But So Are You

I'll be honest with y'all, earlier this week was rough. I mean crying ugly tears, feeling like I can't breathe, nasty couple of days. It is that time in the semester where everything is due and I just felt like I couldn't catch up. I found myself emptying my cup and not refilling it. Trying to make big life decisions instead trusting and having faith in God's plan for my life, whatever that may be.

I started to feel like I was so buried that I would never recover. I had 2 tests, 2 lesson plans, 15 assignments, and a paper to work on. I wanted to give everything 100% but since they were all due around the same time, I just felt like I couldn't. Because of all of this, I began to believe that my circumstances were stronger and bigger than I was.

I had a conversation the other night with some friends about Philippians 4:13 and how often it is taken out of context. If you read the entire chapter, you will realize that Paul is talking about fully relying on God in every circumstance and not saying that you can do whatever you want. So I began relying on what the scripture says is true and not what I had been believing to be true. I began reminding myself that it is okay to rely on God and those He has placed in my life. I realized that I had been trusting my own plan and understanding far too much and not trusting God's plan enough. Below are 2 of the verses that I have been reminding myself whenever I begin to focus too much on my own plan or begin to get anxious about the things that are out of my control.

It was amazing what a little perspective gave me. I was finally able to slow down enough that I could catch my breath. I got a full nights' rest and woke up Wednesday ready to take on the tasks one at a time. And when I focused on them one at a time, I stepped back and realized that my list was being shortened with each step. I was able to catch up on my class work and still had some time to spare.

I had another conversation with a past mentor in my life a while back and they reminded me that life is tough, something that I have understood far too well lately. But they also reminded me that tough times don't last, tough people do and oh how wise that is. We serve a tough, strong God who gives us the peace, strength, wisdom, and patience to walk through this life. So if we just focus in on God and the tasks that He has given us then no matter the road, we can trust that He will see us through to the end.

But if you remember anything from this post, remember this. I did none of this on my own. I am strong because I serve a strong God. I am brave because I serve a brave God. And I am capable of doing these hard things because He made me capable. Some seasons may seem never ending but just remember that the storms will pass and the skies will clear eventually. These times of life may seem tough, but so are you, so don't lose sight of what truly matters and keep on keepin' on.