I am barely keeping afloat through all of the busyness in life.

With all of my tasks and expectations at work, in my personal life and the always consuming thought “what does tomorrow look like?” It is like trying to drive a car while sitting in the passenger seat - it doesn’t work!

Busyness is a term thrown around that makes up some sort of excuse to not find a moment to sit and ask God what His plans are for my life. I let my thoughts of the future flood my mind hourly as if I have all of the answers. Picture this you and Jesus sitting down for a coffee and He is telling you what is next and you keep cutting Him off to offer your two sense. Are you more superior than Jesus?

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This is a blog post I read this week by Mark Batterson.  He is a pastor of a church in Washington DC and was notified a couple weeks ago that they can no longer meet in Union Station for their services.  He is now looking for a new place to hold their church meetings, and the post below reveals what God has been teaching him through it all.  It goes hand-in-hand with my previous post on No Boys Allowed, and I hope his words make you think as much as they have made me think!  

“Here is a lesson I’m learning. When you are spiritually immature, you find the greatest peace when you’re in comfortable circumstances. But as you grow spiritually, comfort makes you uncomfortable. I’m honestly not trying to “spin” the situation we’re in looking for a replacement for Union Station. But I can honestly say that I have a peace that passes understanding. After a little grieving, I’m strangely energized by our predicament. Here’s the bottom line: we ought to be most peaceful in circumstances that require divine intervention. Why? Because all the pressure is off of us. There is nothing we can do about it.

Are you at peace? Is it because you are comfortable? Or is it because you’re in a situation that requires a miracle? All of us want a miracle, but most of us don’t want to be in situations that necessitate one! I think spiritual maturity manifests itself as peace in impossible circumstances because of an unconditional and uncircumstantial trust in God.”

Let’s apply this to our own lives ladies!

Michelle

Jay and I just got home from road tripping across Canada to do a film about sex trafficking, and we are both pumped about the interviews we had and the people we met. Thanks so much to those of you who have supported us in this project! 

One theme that we were reminded of again and again during our journey was that we are in God’s hands.  We made the poor decision to drive from North Bay to Thunder Bay in one day, and at 2:00 am we were still on the road, navigating ourselves through the curves and slopes leading to Thunder Bay while trying to stay awake and hoping that a moose would not barge out onto the road.  Towns and gas stations were few and far between, and street lights were non existent.  It was one of those moments where we were relying on God for every bit of progress we made.

When was the last time you were in a situation that made you desperate for God’s protection and guidance?  Certain circumstances can remind us that God is indeed the one in control and keeping us alive. But how can we remember this even in the comfort of our own homes, where we feel safe and in control?

As Mark Batterson recently wrote in his blog, we take 23,000 breaths a day.  Seems like we owe God 23,000 thank yous!  Job 34 says that if God were to withdraw His breath all live would cease.

A man from Houston Texas just wrote on his blog that his dear wife just passed away just days after their first baby was born.  Follow the blog here: http://www.bandssullivan.blogspot.com/  Let’s pray for this family and be reminded that we should never take life for granted.

Love you girls!

Michelle

Got an awesome email over the weekend from my dear friend Alex.  Part of it was too good not to share with you girls…I hope she doesn’t mind!

(As you know) I was dating God for a year.  Well yesterday was my one year!! SO crazeh but SO great. I love God so much and he is providing opportunites to encourage me and others to become more godly even when I don’t “feel” like it. This world has so many pressures but with Gods help I am slowly escaping them, like the pressure of the media, needing a boyfriend to be secure, etc. God is just teaching me to trust Him. I just encountered a struggle and all God said was to trust Him, “just trust me, just trust me” He would keep saying. and its actually insane how faithful he was to that. I couldn’t have gotten thro it without Him, and he provided just what I needed to get through! I am learning everyday and am excited for a new stage of my relationship with God. Through dating Him, I became much more confident in myself and in who I am. I am really excited to see what God has in store for me in the next few months!!

It PUMPS ME UP that there are young women who live like this. It’s totally goes against what the rest of the world is doing.  It’s absolutely counter-culture, and completely life-changing.  Alex- I’m SO proud of you, you’re (probably literally) 1 in 1000.

Has anyone else ‘dated God’ for a while?  What was the experience like?  Was it worth the time and effort?  Any tips/suggestions/ideas on how to make the best of it.

“Trials and troubles may seem to overwhelm you. They cannot do more than work my will, and that will you have said is your will. Do you see that you cannot be destroyed? From now a new life is opening out before you. Yours to enter into the kingdom I have prepared for you. The Sunlight of my presence is on your paths. Trust and go forward unafraid. My Grace is sufficient for all your needs.”

-A.J. Russell, God Calling

Some of you may really be struggling right now.  Maybe you are going through a break-up.  Or struggling with a severe illness.  Or having to hear your parents fight.  Or mourning over the loss of a loved one.

During my first year of university I went through a rough break-up, which was followed by the death of my best friend in a car accident 2 months later.  A year of darkness followed.  I remember hating waking up every morning because the reality would wash over me like a torrent.  My struggle can be summed up in one of my journal entries from that year:

“God, I feel like I’m drowning. Drowning in pain, confusion, doubts, and anger. The storm is raging against me, all around me, and I am so tired. I just want to give up. Relationships are not worth it because they all just end. God, where the hell are you? Why are you pounding me? JUST STOP IT - I am so tired - I can’t live like this. Please just DO something. You are so distant.”

I remember having the choice to either go through my pain with God, or to shake my fist and do it by my own strength. I chose to go through it with Him, and looking back I see how closely He held me through it all.

If a crisis in your life has brought you to a crossroads, I encourage you to walk through it with God.  He is not afraid of your confusion, anger, bitterness, or resentment.  He loves it when you are real and he loves you even when you don’t have energy to say or do anything.  Rest in Him, and he will give you peace.

Michelle