Jesus take the wheel, but really.

As I enter this new season of fall (my favorite), my life definitely looks a bit different than I thought it would this time last year. For starters I thought I would be in Birmingham in Occupational Therapy school, not in Auburn, and definitely not the person I am now. Then I went on to not going to grad school at all and moving home - things I thought would happen didn't and things I didn't think would happen did and that's where I have greatly embraced, on a less serious note, Carrie Underwood's lyrics as my great (and slightly cheesy) new motto, "Jesus take the wheel"...

I respond under my breath to much of what happens as of late with that precious and a little bit hilarious phrase. But I mean it, and it's true. The Lord never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think I know, I don't. His plans are greater, thankfully. However, in the process of the re-route we so easily take on uneasiness and doubt. We get a little skirmy in our "uncomfortable situation", itching for a chance to get to a place where we can feel comfortable again. It takes time. Time to learn. Time to adjust. Time to embrace. Time to change. And honestly if we just sat back and learned instead of trying to find a way out, we probably wouldn't be there so long. Like the Israelites following the cloud through the desert - accepting manna for today and looking upward, knowing that He is good and faithful to lead us exactly where we need to be when we need to be there!

I am so excited and expectant for this new season in Auburn in Graduate School, and for the Lord to continue to absolutely blow my mind!

accept it.

In my sweet little devotion, Jesus Calling (which I highly recommend), I read this this morning and it was so encouraging...

"Come to me when you are weak and weary. Rest snugly in My everlasting arms. I do not despise your weakness, My child. Actually, it draws Me closer to you, because weakness stirs up My compassion- My yearning to help. Accept yourself in your weariness, knowing that I understand how difficult your journey has been.

Do not compare yourself with others, who seem to skip along their life-paths with ease. Their journeys have been different from yours, and I have gifted them with abundant energy. I have gifted you with fragility, providing opportunities for your spirit to blossom in My Presence. Accept this gift as a sacred treasure: delicate, yet glowing with brilliant Light. Rather than struggling to disguise or deny your weakness, allow Me to bless you richly through it."

In a world that is constantly telling us to be strong, move on -- the Lord is saying "son/daughter, jsut embrace it". For so long I know I pushed away weakness, it wasn't "okay" to appear weak - but the thing is, it totally is. That's where the Lord's strength is magnified. It's a beautiful place that you come to where you literally come to the end of yourself and can't do it, and the Lord says, "wonderful because I can, and have been wanting to do it the whole time!". He so desires us to release these burdens to Him. To cease striving. I listened to an incredible song the other day that definitely encompasses this and spoke to me so richly, give it a listen!

Acts 3:7 {taking the step}

"Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And AS he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened." {Acts 3:7}

This verse has just recently stopped me in my tracks. I know this might seem like a verse many would pass by, but how POWERFUL is the written Word that it is so jammed packed with things we never even realize until BAM, there it is the very day we need it.

Stepping out in faith. This is a phrase we hear & say all the time, but goodness doing so -- a completely different story. In this parable, the lame man obviously could not walk. Peter saw that the man needed more than gold or silver, he needed Jesus. Can you imagine? Not being able to walk for years...getting used to the day to day of not being able to use your legs. It becomes something that you have to adjust your entire life to, you become used to it. The simple things become a task for you. Think about everything you do that requires walking, or just simply using your legs - -  then imagine not being able to do them at all, or atleast having to go to great lengths to accomplish. It's a crazy thought.

Peter was asking this man to get up and walk. Really?... If that was you, would you think... Peter that's nice and all for you to want to help, but see you don't understand... I cannot walk, and better yet I haven't even been able to stand. YET, he steps. Isn't it funny how the Lord picks the most unlikely of circumstances to move in power? [Amen, Amen!]

How many times do we hear the Lord saying, "get up and walk"... go this and that way... yet we stay on the ground because we choose to do things our way and we don't fully trust where He is leading. Perhaps, we even think, "but Lord I haven't been able to do this thus far - this is just how it is going to be". Thank Him that He doesn't think how we do. He NEVER gives up. Never.

I am guilty of this as well. Making decisions and not knowing exactly what is going on until literally the last second, and being scared in the process because it makes no sense at all. In the same way, Peter helped this man up and "AS" he did, his feet and ankles were strengthened. The man had to take the first step, he had to STEP OUT in FAITH, and AS He did the Lord strengthened and healed him. The "as" in this verse just gets me. It implies process, an action - an action on our behalf.

We have to trust and step even when we don't see the next stone underneath our feet. He will provide the strength "as" we do. Acting this out, goodness gracious. Praise the Lord He gives us strength & grace as we need it, and knows exactly when we do. He is so faithful as He has promised.

 Choosing to step, a concept I am learning to embrace and walk in - but needing so much grace and mercy in doing so.

wrecked houses.

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." 

We don't even KNOW the plans the Lord has for us. In our little limited mind we assume that we can fathom up something that would be "perfect" for us. Yet the Lord of all creation, the Sovereign Lord of the universe that delights in all our details sighs, "not even close son/daughter... I have so much more." How would it look for us to throw off "our plan", and just rest? Truly truly rest in surrender of that He has it, and always has. I mean this time last year, entering my senior year, had I applied that - I probably would have saved my self a ton of "chaos", doubt, and rerouting, because honestly... He was telling me where to go the whole time. I just wasn't listening. I wasn't choosing to see.


His working isn't always how we wish it would be. We want "to know" - but God just show me this far and with the rest I will be fine, but the thing is, if He did, what would be the point in faith? Because we would always be wanting and "needing" more. always. We think oh goodness, He has probably forgotten about this detail in our cottage, when He is thinking, "yeah it might seem that way because I am not constructing a cottage, I am constructing a palace - and those don't look the same." We have to choose to believe that when we don't understand His hand, we can trust His heart. We stand unshakeable on His promises. 


How would our mindset change if we trusted the Lord as He is, Greater? greater than our thoughts. greater than our trials. greater than our plans. greater than our mindset. Oh goodness, He so desperately wants that for us. Yet we chose to confine ourselves to our limited ability every single day, and we wonder what's going on...when things are painful. He is molding us into HIS IMAGE. It's not always easy, it hurts sometimes. We have to be cracked to let Him through. Oh but how beautiful the process is, its a way to LIFE, and LIFE TO THE FULL. Learning to embrace brokenness and being cracked is something that is definitely a process. But wow, how faithful the Lord is during these times. His hand never leaves. 


I am so learning what it means to trust and expect God with the palace, when I am just living in and seeing the cottage.

A House United

Last week I spent time in Tuscaloosa, AL for my job at Auburn University Office of Public Service for a project with Habitat for Humanity, called A House United. It was a collaborative effort between us and the University of Alabama to come together, rivalry aside, and help with the efforts to rebuild in the devastation after the tornado.

This trip has kind of been my assignment for the summer to plan and organize. I am glad pretty much everything went smoothly and it was such a blessed trip for all of us. We learned so much from the UA students about what happened to them the day of the storm. It was surreal, it hit way too close to home. It could have just as easily been us. Also, hearing from the family whom we were building for - their personal story, wow - left me speechless. We spent days building, roofing, and painting. It was such an incredible experience. I am so grateful!

Here is a link to the blog I am also writing for the office with many of the stories we heard & details throughout the week: Work Blog