God, you are so much bigger than finals and grades. the things of this earth will all pass away, but you will remain. even the greatest of accomplishments don’t mean a lot to the accomplisher once s/he is dead.
but God, you are everything, both in this life and the next.
help me to see that. help me to remember it …
there are moments of incredible clarity in my walk where God reveals himself to me.
he shows me his love and mercy and the depth of his grace for me. and in the light of his presence, everything is so blindingly clear.
i am a sinner. God is holy and pure and righteous. i am wicked. yet God’s grace is greater than my sin. he loves me so much. so incomprehensibly much.
and in those moments of clarity, all i can do is weep and worship as i consider my own sin and depravity and God’s goodness and love to me.
it makes no sense, his grace. what do i have to offer the king and maker of the universe? and yet he calls me his own, his beloved, his treasure, his son that is worth dying for.
even more, i am sanctified once and for all by the blood of Jesus Christ. and there is no more condemnation. no more pointless striving. no more impossible standards. only the gratitude of a condemned man given new life and a determination to live this new life for His glory.
His grace is more than sufficient for me.
Affections:
1) long-lasting
2) deep
3) consistent with beliefs
4) always result in action
5) involve mind, will, feelings
Emotions:
1) fleeting
2) superficial
3) sometimes overpowering
4) often fail to produce action
5) feelings (often) disconnected from the mind and will
TRUTH
To wake up each morning with thanksgiving in my heart and praise on my lips.
teach me to number my days, that i may gain a heart of wisdom
I want a lot of things for my kids.
I want them to be healthy and safe, happy and secure.
I want them to do their best in whatever they set their hand to do, whether it be an instrument, a career, or a relationship.
I want them to understand why art and music and writing are important, and to have a healthy appreciation for such things.
I want them to do what they love, and to be safe while doing so.
I want them to be a blessing to those around them, and to bring joy to those they encounter.
I want them to be hungry for knowledge, to constantly ask questions and then go and seek out the answers.
Above those, I want them to love and fear the Lord God almighty, who is the only one that can ever truly satisfy them.
But even if they do none of these things, I want them to know that I love them unendlessly. Moreover, that their father in heaven loves them infinitely more than I can.
Whether or not my children reciprocate my love, I am committed to them—beyond emotion and feeling, I am bound to them. And regardless of whether or not we as humans show love to God, he is in love with us. His love is far beyond anything I could dream of reaching. But I promise I will try to love as he does—not by my own strength but by the grace and mercy of the father.
every effort to find happiness in the world ends in misery and loneliness and despair.
lyrics:
I fold the page to remember where we last left off
Let me stay here with You for a while
To find my rest
Take me on a journey, so I can cling onto You
When the darkness looms over me
Let me fix my gaze on you
The earth may crumble beneath me
And the sky turns to grey
Your arms of grace are reaching for me
How great You are, I give You my all
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me
Rid me of insecurities
I will place my worth in You
Renew me, I don’t want to be the same
Consume me, may Your Spirit dwell in me
when i am afraid, help me to remember who you are.
help me to remember, in the midst of my raging insecurities, that you are far beyond any demons that hell or my mind can conjure. you are my rock and my hiding place, my firm foundation, the lifter of my head, and the one who will never fail me or let me go.
i will trust in you. i will cling to you.
