Do you ever feel restless? I am sure that this is a silly question being as if you are a woman and you are reading this blog, you might have felt restless and just decided to look at some blogs to preoccupy your mind a bit. I am restless today. Not a bad kind of restless, but I think more of a restlessness that is just going to play itself out and then I will figure out why I am restless. Summer has begun, and cheer camp is over. Praise the Lord. Today was my first real day of nothing planned. Well, I take that back, I had something this morning for school, but it was done by 11. All that to say, I grabbed a nice little bite with my grandparents at their casa and then came back home, jumped in my pjs and hopped into bed with my journal, Bible and So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore. It has been awhile since I have had nothing planned for an extended period of time, and so I thought I would just rest. My plan was to read and journal and then in the lull and calm, I would fall into a deep sleep and take the most wonderful nap of my life. Alas, that is not exactly what happened. I found myself first opening my journal and writing down goals I had for myself this summer. Not necessarily a bad thing...I mean a girl has got to have goals, right?! Especially Miss. Planned, here. Then I started reading. As I was reading from my amazing book I got to a stopping point and decided to take a nap. And then the phone rang. So much for the nap. The funny thing about today has been how much my interruptions have seemed to point me towards Jesus. Instead of napping and resting that way, I have really gotten a chance to rest in the Lord. It has been a fun day. The title of my post today is "Time for Change". The reason I have entitled that is because the Lord has really done some work in my heart in the past half of the year. Well, really the past 3 years, but I have seen significant changes in the past 6-7 months. It has actually been quite cool, because where I was feeling like I was in the wilderness and still really trying to seek Him, I am now seeing a lot of things come to fruition which creates an amazing amount of thanksgiving in my heart as well as praise. How great is my God that he would be gracious enough to show me such love and at that, lavish it upon me. Even in some situations that have happened personally and professionally the Lord has used certain people to engage me and call me on some things, that I believe the Lord has been trying to show me for a long time. It was a like a light-bulb went off. I very, very bright light-bulb that is so blinding you wonder how you did not see it the whole time. As much as I can grow weary of the wilderness season, it has been ever so lovely to see Christ in so much of ins and outs of my life lately. He is just soooooo good!! He constantly amazes me with HOW MUCH grace He lavishes upon me. He continues to unravel these truths for me and show me that they are actual truths and I need to abide in them and just trust Him.
All this to say, today will not be a long post (at least for me, you know I am long-winded) but I wanted to drop a line and say hello and just talk about how GOOD our God is. Here pretty soon I will be changing up my blog a bit. I think it is time for a change since the Lord is doing so much in my heart! I am SUPER excited for what He might have me share on this. One I guess, if nothing else, to brag on how GREAT He is. (Disclaimer: He doesn't need me to brag on Him, but it is fun when I can;)) Some of the things I hope to talk about are the following- how the Lord is working on my heart about insecurity, pride, fear and anxiety. So many of these issues He is helping me battle out....hopefully to the DEATH! I know you may be thinking, Ashley calm down, but I am really pumped to see what He is up to with me. I am telling you, He is up to something, and I LOVE it!
I will leave you with some truths I am loving right now!!
I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
Isaiah 41:9-10
Do not be deceived my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whole there is not variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
James 1:16-19
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthy in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on a new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has given you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love , which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:2-10,12-15
Love you guys! I will write again soon! :)
