Lake view strikes

As I was looking out at the green lake, it occurred to me that this lake painted a stark picture of what I wanted. When you look straight down into the water, the water is so murky and full of “junk”. No one would want to swim in water that looks that gross. But when you look out into the middle of the lake the water looks crystal clear and wonderful. All I want is to fly out into that perfectly clear water and swim in the beautiful perfect water in the middle of the lake.

Then reality struck me. Seeing as I cannot fly, my only real option is to swim through the muck in order to get to the good water. Though I cannot see it, however, the water in the middle of the lake is just as murky and gross as the water where I stand now. It is because of my far away view that makes it look so much better. In fact, even if I swam through the gunk to the middle of the lake, I would find myself still surrounded in murky water. Even though my life now seems murky and a mess, I have to swim through it to get to where I’m going. I cannot fly over the next few important steps. I must realize that the fairy tale that seemingly awaits me far out in the clear water is not as clear and wonderful as I think, for all of life is filled with our junk. There will be no point in my life where I will finally be through with the junk and be able to swim in crystal clear water.

I want to keep swimming. I want to enjoy my muck, now!

 

A Day in the Life

1. John creamed me at Farkle (score: 14, 400 to 11, 050 -we had surpassed 10,000 before it was too late)
2. Then we moved onto playing Wii Mario kart (which is the only game I can successfully play) and he beat me at that too!
3. Dad and John and I took a trip to Firehouse Subs to visit the AWESOME pop machine made by Ferrari.
4. I did a little reading on how to decorate small kitchens--for future reference ;)
5. Dad and I read through old photo albums including many naked butt pictures (I'm not sure why parents always think that's so cute)
6. To escape the heat and to relax we watched an afternoon movie: The Italian Job.
7. Mom and I watched Chopped.
8. Lastly I changed my blog design! These are my new favorite color combinations!

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Mark 5:36

The past few weeks God has been taking me through a journey of trust. I have, in the past, struggled alot with fear. I worry about everything. Safety is the biggest. I also worry about the future, the current status of relationships, and what other people are thinking. I want to plan out my life so that I know what will happen next and I won't be taken by surprise. But I bet you can guess what happens! 
God always throws me for a loop by not giving me what I plan and surprising me anyways. 
Matthew 6 :25-34 has always been in the back of my head, where God tells us not to worry. But recently He pointed out specifically Matthew 6:27 "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" I have been trying to remember that God is in 100% control of my life and the life of those around me, especially when it comes to matters of life and death. 
Also, along these lines, I am starting to learn about the concept of asking and receiving from God. In my study of the book of Mark, I have read about so many of Jesus' miracles. All Jesus wanted was glory to God and for the people to see and believe. He wanted the people to lay down their lives and whole-heartedly trust in God. God also promises that through faith He will give us what we ask. In Mark it says "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." In praying on this and thinking about this, I realized that God has already given me what I have asked for (it just may look different that I had planned). In some ways, it is more important that I trust that God has already answered my prayer and my desire rather than questioning Him because I don't see it or feel it in the way I had expected. 
This is looking to be a long journey of learning to trust God but I am dedicated to give my life fully to Him and to trust Him in all things!

Friends

I have always been the kind of person who has "best friends". I tend to latch onto one person in a given circumstance and they quickly become my everything. I find myself, wrapped up in one friend, with no need for any others. In the past, this mentality has come back to bite me. I become so attached to this one person that I suffocate them and they eventually move on to find less needy friends. For those of you whom I have shared this with before know that this has caused me much heartbreak. I love so intensely and so deeply that it is devastating when God rips them out of my life.
This summer I have come to the realization that, other than my boyfriend, I don't really have a best friend. Yes, I think that Daniel has become my best friend, the one that I tell everything to and share my life with. However, we have a made it a point to make time for our other friends, in order to maintain a healthy balance. It has been in making time for other friends this summer that I have realized that my deepest and closest friends are my few friends from way back in high school. It is the friends who I have known the longest who know me the best, are dedicated to me, and who I have the healthiest friendships with. I am so greatful to have wonderful girls who care so much for me and who love me and accept me for who I am.
I am realizing that it is not always the people you do everything with who are your best friends, but rather those who you have gradually gotten to know and have lived life with.