Okay, so I know I haven't blogged in the past few weeks, so I guess I should catch you up. Right now, at this very moment, Rina Champagne is in the midst of the dreaded finals week at community college. (BOM BOM BOMMMMMMMM.) It's really not that bad...but just imagine that the past few weeks of her life have been relatively uneventful other than the amazingly wonderful spiritual growth she's experienced in the past two weeks making her READY for finals! Can you believe it?
Well, I love God. I love that He reminds me when I'm wrong and that I have parents who have experienced things I haven't and who know what is best for me, even when I think I know better. (for future reference: I'm usually wrong when it comes to things that I don't know about.) Anyway, I'm just so thankful that God knows how to humble me when I get prideful. For instance, this morning, I had my pre-calculus final and I thought I was SO super ready for it...and it turns out, I got 2/3 extra credit questions correct and I think I only missed two questions on the whole test!! However...this morning, in the car, entering campus, I realized that I did not bring my graphing calculator. I know it may not seem like a huge deal...but I guess I'd started relying on myself this morning...psyching myself by being my own cheerleader...when, in reality, the ONLY reason I made it through pre-calculus with such good grades is by the grace of God. (If you don't know me well...I'm REALLY not a math person. Not at all. God provided me with an incredibly intelligent tutor and He has helped me understand a subject that I was previously bad at...good, because I'm going into Pediatrics, don't you know?)
ANYWAY, the past few weeks I've been trying to find new ways to strengthen my spiritual walk and grow in Christ. And wouldn't you know that growth comes from the weirdest places? Places I NEVER would've thought to look on my own. For example: I went to the church library for some Melody Carlson books, and ended up in the non-fiction section with a book called, "Every Young Woman's Battle." Yeah, I know what you're thinking. ("That's that book about...") And granted, I don't struggle with a lot of the things mentioned in that book. However...there were things in there I'd never really given much thought to before. Like how your thoughts matter to God too. A lot. And how things that might not be a big deal to us as girls are a HUGE deal to guys! (I recommend this book whole-heartedly to EVERYONE. Whether you think you have a problem or not.) If you're a girl, and you'd like to talk to me about what I learned specifically from that book, go ahead and shoot me a Facebook message or an e-mail! I'd be glad to talk to you about what I learned. The other book I started is called, "Not Even a Hint" by Joshua Harris. (Yup! The guy who kissed dating goodbye.) Anyway, that has also been really beneficial to me.
God is calling us for a life of complete purity. That means everything from your thought life, to what you read/listen to, to your actions when you're with other people (anyone! Not just a boyfriend/girlfriend). He calls us to holiness because He wants to be in fellowship with us. (Isn't that neat? God WANTS to spend time with you!!) Yes, He calls us to sacrifice our will and use His, but don't you think that's fair? More than fair? He sacrificed His Son...and you can't sacrifice your will? (Trust me, this is as much for me as it is for you.) It's not something you can get up one day and say, "Hm. Today, I think I'll sacrifice my will and passion for God's best." It's continual. It's something that you have to do EVERY time you choose to sin. Because (this always hits me hard), once you've been saved and covered by the blood of Christ, you are no longer a slave to sin. That means that you are now CHOOSING to sin. (Absorb that for a minute.)
God doesn't expect us to be perfect, you guys. He knows us. He knew what we would do long before the world was created. But that doesn't give you an excuse to take advantage of His grace and forgiveness. (I know. I sound like a broken record.) I have to remind myself of this all the time...and if I don't, God finds a way to tell me.
I'd like to leave you with a quote by Joshua Harris.
"On the other side of the seeming loss and denial is always reward and pleasure so deep and so intense that it's almost impossible to call what you gave up a sacrifice at all."
So, let's live like we're free. You in?
1 comment:
Very insightful, Rina. I love hearing how God has been working in your life. :)
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