Perspective

Sunday is study day for me and my friends: Allie, Carly and Chesney. Its leggings, big sweater, study day. 

Today was no different. We headed out of our rooms in our study day attire and hopped on the 66 bus to the get off at Eerie. I am sitting at the Panera as I type. Maybe i should be doing homework, but I thought you needed to read this...or maybe I needed to write it and get it down for myself. A new perspective..on people in life. 

I sat on the 66 bus next to Allie, and two guys in front of us. Let's be realistic, we tend to listen to people's conversations (though we know its impolite) while we are sitting on the bus, el or where-have-you. So today, i did just that. This man, a younger man, was on the phone with some friends i assumed. 

"Yeah, I am on the bus, I will be there soon........yeah man, like 30 seconds" they hang up. 

I watch to see where he gets off and to see if his said friend was waiting for him at the stop. As he got off i watched him and alas...they were! The man and his friends gave a friendly hug and began to walk and talk. 

Maybe this moment shouldn't have hit me as it did, but its fine! 

I sat and thought, huh that guy i heard that he was meeting friends and I saw him meet his friends then they disappeared around the corner as my body jerked with the bus movement. Never again will i see that man. But, i was sitting on the bus with him for a good amount of time and didn't say anything. Pretty normal, right? But why? I am not a mean person and he probably wasn't either by the way he greeted his  friends. 

This moment just had me thinking, people walk in and out of our lives thousands of times a day and we have NO idea who they are or what is going on in their lives. I thought well why judge people, i dont know what made them react that way to me, maybe they have a rough home, or they broke up with their fiance or maybe their best friend is no longer around..life happens. As a disciple of Jesus, I should be shining the LIGHT OF JESUS to all i pass by. I do not want to leave an impression on someone that leaves the taste of 3 week old milk in their mouths. We all have those moments. "Oh my goodness..you should have seen it.. this super creepy guy was staring at me on the bus." "That girl was SO rude to me. What's her problem?" 

Now, don't get me wrong, people do these things and its weird and awkward, but I don't want to be that rude girl or be that person who sits and looks back at people with a bad taste in my mouth. We are all beings of THE Creator and we all deserve grace and we all deserve to see some light in a day that may have left a bad taste in our mouths. 

Yesterday me and my friends went out in the city and took pictures with balloons. Just having fun being girls and loving life. I don't know how many times people took pictures of us that we did not know. I know of at least 5 or 6. But, people would smile and laugh with and at us. We just were care free and 5 girls carrying around colorful balloons in a city filled with black coats and dirty snow. Maybe we were seen as "those weird kids" but we definitely brought smiles to peoples faces and some brightness (light) to a dark city. I want to learn to do that in every day life with the people who walk in for a few seconds of my life. I want them to see color in a dark world. To see a glimpse of Jesus, whether or not they know what they are seeing or why they are seeing it, they smile...just like out balloon photo shoot. 

BALLOON BASH 2.25.12

Maddie. Ches. Me. 

 Got kicked out of Milenieum Park for this one. :)) 

 Carly.Maddie. Sam. Me

Vogue?

Friends. 

The Red Line. 

 Sisters. 

Gosh. I love this one. 

Merdie. 

Take Heart

Recently in my personal time with God, He has been bringing the phrase "Take Heart" to mind. Not only just speaking it to me, but also in His word, it  continued to show up in my time with Him. I was very curious what it truly meant though. I looked in a study Bible and cross references and all over the place to see what people had said. 


I came to the conclusion first, well what does it matter what it meant to others. I need to know what it means for me. I struggled for a few days with it. What could God possibly be telling me to "take heart" about or in other words "be encouraged" about. I really had no idea..and the thought never passed but I wasn't seeking it out anymore. 


I am studying in Europe this summer with my school. Everything for this trip fell into place perfectly. I will be able to graduate a semester early. I will be studying the beginning of the church in Rome...come on! Anyway, its going to be an insane trip. I put the deposit down for the trip and the next day i got an e-mail asking if would be interested in doing an internship in Czech or somewhere else in Eastern Europe this summer. And you know I am NUTS about those Europeans! So at first i was like...ah man! I wish this could have come earlier and I would totally go!


Last week I sat down with a friend and missionary who serves in Czech. We had talked a little about an internship that I could do under her this summer...well I already turned in the deposit for the Europe trip. Again, I was so discouraged! I want to be able to do ministry there so badly! That night I sat on my bed and I was telling my roommate how I did not understand this. Why couldn't all these offers come before I put down the deposit? WHY?! Needless to say, I was upset. She looked at me and said, "maybe this is God telling you to take heart. Maybe He is telling you that He knows what is best for you and it is all in His plan. This Europe trip is going to be so good for you. Take Heart" #wisdom


After all of this, I was feeling better, not awesome but better. I was on facebook and chatting with my friend Kuba from Czech. I told him that I had the oppurtunities to go to Czech for the summer but I already had plans. He said this, "But i think that he (God) knows the best what is best way to get here for you, so i think he (God) will lead you" and then this later "yeah, you see it! I think that the best  way to get here ready is to follow your heart, your mind and God"


KUBA! If you are reading
this, thank you so much
for encouraging me and telling me what I truly needed to hear. God used you in my life  Miss you! 

He understands, and I was struggling to understand it all. I am so thankful for God using Kuba in my life to just remind me to Take Heart. God has it all in control and He will lead me. God has something in store for me on this Europe trip as I study and I am ready to get my world rocked. I am able to take heart in the fact that God knows what He is doing and that He will guide my steps and He knows that right now for ME, this trip is better than that internship.  




John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”