Time 2:30am Thursday morning…. My eyes are heavy, slowly closing, barely able to even make it to the bathroom to brush my teeth. After hours of studying for my international trade exam my brain reached its capacity and it was time to close the books and realize I could not take any more in. I meander in the dark over to brush my teeth and then back into my quiet room. I get my bed ready for sleep. I lay down my heavy, burdened head on my pillow. Knowing how overwhelmed my head and heart are I think sleep will be the best thing right now to just forget about the burdens of my day. But that did not turn out to be the case… here in my dark quiet room God met me where I am at… and He is so good. Here is the story of my day…
I had a conversation with God last night before I actually went to bed, and I laid it all at His feet… everything, not just the things I was willing to give Him but everything! Life gets overwhelming and we are not meant to live it on our own. He is our comfort in our light and momentary troubles. I laid there and praised Him for what He has done in my life, for the opportunities he has given me and the people He has strategically placed in my life. I born my soul to Him and asked for forgiveness in not giving Him my all. I prayed to be filled with Him so I could be like Him tomorrow in whatever way He would want me to. I gave the day to the Lord to do what He will. After I got done praying I felt a complete sense of comfort and peace. And with this I was able to rest so soundly and better then I have in weeks.
Time 6:30am Thursday morning… wake up to the beautiful sun rising… peering through my window. I strech out and thank God for another day. Usually I get right up in the morning and dont stay laying in bed, but today was different. My first thought was to be in prayer and just lay there and talk to God. Again I told God, today was His and asked Him to use me today. I woke up craving His intimacy, and little did I know intimacy is what I got!
After getting ready for the day, my plan was to go to college library to meet a friend to do some last minute cramming for my mid-term today. I was going to leave as soon as I was ready, to take in every minute I could of extra study time. Now my mind was in school mode and how quickly I forgot I gave the day to the Lord and besides in prayer this morning I haven’t spend any time with Him. God slowed me down… and brought me to His word. I am reading through the bible in a year with my roommate Kellsey, and before I left this morning I wanted to dive into His word. Opening to what todays reading was it first brought me to Matthew 25 (definately verses I have heard plenty of times before but God specifically wanted me to read these again today) especially “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me… I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” God had a purpose for slowing me down and reading that specific verse this morning…. and with this I was off to campus ready for the day and met my friend to study at college library for an hour before our exam
Time 9:00am Thursday Morning… leave college library, walk up Bascom hill to my test with my friend. I ask him how he feels about this test we are about to take. Although I really didn’t know much about this exam I was about to take, I felt peace and gave it to God. For without Him I can do nothing, including take this test with my own flawed knowledge. 9:30 rolls around and the infamous blue books are handed out. I take the test and start. All the answers came quickly to my pencil and I was able to figure out even the tricks my professor through in (but this was not me at all, it was all God because I couldnt do it on my own). Over the next hour and 15 minutes God was right by my side the whole time. I completely felt His presence and reassurance that He was there. I finish the test, close my blue book, walk to the front to drop it off and wish my TA a good weekend. The last test of my 2nd semester senior year was complete! What a great feeling!
Time 11:30am Thursday Morning… usually during my break in between classes I go to Lakefront on Langdon and study but today was different… and I was feeling hungry and I thought why not take advantage of beautiful State Street and grab a bite to eat. On Wednesday I was over at my apartment from last year, and figured out my friend Lauren had a book that I wanted to read and asked her to borrow it. She was totally willing to let me borrow it, but was on her way out and said she would leave it for me Thursday. Right as I was feeling my hunger rise within me I got a text from Lauren saying that she left the book out for me, but I decided to give her a call and ask her if she wanted to get lunch. So we decided I would pick up some Jimmy Johns and then walk over to her apartment and eat over there.
As I walk down state street to Jimmy Johns, I think, wow everyone has their own stories as to what brought them to this place and at this specific point. If anyone has ever experianced this street, it has the ability to rock your world. From the gorgeous capital and overture center to street vendors and multiudes of homeless brothers and sisters.
Now that it is getting nicer outside the homeless are all over the place asking for money. At this time all I can think about is finding Jimmy John’s so I can grab Lauren and I some subs. In the distance and amongst all the people I hear a man singing with great amounts of joy. Up ahead I begin to see that same man who was singing also dancing with a big smile upon his face. He also had a cup in his hand, looking for hand outs. I watch probably 30 people not even look at him as they walk by before I even get there, as if he was invisible. I smile and make eye contact. He looks at intently at me and says, “you have a great smile… go and make someones day today.” This struck me… he didn’t ask me for anything… instead he gave me advice. He asked me to be like Jesus. I said thanks and walked away. As a walked further and further down State Street (not finding Jimmy Johns) I thought to myself… this man has absolutely nothing yet he has so much joy and it is overflowing. I want to be like this man! I have so much and I take it for granted. In this walk up State Street, God met me where I was at and filled me with joy!
I decided to turn around and head back toward the man (really because I remembered Jimmy Johns was actually right next to where the homeless man was but also because I felt uncomfortable that I walked away from him without doing Matthew 25) He again smiled at me as I walked into Jimmy Johns. Instead of ordering 2 subs for Lauren and I, I ordered 3… because God reminded me of the verses that He specifically wanted me to read this morning before my exam to feed those who are hungry. I left Jimmy Johns and walked back to this man and handed him a sub and told him I picked up some lunch for him. He looked at me again intently, and said such a heartfelt thank you that it is hard to put into words. He took the sub and then said “God bless you” and I returned that blessing back to him and wished him a good day. From there I walked away and went to eat my lunch with Lauren greatly moved.
God calls us to be Jesus with skin on, on this earth. To be there for eachother, to lift eachother up in encouragement, to really love one another (no matter if they are your best friend or they are homeless and on the side of the street).
Time between 1-8pm Thursday Afternoon… consisted of 3 more power lectures (Africa, Middle East, and American Capitalism) a 5 mile run, chatting with roommates, and dinner. The whole day I felt overflowing joy and the presence of the Lord was constant!
Time 9pm Thursday Night… At Crusade tongiht Paul Eshleman (exectutive director of the Jesus Film for 26 years) came to speak on how God is moving around the world. And it was so encouraging to hear how much our generation can do for the kingdom and how many people whether here or there, near or far need Jesus and His love. We need to bring that to all areas of the world. Our God is not safe but He is good! We concluded tonight with a verse from 2nd Corinthians 4 which has been one of my favorite passages “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal“. I never needed to be reminded of this more then now when life is difficult, overwhelming, and downright hard. But God has it all and He is good, therefore He will never give us anything we cannot handle. He will be by our side.
Time 12:41am Friday Morning… that time is now! I thank God for Thursday and how He worked in my heart. He is the restorer of my weary soul. God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!
