Oh Life =)

Well. It was bound to happen. After 5 weeks of no sleep, driving 14 hrs for a wedding in two days, and continually pouring into people's lives, I was due for a major breakdown.  

After banging my leg, getting locked out of my friend's house where i planned on napping and resting, and trying to sleep in a sauna with the light on - I gave in unashamedly to the natural woman's response to such frustrating circumstances... buckets of tears!

What a week. I started it by becoming deathly ill and ended up spending tuesday in bed with a fever and chills. Still sick, I lost my voice screaming in the river and yelling for the Revelation skit on Thursday. That night i drove 2 hours to Annika's, slept 4 1/2 hrs and drove 4 hrs that morning to a rehearsal lunch. My sad attempt at sleep came after a wedding and a drive back to camp!

To God, it was a perfect opportunity to teach me to rely fully on Him! (Isn't it always like that?) I opened my Bible in desperation, only to be met with Heb 4 "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God". Tears coursed down my cheeks. Oh how I long for that eternal rest!

"We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses... let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need".

 This week, I have been struck by the realization that the gospel is always the proper response to life. It is the answer to a 12 yr old's question of how to live for Him, the friend who struggles with inadequancy in ministry, the woman who's husband is cheating on her, and my own frustrations and need for encouragement.

It is so simple yet so profound. Christ died to give us life, breaking the power of sin and death! He is all we need for life and Godliness - His gospel is the balm for every wound and the strength we need for each trial. It is the reason we can have true joy!

And so, we "present our bodies as a living sacrifice" for that is our only "reasonable act of service" to a God that has saved us and changed us to be like His Son! We are fellow heirs with Christ - the curve balls that life throws cannot overpower this truth.. if we are immersings ourselves in it!

So I have decided to thank Him for entrusting to me His ministry of reconcilation, especially to those in middle and high school... and to eat a massive steak and maybe some chocolate!!

May the gospel give you encouragement this day as we join together to live for Him!