Life Verse

Something that my grandma has always asked me is, "What will your verse for the year be?" Many years I have come up with a verse, but forgotten what it was by about half way through the year. To think of a life verse seemed too premature and too big of a deal for me to ever come up with. Both my grandma and my grandpa have life verses, and I had not recognized the huge value of a life verse until now.

Throughout this past year, I have learned a lot about myself, my name meaning, and my calling. Things have fallen together in an awesome way, and I feel that God has given me a great revelation of where I was, where I am, and where I am going. I feel a strong calling to fulfill my name meaning: to be pure and refreshing in God's sight. In considering what this means for me, I decided to memorize Psalm 119:9-16. It says, "How can a man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments. I have stores up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you O Lord; teach me your statutes. With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes. I will not forget your word." These verses are my bookmark in my Bible and in the notes on my phone listed as "A daily prayer."

This summer, God has revealed to me that he is a perfect example of total purity and he fully refreshes us. He's shown me how to strive for purity in everything I do- thoughts, words, and actions. In this, I have realized that these verses lay out some of the huge goals and purposes of my life.

Verse nine says that God's Holy word is a crucial element of my purity. I want to become more and more aquatinted with God and his Holy example through his word. The tenth verse talks about seeking God with my WHOLE heart. This is a struggle for me as I find so many things holding me back from completely seeking God with everything. Throughout my life I want to learn to truly seek God with all that is within me. In seeking God fully, I can really work to follow what he commands me, and I can love and appreciate the commands that he gives me. Verse eleven challenges me to make memorizing scripture a priority so that I can be encouraged and convicted daily through the Holy Spirit's reminder of God's word. Verse twelve reminds me to praise the lord and learn from him. I am encouraged to share what God teaches me in verse thirteen. Verse fourteen tells me to be reminded of what God has done in my life and in others' lives and to be filled with joy because of it. In verse fifteen I am reminded to consider and think about God's ways. And the last verse reminds me to delight in him and his laws, and to forever remember his word.

So what does it mean for this to be my life verse? To me it means that I will keep this verse fresh on my mind throughout the rest of my life. I will make it a frequent prayer for my life, and it will be a good reminder of where I started and where I am going. It will be a way to refocus and focus on God and his goodness above all else.

I praise you for the things you've been teaching me this year and this summer.
I praise you for where I was, where I am, and where I am going.
Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee.

Anger Management

Hello readers. I would like to write today about an issue that I had not experienced until recently and why it doesn't make sense. The issue is being angry at God.

This summer, I have really been trying to seek God out with my whole heart (Psalm 119:10). As soon as I feel like I am back where I want to be (completely in awe of Christ and ready to make changes in my life for him), something bad happens. When I say something bad happens, I don't mean that I got run over by a car or didn't have any meals that day. I mean that I got in a fight with someone or felt misunderstood (pathetic, I know). At that point, I let my feelings take over and I get angry with God. I begin feeling hopeless and depressed because of something so small, and I fail to trust God. Then, I would rather hold a grudge against God, then admit that I am wrong and ask for forgiveness. As I talk through this issue I have, I recognize that I had not even confessed this sin until now. I am in awe of my ridiculousness and God's grace. Thank God for forgiveness and second chances.

There is no reason to be angry at God. He knows so much better than I do, and he has blessed me more than I can imagine. To get upset with him and hold a grudge against me only shows my immaturity and trust issues. As I learn to trust God more and more and to truly seek him with my whole heart, I will learn to choose joy and thankfulness over anger and displeasure.

After several setbacks like these, I am moving forward and working to trust God with the trials and temptations that Satan will send my way.

Lord, teach me to trust.
Teach me to be thankful.
Make me more like you.