Dysfunctionally functional...

Today wasn't the best day..  I was nearly late to my first class after hardly being able to wake up.  I then rode my bike into a bush on campus because some people were taking up the whole sidewalk.  Yes, people saw it happen. ( Feel free to laugh.)  I could barely stay awake for my two classes and when I got back to my bike I saw that my tires were nearly flat.  It made for a challenging ride home.  When I got home I remembered that I needed to take my car to the shop to air up its tires, as well.  After a few minutes of waiting, the man who was airing them up came to me telling me he broke off one of my sensors.. Luckily, he took care of it instead of me having to pay $150 for it.  Then my windshield wipers stopped working when I needed them. To top off the day, I felt really homesick.

Today was an abundance of setbacks and stress.

Satan tried attacking me numerous times today.  The old me would've cowered down, cried and then hide away in my apartment all day. 

But Something's very different now.

It's so easy to feel God's presence when life is going well and we are having these great days, but it's a whole other story to feel God's presence in our suffering. 

While I was still on the verge of tears today, I realized that my suffering is totally different.  I knew exactly where all these attacks were coming from and I fought back.

I doctored the scrapes from the bush incident, I took a nap and drank more coffee after being so tired, I aired up my bike tires, I didn't have to pay a thing for my tire repair & I went and bought what I needed to fix my wipers.  God even had a few of my closest friends get in touch with me today which provided great comfort. 

While all these problems aren't big in the grand scheme of things, they add up and can really frustrate and tear down a person. 

The point I'm trying to make, is that even in the little things, God is faithful.  He's always, always present.  Remember that you can learn something new about Jesus everyday. Even on the bad ones.

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Psalm 36:5

O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in Your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. Psalm 143:1

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23

Time

Time is something we all take for granted.  We live everyday as if time is at our mercy, but it is quite the opposite.  Truth is, we have no idea what the next given second will bring to us.  But that is no excuse not to live.
Lately, I've been trying this new thing where I try to use my time more wisely.  It has really blessed me.  It gives me perspective that life is so, so beautiful when you slow down and really see everything you have that is right in front of you.  Once I slowed down, it's like I came down to earth and am actually here.. thankful for my time.  I feel like I'm a better friend and family member now, as well.  I've been praying for God to work with me in the "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry" area.  I am by no means the perfect friend or family member, but I do feel like the relationships I have are more genuine now.  All glory to God.
I truly believe there is a huge difference between living and existing.  I have wasted so much time in my life being bitter or sad about different things.  It consumed my entire being to where it completely took God's place in my heart.  Believe me when I say that I wish I could go back in time to make those times happy ones.  We are in control of how we feel.  If something doesn't feel right or you aren't liking a certain version of yourself, change it.  Life is slipping away from us every second of everyday.. too fast to not be joyful no matter where you are in life.
"One Tree Hill" is one of my favorite shows of all time. I love the music and the quotes from it. Here's a quotes that inspired me.
"Sometimes I think we waste our words, and we waste our moments... And we don't take the time to say the things that are in our hearts when we have the chance."
God is always working, you guys. Always.  But we as humans, choose to see the good or the bad. One of the many things I love about God is that He's not a forceful God.  He is always with us, patiently trying to get our focus back on Him.  I cannot imagine being with someone 24/7, trying to help them, love them and show them their way, only to be ignored. Thank you, Jesus for your endless grace.
Let's use our time we have to love, to tell our loved ones and friends how we feel about them, to make a difference in someone else's life, to listen to what God is saying, to stop and enjoy the life you have been given that is all around you. Life is beautiful if you take the time to see it.

Make me walk along the path of Your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. -Psalm 119:35 NLT.

Moments.

Do you believe a single moment can change your life?
This is something I struggle with every single day.  There are several days that drag on to weeks that stretch on to months where nothing extraordinary happens. It's almost like I'm caught in a revolving door. Then out of nowhere, there are these moments in time where life is just incredible. In these particular moments I truly believe I can do anything and the world doesn't feel so big to me anymore. They give me hope that my reality can turn into the fairy tale life I've always dreamed of having. (Incase you didn't know, I believe in fairy tales.)
Then before you know it, the moment is over and reality quickly reminds you it's still there.  It's so hard for me to come off of these unreal moments in life.  To be completely honest, I believe that absolutely anyone's dreams can happen and I see how The Lord uses each and everyone of my friends.  I'm such a hypocrite because I believe that so much for them, but not at all for myself.

 I feel ordinary most of the time. I feel like I'm the the only person in the world stuck in this revolving door and can't seem to break free. When people ask me what I want to with my life, I stand there struggling.  I really don't know what I want to do, but all I know is that I want to be joyful. That's my dream, to be happy no matter where I am, who I'm with or what I'm doing.  Even though my life isn't really eventful yet or the fairy tale I've always dreamed of, I still have hope that each day I'm getting a little bit closer.
Life is nothing but a multitude of life changing moments.
I've learned to hard way that when we find ourselves in doubt, we aren't with Jesus in those moments.
No matter who you are, where you are, where you've been or what you've done, just know that you are so loved and you can do anything you dream of.  God is going to use both you and I to help change the world. We just don't see it yet.
Jesus says, "Draw close to Me and I'll draw close to you."

With Jesus, a single moment can change everything. Believe it.
Bless you all.

Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.- Ephesians 5:16-17