march 22, 2001
it's late and i should go to sleep soon! man...
i just wanna say, "praise god!" lately, it seems like god's been giving me an extra serving of blessings on top of all the normal good stuff. i don't think i've done anything to deserve it, but i ain't complainin'! in fact, i KNOW i haven't done anything to deserve it, but that's really how god works, i suppose. he's recently opened the door for me to go on and pursue a career i've been praying and preparing for for a while. he's opened the door for me to go on a short-term missions trip this summer, clearing a bunch of roadblocks i thought would deter me from going. church has been awesome! we've had several guest speakers related to missions over the last four weeks. god's really really been speaking to me through these men; i'm seeing more and more what a great privilege it is to be on the front lines, watching the spirit do it's life-changing thing in the lives of so many people. and my friends - new and old - have been a source of constant happiness, fun, laughter, etc. even beyond all these tangible blessings, god's really given me a lot of comfort, a lot of joy in my heart these days. it's hard to explain it really, but trust me, it's real! and my response is this: keep it coming, god! ha ha. well, i've been around the block long enough to know that life is a roller coaster, and that i'll have rough times soon enough. but right now, i'm enjoying every minute of the life that he's given me, and hopefully i'll use the things i'm learning and experiencing now to continually build upon the relationship i have with jesus - my savior, my lord.
tell me if it's just me, but it seems that people find it easier to come to god, to seek him diligently and prayerfully, when they're going through a really rough period in their lives. and i guess that's easily explainable and totally valid. i mean, of course, when things aren't going the way you'd like, and it's causing you grief, then turning to god is the best thing you can do. the flip side of that is, that sometimes people don't attribute to god the good things that happen in their lives, forgetting that he is the source of all blessings. and i think this is a real challenge for young, working people like me - to maintain the right attitude of humility and gratitude before god when the world tells you that you don't need him to be happy and secure. so i pray that god will always allow me to have the proper perspective on everything - through the good and the bad - that before i knew him, i was hopeless; but because of his grace, i now live in the abundant riches of his glory. and what an awesome thing that is!
every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
- james 1:17