He is risen!

It was such a blessing to celebrate this weekend! HE IS ALIVE!! The Lord was so gracious to remind me in a fresh way of the gospel, O how I need to be reminded often! Easter is my favorite day of the year and its my birthday into the kingdom of God so it is always a double celebration! I am continually in awe of how the Lord would choose a wretch like me to be His treasure!? This weekend was full of reflection, thinking back over how the Lord has worked in my life, how He has been ever faithful!! He has redeemed my life from the pit! It is amazing to me to look back especially over the last 4 years since I began walking with the Lord, He has literally changed everything!! The Lord answered prayer this weekend for much needed revival. I am so quick to become discouraged but Christ is a shield around me, my glory and the LIFTER OF MY HEAD! (psalm 3:3)

This weekend was also special because Joshua and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. We were able to have an awesome extended tea "date" over skype without having to worry about schedules and timezones. Joshua did such a great job planning, it was such a blessing to me! It was so refreshing to just hang out! We have been learning so much about communication recently, specifically growing to know one another's heart. While there have been many difficulties we are growing in this area. We are both learning more than ever our NEED for the Lord and that we cannot communicate or love one another apart from Him!! We need His grace EACH DAY! It was encouraging to reflect on how we are doing well and how we can continue to grow and improve. I was reminded by a sweet friend that this season with Joshua is preparing me for a future season, a much harder season but one which will bear even more fruit. If the preparation is this challenging then I can trust that God is preparing us for great things for HIS KINGDOM! I can expect these things to be much harder than a long distance relationship. Praise God for how He PREPARES US for each season! He does not give us more than we can handle. He has brought me through many difficult seasons before to prepare me for my season today.

The semester countdown is on! only 3 more weeks and 8 final exams! I will be thankful when this semester is over, it has been by far the most difficult since being in Charleston. It has been hard but so good to be taught new lessons by the Lord about humility, change, patience, flexibility, and relationships. I will find out early May concerning my clinical rotations which will be all over the state, moving every 5 weeks for a year! I know I will learn much during the coming year! I find myself frustrated with school often, changing schedules, late professors, unorganized teaching, and sometimes wonder if I will really learn all that I need to. Today was especially discouraging, but I pray that the Lord would help me to trust that He is teaching me exactly what I need to know to serve Him. He is calling me and all of us to cast ALL our anxieties on Him because He cares for us!!


"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you" (Psalm 55:22). "Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save" (Isaiah 46:4). "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him (Isaiah 64:4).

where I was a year ago... what special memories!