Facemelt... A place to take all of your time

So this week, no these past two weeks have come to be known as the "valley" in my life, for this moment at least. As I sit back and look at the things that have happened or are going to happen in the future I truly have been starting to realize where my focus should really lie. Not on worrying about someone, not on wanting to get a "clean slate," not even on FACEBOOK... Oh I know, its blasphemy to speak against such a "great" thing as Facebook, but in reality it has become like an idol in my life. Time I usually spend in the word, slowly but surely turned into time sucked into that "social networking" site. I was really convicted on Wednesday night at Bible study about how much things can affect people and take their focus off of God and onto something as silly as oatmeal or as fanatical as sports. Then I realized, what on earth do I have to do on facebook for hours that is so terribly important to my life, or most importantly my relationship with Jesus?!?! The answer, facebook has NOTHING to offer me. ( No I am not bashing facebook, it truly is a great thing, but when it controls your time it can be detrimental) So I have decided to take a personal hiatus from facebook, to in essence discipline myself to rely on the Lord for my social networking, so to speak. He will fill the voids that I face, and he can make me whole. I am excited about the time I will be spending with the Lord and the time I have already spent with him since Wednesday. It is amazing to me how much of a difference cutting out one little thing from your life can bring you so close to your create. Its awesome! My challenge is to evaluate your life and walk, and if there is something that you think you just cannot make it a day without, go without it, it will either break you or draw you closer, its all about the discipline. :) It has done me good so far, I hope it does for you too.

I john 2: 15-17 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

I don't doubt my love or anyone else's love for the Lord, but we all just need to refocus and redirect it to whom its really due to!

D-Day or in this case H-Day

So after about a week of waiting, one of my close friends got the go ahead to ship out for Haiti to help with the devastation that occurred due to the catastrophic earthquake. Its been quite some time since I have blogged and I figure what the Lord has been teaching me through this is reason enough to blog! As a very unemotional person, given the right circumstances I can get hysterical, but usually over things like, death or simply horrible things that have happened in the past, but never over someone leaving. On Wednesday morning, January 13, 2010 and 9:11a.m. I received a text that merely said, "My unit is getting deployed, I may or may not go, Please pray I do." Well I did what anyone would do, replied back saying that I was praying, but no sooner that I had sent that text had I completely lost it, the girl who doesn't cry, sobbed at the mere sight of ACU's from a dismissing ROTC class at the college that I attend. It was intense, but after steady prayer, talking with people close to me, and finally a text that gave a little more information, I was okay, or for the moment at least I would be. The point of all this being, I have been praying for patience in this area of my life, for God's guiding hand, and His perfect timing. I always end up getting in a rush about life, and want to make hasty, flesh-directed, dumb decisions. So since I have been in the situation that I am in that is my daily prayer, and all I can say is that you need to be cautious what you pray for. Things in every aspect of this situation are constantly being confirmed in one way or another, even the trip that is occurring... And even as we speak God is continuing to answer prayer because at this very moment, he got pulled. He is upset, but the Lord has bigger plans for him, I don't know what they are and neither does he, but it is up to Him who is greater to guide and direct every single step we take! I don't know what to make of this season of my life, or how God can use hysterics to His glory, but seeing as how the hysterics could only be calmed by the Lord and prayer I know understand.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom,let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

It is just amazing to me how quickly the Lord answers prayers. As I was writing this I was praying for safety, and above all for the Lord's will to be done in the situation. If that meant him leaving for Haiti for up to 7 months or for him being held back, trained and sent to Afghanistan that much sooner. Now, for me, being the impatient person that I am, I want him here, now, but that is not always what God desires, in fact there is so much more to what God desires for us. I believe that we will never fully understand the facets of his love, He knows just how to deal with each and every hurt, laugh, situation, trial, he KNOWS how to break us down and lift us up. In the end its all for His glory. Its up to us to be like Job and trust and pray through it all, or to deny and betray him like Peter and Judas. It is up to us to draw near to Him and have a little bit of an easier road. His is going to use us for his Glory regardless of what we do, why not just try and make it easier and just listen to that still small voice when you first hear it. haha and it is so funny that I write this blog this morning, but now I just received another text... He's going again! haha You gotta love the Army :) The Lord has his hand on all of this!