As I sit here right now, I’m eating a bag of Old Vienna Red Hot Riplets…the BEST chips in the entire world (I can’t stress that enough!!!)…and I can’t help but think that this is one of my last bags I’ll have my hands on until I return to the US in July of 2011!
At moments, this is overwhelming and I can’t believe that I’m so close to leaving. At others, I have to stop and wonder what in the world I’m doing. And still, at others, it takes everything in me to keep my composure and not spew my excitement everywhere while I wait for the next 25 days to pass. It’s definitely been a roller coaster ride, but I’m realizing more and more how my heart is already going out in front of me. I’m no longer content here. I’m so ready to GO.
I had a much needed conversation with a friend tonight. I was feeling really overwhelmed and heavy-laden…allowing every stress of life to weigh on my shoulders while trying to hold it all together. And I couldn’t anymore. At one point, after talking so fast it was making my own head spin, I looked at my friend and she looked just as lost, confused and overwhelmed as me!
But somewhere during our conversation, God took over. I love how He always has a funny way of doing that. 🙂
It turned from everything that was going wrong and all the daily stress that life throws our way to God’s incredible grace and power! We talked about how important it is to listen for God’s voice. As I’ve returned back home from training camp, it’s become very easy to slip into my daily habits and forget to listen for His voice. And after the last few days, I’ve seen the toll it can take on you when you forget to listen and I’m reminded of the verse in Deuteronomy 30:19b-20a.
“Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years…”
Just like any relationship, if only one person is listening while the other constantly speaks, the relationship will suffer and eventually dissolve. If we’re doing all the talking, how can we listen to God at the same time?
I’ve seen the importance in taking time to just let the world disappear and listen in to His still small voice. His words give life, strength and peace to my soul…things I cannot live without.
So, even though I’m dealing with a roller coaster of emotions right now, I stand on the firm foundation of Christ and His voice in my life. Even as the roller coaster continues, I need to realize that it’s probably much more like a 3-D ride rather than a roller coaster….I perceive that things are rocking my world when in all actuality, I just need to take the glasses off, look to my Lord and listen for His voice to calm everything down…
Listen to His voice…He’s constantly speaking…and trust me when I say that He’s got some pretty amazing things to say to you! 😉
