Journey of a Thousand Miles

Hey fine peoples! I decided to update you all on life since I haven't spoken to you in awhile. Everything is going gravy. Today I came home from work and took a walk with God. I talked to Him about everything that was on my heart, and I was completely honest with Him. I think it helps to just lay everything out with God, exactly as it comes out of your mouth. Sometimes I can have a tendency to not be frank with Him because I'm afraid I won't please Him, or that some of my thoughts are sinful. Well, that just wasn't going to fly today. So as I was walking, I just told God exactly what was on my heart, exactly as it came out of my mouth, and I didn't try to filter it or make my words beautiful. And lemme tell you, it helped so much. Sometimes I feel like a little kid with God, like my words and thoughts aren't fully mature yet. And I think it's okay to not sound like an adult when you're talking to God. It's okay to sound like a hot mess, or like a...

God doesn't throw out our prayers. He cares about the details of our lives. If there's something you're praying for over and over, and it's still not being answered, take comfort in the fact that God does care, even if He seems far away. He is working out the details of your life through the circumstances you're currently in.  If there's someone who can pray with you, invite people in. Don't assume that people won't be interested in your prayer just because they're not struggling with the same thing. You'd be surprised how much people care and want to know your struggles. They want to share theirs too and know that they're not alone.  You may wonder if there's ever an end to your suffering. There is. There always is. Sometimes it takes days, months, or years. I was unemployed twice for a matter of six months, and God provided great job opportunities that have built the career of my dreams. I was single for years, and God provided a ...

First off... I can't believe it's already December. Where has all the time gone? So I've been reading a book for the WDP called A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller that I recommend everyone should read. It basically talks about prayer (of course), and it has made my prayers more real with God. I can have a conversation with Him at any point in the day, and I don't have to fake it with Him and pretend that I am okay with His plans. Life is hard, whether single or married, employed or jobless, at home or homesick, living your dreams or struggling to make ends meet. As long as we're on this side of heaven, life is always going to be hard at every stage of life, and I have come to the conclusion that the only way to make it through each day is by prayer. When I am missing my family and feeling alone, I pray. When I don't know what direction to go, I pray. When I am frustrated, angry, stressed, scared, I pray. When I am struggling with being single, I pray. When I wan...

Happy New Year everybody!!! I hope you are all ready to maintain your resolutions this year because I know I am. I have a heavy plate to fill, so there's no time to waste in past regrets and what not. I have a desk calendar that has daily prayers for emotional wholeness, and January 1st really touched on something that I struggle with and want to overcome this year, and I will share with you what it said: God's purpose for our lives is to make us whole- which is the way He created us to be- and then to work through us for His glory as we surrender our lives to Him. Emotional wholeness means living without negative emotions and having peace about who you are and where your life is headed. When we pray to God, we are spending time in His presence. And in His presence is where we find healing from the pain of our past. Prayer draws us closer to God, where we can get a vision for our future and better understand our purpose. The theme that sticks out to me here is wholeness, and th...

It's late at night, and I don't even know if I'll post this blog, but I just want to seize this moment and reflect on some things. I'm really lucky. I'm lucky where I'm at in my life right now. I'm lucky that I'm taken care of, even though I have no job. I'm lucky that I'm able to pursue my passions and still have money to pay the bills. I'm lucky to be living in a very beautiful city, even though I left my family behind. I'm lucky to have such a supportive family. I'm lucky that God directed me to where I am today and didn't leave me in the flux I was in. I can only imagine what kind of person I would have been had I never left my comfort zone of Houston. I don't even want to think about it because I know she wouldn't have been happy. She would always be wondering 'what if?' But I don't have to wonder that because I did it. I moved out; I struck out on my own, just like I promised I would. And I am still on ...

I prayed for God to give me what I need, and He delivered. Sometimes what we need isn't always what we want, but in the long run it is always better. I always learn things the best in hindsight. There have been many times in my life where I didn't get what I wanted, or maybe I did, and it didn't turn out exactly as I planned. But somehow, things worked out in a way that I got exactly what I needed, and sometimes that is a swift kick in the pants. I know that's how things panned out for me. I experienced this dilemma when I first graduated college and started looking for a job. I knew what I wanted but not what I needed. I kept praying "God, please give me this job. I need this job," but God had a better plan. I went a few months without a job when I first got my degree. I was living at home with my parents, my loans were coming in demanding to be paid, and still no income. I had big dreams of what I wanted to accomplish in my life, and it seemed that...

It seems so much longer than a year since I moved to Austin. I have changed so much that it seems I have aged five years, both in maturity and in weariness. I first came here open and vulnerable to new experiences, ready to take on the city and show them what I had, though I wasn't quite brave enough to really do that. I had a host of dependencies that I was carrying with me that wouldn't let me walk on my own. I had hangups that I was still harboring in my heart and false perceptions that would eventually carry themselves to the surface, only to be scrutinized, condemned, and then changed. For the first few months, I was very hurt, confused, and disappointed at what I would find in my new life. I longed to go back to my old life, to find my dreams again, to grasp tightly to those things I so dearly depended on for my security. It wouldn't be long before I would be wiped clean of everything I clinged to and set on a different path that I was not familiar with. I had to beco...