Control

First let me give a little random tid-bit. I seriously cannot wait to have kids! Typical girl thing to say I know.... but after I got some studying done at Moe Joe's I went and sat on a couch to read in the word and drink my coffee. As I was reading these two precious little girls come in and sit beside me on the couch while they waited for their mom to order their smoothies and they told me all about themselves and their smoothies. Gosh they were just too precious. Children are so joyful and give so much love and just the slightest thing can make them smile. What a joy it will be to have children and play with them and watch them grow. (I'm sure I'll write a post about kids again but that was just a little blurb I had to share).

Anyways back to control, Elyse sent me this picture of a devotional that really struck a cord with me and I just felt like I needed to share.

Matthew 28:5-7  ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

I think what got me the most was knowing that I don't find all of my security in God. If I can be raw and honest sometimes it's hard to give control to someone who you haven't physically seen before, someone who sometimes you feel and know is there but sometimes wonder if he is listening. It's hard trust me I know its hard, and that is where human flesh and human weakness comes into play.  BUT it is  also where faith comes in and that is also where remembering the times you have seen God working in your life and knowing/believing/and having faith that our God is greater and our God is stronger, if our God is for us who can be against us?  It's having faith that nothing can keep us from the Love of our God and that He was, He is, and He always will be. It's knowing He loves us with unconditional love and will ALWAYS love us with unconditional love. There is nothing we can say or do that will change that.

The picture above comes from Jesus Calling and If you don't have a daily devotional or you haven't read it before I strongly suggest you get it, its amazing how most of the time what the devotional has to say is exactly what you need for that day. As I was reading this I felt it strike a cord with me knowing that I try to mold every day into yesterday. I like to have structure and I like to know what my day will look like exactly but that is putting limits not only on myself but also on my God. I am limiting myself by clinging to old ways and I try to put boundaries on limiting what my day or week should look like-because yes sometimes I like to even plan out my weeks. Every day I always plan to run or lift, go to class, go to lunches if its a day I go to Picken's lunches, go to club if its Monday, go to team meeting if its Wednesday, have campaigners if its Tuesday or Thursday, and it all basically revolves around the same thing. And you might ask well isn't that boring? Well no at least I know what to expect for the day and know that I got accomplished what I needed to get accomplished. But how simple is that? I realize that I am not living in the mystery of God and His plan instead I am limiting the greatness he has in store. I truly am uncomfortable with change but like it says in 2 Corinthians if I am a new creation then let the old be gone and live fully in the new. Let my yesterday be yesterday and my today be today. I should live every day completely and to the fullest- yes it sounds cliche but its true. If I don't allow God to work in my life and allow for change to happen for him to mold me and stretch me and make me new then I am not living in the fullness of his glory and his plan.

While I realize I have obligations and I have places I need to be every day my goal is to be open to change to embrace changes in my schedule if an opportunity arises don't miss out on it. That is my challenge for you this week. Whatever you are trying to hold on to or whatever mold you are continuously trying to keep- let go of it, let God work and mold you, let him change you and let him move you to be more than you can imagine. YES it is uncomfortable and YES it is scary but when you overcome something by relying solely on Him how much greater and stronger does that make you? And how much more faith in him will you have for the next challenge? Rely on God this week let him work, don't pass up opportunities to hang out with an old friend, to help someone, to sit and talk with children, to love on people, there is nothing in this world that can or should keep you from showing God's love and no matter how tight of schedule you have, you  can ALWAYS have time to be molded and let God work.

With all my love- Cam