Today, I Have Abundance

 "God, can I go to an expensive school far away?"

 "Yes, my child. Not through the miraculous million dollar scholarship you dreamed of, but through many small miracles, like summer jobs and the exact amount of money in the account every semester."


 "God, can this school be a place where I find many friends?"

  "Not many. Only a few that will come and go."


 "God, I want to write stories."

 "And today, you shall." 


"God, I have always desired this one specific thing, too precious to name. Can I please have it?"

 And He is silent. 



There are things in my life that God has not given me and may never give me. But today, I will focus on His yes.

 Lately, through many different aspects of my life, God has been telling me to actually begin writing what I hope will become a novel. Even as I start, I have only gotten more encouragement.

 This was my encouragement today:

 My friend didn't know the story I am writing has a theme of sea glass. She didn't know that I need a notebook to journal about my characters, plot, and themes.

 So today I have:

 A merciful God who despite my sin chose me as one of His children and sent His son to die for me.

 A loving God that has given me an opportunity to study at school.

 A kind God who will never leave me though friends come and go.

 A sovereign God  I can trust with answers to questions I do not yet need to know.

 A creative God who at least for now, wants me to write.

Through Him, today, I have abundance.

And Write

   I met Nathan on the plane. He was young enough to still be good looking, but old enough that it would be sketchy to date him—a  bored extrovert who found himself sitting next to a young college student for about an hour and a half. So he talked. With a book in my hand, the subject quickly went from my love of books to my desire to write them.

         

   “Did you know that the lady who wrote Harry Potter wrote the whole book on a napkin?” he asked.

  “The whole book? It wouldn't have fit,” I said.

  “Oh, yeah, the whole book.” He laughs, then hands me a napkin the stewardess gave him for his drink. “Here’s your napkin.” He digs in his backpack. “And here’s a pen. So write your book.”

            

   He teased me about not writing anything on the napkin. He teased me about not planning to get drunk on my twenty-first birthday. He wouldn't take his pen back at the end of the flight. He replied with something like, “You need to write your book with it.”

         

  Through many different situations, classes, and people, God has been nudging me and sometimes pushing me to write my book. With all of my doubts and excuses, it’s like He’s saying, “Just do it, my child. Use the time and circumstances I have given you, and write.” 

Overwhelmed

"I delight myself in You
Captivated by Your beauty,
I'm overwhelmed, I'm overwhelmed by You"
                    ~ Overwhelmed, Big Daddy Weave
   
  The first time I heard the song Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave, I was excited. Yes, I thought, I am so overwhelmed with school and situations and life. I praised God for the much needed words of wisdom soon to be sung about how to stay at peace throughout life's craziness. 
  

 But instead, my ears heard a tune that simply praised God for all of the glorious things He has done. The singer wasn't overwhelmed by his situation, but was overwhelmed and in awe of God.
 

 And in my heart, I was disappointed. I wanted help with handling my crazy schedule. I wanted advice about how to have peace and joy through all circumstances. They had the wrong idea of being overwhelmed.
 

 Then I listened to the song again, but truly listened. Instead of being overwhelmed with my situation, I need to be overwhelmed with God. I need to be amazed at His creation before me. I should be flabbergasted at Jesus' death on the cross for me. For when I am overwhelmed by His presence, I am not overwhelmed with trivial things like school or my current situation in life.