my life. Making time every day to pursue being more grounded, focused, and o erflowing in courage.

Life these days

It's crazy to me how much life can change in so little time. I feel it's pretty regular during this stage of college life. Classes change every few months, jobs change, friends graduate or move, roommates change, and the list goes on. My schedule is constantly moving. New things this semester include being a family studies major, working the front desk at my dorm, hanging with philosophers on Sunday nights, floor Bible study on Tuesdays, a new book with our first floor ladies, a new Galations study in RUF, preparing for a trip to Zambia in June and to Guatemala in July, and I'm living with an engaged lady now! So many fresh starts!

I'm now making more chai tea lattes, than regular lattes. I'm listening to lots of Bastille, Alex Clare, and a little Arctic Monkeys. My new pastime is watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I'm missing my Chinese friends who I haven't ran into near as much lately. I am loving weekly coffee with my friend Alex. She motivates me to have a passion and a purpose and to be more about adventure, learning, and people. Grateful for sweet friends who make me more interesting. Without them I'd be a hermit with bad taste in music and little grace to give. I'm currently reading 7 books, all very good. I'm excited to get a little further along on my reading list. 

This semester I am most excited about some concerts coming up (especially Local Natives!), finishing Mark with Alex and starting something new together, hanging with philosophy friends on Sunday nights, and having the land cruiser with the top off in the spring!