post 8

About an hour ago I turned 21 :D

Or, technically, I will turn 21 for realreal in 4 hours 10 minutes... but whatever ;)

I love birthdays because they are such a good "mile-marker" to look back on and remember.  It's absolutely completely insane to me that I'm 21.  God is doing so much these days and life is such a whirlwind.  But I love it.

One of the parts of His Word that He seems to constantly bring me to is Job 23:

 I go forward, but He is not in sight,

and backward, but I do not perceive him;

on the left hand when He is working, I do not behold him;

He turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.

But He knows the way that I take;

when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold.

My foot has held fast to his steps;

I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my portion of food.

He is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?

What He desires, that He does.

For He will complete what He appoints for me,

and many such things are in His mind.

I'm so grateful God chose to write these words down for me.  How helpful they have been the last few months!  I feel like I could write a whole post about every sentence.

How about bullet points instead?

Frooooom the beginning, the very beginning (a very fine place to start):

// Sometimes we have no stinking clue what God is doing.  We don't "see" Him working, we don't "know" He's there.  But all the while He is perfectly at work.

// The fact that I can't see what He is up to doesn't matter squat.  He knows the way I take.  He sees the whole picture.  He knows the final destination.  He sets up the road-blocks, the bridges and the wrecks.  I don't need to know what is going to happen, I need to trust the One who is making it all happen.

// I always love when the Bible uses the word "treasure."  It's so a beautiful phrase.  Treasure the words of His mouth.  I love that.

// If I had a Top 10 Bible Highlight Reel, this would make the cut: "What He desires, that He does."

Whooooa Nelly.

Sometimes I think "What He desires, I must figure out and faithfully execute!"

No no.  What He desires, that He does.

There is very little about me in that statement.  It's quite about God.  I think it's that way for a reason.

// God works, God knows, God tries, God desires, God appoints and best of all - God completes.

"He has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion."

He's not up in heaven waiting for motivation or inspiration to keep His goodness going.

He completes.

// Lastly, I am on the mind of God.  Many things are on His mind for me.  He carries me on His heart, but also thinks about me in His mind.  That is so personal.  So relational.  So un-stale, un-blah and un-distant.  It's beautifully and powerfully close and near.    

All these thoughts have been such wonderful lessons for me, especially this summer. 

21 is already proving to be a BRAND new time in my life.  

Brand brand new.

I'm excited, I'm terrified and I'm bought by Christ.

I'm good :D