Blessings in Disguise

I'm so grateful that my spring break is during the Great Lent so that I've had time to evaluate how the past few weeks have gone and what I hope to do for the final weeks.

I've heard a few times this week that if Lent isn't hard, then you're doing something wrong. So for all of you that are practicing Lent, I encourage you to ask yourself, has this Lent been spiritually challenging, or has it been easy?

And if it has been easy, that doesn't mean - Okay, so giving up _____ is too easy, so I need to give up ________ as well. No matter what we give up, it doesn't mean anything unless we're taking on more time spent with God-- through prayer, Scripture, church services, etc.

And if you're like me, you're probably wondering, what is the point of all this? Why can't I just enjoy living in this world and enjoy what's in front of me instead of having to worry if there's chicken in my ramen noodles or whether I should eat cake on my friend's birthday when I gave up sweets?

Why? Because Christ tells us:

 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19-20)

laying up for myself treasures on earth... who doesn't love cookie cake?

Our music collection, our good grades, our birthday cakes.... even the relationships we've built on this earth.... they are all temporary. We should not let the things of this world dictate our joy, because while earthly joy is fleeting, the love of Christ is everlasting. Knowing that, why is it so hard to give up more of our time to Him?

And while that doesn't mean we should not enjoy the earthly gifts that God has granted us, Lent is a good reminder that although those things are wonderful, our citizenship is in heaven, and our time here on earth is temporary. 

  "...Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3: 18-21)

Our citizenship is heaven. What a thought. Like God has already set a place for us there. How incredible.... and how easy to forget when we are caught up in the ways of the world. I know for me personally, I have been so stressed over school, what I'll be doing after graduation, and how I will handle being in the "real world," that I've forgotten what I am living for, or, in other words, who I am living for. And the more I can be reminded of that, especially by the loved ones God has blessed me with, the more everything that causes me stress doesn't seem so bad.

And as a way to refocus that stress and to trust that God will provide for me, I took a friend's suggestion and  made a list of how He has been faithful. I realized that there was so much more than I acknowledge, and I plan to print out the list as a constant reminder of his faithfulness. And while I'm not going to include the list here, I thought I would mention a few things.

- A difficult first year of college.... that built my character and gave me a softer, more Christ-like heart.

- Broken friendships that were completely restored, when both sides were completely convinced that restoration was impossible.

- A potential disaster with "random" roommates this semester, turned out to be the greatest blessing.

- Two months of struggling spiritually in Ecuador, wishing I had my church community back home, and God provided a church community for me there, something I would have never imagined happening, along with some incredible sisters that really helped me to grow.

These are just a few, but I think the most important thing I realized is how situations that were so difficult and painful at the time turned out to be blessings in disguise. We never really know how God can use a terrible situation in our life to help us to grow. That's something that is hard to realize at the time, which is why I think it's so important to remind ourselves of when He has been faithful.


And to end.... a really great (and short!) video on Lent that Joe Uncle had posted on his Facebook, which I found extremely helpful:

all the best, my dear reader. wishing you a blessed week.

sonia