How do you start your morning?

What is your first thought when your alarm goes off in the morning? Maybe it’s “Is it morning already?” Maybe you think about what the day holds, what classes you have today, what work has to get done.  Maybe you thank God for giving you another day to live and do His work.

As for me, the way I wake up greatly impacts my morning. Some days I wake up stumbling to shut off the alarm after it has gone off ten million times already. Other days I wake up refreshed and happy, and I even shut off the alarm before it has the chance to go off. I strive for days like these, when it is easier to think about God and remember to start off my day by reading the Bible and praying.

Nevertheless, in both circumstances, I need to tell myself to do one simple thing:

Breathe.

It will help me:

be calm

feel peace

quiet my soul

slow my thoughts

find focus

set my sights on Him

Breathe.

No matter what the day holds, take a deep breath, trust in God, and be grateful for the day He has given you. For it is by God’s breath that we have life.

The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. – Job 33:4

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for creating us in your image and giving us the opportunity to come and know you more. Thank you for the good works you have laid out for us to do, and the chance to wake up every morning and do them all in your glory. We praise you and we love you. Amen.

Kill the Hurry

I woke up this morning and I had a million things on my mind. I started off the day by trying to take an online quiz for a class, which just made me super frustrated. And then I went to workout, which just made me feel even more rushed and gave me a highly-energized body. Finally, I decided to do what I should have done at the beginning of the morning, have some quiet time with God.

It was then that I remembered that is OK if my day is busy, but it cannot be rushed. God wants us to be busy serving Him as we go through all the different activities of our day, but he doesn't want us to feel like we are hurrying from thing to thing. 

So, I wrote this on my white board, in purpose of having it help me out the next time I'm feeling overwhelmed with thoughts and not able to get rid of a busy body. 

Remember as you go through your day today to try and kill the hurry and enjoy the life God has given you.

Have a great rest of the week :) 

God provides not necessarily what you WANT, but what you NEED:

Passages from the book of Matthew

I need to get an A on this next test.

I need to land this new job.

I need them to accept me.

I am sure all of us have said something along these lines at one point in our lives, I know I have. There are certain things in life that we feel like we need, otherwise we will fail the class, or not have enough money for the new car we want, or not fit in with the group and be happy.

However, these passages from Matthew 6 and 7 remind us that God knows our needs better than we do. He knows what we absolutely need before we even ask! Worrying about these things is useless. 

Matthew 6:31-33: So don’t worry. Don’t say, “What will we eat?” Or, “What will we drink?” Or, “What will we wear?” People who are ungodly run after all those things. Your Father who is in heaven knows that you need them. But put God’s kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all those things will also be given to you.

Matthew 7:7-11: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Something that is often hard for me to get over is the fact that the things that God provides for us aren’t necessarily what we deeply desire. I want good grades, perfect relationships, and a set plan for my life. But God is screaming at me: SARAH NONE OF THAT IS YOURS ANYWAY. So true God. If I am truly a follower of Christ and willing to fully trust in Him alone, I need to realize that God knows me WAY better than I know myself. Isaiah 55:9 states: For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. His ways are far better than anything we could ever think of ourselves.

So trust in God, set your sights on Him, and He will provide you with what you need.

What would you say?

What is the most important thing you could tell someone? Let’s imagine it was the last time you would see someone, what would you say to them before you left? That you love them? That you care for them? That they are awesome and will do great in whatever they decide to do?

How about telling them about Jesus. If you could only say one last thing to someone, how about telling them that Jesus loves them, that they are free from sin because of Him, that they are perfect in God’s eyes. How about sharing the Gospel with them.

Mark 16:15 says “Go into all the world. Preach the good news to everyone.”

Matthew 28: 19-20 states “So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end.”

This is our mission. Does your life reflect this?

Heavenly Father, it is sometimes hard for me and I am hesitant to tell others about You. Help me to feel Your presence at those times, and know that you are with me, always, “to the very end.” Help me to grow closer to You and share your great love with everyone I encounter. Thank you for sending your Son to die for my sins. Thank you for your great grace. Amen.

The Words I Would Say – Sidewalk Prophets

This song is very powerful to me because whenever I hear it, I think about my sister and how much I care about her and believe that she will do great things. I want her to remember to “Be strong in the Lord and never give up hope.” I want her to know that “God’s got His hand on her, so not to live life in fear.” I want her “not to forget why she is here.” Most importantly, I want her “to take her time and pray.”

I also remind myself of these simple truths whenever I hear this song. 

Enjoy :)

Is Jesus at the CENTER of your Life?

I made this little sketch of sort of what my life looks like right now to help convey this message of Jesus at the center, the very core. From this picture, you can see the things that are most important to me in my life, what I put my time into every day.

I challenge you to make something like this for yourself, or maybe just think through the pieces in your life. But ask yourself this very essential question: Is Jesus at the center of your life? Is He the core, the piece that holds it all together?

Maybe there is a certain area in your life where Jesus is not at the center. If this is the case, maybe it is time to let that thing go. If you are overwhelmed with activities and to-do-lists, what can you give up? Giving up something, especially something you enjoy, may be very painful. I have experienced this pain before. However, giving that one thing up for the time being will bring clarity and focus to your life.

There’s that old saying that giving something up may allow you to gain something better. In this case, it could be that when you give that one thing up, you will gain a closer and deeper relationship with God. I would have to say, pretty much anything is worth giving up for that.

Keep Jesus at the CENTER of your life, and strive for a life focused on serving and glorifying Him. Involve Him in everything you do, because without Him, nothing else matters.

Jesus at the Center – Darlene Zschech

So Sarah, how are you doing?

Not only is this blog about sharing what I have learned through different verses and conversations with people, but God is also calling me to use it to connect to people and share my fears and doubts as I go through a life focused on following Him. I want to be able to connect with all of you readers and keep you updated on how things are going for me.

So, how am I doing?

I am doing well. I have to admit, the first month or so of college has been tough. I came in thinking classes would be the hardest part, but the schoolwork is not as bad as I thought it would be (I say this now, but watch how that changes later). The hardest part for me, to be completely honest, was making new friends and finding my place. At the beginning, I was questioning why God brought me to college and I felt like I was supposed to be somewhere else serving Him. But now, as I have started making connections with more people and finding my place, I have realized that God has brought me here for a very good reason. I can wonderfully serve Him through what I say and do here on my college campus.

In my daily devotional titled Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado, it contains a devotional that deeply touched my heart this week. It uses the verse from Job 42:3 – Surely I spoke of the things I did not understand; I talked of things too wonderful for me to know and it explains how God knows what he is doing. “God is God. He knows what he is doing. When you can’t trace his hand, trust his heart.” This hit me because I still don’t know exactly where God is taking me. Yes, I have learned a lot, but I have also had some suffering. Some of what God is calling me to do is not what the old me would have done. They are not things I would have chosen to do myself. But God is calling me, leading me and changing me. I feel His presence every day, and I know He is right here with me, every moment of every day.

For the first time ever, I have a question for you readers to actually answer so others can see!

The question is: How has God touched your life in the past week? It could be as simple as a song on the radio, or as big as a calling to serve overseas. But how has God made His presence known in your life recently? Use the comment section below to post your answers! And as always, feel free to contact me using the contact tab to the right of the page if you have any questions or would like to share with me more about your experiences!

I am looking forward to reading how God is acting in the small and big things in all of your lives! God bless everyone!