The Calm

Do you ever just feel like nothing is going on in your life? Well that's how I'm feeling right now, and I'm not too sure I'm liking it.

I've always heard that it is easier to pray and be close to God when something good or bad is going on in our lives, and I am beginning to realize that to be very true. For me right now, I will be honest, I've been completely going through the motions of life, not doing bad and just getting through doing "good". Boy is this dangerous, and I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but as I try to get back on track and figure this all out, it feel good to just sit and write what I'm feeling.

One thing that God has really put strong in my heart is the importance of being raw and real in relationships. Recently a group in my class at school has started a Friday morning prayer time at the local coffee shop. Here we have a time of verse sharing (or what ever is on our hearts) and then we share prayer requests and pray together. For me personally, I have never been someone to go out and share my struggles in a group unless I'm really close to them, so its a little new and strange to think about sharing what's going on in my life. God has really been pressing it on me, that to have raw-real relationships with people, I'm going to have to break down the walls of fear and also the walls of my past and become open with this group of people. I am blessed to say that I know I can trust the wonderful people in this group, but its just a step of faith that I'm taking little by little each day.

A favorite quote of mine that I have found recently has really been the inspiration for my life as I've been walking through a calm time in my life. It is "In a world that's cold and dark, make it your mission to build fires." To me, this has been my spark for life because as a Christian, we can't just sit back and watch fires die around us, we should continually be stirring people up by spreading the love of Jesus that we have been blessed to know! For me even right now, there are people in my class at school that just need to be stirred, and its my job (and also the job of my other brothers and sisters) to look after these "dying fires" and bring them back to life. This is an important job, and its a job for Christians in all stages of their walks with Christ.

Ephesians 5:13-14
"But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: 'Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'"