this week has been a little crazy. the Lord has given me many opportunities during this time in my life to learn, be apart of things i enjoy, and to prepare myself for the World Race. but each of these opportunities come with demands, deadlines, and responsibilities. i am in the midst of sending out support letters and organizing fundraisers for the World Race, starting a new job at the YMCA with more responsibility, and planning some awareness events for my internship with The Hundred Movement. i am super thankful for each of these but it is important that i stay organized and focused, taking advantage of any free time to get things done.
as you can imagine it is so easy in the midst of all of this to lose focus of Jesus and the foundational truths He speaks into my life. i find myself rushing through or neglecting time with Him altogether in order to get to my checklist or do something i believe is of greater importance. i love having a lot going on, completing tasks and working hard but i can very easily get sidetracked of what is most important and forget that if Jesus isn't my strength and His glory isn't my goal, all of this is a waste.
yesterday in the middle of a very stressful afternoon, my roommate and i sat down to eat some delicious chicken enchiladas and while praying over our meal i felt God say to me "even though life seems crazy and you feel super stressed out, I am the same." immeditely that thought calmed my spirit and brought me so much comfort. what a beautiful truth. Jesus stays the same and His promises never change. i can rest in that and be at peace. because the truth is if everything else falls apart, if nothing works out, if i fail miserably at everything im trying to accomplish, God and His plan of redemption still stand. Jesus still loves me, He continues to delight in me, He will always be faithful and He will never leave. which means I still have hope. praise God for He is a good and loving Father!
the soundtrack of my week has been will reagan's album "in the night season". the songs "to the very end" and "god so loved" have been on repeat constantly. these songs are filled with intimacy and straight gospel truth. the title of this blog post comes from one of the songs and it is a reality that continues to blow my mind. "you know me and i know you". God knows me and i know God. even though i can barely comprehend that truth, it is a crazy, amazing, and awesome reality that i have an intimate relationship and am known, really known, by the God of the universe.
last night in bible study, some friends and i talked about the teachings found in john 10. in this passage Jesus compares His relationship with us to that of a shepherd and his sheep. there is such intimacy and comfort in His words. in the story, the sheep are able to distinguish their shepherd's voice even in the midst of others and can seperate him from the rest because they recognize his face. the shepherd doesn't have to force the sheep in a certain direction, but rather is able to lead them because they follow, trusting the shepherd and knowing he will bring them into places of abundance. and finally unlike others, the shepherd doesn't leave in times of danger but instead, because he cares for the sheep, the shepherd stays and fights for them, even if that cost him his life. they know each other; the shepherd cares for and speaks tenderly to the sheep by name and in turn the sheep listen, follow and trust their shepherd.
this is the desire of my heart: to listen to and follow Jesus. to rest and abide with Him. knowing that He can be trusted, escorting me into abundant, life-giving places, never leaving my side.
God, I pray You guide us and speak tenderly to us, leading us to full life. help us to follow You and trust You. strengthen our desire to be with you so that is greater than any other desire in our souls. we love You. amen.
