Hello hello!
It's been months since I've posted so surely we have some catching up to do. I recently completed my first semester of grad school (don't worry, I passed), have watched Gracie grow up and become a killer soccer player (she also loves football) and have come to realize a great deal about myself. Oh, I forgot to mention that Gracie is now a skilled swimmer (I'm pretty sure she's actually a genius, and by genius I mean completely obnoxious sometimes). I've been forced into doing an awful lot of soul searching lately, a task that I'm still undertaking with constant prayers and a lot of caffeine induced headaches. The headaches, whether caused by caffeine, stress, lack of rest, or my favorite as of lately ATTACK OF THE SINUS PRESSURE, are all an important part of our daily lives and our growth, and even our intimacy with God. Uh yes, I said it, our relationship with God.
Having a intimate relationship with God isn't easy. We're constantly bombarded with temptations that get between us and God. We get distracted by our schedules, our jobs, our personal relationships, and sometimes even ourselves (yep, we are some pretty selfish people sometimes). Our own society desperately tries to craft us into an ideal example of today's culture, demanding that we look a certain way, act a certain way, be in a certain political party, and lose sight of whatever is at our core. We are driven by the people around us and the media to be larger than life success stories. So many of us have broken families, numbness within our hearts, and destructive factors that we accept as part of who we are.
Sounds like a ton of reasons to have a headache.
It's hard to strip all that away and see the simplicity of what is actually at hand. Society is not our creator. Our country isn't what defines who we are. It's not what school we go to, what sport teams we like, what brand of clothes we wear, the number on our scale (and mine is a little high for my liking). We all come from the same place, and that place is from God. How humbling it is to know that we were brought to life and handcrafted by a being that is completely beyond definition. God is in everything around us, or let me put it even more simply, God IS everything around us. We are in a constant state of being with God. Then how is it so hard to be close to Him?
We constantly forget that God has intentions for us. God has a plan for everything we do, but we hinder that plan with other things. Don't worry though, God is also the most forgiving and understanding (how did we get so lucky?). God understands our troubles, even the silly ones, like how upset we get during traffic or when our plans fall apart. God knows us for exactly what we are because God made us. We find ourselves feeling so depressed, tired, and frustrated in life. It's because we're trying to meet the standards of other people and fit into roles that shouldn't even be ours. We aren't trying to be who we really are, the core that God so perfectly put together.
We all have things about us that are at the core of who we are. Some of us are good listeners, others are better talkers, and some of us are just really good at making others feel better. When we try and think about what makes us who we REALLY are, it's good to start with the personality traits that draw other people towards us. What is it that makes someone excited about seeing me? Is it that I'm really nice? Could it be that I'm very honest? There's something about each one us that makes us shine out in a dark room, and that light comes from God. God dwells within all of us, so we shouldn't feel concerned with becoming what our society or the media puts out on display. We should want to be as much like God, or who we are in our most genuine form, as possible.
In my next post, I want to talk about another topic that is so important to getting close to God. It's a problem that we have ALL encountered, and since so many people are graduating right now, I feel that the topic is completely relevant. So until next time, God bless, and remember that when life gives you stress, open your arms and just praise God, because I promise you, everything is completely under control.
