I never really know what to write on here, so I’m just going to write what’s on my mind…
Sidewalk Prophets has this song called “You Can Have Me”, and the first verse goes like this:
If I saw you on the street
And you said come and follow me
But I had to give up everything
All I once held dear, and all of my dreams
Would I love you enough to let go
Or would my love run dry
When you asked for my life
What do you think? Could you do it? Everything is a strong word. At first I thought my answer was yes, especially being I am going on this race and all. But everything!? My hopes and dreams even? Maybe for a year, but forever? I want to get married and have a family some day; what if I have to give up those?
I want this year to be a year of trust. These last couple of years mark the first time I have actually tried to 100% trust God with something in my life, and I can’t even believe the end result. He turned what I thought was the worst time of my life, into the best. It was hard to put all of my eggs in his basket, and I definitely tried to steal some back every once in a while, but he kept reassuring me of his love for me. What once was filled with doubt and fear is now being taken over by love and peace. We can’t see the big picture, but God can. I want to be willing to give up whatever he asks of me, trusting he has something better in mind, even if I don’t understand it at the time.
If you guys aren’t familiar with the story of Ruth, she is a girl who married a guy. This guy’s dad died, and eventually he and his brother did too. She was left with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and her sister-in-law, Orpah. Naomi loved her daughters-in-law and wanted to protect them. She knew the only way to do this was to send them back home to hopefully find a new husband. Surprisingly, Ruth chose to stay with Naomi instead. She vowed to go wherever she went, and make Naomi’s God, her God. Long story short, Ruth goes with Naomi, she “happened” into the field of this guy by the name of Boaz, he “happened” to take notice of her, and they end up getting married. But the story isn’t over.
They had a son, Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David. David was the one who killed Goliath, the one who was anointed king, and he was also a direct ancestor to Jesus. Ruth’s decision to follow Naomi may have been a small one, but that tiny step of faith played a big part in God’s plan.
We may not see the reasoning behind certain things, but God has it all figured out, we just have to trust him. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Sidewalk Prophet ends their song saying, “My Father, my love, you can have me.” The dreams we once had may fade, but that’s because we are living a better one than we could have even dreamed of in the first place.
FUNDRAISING UPDATE: Because of so many awesome people and our awesome God, I have met my first goal of $3,500!! The next deadline: $7,500 by August 22nd. I am currently at $4,892.00. Thanks for the love, and please keep praying!!
