Nash-vegas and the wonders it brings

This weekend was the Post in the City retreat. 107 young adults/college students traveled approximately 3 hours to Nashville to have a retreat, but more importantly serve in Nashville. The whole focus of the trip was to serve in the community. And man was God so present in this weekend. We served with Nashville's Against the Grain ministry which helps with single mothers and provides them services and bible studies. It was in this ministry that we were able to help landscape, clean houses, and move furniture for single mothers, helping them with small household chores. We had 15 groups total...each attempting to go to a house or 2 and help...and man was this amazing. God was just so open to what was going on there and some neighbors started asking why we were down there planting flowers for a single mother and her 5 kids.

But after this we had a picnic in the local park. This was so much fun because it was a joy to see the mothers eyes as we played with their kids and talked to them. And the kids were amazing. Between playing on the merry go round and the swings and playground. It was just fun and amazing. We were able to pray with the minster that is over there and his prayer was one that I won't forget for a while. He mentioned how it was amazing to see that in the family of Christ there is no concern about color or sex, but it's about the family community. How true and how much that was needed to be said. Because here are a bunch of whites in a predominately black neighborhood, reaching out and serving. THAT, is the body, that is Christ.

Our speaker was OK; but he said something profound that has been sticking to me for the past 24 hours...or maybe more. The entire weekend was based on the path in which God has for us...how amazing the Lord is to have this as the topic since I am at that point. And I realized that I have all these ambitions and goals, they are always going to change. There is always going to be more. The path is not a destination, it's following God. Because God's story is never ending...neither is my path. And though I have all these things I want to do, they will happen. I want them to take shape now, but that is not the point. God will put me in the place and time when I need to focus on that goal, until then I wait and endure for God to make the move and open the doors, because they will happen. Just because I am young does not mean that these goals are going to happen immediately. They could take 40 years of waiting...and I need to be patient in that.

It's funny how God can be so predominate in certain areas of our lives when we are seeking more. I love seeing the calling that God gives to people and I love to see the direction that they take. And though sometimes I feel like I am often times left out of the equation, I know deep down that I am not. It's just me being naive and me wanting to be selfish, but I know that God is working though I can't quite see it sometimes.

Time and Time again....

I have this problem. It's not like a, "this is so bad that it's uncomfortable to write or read" problem but more of a mental tug of war that I play with myself....day in...and day out.

My mind likes to grasp for things, grasping for what tomorrow or next week or next month may bring. And I look to the future trying to see where God is going to lead me next...and I forget...I forget to focus on the now. I don't focus on what God is showing me at the very moment and I let things pass by me, and it disgusts me. Because I was too busy trying to find God in the future and not able to hear Him now.

I have over committed. I thought that I could handle all this and saw many opportunities to serve in different aspects of the ministry, thinking that each would help me along where I need to be in the future, that I didn't realize how thinly spread I was. I am now on the break down of discerning God's voice in where I need to be now, and what I need to de-commit to. And I hate it because I now feel like I am letting people down. But I know that God is helping me through this.

So how do I focus on now? How do I get my mind of the plans I oh so want to make?

Simply put....just focus on God, the blessings He has placed in the miraculous life that I live. It's that simple...yet my frustrating mind doesn't work that way. But that is part of the whole learning process...that you just depend on God more and more as life gets more and more complicating.

Depend on God...rest in Him...know that He is in control of tomorrow...be joyful of today.