With Everything I Have

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, the God of my salvation." Habakkuk 3:18

So last weekend my mom and I decided to go to my grandparents' house. It had been a little while since we had seen them and spending time with them was really nice. While we were out there visiting, we went to church. My grandma has always found pleasure in us going to church with her and fellowshipping with her friends afterwards, but I have to admit I didn't really want to go this time (only because I missed home and was eager to get back). However, despite my eagerness to get home, we went with them to church and let me tell you: God sure knew what He was doing (not that I'm at all surprised)!

We took a seat in the pews and that was when I first noticed this elderly woman who was seated in front of us. She looked like she was about ninety. Her hair was messed up, she had on a night gown that had stains on it, and she had an oxygen tank. Seeing me look at her, my grandpa nudged me saying, "That's Susie. She's hasn't been feeling well lately, but she prayed and God helped her to make it to church." As the service continued, I found my eyes wandering in her direction. It wasn't hard to tell that she was in pain and that she was really struggling. But what really got me was she was still worshiping the Lord with all she had. We would be saying the Lord's prayer and she was saying it at her own pace (which was a little slower than the rest of the congregation), but did that stop her? No. She was truly worshiping the Lord. Towards the end of the service I got a chance to meet her. I said hi and God bless you. She reached out her shaky hand to shake mine and simply responded in a croaky voice, "Bless you darling!" Throughout the rest of the service I couldn't help, but just watch her. It was such a wonderful sight to see her praying and praising the Lord. I was sad to see her and her husband leave early because she was in pain. 

After the service, I had mentioned Susie to my mom and just how awesome it was to see her praising the Lord. She said she had the exact same thought. Whenever I remember her in service, giving God all she had, I can't help but tear up (even now as I write this)! It was truly so beautiful to see.

The Lord taught me so much through Susie. What started out as me just having compassion for her soon turned into jealousy. I found myself longing and craving for the relationship she had with her dear Savior. He showed me that day exactly what true worship looked like. It isn't about how well we can sing, how we feel, how we sing or what others think about us, it's about thanking God for all that He has blessed us with (in the good and bad times). I always knew this, but God used Susie as an example of what a true heart of worship looked like. 

Habakkuk 3:18 has been my favorite verse for a long time and now I love this verse even more! Every time I read this now I can't help, but remember dear Susie. So I encourage you guys: worship the Lord with all you have!  You don't have to the best singer or even musically gifted. Just worship the Lord because let's face it, He truly deserves everything we have to offer (no matter what our circumstances might be)! And worship is not only confined to music, it also consists of our words and actions. We should let our love for God shine through everything we do, so that others might see it and want the same relationship with Jesus. I know it might sound cliche, but by living our lives in this way we could truly start a revolution! We'll be growing closer to our Savior and leading others to Him in the process, just like Susie did and continues to do. 

"And on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near and my time has come. Still my soul will sing Your praise unending. Ten thousand years then forever more! Bless the Lord oh my soul. Oh oh oh my soul. I worship Your holy name. Sing like never before. Oh my soul. I worship Your holy name." (Lyrics from 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman).

Summer So Far

Well, it’s been about a month since I finished my first year of college (still can’t believe it) and man oh man has the Lord blessed me! First, when I had first gotten off for the summer I started to look for a job. I spent about a week and a half calling places asking if they were hiring, filling out applications and turning in resumes until finally I got a job at a tutoring place right down the street. During the interview, everything just seemed to fall into place. I found out that my boss had attended Azusa Pacific and that he and his wife had attended my church and been part of the home school group there for a brief period of time. That night, after the interview, he called me up asking if I could start working the next day. Of course I was super nervous at the beginning, but I had prayed and did a Bible study before I went in and I could just feel the Lord calming my nerves and telling me that it was all going to be just fine. Now, I've been working there for almost a full month and my boss is giving me more clients and hours as time progresses.

Since I've only been working afternoons, I've also gotten to see some of my friends that I haven’t seen in a really long time, one of which I haven’t seen since we graduated from high school last year. It was so nice to see her again and catch up with one another, but what made it even cooler was that instead of it being awkward at first, we just seemed to pick up right where we left off. We had a blast hanging out together and hopefully will do it again sometime soon! The Lord has completely blessed me with amazing friends and it’s just really awesome getting to catch up with each of them and seeing how God has been moving in their lives.

It’s also really nice to be able to spend more time at home with my parents and my family. At school, I was so busy that I didn't quite realize how much I missed being at home and just how much I missed my mom and dad. It’s funny because there really is never a dull moment with me and my parents. They are both hilarious and such blessings in my life. I cherish every moment I have with them whether that be shopping in the grocery store and dancing in the aisles, saving little ducks, or just kicking back at home together. I love you guys more than you’ll ever know!

Lastly, this past year I started to lead the youth worship team at my church and now because I have more time, I've been leading it more often which has been a complete blessing! There’s just something about leading His people in song. It’s a feeling that is hard to explain, but it’s such a privilege to be able to lead the youth at my church into God’s throne room. It’s funny too because I had joined to help fill in a gap that was left in the worship team (at that time there was only one other person to lead), but of course God had a bigger plan. He has taught me so much about Himself, worship, music and teamwork. Now, the worship team has grown and it’s even better doing worship with my friends finding harmonies, experimenting musically and just having a great time as we worship the Lord together!

So yeah, you could say that this summer has been pretty awesome so far! I know I keep saying it, but God has blessed me soooooo much! Everything I do is all for Him, whether that is at my job, leading worship, or just going about everyday life. So that in everything, God may be glorified (1 Peter 4:11)!