Counting My Blessings

I heard from Sara Lewis today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I honestly can not even begin to explain to you my excitement over this! But the really sad part is that I missed her phone call :( I was at work and my phone was on silent (like all good worker's phones are) and then I realized I had a missed call and voicemail from "Unknown". Listened to the voicemail and it was my bestie! Ahhh! I have literally been smiling ear to ear all day! I wish I could upload the voicemail so you all could hear it...but I'm in no way technologically gifted...so that won't be happening. But it was wonderful! And she said she loves China, loves the Chinese food (which was a worry for her, ha), and has the best Chinese friends ever! I'm so happy for her I can't even put it into words. It's an out of this world feeling to know that God has blessed you with a sister in Christ, that not only is your best friend, but is a bubble full of godly wisdom with Christ-like love to give. (If you can't tell I'm so excited right now and just giddy with the blessing of her friendship!)

Anywho... So I was just doing my devotional for today and it correlated so well with the "season" I am currently in. I am home for the summer, working a summer job, and just hanging around with friends and family. I have had a huge amount of time to spend in the Word and reading any and all books. This summer has been exactly what I needed. One of my biggest down falls is that I always get these really great and wonderful ideas that I plan on doing....and with the best of intentions....I just let them fade away as another idea I had. And all year prior to this summer I have been brainstorming about all the great and wonderful things I could do this summer: mission trips, internships, summer jobs, vacations, day trips. Just about everything. But I didn't get the internship I applied for and I did not apply for the mission trip I had been contemplating. So here I land, in Guntersville, AL, spending the dog days of summer. And want to know the best part?? I know its exactly where I am supposed to be! This summer has been a huge time of growing, thinking, and just realizing so much about myself, relationships with friends, family, guys, and God. I have had the pleasure of one of my best friends Lindsey Gillen being home this summer also....talk about a blessing. That in itself has played a HUGE role in my "spiritual exploration" this summer. I don't know how,...well actually I do know how, GOD coordinated it, but Lindsey and I are on the same page and "season" and have been able to go on walks and just discuss everything! Talk about therapeutic :)

But all in all I feel as if this summer could be titled, "Add to your Faith".

"In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient edurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone."

2 Peter 1:5-7

As I mentioned earlier about my devo, there were 2 sentences that really stood out to me, and with those I will leave you.. So of course they shall follow....

"We are not meant to be seen as God's perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace." - Oswald Chambers

"I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty's sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ."- Oswald Chambers