Count It All Joy

I know I have been falling short of my blogging duties.

However, college is a pretty large time commitment, even when you have no idea what you want to do or be. 

Well today is a beautiful Sunday. 

I just finished studying for tomorrows math test , and I am really praying I can do well. I am not naturally good at math, terrible at it actually. But I thank the Lord I am able to have a college education, which makes radicals and uniform motion applications seem not so bad! 

Since today is Sunday, I went to church this morning. 

We have been studying the book of Nehemiah, as I have probably already mentioned.

Now, I really enjoy the Old Testament, but sometime I find it difficult to understand what exactly it is talking about. Also, it is filled with names words that I cannot pronounce, so that doesn't really count as light reading either. But I know that it is inspired by the Lord and every last word has significance and meaning.

So, going through the book of Nehemiah has been especially interesting. Who knew that the story of the man who rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem has so much more spiritual meaning for life with Christ today? 

Every one of the gates that were rebuilt stands for something specific within the common Christians walk with the Lord. 

Two specifically caught my attention today. 

The Valley and the Dung Gates. 

The Valley gate obviously is centered around a valley, however it is positioned at a good distance from any other gate. Definitely spaced longer than any of the others. This gate signifies trails and tribulations, the difficulties that every Christian faces. And after that comes the Dung gate, which was a place for the waste and trash to be taken out from the city. 

The reason I find this so interesting is because about two weeks ago my dad and I had a similar discussion, although it wasn't about Nehemiah. 

My dad told me that sometimes we go through difficulties in our lives because the Lord is going through the process of cleaning out our spirit of the worldly and fleshly desires. Even when we may not realize they are there. 

"Count it all joy, brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

James obviously understood that trials don't occur just because we are followers of Christ. Or so that we can have our prayers answered in the end. This is a true testament of God's love for us. He seeks to burn out of us the desires of the world, and in turn give us true peace and rest in God. 

The lacking in nothing that James mentions doesn't talk about worldly possessions. 

He is talking about being at peace, and even having JOY, because we are in Him and Him in us. That we may not have to worry or doubt in His goodness. And that we may also see the blessing of our current situation. 

For example, I had been facing my own difficulties. 

It was frustrating seeing my entire life in front of me and being completely at a loss of what to do with it. 

I knew more than anything I wanted to serve the Lord, but after months of praying I still was unsure of where to go or what to do. 

Through this time the Lord revealed to me that it wasn't about seeing a physical manifestation of my prayers, it was about the changing of my spirit. 

I began to understand that I needed to look at my own life, right as it is now, no matter how difficult it can be, and know that I am blessed. 

So that whenever the physical manifestations do occur, I can be content with what I have then, and not search for something else to make me happy. 

And there is JOY in that! 

The Lord Is Good! 

Fantasy Faces!

I am so very excited! 

I finally got my own website up for my face painting business!

It is a work in progress but I am so thrilled to have it up. 

Check it out and let me know what you think

http://www.wix.com/arielle077/fantasyfaces

Pinterest Is My Friend

You may not know this but like all new online fads, Pinterest is amazing. And, as sad as I am to say it, I know one day it will get the Myspace Syndrome (its sort of like disco...or Twilight). At some point people will no longer admit they ever participated in what we currently call Pinteresting. 

When that day comes I will joyfully delete this post, so that I may to deny my Pinteresting hobby. 

Unless blogging is no longer socially acceptable. 

Not sure what I will do then. 

Anyway here are some of my favorites! 

Okay that made me laugh! 

This will be my child's Halloween costume some day! 

I really like this one, it is just so true. 

So I don't know if any of you feel like you got anything from this post. Probably not! 

Have a wonderful night anyway. 

The Silencing Peace of God

Okay, I feel like I have a lot to write about today. 

First thing I want to say, is that I just wrote this post, down to the point of publish, and for some reason my computer refreshed and cleared my work. Yea, sad! However, I know that what I have to say is important enough to write all over again from scratch. 

Alright so, second thing is that it is February 23, 2012 and it is 65 degrees outside. It is a miracle! Praise God for such fantastic weather. If I wasn't getting over an illness I would have went on a jog with my dog today. 

And no, I did not just mean to rhyme. 

This fluffy mess of pure joy is named Squishy! 

He may look like a hard core farm cat, but he is all love. And he was so enjoying the weather this morning that when I went outside to sit on the porch he crawled in my lap, practically begging for a picture. 

Anyway, with that said I can move along to the third thing.

The silencing peace of God. 

Yeah, I know that is a stretched transition, from cat to God, but bare with me. 

I am just so excited to be serving such a loving and faithful God. Words cannot appropriately describe His glory, but I will do my best. 

So, I have always pretty much understood that Jesus died for humanities sin, even though he was pure and sustained by it himself. However, a point came in my life where that head knowledge became heart knowledge and my prayers changed. It wasn't so much "God give me everything," but rather "God I give you everything." 

Although it was hard because how could I possibly give anything worthy back to the Savior of my life! 

But I began to understand that it wasn't about what I had to give Him, it was the willingness to give it that was important. 

Then I had another problem, I realized that as much as I wanted to give my all to the Lord, I could not even do that without His guidance. I needed Him to lead me closer, to humble me, and give me wisdom in His workings. 

And if that wasn't all, He used those things to help me understand that I may pray for something but His will is ultimately so much sweeter than whatever I may plan or ask for. 

I guess you could say the moral of this seemingly confusing story is that God wants to go above and beyond our expectations. He has a plan for our lives, but we cannot find it by being in control. 

Loosing yourself is finding the peace of God. 

All you can do is stand back in awe and 

Silence. 

Musings and Other Things

Okay, so to be honest I am the last person I would ever think to have a blog. I don't write well about myself, if you need proof read my 'about me.' 

However, I have always been inspired by Dawn's Cottage Corner, who by the way is an amazing beautiful women who I completely look up to. Also my girl Leesuh made her own recently and its wonderful and original so I thought I would like to dabble in the world of online creative expression as well. 

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Do you ever pray for something, and then nothing happens? 

You hear the Lord speak to you, and you say "Okay Lord, I am ready, lets get this show on the road. I am so ready, Father all I want is to serve You...Like I said..I am ready...Lets do this...Where are you???" Well some of you are probably not as melodramatic as I make that seem, but its true, it happens to all of us. We pray for something we are sure the Lord has stirred into our hearts but at the end of the day all we can ask is

"God, Is This You?" 

Let me share this, which I definitely learned the exhausting way, that just because we are ready, doesn't mean God is. I am still learning, in the most difficult, painstakingly slow, yet amazingly peaceful process that the timing of God is impeccable. 

Think of Nehemiah. 

When he heard of the destruction of Jerusalem, the place of his birth, he wept and mourned as well as prayed and fast. And he did so for four months. 

Eventually  God open the opportunity for Nehemiah to request to the king Artaxerxes for the rebuilding of the city of his fathers. This is the same king who refused for Jerusalem to ever be rebuilt. However, he gave Nehemiah what he asked for and then some.

God makes the impossible possible. 

And on his own time. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding

In all your ways acknowledge him

and he will make you paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6