Stepping Stones
All of my papers have been turned in and all my finals have been completed. Now, even that endless pile of laundry that has been sitting in my closet for three weeks has been washed, folded, and put away. I have this strange feeling that I have nothing to do because everything is actually finished. (Could it be true?!) Another semester has come and gone. And once again I feel like a new person. The girl who just finished unpacking for Christmas break cannot be the same girl who got on a plane headed to Nicaragua six months ago.
God has done so much in and around me these past few months that I cannot help but be changed in His presence. He has taught me so much and shown me so much that I feel an extra measure of joy and celebration this holiday season. I am not the same, but the change inside of me is a result of God's tender molding in my life.
I am reminded of Joshua and the Israelites when they crossed the Jordan River and entered the promised land (Joshua 4). What a climactic moment as God's people stepped through the waters and saw the fulfillment of God's promise, the promise that He had been talking about throughout the entire Biblical story up to that point! After they come across, they picked up stones from the river bed and set them up as a memorial so that they would always remember what God had done for them. What had been stepping stones became memorial stones.
I, too, feel like I have crossed the river and entered into a new dimension of God's promises to me. I look back on this past semester and all its journeys, and I realize just how faithful God is to keep all His promises. This season of my life has been a season of fulfillment. God promised to guide me to the college where He wanted me to be, and He has fulfilled that by placing me at Harding, where I have been abundantly blessed with amazing opportunities, beautiful friendships, and extraordinary growth. He promised that He would turn the ashes of my eating disorder into beauty, and He has fulfilled that by publishing my book. He promised me that He would call me to missions, and He fulfilled that by sending me to Nicaragua this summer and to the World Missions Workshop in the fall, both of which have made me more confident and passionate about mission work than ever before. Most of all, God has promised to draw me deeper into relationship with Him, and I could write a million words about how He has done that this semester. I now know Him more intimately as my first love. I am more excited to speak about Him boldly, loudly, joyfully, and energetically. And I better know how to follow His lead, serve, and obey Him wholeheartedly.
All these fulfilled promises and all these memories are stones in the river that I have crossed this semester. They testify to the journey I have been on and the God I have encountered along the way. I want to pick up stones from this journey and set them up as a memorial offering to the Lord. These stepping stones in my walk with the Lord have now become memorial stones that testify to His greatness.
As this year comes to a close, let's look back on the journey and pick up some stones along the way. May we never forget what God has done for us. May the stones serve as memorials to God's unending faithfulness and incredible love. And don't forget to look down at your feet because the stones that you are stepping on right now are leading you into the promised land.
God has done so much in and around me these past few months that I cannot help but be changed in His presence. He has taught me so much and shown me so much that I feel an extra measure of joy and celebration this holiday season. I am not the same, but the change inside of me is a result of God's tender molding in my life.
I am reminded of Joshua and the Israelites when they crossed the Jordan River and entered the promised land (Joshua 4). What a climactic moment as God's people stepped through the waters and saw the fulfillment of God's promise, the promise that He had been talking about throughout the entire Biblical story up to that point! After they come across, they picked up stones from the river bed and set them up as a memorial so that they would always remember what God had done for them. What had been stepping stones became memorial stones.
I, too, feel like I have crossed the river and entered into a new dimension of God's promises to me. I look back on this past semester and all its journeys, and I realize just how faithful God is to keep all His promises. This season of my life has been a season of fulfillment. God promised to guide me to the college where He wanted me to be, and He has fulfilled that by placing me at Harding, where I have been abundantly blessed with amazing opportunities, beautiful friendships, and extraordinary growth. He promised that He would turn the ashes of my eating disorder into beauty, and He has fulfilled that by publishing my book. He promised me that He would call me to missions, and He fulfilled that by sending me to Nicaragua this summer and to the World Missions Workshop in the fall, both of which have made me more confident and passionate about mission work than ever before. Most of all, God has promised to draw me deeper into relationship with Him, and I could write a million words about how He has done that this semester. I now know Him more intimately as my first love. I am more excited to speak about Him boldly, loudly, joyfully, and energetically. And I better know how to follow His lead, serve, and obey Him wholeheartedly.
All these fulfilled promises and all these memories are stones in the river that I have crossed this semester. They testify to the journey I have been on and the God I have encountered along the way. I want to pick up stones from this journey and set them up as a memorial offering to the Lord. These stepping stones in my walk with the Lord have now become memorial stones that testify to His greatness.
As this year comes to a close, let's look back on the journey and pick up some stones along the way. May we never forget what God has done for us. May the stones serve as memorials to God's unending faithfulness and incredible love. And don't forget to look down at your feet because the stones that you are stepping on right now are leading you into the promised land.
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