Solidly Planted

Lately I was reading in Jeremiah 17, verses 7 and 8. It paints a picture of a tree that is planted by a steady stream of water. And even though times of drought came, and even when the heat comes, the tree does not fear because its roots are firmly embedded in the stream. I was thinking when I read this, “Wow, I want my life to be like that tree. That even though hard times come, even through times of drought when God feels like he’s a million miles away, even when the heat comes and my faith is tested, I don’t want to be fearful. Instead, I want my roots in Christ to be firmly planted in the stream of life. I want my leaves to always be green; I always want to be producing good fruit.”

So many times, I forget to go to God right away when trials come, or when a time of testing occurs. So many times I forget that God can handle anything that life throws at me. But how much more do I want my life to be like that tree!

The beautiful part of life is that we never really arrive until we’re in heaven. There is always room for improvement, always room to keep becoming more and more like Jesus on a daily basis. I think that’s the coolest thing ever, because I can always go deeper with God, I can always grow closer to God. There will never be a point in my life where I will cease to want more of God. He’s like a drug; I want more of him every day!

The cool thing about this metaphor is the stream. See, the stream never fails the tree. The stream is constant and dependable, always there to replenish, refresh, and renew. It always provides nutrients that are necessary to keep the tree alive.

In the same way, our Heavenly Father is like that stream. He is constant and dependable, faithful and never failing. He never runs dry, nor does he ever take a break from taking care of us. He is always there to provide nutrients to keep our spiritual life alive. He is always there to renew, replenish, and refresh our spirits. Never does he fail to restore us after a hard week, or after a time of trial. He keeps us alive, spiritually and emotionally as well as physically. If we stay tapped into the stream of life, he will never let us grow thirsty. Like it says in John 4:13, 14, he is our living water and we will never thirst again if we have him.

It says that we are blessed if we trust in him, and have confidence in the Lord. How much trust that tree must have in the stream to provide for it. In the same way, we need to depend on God and trust him to provide for our every need. God is big enough to take care of everything that we could ever need or want in life. But it takes a spirit of faith for the impossible to occur.

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7, 8

Precious in His sight

So, I have spent the last 14 hours studying for cellular biology. Yep, all about chromosomes, mitosis, meiosis, cell cycles, transcription and translation as well as cancer. A lot to memorize. Regardless, it’s amazing how our bodies were created and designed. All of those intricate little details that all work together perfectly to create a fully functional human being? Amazing. It’s fun to see how God created us in his own image, which meant creating all those little elaborate details strictly for the purpose of making life possible for us. I know, I’m rambling.. But think about it! The Creator of the universe designed you and me different, specifically and individually, all the while making some things the same so doctors can help us when our bodies do occasionally malfunction. It blows my mind away!

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about self image. Sometimes, we as humans look at ourselves and only see mistakes and worthlessness. We sometimes only seek junk when God created us for so much more. It breaks my heart when people look at the amazing creation that he created and only see the things that we wish we could change about ourselves. I am just as guilty of this as the next person. I was especially convicted of this around 4 am when I took a break from studying to spend some quality time with my Heavenly Father. He put a couple words on my heart that I’d like to share with you right now:

“Keep trusting me, keep following my plan. I have told you countless times now that I never make mistakes, I never make junk. Every person was created to be exactly how they are for a specific purpose. You can’t see it just yet because I haven’t revealed it to you yet. I am not being mean or malicious, nor am I taunting you with this information. I am not withholding it from you strictly for the purpose of watching you squirm impatiently. But you are not ready to have it revealed to you just yet. But keep seeking me; keep seeking knowledge and wisdom from me. Be patient with my timing since I know exactly when you will be ready.

Keep being honest with expressing yourself before me. I want you to keep coming to me for everything. I want to celebrate your victories with you, weep with you in your sorrows, and hug you when you’re lonely, laugh with you when you’re filled with joy. I want to comfort you when you are troubled, protect you when you need saving, heal you when you need restoration, smile with you when you see the beauty that is all around you. I want to experience every emotion with you, walk you through your trials and deserts, hold your hand through the valleys, soar with you on the mountain tops, and whisper in your ear when you seek me in the Secret Place.

Be desperate for me, the same way I am desperate for you. Find your identity with me and in me and through me. You do that, and you will have your answers to why I made you the way I did… I am never going to turn you down. I am never going to stop loving you. I am never going to fail you. I am your God, and I will keep you and save you; I will rescue you time and time again.”

I can’t emphasize how much each of you is worth! You are precious in God’s sight. Don’t ever forget that! He knew you before you were even born, and he desires to know you more than anything! How comforting is that thought?!!

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:13, 14

A little preview of me...

To be completely honest, I am not quite sure why I decided to start a blog. It all started today, when I was sitting in abnormal psychology feeling rather bored and wanting to do something spontaneous. So I started a blog. Wow, exciting. 

Just kidding.. you people must realize that I can be sarcastic sometimes.

Regardless of that fact, having a blog is about being honest, and I will do my best.

So, a little bit about me: I am currently a sophomore in college, but credit-wise, I’m a senior. I shall hopefully be graduating in three more semesters, but a lot can happen between then and now. I enjoy sketching a ton; it’s my main stress reliever. I love photography, but I haven’t had enough time to go take pictures around town. My major is psychology, but whatever God wants for my life is what I’ll do. Yes, as you might have expected from that last sentence, I am a Christian.

For me, Christianity isn’t a fancy title. It’s not my “get out of jail free card” or my ticket to a guiltless life. For me, being a Christian is a lifestyle. It’s a part of my day every single day. It consumes my time, takes over my mind, and it rules my life. All in a good way, of course.

Contrary to popular belief, being a Christian is never dull. It’s never been boring or tedious. Rather, it’s been an exciting journey following God’s plan, and it’s only gonna get better as time goes on. True, life has been tougher ever since I became a Christian (that’s a totally different story, and it involves Toronto, sandwiches, and a homeless guy named Richard). Anyways, back on track because I was going somewhere with that thought… Oh yeah, life has definitely been more of a challenge ever since I became a follower of Christ. But the beauty of that is I have learned to find the good in every situation, no matter how bleak. That’s why I decided to name my blog “Amazed by Grace.” In every situation, ever circumstance, every heartache or every moment of joy, God is so good, and he continues to bless me time and time again.

God is my everything, and I am so thankful he found me almost three years ago.

On a change of topic, it’s spring season, which means new life is blooming everywhere. The trees will soon be forming new leaves, green grass will start growing. There’s beauty all around us.

It’s also a new season of life for me. Next year I’ll be stepping up into more of a leadership role at Chi Alpha, and I’m excited to pour into other’s girls lives in such a way that I’ve been poured into. It’s a new season of growth and development in my spiritual walk, and I’m so excited to share my heart with a new group of girls.

It’s also a new season for a lot of other people. Some of the leaders at Chi Alpha are graduating, and a whole bunch of us will have to step in and fill those roles. New lives are starting together, since I’m pretty sure the number of engaged couples at Chi has reached twenty something. Insane. It’s an exciting time for so many people that sometimes it’s hard to keep the focus on God. Good thing that he gives us promises such as this one:

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13

We need to remember to keep seeking after God’s heart, since he’s the only one we can go to for all of life’s struggles and needs as well as joyful and prosperous moments.