Encouragement
Poor Abe. He definitely deserves points for sitting on the phone with me last night as I began to process Britt's move and felt so alone. I cried for a good portion of the hour that we talked, and he did his best to maintain some semblance of conversation. It was tough though, because my mind was running a mile a minute, wondering how much it's going to cost to furnish the spaces in my apartment left empty. I couldn't stop thinking about my roommate situation, financial burdens, professional development papers, regular school busyness. I just could not relax and focus on being thankful for what God has provided in my life. I have a godly boyfriend to support me, I still have someone to pay half the rent through December, I still have over half the apartment furnished, God still allows me to pay for the things I absolutely need month-to-month.. I just have to find ways to make it stretch.
After trying (and failing) to distract me multiple times, I could tell Abe was getting frustrated and he kept saying that he wished he could just fix everything for me and make everything fall into place at the snap of his fingers. When nothing seemed to be working, he finally said "Cast your cares on God, babe, it's gonna work out," and cut right through my worries to my heart. Of course I need to stop worrying so much and just give it to God. I'm not insignificant to Him. He just wants me to get out of the way and stop making more of a mess of things so he can get on with his plan for me. Out of all the things Abe said in an effort to help me last night, forcing me back into reality in quoting scripture was the best thing he could've done.
Today, my students took a test, so I decided to do a little scripture reading since I seem to have lost my focus in all the stress. I felt pressed to read Isaiah 54 and 55, then 51. Several verses really jumped out at me in encouragement as I was reminded that although I feel alone and abandoned, God is still here. Here are a few of them:
"For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken", says the Lord, who has mercy on you. -Isaiah 54:10
No matter what happens in the coming months, I can trust that God will continue to bless me as long as I trust him to be there. And he's faithful in every situation. I have no reason to believe I will be completely alone.
Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. -Isaiah 55:6
He is near! He hasn't gone anywhere, he hasn't abandoned me, and he's not lost. He's just waiting for me to seek after him with all that I am, and I have to admit, I haven't been putting my whole heart into my relationship with the Lord lately.
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8-9
These words are in the chorus of a simple worship song that I absolutely love. As much as I want to plan out exactly what is going to happen to me in my life, I have to remember that I can't see the big picture like God can. He's got it all under control, as long as I'll recognize the fact that He's the one who should be in control, and not me. I mean, he's got credentials.
"For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the Lord of Heaven's Armies. And I have put my words in your mouth and hidden you safely in my hand." -Isaiah 51:15-16
I just love the picture this one paints in my mind. Even when the waves are crashing around me and it seems like I'm fighting a losing battle, God's got me tucked away in the palm of his hand to protect me from attack. Just reading this verse alone gave me a peace in my heart and I realized that I really can stop freaking out about everything.
Finally, God wrapped things up nicely by showing me this verse:
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. -Proverbs 12:25
What a perfect way to describe the way I've felt since August. I've felt completely crushed under the weight of all my worries, and it's my fault. Instead of focusing on the One who can carry my burden for me, I've been trying my best to take care of everything myself. It's not working out so well, I have to say. Yet, these verses really gave me a sense that I'm headed in the right direction. It's just another lesson in giving up control, as hard as that may be.
As I put my Bible back on my desk, some of my students that had finished their test brought me some poster paper. When I looked at it, I realized they had made a card for me that said "Miss Parrish Rocks!!" and it was filled with sweet messages on the inside about how much they love having me as their teacher. I almost melted into a puddle of tears right in front of them. It was just a confirmation in my heart that though I feel like such a failure at life sometimes, God is using me to do something right after all.
An encouraging word cheers a person up.
After trying (and failing) to distract me multiple times, I could tell Abe was getting frustrated and he kept saying that he wished he could just fix everything for me and make everything fall into place at the snap of his fingers. When nothing seemed to be working, he finally said "Cast your cares on God, babe, it's gonna work out," and cut right through my worries to my heart. Of course I need to stop worrying so much and just give it to God. I'm not insignificant to Him. He just wants me to get out of the way and stop making more of a mess of things so he can get on with his plan for me. Out of all the things Abe said in an effort to help me last night, forcing me back into reality in quoting scripture was the best thing he could've done.
Today, my students took a test, so I decided to do a little scripture reading since I seem to have lost my focus in all the stress. I felt pressed to read Isaiah 54 and 55, then 51. Several verses really jumped out at me in encouragement as I was reminded that although I feel alone and abandoned, God is still here. Here are a few of them:
"For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken", says the Lord, who has mercy on you. -Isaiah 54:10
No matter what happens in the coming months, I can trust that God will continue to bless me as long as I trust him to be there. And he's faithful in every situation. I have no reason to believe I will be completely alone.
Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. -Isaiah 55:6
He is near! He hasn't gone anywhere, he hasn't abandoned me, and he's not lost. He's just waiting for me to seek after him with all that I am, and I have to admit, I haven't been putting my whole heart into my relationship with the Lord lately.
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8-9
These words are in the chorus of a simple worship song that I absolutely love. As much as I want to plan out exactly what is going to happen to me in my life, I have to remember that I can't see the big picture like God can. He's got it all under control, as long as I'll recognize the fact that He's the one who should be in control, and not me. I mean, he's got credentials.
"For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the Lord of Heaven's Armies. And I have put my words in your mouth and hidden you safely in my hand." -Isaiah 51:15-16
I just love the picture this one paints in my mind. Even when the waves are crashing around me and it seems like I'm fighting a losing battle, God's got me tucked away in the palm of his hand to protect me from attack. Just reading this verse alone gave me a peace in my heart and I realized that I really can stop freaking out about everything.
Finally, God wrapped things up nicely by showing me this verse:
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. -Proverbs 12:25
What a perfect way to describe the way I've felt since August. I've felt completely crushed under the weight of all my worries, and it's my fault. Instead of focusing on the One who can carry my burden for me, I've been trying my best to take care of everything myself. It's not working out so well, I have to say. Yet, these verses really gave me a sense that I'm headed in the right direction. It's just another lesson in giving up control, as hard as that may be.
As I put my Bible back on my desk, some of my students that had finished their test brought me some poster paper. When I looked at it, I realized they had made a card for me that said "Miss Parrish Rocks!!" and it was filled with sweet messages on the inside about how much they love having me as their teacher. I almost melted into a puddle of tears right in front of them. It was just a confirmation in my heart that though I feel like such a failure at life sometimes, God is using me to do something right after all.
An encouraging word cheers a person up.