Silence

Silence. Sometimes awkward. Mostly awkward. :) What we don't realize that silence is SO important. Without it in our relationship with God, we would do all of the talking. We still sometimes do... In fact, sometimes our lives get so chaotic that we put God out of our lives completely, only to crawl back to Him when we need something. Even if we do stop, we just start right out with our list of requests. Now, I am going to ask you. What if during the only time people talked to you, they asked you to do something? What if they didn't show any compassion, care, or love, and they just used you to get things done? What if they forgot about you for days, weeks, months, or even years, just to come back and ask you to do something? What if they blamed you for not doing something for them after they did all of these things? How would that make you feel? It would make you think that that person doesn't care, wouldn't it? It would make you feel like they didn't think you were important enough. It might even make you mad. Let's see how this fits with your walk with God. Instead of all of this, we need to read Matthew 6 and apply it.

"But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door,
pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in
secret will reward you openly." (Matthew 6:6) "In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be
done On earth as it is in heaven."(Matthew 6:9-10)

Jesus tells us that when we pray, we need to start out by praising His Holy Name and getting into a mood of worship. We need to make it known to Him that we only want His will in our lives, not our will. You won't believe how much that will help! Once you do all this, start asking what you need to ask. Although, sometimes it's helpful if you just forget about your problems and love on God. These things help a lot! Talking to God as if He was a close friend gives you a peace that surpasses all understanding. I assure you that it will help you in all situations.
~Amy

A Bleh day

Have you ever had one of those days? Nothing bad really happens, you're just having a bad day. Even when you try to get closer to God, you feel very far. I had one of those days earlier in the week. I think it's because of the CRCT. We have to sit in a room for two hours even if we finish the test in 30 minutes, and we can't talk or anything. Yeah. For some reason, ( This may sound crazy.) I think this distanced me from God. I know that may sound rediculous, but it really did. My mind set was on how dumb the test was, and how parranoid the administrators are about the whole thing. I didn't even think to acknowledge that no matter what my opinion was, I would still have to take the CRCT. Once I realized how far I was from the heart of God, I turned on the worship songs and started reading my Bible. Well, it didn't do much for me. I was laying there in my bed with a stagnent spirit. It seemed like nothing I did was helping. Now I know some of you experience way worse things than taking the CRCT, but this still applies to your situation. No matter what the circumstances, trust in the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5,6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own
understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

Even if it seems like nothing works, still pray and rejoice. It sounds ludicrous. Why would you rejoice for the bad things?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Things like that make you have bad days. The problem I have with this, is that I very easily let it get me down. Even if the event isn't really a situation worth making me upset, I sometimes blow it out of proportion. We all have times where we feel horrible and just want to crawl up in a little ball and go to sleep, but there is a timing for everything. For proof, just read Ecclesiastes 3. There is a reason that you are going through this, and in the end it will help you, as long as you trust in the Lord. Just remember, no matter how badly you mess up, Jesus still loves you and wants to get to know you better.

Thanks for reading!
Amy