going the distance

1. “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with your spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:15-16

2. “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

3. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. “ Galatians 2:20

4. “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5

5. “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:19-23

6. “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13

7. “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.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

8. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

9. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:6-7

I woke up to a text from my sister with headlines: NIGHTMARE: Donald Trump is the next President of the United States.

I was in absolute disbelief. Shocked. Confused. My heart literally dropped and all I felt was my soul grieving for this nation. I wasn’t really following the elections too closely or anything, but I was still confident that America would not really vote for Trump. I was mostly shocked at my fellow Americans. How can they vote for someone who makes racial comments, gropes women, and knows absolutely nothing about leading a country?? I am not a political expert but I am still in complete shock. This whole day felt like a dream. A chaotic one. I felt the sadness and grief of this country. As I started to get fearful and anxious, I asked God what he was up to. Although I can’t understand AT ALL why Trump is our president, it is still all part of His glorious plan. Even though I and many others feel like our country is hopeless now, I choose to believe that our God is greater and that He is in FULL control. 

What will be our response? In the night, I literally thought, what do we do?? Do we leave this country? Do we protest? Is someone playing a sick joke on us? What do we do? I realized that our instinct as humans, is to immediately think about ourselves. We say those “I’m leaving this country” comments so that we don’t have to deal with this mess. We don’t want to take ownership of being in a country that’s led by a crazy ______. I’ve read hateful comments on fb, people crying and grieving, some lashing out in anger, some still in shock, but mostly, confusion. I don’t think I’ve ever seen our nation as a whole so confused and in a state of panic. Even though America has become pretty anti-God the past couple years, I sensed a deep cry for help. My heart just breaks when I think about this because there is no hope but in Jesus Christ. Even me, as I saw my own response, I felt anxious, fearful, confused, and hopeless. But I caught myself and thought, but I believe in God so why the heck am I freaking out. I really believe more than anything right now, this country needs prayer. And that’s what we are called to do as believers. Not “leave the country” but stand and pray. I don’t believe in Trump, nor did I in Hilary, but I do believe in God who is above all politics and government. If I truly believe in a God, in Jesus, then I have no reason to freak out and nor do any believers. I think this really does test our faith and trust in him, when it feels absolutely hopeless. But we know the Bible always talks about hope. Not hope in this world, but hope in Jesus Christ. I don’t want to waste my time sitting here freaking out, when I know my Father has everything under control. 

One of my fave songs from this album. This album is soo goodd!!! I surely do feel like a champion.

High on the mountain I will be lifting my voice And in the valley I will be dancing for joy In every season you are worthy, in every moment you’re wonderful!

(Inspired by the Helsers)

I love this image of birds because they look so free and fearless. They are simply doing what they were created to do. Recently, I’ve been finding so much freedom in God’s word. It is so liberating and satisfying that something inside of me just wants to pour out to something greater and higher than I. God pours in and we pour out. It’s because of his faithfulness, his love, his grace, that we are faithful, loving, and gracious. All we are is a simple response to what He’s doing/done for us.

So many times do we act like caged birds, with no purpose and direction in life. We sit there wasting away, clipping our own wings, when God has already set us free. The only way we can free ourselves is to remind ourselves of the gospel daily. The gospel so easily becomes numb to us but if we believe in Him, we know that the gospel holds immense power. The power of God is living in those words and they are able to transform and renew hearts and minds. I am free because apart from Jesus, there is nothing I can do to inherit eternal life. It’s always been and will be about Jesus. Every moment I lean on myself, I am stripping away my own freedom and chaining myself to fleshly desires. But when I grasp the reality that we were created to worship and be in relationship with our Father, I experience true healing, forgiveness, and freedom. Many times when we can’t have it our way, we see that as God taking away our freedom, but it’s exactly the opposite. The way we were created is that we will always have a deep longing, emptiness, if not filled with Christ.