27 Things I've Learned in 27 Years

Here are 27 things I've learned over the course of my 27 years of life...

1. Never go grocery shopping hungry.
2. No one person can fill your every need. Only God can.
3. I am nobody's keeper. People must take responsibility for their own actions.
4. I am nobody's savior. There is one Savior, and His name is Jesus Christ.
5. Live within your means; budget your money. As a result, you can bless and give to others.
6. Not much comes close to the deliciousness of freshmade guacamole and Chipotle.
7. Love and serve others with all that you have. Put others before yourself.
8. Life is a journey. Always strive to better yourself, but don't expect yourself to be perfect.
9. Travel and see the world. Acknowledge and appreciate people of different cultures and ways.
10. Tell people you love them often; you never know when you won't have that chance.
11. Your body is your temple. Treat it well; it will pay off in the long run.
12. Acknowledge your weaknesses and flaws. Work on them. It will make you a better person.
13. Use your strengths, talents, and gifts to bring God glory in all that you do.
14. Our human understanding of right/wrong, just, and fairness might not be the same as God's view.
15. Surround yourself with people of like minds and interests who will encourage you to pursue your hopes, goals, and dreams, and encourage you in your faith.
16. What you believe affects what you think. What you think affects what you say and do. Know what you believe.
17. You can never DO anything to make God love you more. He loves you just as you are.
18. Change can be good. Learn to embrace it.
19. Hold onto the innocence of a child. I still have 10 stuffed animal penguins.
20. Never settle for less than God's best in relationships.
21. Plaza Azteca is the best. Enough said.
22. Be friends with people who will challenge you and keep you accountable.
23. You don't have to like or be friends with everyone. But honor and respect them, and see them as a child of God.
24. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
25. There is a purpose to all trials, obstacles, hurts, and sadness. God can bring goodness out of it all.
26. Acknowledge that we only see a portion of the timeline and picture. God sees and knows it all. His timing is often not our timing.
27. God will never leave you or forsake you. He will see you through it all.

Almighty

Current favorite worship song...."Almighty" by Chris Tomlin.
We sang it last week in church.

"Almighty,  we're standing in the presence of your majesty,

You're holy, you alone the sovereign crown of royalty

You're the King of kings, Almighty!"

An Everlasting Love

I recently went on family vacation to Outerbanks, NC. I absolutely love the beach. There is something about the ocean, the sand, the sun, and more that makes it such a beautiful place to be. Being in beautiful nature and creation always makes me feel like I am in the presence of God. It's an overwhelming peaceful feeling that washes over me.

One of my favorite times of the day is in that late afternoon hour going on into the early evening. The majority of all the beach-goers have left the beach and gone up to their homes for dinner and evening activities. The brutal intensity of the sun and heat has passed and rests on your back shoulders. I love to just stare at the ocean, close my eyes, listen to the constant sound of the crashing waves, feel the light breeze on my skin and sand in my toes, with the smell of beach all around. It's in those gentle, quiet times that the Lord whispers...."I am with you."

I was reflecting on this passage from a couple weeks ago.

"The Lord said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.' Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:11-13

We often look for this loud, beaming sign from God to give us an answer to our questions, what next step we are supposed to take in life, or a way out of our storm or heartache. But He never promised to speak to us in those loud, obvious ways. Not in the powerful wind, the shaking earthquakes, or the blazing fires. He often speaks to us in that gentle whisper. Why a whisper? He wants us to lean in close to Him and draw near to Him so that we can hear Him when He speaks. And when you do hear that gentle whisper, that overwhelming peaceful feeling of being in God's presence is almost indescribable.

I remember when I was out in the ocean swimming with my 15 month old nephew. I was looking at how tiny he looked in comparison to the vast ocean that laid before him.

Then, as I gazed upon the ocean, God whispered to me "As far as the ocean is never-ending and vast, so is my love for you." Wow, just wow. I was speechless....and wrapped in His love.

"Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep." Psalm 36:5-6