Taking a Step Back

My goodness, it's been a while. It feels like forever ago that I actually sat down to write a post. I guess there hasn't been too much to post about recently. Or maybe it's just because I lost inspiration to write?

There has been a lot on my mind lately with classes, my grandmother passing away, family struggles, graduating college in the near future, jobs for the summer- somehow it seems like life never slows down.

Sometimes God doesn't seem to let up the chaos because He is trying to teach you something. He is testing your patience and determination. Lately my patience and determination have really been tested and I must say that I haven't had the best attitude towards the circumstances! I was praying but still wanting my own way to be done and not God's.

Lots of times it is hard to find the good in situations we face. It is hard to be positive and know that God is trying to make good out of your situations. Even though we know something good is coming out of a hard time sometimes that doesn't seem to help us still. We are still broken. We are still troubled. We are still left with the same problems. Sometimes it takes a different perspective to make our troubles seem to fade away. If we can look at our hard times and know that God is using them to better grow us into a more well-rounded person we may just realize that the hard times are worth something truly amazing. They help teach us something that a good day could never compare to. Also, knowing you aren't in it alone and that God is on your side helps a lot. He's there for you even in the midst of the storm, even when nobody else seems to care or help.

The things you are going through right now are preparing you for the person you will be in eternity. I often like to think that when I reach heaven the things I'm worrying about right now probably won't even matter. Worrying about a grade on a test or not feeling popular probably won't even seem comparable to what I should have done for God. How many times I let the little things get a hold of me and take up time that I could be using for more important things. Sometimes it takes a few steps back to see things as they really are. Somehow a little distance makes everything seem smaller. Also, taking a few steps back from your life and letting God take control is also something good to keep in mind.

How many times I've wanted to take control of my life and leave God out of the picture because I wanted things my way. I've prayed so many prayers, asking God for what I wanted and not letting Him do what is best for me. Praying for what I want may make me feel in charge, but it truly isn't doing any good. I've come to know that I have to pray with God's will in mind and not my own. I know that sounds obvious, but I didn't know how much I was doing it until I focused on my prayers. Maybe take a few minutes and look at your prayers to see if you are focusing in the right places. Often I overlook improving my prayer life, when in reality, it is one of the most important things since we are in direct communication with God.

So whatever you are going through right now in your life know that God is somehow trying to teach you and better prepare you for the future. Just think of all the things you went through in the past to better prepare you for where you are now. I know I can look back on my life right now and see just how far I've come and know that without those hard times I wouldn't be where I am today. Often times the hardest days teach us the most!

Today the weather was nice so I decided to go outside and take a few photos. Most of them didn't turn out but I'll post the few that were maybe somewhat presentable..haha