tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13290010025309197392024-03-05T19:23:24.546-08:00Just the beginning.tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-36663788246515919402011-08-04T20:16:00.000-07:002011-08-04T22:26:38.496-07:00Faithful.Every year around this time I spend time thinking about the year ahead and all that it is going to bring with it. I wonder what it is going to look like and how it will all pan out. I spend time in prayer asking the Lord for a phrase or a word that will sum up this year, some sort of clue into this next chapter. Last night He gave me the word, the word that I can come back to through out this year and the word is: faithful. Faithful. Two years ago I got the sense that it was going to be a challenging year, last year it was just that it was going to be a big year but this year He gave me an actual word. My first thought was, well, I'm a faithful person so...but as I began to think more and more about it the Lord began to reveal different things to me. I am called to be a faithful woman. I am called to be faithful in my friendships, with my studies, I am called to be faithful with the gifts the Lord has given me and the positions He gives me while I am here on earth. But it doesn't stop there. Being faithful seeps into every area of our lives. My mom and sister were talking about being faithful even in the smallest of things such as putting the shopping cart back instead of just leaving it in the parking lot. At first thought, that seems a little extreme but the question can be asked, "If we can't be faithful is something so simple, how can we expect to be faithful in the big things, the things we deem as things "important" to be faithful in?" I would consider myself a faithful person but when I actually stopped to think about it there are important areas of my life like having quiet time daily that I am not faithful in. I want to be known as a faithful woman, a truly authentic faithful woman, not one that just seems faithful from a distance or from the outside. Faithful. I know that this is easier said that done and this lesson is easier talked about or written about than actually lived out. God is such a faithful God and I want to be a faithful daughter. I know that it will be challenging and that I am going to have to start looking at things differently but I am excited for this. I'll keep you posted.tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-91778977053537990392011-07-27T13:45:00.000-07:002011-07-27T16:18:39.809-07:00Remember.The past couple of days the Lord has really put Japan on my heart. I've been thinking about the people there. The people that the earthquake left behind. The people that had their lives forever changed. I remember when the earthquakes first happened, that's all people talked about. It was all over the news, the Internet and it was brought up in almost every conversation. People showed their support by wearing shirts and buying stickers that said, "Pray for Japan". I would walk around school and it seemed as if almost everyone was wearing one of those shirts. We thought about Japan. We talked about Japan. We prayed for Japan. The first earthquake hit on March 11th. Hard to believe it has been about four and half months since then. I can't imagine what it would be like to be one of the people that survived. In the blink of an eye everything was taken from them. As I have been praying for the people of Japan the last two days it has really got me thinking, why haven't I been doing this the last two months? What about the people of Haiti? What about the people who had loved ones taken by the attacks on 9/11? I know that I am only one person. I also know that horrible things happen in this world everyday. I think the Lord was just reminding me. Reminding me of how big this world is. Reminding me how small I truly am. Reminding me to remember. I find it so much easier to remember to pray for my family. To remember to pray for my friends and even their families. I have realized that I need to change the way that I think. If I started to view the people of this world as they truly are, my distant relatives, then maybe I wouldn't find it so hard to remember to pray for them. I need to continue to pray for the people of this world, after all, we are family. I thank God for both His grace and His reminders.tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-40644110232363441292011-07-13T16:40:00.000-07:002011-07-13T23:06:01.050-07:00Fig leaves and skinny jeans.Genesis 3:7, "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." As I was reading this morning this verse called to me. I re-read it a few times before sitting there in wonder basking in the love of my God. I wonder if God didn't create man and woman with the ability to realize they were naked so that if even only for a brief moment in time, they didn't have to worry about their clothes or style. They didn't have to worry about size and Adam didn't have to hear the question, "Does this fig leaf make my butt look big?" from Eve. It is evident that God did not intend for us to worry about those things or anything else for that matter. It is a tool of the enemy. If we are worrying about other things, then our focus has been shifted off of Him and onto whatever it is we might be worrying about. God needs our full attention and through Him and His grace, He will allow us to focus on other things. The list of those "other things" can be found in His Word and the last time I checked, the things this world tries to convince us are important, didn't make the list. There are so many things in this world that need our attention. How incredible would it be if we started focusing a little more on those things and spent a little less time trying to find the perfect pair of skinny jeans? Our mindset needs to be an eternal one. Even as I type this I am reminded that I need to be living this way. That my mindset needs to be an eternal one and that I need to be less focused on whatever my "fig leaf" is and more focused on the things the Lord desires for for my focus to be on. My prayer is that the Lord will <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">reveal</span> to me the things that have taken my focus off of Him so that I can <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">refocus</span> on the one thing that truly deserves my attention: my Father.tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-294431920910515452011-07-12T16:19:00.000-07:002011-07-12T18:57:42.569-07:00Day six.Today I began reading through Genesis... and it blew me away. I was reading Chapter one, going through each of the days God took to create the earth and what He did on each specific day. For many of us, this is nothing new but as I was reading, I got to day six. By day six God had already created day and night, He had already created land, seas and vegetation. He had already created the sun, moon and had hand placed each star in the sky. By day six He had created the creatures of the sea and all the animals of the land but on day six, He created man. As I read that I stopped and smiled as the phrase, "best for last" came to mind. Now, I don't know what the Lord was thinking when He decided to create man last but what I do know about Him and His love for man, I wouldn't put it past Him. Verse 26 says, Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." Verse 27 goes on to say, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. How incredible is that? We were made in His image.<strong> You were made in His image.</strong> Depending on what kind of Bible you have, this might not be true for you but verses 26 and 27 fall on the first page of my Bible. This is front page news. God found it important enough (not to discredit the importance of every other page in the Bible in any way) to put on page number one, in chapter number one. How often do we get caught up in image? If you are anything like me, the answer is far too often. The world we live in tells us we need to look a certian way, shop at certian stores, eat certian kinds of food and support the right causes to fit in, or in this day in age, stand out. Reading Genesis one causes me to pose the question, What would our lives look like if we weren't trying to fit into this world's idea of image and began to trust that God knew what He was doing when He hand crafted us? Nothing about you was a mistake. Nothing. When we start getting caught up or carried away, we need to just return to page one, chapter one, day six. If the truth of that day doesn't ground us, I don't know what will.tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-6508573288982299332011-07-08T15:19:00.000-07:002011-07-09T18:35:51.601-07:00Imagine.As I was sitting in Starbucks yesterday morning, there was a group of people sitting at the table next to me. There were three older men and an older woman, they were probably all in their 70's. As I sat there I could hear bits of their conversations, they were all sharing memories from their pasts. They were talking about how daring they use to be and the adventures they use to go on. I sat there thinking for a moment about my life, where I am at now, things I have done and things I still long to do. I thought about how I am at the age that they were when they were doing those daring things and going on those adventures. It really got me thinking about how one day, God willing, I will be in my 70's...What do I want my stories to be about? Am I going to play it safe or am I going to take calculated risks? Am I just going to go through the motions or am I going to live my life with reckless amendment? I don't want my life story to be one full of crazy adventures just for the sake of having a good story to tell one day but I want it to be full of crazy adventures because I lived my life only fearing one thing and one thing only: the Lord. I often get caught up in the "what if" game and sometimes the people closest to me have to call me out on that. I know I'm not the only one that falls into that. Imagine what our lives would be like if we stop worrying about what <em>could</em> happen. Imagine what our lives would be like if we stop fearing failure. Imagine what our lives would be like if we cared more about what the Lord wanted us to do than what would bring us financial security. Imagine if we spent more time seeking guidance from the Lord instead of seeking it from gossip magazines and TV shows. Imagine the possibilities. I deeply believe that Lord allows us to have moments like these, moments that cause us to pause and reevaluate ourselves and the way we are living. Every moment gained is another moment passed. I want my stories to be about boldness and courage. I want my stories to be about love and forgiveness. I want my stories to be about moments when I was obedient, about my trust for the Lord and the simplicity of my love for Him. I want my story to be the one He created me to tell. What do you want your story to be about?tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-27443581448810326572011-05-22T18:03:00.000-07:002011-05-22T20:26:12.739-07:00Jesus.Revelation 1:12-16<br /><br />"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of he lampstands one like the son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs on his head were white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edge sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength."<br /><br /><br />"If you stand there unmoved by Jesus...let me ask you...have you moved past the sash?"tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-51434254463293852622011-05-19T00:47:00.000-07:002011-05-21T20:43:09.409-07:00Time me.We serve a faithful God, one who answers prayers and blesses us in ways we can never imagine. I have been praying that this week, in the midst of all the craziness of school coming to an end, that God would use me. That He would provide me with opportunities to serve Him and slow me down enough to not only see them but take Him up on them. It is easy for me to become so focused on everything I need to do during this time of the semester that I miss out on opportunities the Lord has provided for me. So, I prayed and of course, at 9:00pm the night before a 25 page assignment is due, He took me up on that prayer. It is those situations that you sit there asking yourself, "Is He calling my bluff or do I trust Him enough to believe in His timing?" I desire to be a woman with callus' on my knees from how much I'm on them talking with the Lord but with that, I need to desire to be the type of woman that when I stand up, I am actively waiting and watching for the Lord to answer. I want to be the type of person that crosses the road for another, in fact, we are called to be that type of person. It is amazing what happens when we trust in the Lord and in His timing. We serve the Author of time. He can supernaturally multiply our time and tonight, I was able experienced that first hand. We often rush from one place to another, as least I do. We even play games with people like, "time me" trying to get things done as quickly as possible. God placed you on this earth for a specific purpose. Can you imagine how effective we could be for the kingdom if we slowed down enough to see the need and to fill it the best way we could? God's plan is perfect and flawless and so is His timing, it's time we start living that way.tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-58227493018583523742011-05-18T09:42:00.000-07:002011-05-18T15:31:31.304-07:00Our God Reigns.There is something so beautiful about the rain. It can be so calming and peaceful at times and at other moments it can be heavy and harsh. I deeply love the rain. There is something so cleansing about it, healing even. After the rain, colors seem brighter, birds sing louder, flowers seem more prevalent, the clouds are fluffier and the sun feels warmer against our skin. No matter how heavy the rain or crazy the storm, the sun always eventually comes out. And such is with life. It does not matter how heavy the rain or how crazy the storm, the Son always eventually comes out. The thing about rainy days is that the sun is always there, even when dark clouds separate us from it and when we are unable to feel its warmth, it is still there. That is exactly how the Lord is. He is always there. The rain is sometimes inconvenient and lasts longer than we would have liked but how much sweeter does the sun seem after it has been unseen for a period of time? God allows the clouds to loom and the darkness to hoover so that the moment when we feel the Son again, it will be like coming home. We will have a new appreciation for something we might have taken for granted had we always been able to feel or see it, or in this case, Him. The rain cleanses, it purifies, almost gives us a fresh start. Soak it up. It will not be here for long. It is only temporary. The rain today will allow you to bask in the Son in a whole new way come tomorrow.tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-35894891799861632442010-12-29T19:17:00.000-08:002010-12-29T19:39:22.702-08:00Fall Semester of Senior Year: Check.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAz0Kex6gVPdhnpsCEhMyrdaMpoeSAStg2LosdpGu0QGKQsiXnInta89lncv5A7aMAQpxyOpN_Fs8jVl9h6hKuWPsnMzWP3_GotPiCDbhlxt619BSmtAO4ynoWF9HyjhITi-Jv8hoGKVY/s1600/family.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556314738922532258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAz0Kex6gVPdhnpsCEhMyrdaMpoeSAStg2LosdpGu0QGKQsiXnInta89lncv5A7aMAQpxyOpN_Fs8jVl9h6hKuWPsnMzWP3_GotPiCDbhlxt619BSmtAO4ynoWF9HyjhITi-Jv8hoGKVY/s320/family.jpg" /></a><br /><div>As I sit here listening to the rain fall outside and the sound of Christmas carols filling my apartment, I am filled with contentment and joy. I am simply amazed that it is this time of year again. Can it really be almost Christmas? Has this semester really come to an end? It never ceases to amaze me how fast time flies. I remember coming into this semester wondering what it was going to bring, feeling like it was going to be a big one but not truly knowing all that would entail. Now, here I am, sixteen weeks later, able to look back and see what the Holy Spirit meant by "big". It would take me forever to type up everything that happened, everything I have learned, stretching, being challenged, PRAYER, laughter, joy, it was a semester of being sharpened. God placed some incredible people in my life. People that I could go on and on about but basically, they are people that inspire me. People that make me desire a closer relationship with the Lord. I have learned so much about he Holy Spirit this semester. When believers live in the power of the Spirit the evidence is almost supernatural. Us as Christians cannot help but be different and in turn, the world cannot help but take notice. The more I learn about the Holy Spirit the more I realize that sometimes the prompting of the Spirit does not quite make sense. Do it any way. Be bold. Be courageous. Two things that are way easier said than done. I have been feeling deeper than I ever have before and that is a scary yet wonderful thing. When I look back on different situations that have come up this year and think about different conversations I had, I know without a doubt that there is no way I would have been able to handle those things on my own. It is empowering knowing I'm not in it alone. God is just so faithful and SO good. I know that years from now, when I think of college, I will remember this semester and smile. It has been filled with: random pool parties in the rain, plenty of good conversations, tons of prayer, laughter, trials, overcoming those trials, friendships beginning, sleepovers, living life with people...and to think, this year is only half over. (: </div>tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-69356357787205571672010-09-13T12:24:00.000-07:002010-09-13T12:34:31.572-07:00Walk it out."Christ has no body on earth but yours,<br /><br />no hands but yours,<br /><br />no feet but yours.<br /><br />Yours are the eyes through which<br /><br />Christ's compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now. "<br /><br /><br /><br />- Saint Teresa of Avila<br /><br /><br /><br />I had to re-read this a few times because it moved something in me. Christ has no body on this earth but yours...wow. As I read this and allowed it to begin to sink I was struck with the truth of this statement. God placed me on this earth with the simple purpose of bringing Him glory. How am I bringing Him glory with this body that He has given me? With this body that He formed specifically for me? Am I using my eyes, hands and feet for His purposes? I want to be a Daughter of Obedience. I want to be walking along the path that He has set out for me. We are called to do that. We need to walk it out.<br /><br /><br /><br />Will you join me?tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-76450535338078748182010-07-31T22:29:00.000-07:002010-07-31T22:30:23.066-07:00This one is Yours.It is unbelievable to me that I move back to school in a few days. Has it really already been almost two months? Wow. This has been a big summer for me. God has been teaching me so much, it hasn’t been easy but I can look back on it and say that it was good. To be honest, I still feel like I am in the middle of it, of the lessons. Since I’m moving back to school I almost feel like these lessons should come to an end just like summer has and new ones should begin. It doesn’t ever really work that way does now does it? I have been learning about what it truly looks like to trust Him. Trust in His timing, to trust in His plans. I don’t know why things happen the way they do, none of us truly do but one thing I do know is that everything happens for a reason. Things fall into place exactly the way they are suppose to and even though we can’t see it at the time, when we look back we can sometimes see how all the pieces fit together to map out our story. Each of our stories are so unique. It is evident that they are hand crafted to suit us perfectly. I have been unbelievably blessed. I have the most amazing family and such a wonderful group of friends. My family and my friends make me want to be better, they make me want to grow. They inspire me. I can feel that this year is going to be big. Yes, I am going to graduate in May and I know that is part of why I have this feeling but I think it is going to be more than that. I know that I will be challenged, stretched, taken out of my comfort zone and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Senior year. Wow. There are many more lessons to learn, more classes to take, more homework dates by the fountain, more games to attend, more people to meet and more coffee to be had. It is easy for me to get caught up in the fact that I only have a year left instead of realizing, I still have a year left. These past three years have been huge. I can only imagine all that this year is going to bring. Lord, I can’t and wouldn’t want to do this without you. This one is Yours.tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-54505431874873151612010-07-20T10:46:00.000-07:002010-07-20T11:09:31.505-07:00Pride.My name is Pride. I am a cheater.<br />I cheat you of your God-given destiny…because you demand your own way.<br />I cheat you of contentment…because you “deserve better than this.”<br />I cheat you of knowledge…because you already know it all.<br />I cheat you of healing…because you are too full of you to forgive.I cheat you of holiness…because you refuse to admit when you are wrong.<br />I cheat you of vision…because you’d rather look in the mirror than out a window.<br />I cheat you of genuine friendship…because nobody’s going to know the real you.<br />I cheat you of love…because real romance demands sacrifice.<br />I cheat you of greatness in heaven…because you refuse to wash another’s feet on earth.<br />I cheat you of God’s glory…because I convinced you to seek your own.<br />My name is Pride. I am a cheater.<br />You like me because you think I’m always looking out for you.<br />Untrue.<br />I’m looking to make a fool of you.God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry…If you stick with me you’ll never know.<br /><br />-Beth Moore<br /><br />It is amazing how people can get so caught up in pride, as if they had anything to do with their accomplishments and achievements. God chooses to give us each different gifts and talents. He also chooses to use those gift and talents for His glory and to serve His purposes. When we win an award or excel at something, we need to give the credit to the one who blessed us with the ability to do those things. We as humans walk around as if we are entitled to things. The truth is, we are not entitled to anything. We don’t deserve to have things go our way, to have our plans work out or even to have good health. When things do go our way, when we are in good health, it is all by the grace of God. Living in this day and age, it is so easy to forget that. People walk around and pat themselves on the back instead of falling to their knees and giving thanks. It is incredible that God made each and every person different, there is only one you. Each of us have different gifts, I love that. Let’s use those gifts and not let pride get in the way.tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-36107511843695062262010-07-06T16:59:00.000-07:002010-07-06T17:05:53.678-07:00One Day at a Time.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5NsUm1lxm1Bzo28hjFRwzXwfhYAm-tFdifcmRJSuRw3IscAFY-DQsgRB8ruuWXGrgXIk8FQDFtO5d68uiXdB6i9NSkA06RXtkZ0jXdarMnKFJRnkLDf9YcUPFx2RVf92J2EOFD_jFEw/s1600/christina+and+kat.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490948683892183186" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5NsUm1lxm1Bzo28hjFRwzXwfhYAm-tFdifcmRJSuRw3IscAFY-DQsgRB8ruuWXGrgXIk8FQDFtO5d68uiXdB6i9NSkA06RXtkZ0jXdarMnKFJRnkLDf9YcUPFx2RVf92J2EOFD_jFEw/s320/christina+and+kat.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34<br /><br />“O My child, have you not known the way of the Lord, and can you not trust Him now? Nothing shall befall you but that which comes from His hand. No one shall set upon you to hurt you, for your God has built around you a wall of fire.<br /><br />Be content with what each day brings, rejoicing in your God, for surely He shall deliver you. He is the One who has brought you here.<br /><br />His way is discernable to the eye of faith. His heart is surely your strong tower. In His affection you have security. In His love are your hope and your peace.<br /><br />Do not question and do not doubt. Each day holds some small joy that shall escape you if you are preoccupied with tomorrow.<br /><br />Nothing daunts your Father. Nothing can restore the past and nothing can bind the future, but today you may live in the full blessing of the Father’s smile. Hold to His words, for they are like a nail driven into solid wood. All else may seem shifting and transitory, but His Word is firm. It is a rock that shall not be moved. It is a firm place to stand.<br /><br />Do not walk in the path of human reason, and resist the pressures that would project you into conjectures about the future. Live one day at a time! Simply striving to bring joy to your Father’s heart is enough to keep you occupied. For you know that He loves you, and you will find your peace as you rest in Him.”<br /><br />I was reading this in a coffee shop this morning as I was waiting for a friend. I casually flipped through the pages of my devotional, looking for the one I was suppose to read next. The title of this hit me right away, “One Day at a Time.” How often do we live in the moment? I know that I am almost always thinking about what is next and what tomorrow will bring. My planner is almost a part of me. I plan things out, fit things in and look forward to those things. Once they are here though sometimes I spend the time thinking about what else is next instead of sitting there, in that moment, soaking it all up. Time flies by, I think we all can agree on that. Days can feel like weeks but then again weeks usually feel like days. In the blink of an eye a month can go by. Sometimes we don’t want to be where we are. We don’t want to drink up this moment, we cannot wait until it is over. Being somewhere uncomfortable is never easy but it is usually where we grow the most. Growing pains. We all get them, no one really looks forward to them. They hurt. They take us out of our comfort zones. I am learning that pain isn’t always a bad thing. God uses it. It has purpose. I don’t want to let the good times slip away without me fully enjoying them either. Life is too short. There are no guarantees. I need to start living one day at time, soaking up EACH moment, starting today (:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-29785343112662311452010-06-30T14:10:00.000-07:002010-06-30T14:37:08.485-07:00I Give Up.You know when you get to that point when you know God is doing something big and yet you aren’t sure if you want to go along with Him? I know He is good. I know His way is right. At this moment I know I need to be running into His arms. I can feel His hands on my arms, gently pulling me into Him and yet instead of relaxing into His embrace, my arms are stiff and I’m kind of pulling away but not truly trying to push Him away. Lord, pull me into your arms. Allow Your Will to become mine. There is a difference between knowing and believing. There is a difference between knowing and trusting. I want to believe. I want to trust. It is always hard when things come to an end. There is no point in thinking about all the things you wish you would have done or said. I have learned so much from looking back at the past. I have been able to use it to relate to others, connect with others. It is also important not to be consumed by it. God, you know best, you’ve got this under control. We all like to be in control and yet at this point I feel like God, I have no other option other than to give everything up to you. I don’t know if I have ever truly felt like this before. It’s a beautiful struggle, if I can use the words “beautiful” and “struggle” next to each other in a sentence. It is amazing how putting things into words can help you come to terms and even begin to feel peace. Open my eyes to see You more clearly and soften my heart to feel Your presence. Lord, you are good. I give up, I give this up to You.tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-66518223447680144932010-05-28T20:44:00.000-07:002010-05-28T20:45:03.666-07:00Seasons.<span style="font-family:georgia;">Life is all about seasons. There are seasons in weather, seasons with people, with work, seasons of life. There are times when you get to the end of a season and cannot wait until the next one starts. I feel like there are times in life when you feel like you are in the middle of a freezing winter and you literally cannot wait until you see the beginnings of spring. Other times in life you feel like you are in the middle of a wonderful summer and are not looking forward to the shorting of the days and brisk weather that fall brings along with it. As crazy as this past year has been, I’m having a hard time seeing the beginnings of the next season. It is exciting and it’s new but it is so unknown. I know that as I move home, get settled back in, am able to process this past season and prepare for the new one coming, I will be so excited about next year. Senior year. There are so many incredible things coming up and I wouldn’t be able to experience them without this year coming to an end. It is just hard saying good-bye. Saying good-bye to good friends who are graduating, residents who are leaving for home, my dorm, my roommate who I have lived with for three years… but I get to say hello to an internship at a pregnancy clinic this summer, to wonderful summer memories with friends, plenty of weddings, getting to be a resident coordinator next year in a cool apartment and two new awesome roommates. It is going to be so great. One of the things that God has taught me a lot about this year is how to truly feel. I feel like I have always been pretty in touch with my emotions but through walking along side women as they are hurting, I have learned how to feel more deeply. I know that the love that I feel for my family and my friends is only a glimpse of the love that our Father has for them. Along with that the pain that I feel for others as I watch them go through something difficult is also only a glimpse of the pain God feels for them. I have loved coming to that realization. Surprisingly, it was not an easy one to come to. With all of that, learning how to feel more deeply has left me hurting more as I am saying good-bye. I see it as a blessing. I am so incredible thankful for this past year and the fact that I feel this sad as it is coming to an end just shows how wonderful it all was. I am so blessed. I have the most amazing family. I get to go to a school that I L-O-V-E and am learning so much from. This season is coming to an end but the next one is just beginning and I know it will bring so many great and unexpected things with it.</span>tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-71086074461585429562010-05-23T15:15:00.000-07:002010-05-28T19:39:47.469-07:00Junior year: check.<span style="font-family:georgia;">One week from today I will be heading home for summer. It is amazing to me that it is this time of year already. It truly feels like I was just moving back to school at the beginning of August and now, in the blink of an eye, it is the end of May. This year has been one full of growth, challenges and wonderful memories. I feel like I have learned so much about myself. I have gotten to live on a floor filled with incredible women. These women have taught me so much about what it means to be a woman of God. They have taught me how to cling to God amidst pain and suffering that comes along with this life. As each girl comes to mind, I have no doubt that God handpicked them to be on the floor this year. I have been so blessed with my group of friends. I have learned a lot from them. They have challenged me and encouraged me in so many different ways. They have been examples of solid men and women of Christ. Supporting me in every aspect of this year. I have laughed, cried, made amazing memories, been stretched, taken out of my comfort zone, prayed harder than I ever have, made new friends, really missed some of my old ones, and as crazy as it all was I am able to sit here, look back and say, it was good. There were a lot of changes, some that were extremely difficult others that I welcomed gladly. God has been teaching me that in my daily walk, I will be victorious only to the degree that I trust Him. The devotional that I read this morning said, “I can help you only as you ask. I will meet you at every point where you put action alongside your prayers.” Wow. It is a mix between both prayer and action. How often do we sit down and pray about something and then forget all about it? God has been taking me out of my comfort zone in so many ways and He has been teaching me that even though we may feel inadequate, He wouldn’t place us in a situation He knew we couldn’t handle. Now that is a comforting thought. “No case is too hard for Me. Never be taken by surprise when I use you to change a pattern. Do not judge man by what he appears to be, but see him as what he can be if he gives himself unreservedly to Me.” God is doing some big things within me and I am excited to be able to look back on this time of my life and hopefully be able to see everything He is doing, or at least part of what He is doing. I can’t believe that I am finishing up my junior year of college. Only one more until I graduate! I am looking forward to what God is going to do with the time I have left at Biola, well, at least as an undergrad (;</span>tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329001002530919739.post-70085830520634919482010-05-14T21:52:00.000-07:002010-05-14T22:04:12.348-07:00Just the beginning.<span style="font-family:georgia;">My friend and I were talking about blogging and journaling. It really got me thinking. I’ve never had a blog before, nor do I really feel like that many people would be that interested in reading it but I do think there is value in writing down your thoughts and opinions. Some people do that in the form of writing songs, others do it through poetry, photography, art… but none of those truly define me. Writing notes, journaling, now those are things I love. This might be better if for no other reason than I have spell check on my computer (: </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />I am excited about this. I am excited to start blogging, to start trying to think more creatively. Now, I just have to figure out where I want to begin, where do I want to start. I guess starting right where I’m at would be the best place. So, this is where I’m at. I cannot believe that there is only two weeks of school left. Graduation is two weeks from tomorrow and even though I am not one of the people walking across the stage, many of the people that have been most influential during my time here at Biola so far will be. It is a bitter sweet feeling. I think most of us would agree that coming to the end of a season of life is always bitter sweet. I’m excited for what the next one will bring: the challenges, memories, triumphs, laughs and everything that goes along with the sweet. The bitter comes with the coming to an end. In some ways the change. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that change is a good thing but it can be difficult. It is hard to think about how things will never be exactly the same as they are right now. Sometimes that is a good thing; sometimes we just aren’t ready for that. I am somewhere in the middle. There are a few things that I do desire to change and other aspects that I would love to keep the way they are. It all happens so fast, life. Sometimes I wish there was a pause button that I could push just so I could sit back and soak it all in. This past year seems like a blur. By now it is a collage of memoires. It is hard not to smile when I think back on it all. This year brought many things with it, new friends, real conversations, old friends coming back into my life, tears, joy, pain, laughter, decisions, choices, growth and so much more. Just thinking about all the moments that God intervened on my behalf is amazing to me. If I had done things my way, things would have been different and being able to look back on it now, I know that it wouldn’t have been for the better. It is funny how God always knows best and yet we still struggle to trust Him with every aspect of our lives. Why is that? I would say it is because we love having control. We want to think that we know best. I praise God for this past year, for this past semester, for Him knowing best. His hand has been in ALL of it. It’s not over yet. Two weeks. 14 days. It seems like the end is almost here and yet, it is just the beginning.</span>tiffany maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491685484995057030noreply@blogger.com0