Expect good things
This weekend was BOND at RRBC...it's were people from Senior camp get together in the fall to have a time of refreshment...and even though I am pretty sick with a cold it still was great...one of the things we did right away on Friday night/Saturday morning was watch this video of Senior camp...
My friend Chris Padgett made the video...he's the same one that took those amaze-balls picture of me...and well needless to say we loved it...I can't stop watching it...I love the part where you can see my cabin praying with our hands in the middle...and I love hearing Gary speak at the end with the road to camp showing...SO COOL...
In this video I told my future self to expect great things...and I am finding that is something I still need to work on...I tend to fear the worst...I told my girls a little about this when I felt like I had a great little nugget of wisdom for them the other night and as soon as I shared with them I started to fear that I am never going to have anything else to teach them and that I won't be able to teach in a way that they can understand and all these other fears that I have a lot...but here's part of what I told them and what I want to tell you...and really myself to remember...
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matt 7:9-11
Ok so we are sinners...we are evil...we can try to do good things to become good people but that's not really how it works because we are fallen...ONLY God can say he is good...but even though we are evil we still know how to give each other good things and good gifts...I know how to get my best friend Nicole cool things for her birthday...and she does too...we expect that from each other...we expect good things from our friends...even though we know that we are sinners...but when it comes to God I know that I personally don't always expect good things from him when he is good...I often think "ok God what else can go wrong?"...instead of wondering how he is going to bless me and those around me or teach me and those around me...instead of looking for his goodness I look at the negative...but I really should expect good things from him because he is good...
Which leads me to Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Like I mentioned I tend to think God has these horrible things in store for me...but he doesn't want to harm me...he wants to give me a hope and a future...things to look forward to...things to enjoy...but they are his plans...not mine...which does mean they won't always seem good to me...but if good things are coming from whatever is happening...like me walking closer with him...so me being able to share my faith...or whatever I am going through making me a better person in general...then it really is a good thing...
Like I often say...this life is hard but I wouldn't change it because God has taught me so much...and has brought me into a friendship with him that I wouldn't have otherwise...those are good things...those are things that give me hope and a future...and those are things I am thankful for...
My friend Chris Padgett made the video...he's the same one that took those amaze-balls picture of me...and well needless to say we loved it...I can't stop watching it...I love the part where you can see my cabin praying with our hands in the middle...and I love hearing Gary speak at the end with the road to camp showing...SO COOL...
In this video I told my future self to expect great things...and I am finding that is something I still need to work on...I tend to fear the worst...I told my girls a little about this when I felt like I had a great little nugget of wisdom for them the other night and as soon as I shared with them I started to fear that I am never going to have anything else to teach them and that I won't be able to teach in a way that they can understand and all these other fears that I have a lot...but here's part of what I told them and what I want to tell you...and really myself to remember...
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matt 7:9-11
Ok so we are sinners...we are evil...we can try to do good things to become good people but that's not really how it works because we are fallen...ONLY God can say he is good...but even though we are evil we still know how to give each other good things and good gifts...I know how to get my best friend Nicole cool things for her birthday...and she does too...we expect that from each other...we expect good things from our friends...even though we know that we are sinners...but when it comes to God I know that I personally don't always expect good things from him when he is good...I often think "ok God what else can go wrong?"...instead of wondering how he is going to bless me and those around me or teach me and those around me...instead of looking for his goodness I look at the negative...but I really should expect good things from him because he is good...
Which leads me to Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Like I mentioned I tend to think God has these horrible things in store for me...but he doesn't want to harm me...he wants to give me a hope and a future...things to look forward to...things to enjoy...but they are his plans...not mine...which does mean they won't always seem good to me...but if good things are coming from whatever is happening...like me walking closer with him...so me being able to share my faith...or whatever I am going through making me a better person in general...then it really is a good thing...
Like I often say...this life is hard but I wouldn't change it because God has taught me so much...and has brought me into a friendship with him that I wouldn't have otherwise...those are good things...those are things that give me hope and a future...and those are things I am thankful for...
Thanks so much. I need to be reminded that God is not against me but for me and even when bad things happen God can make good come out of it. And one of the cool things about that verse in Jeremiah is that it's a message delivered to the Jews in exile. They were living in a bad time, aching for deliverance, and God says, I haven't forgotten you. I've got good things in mind, even if you can't see it right now. And I recently heard in a Donald Miller sermon that the more painful your life is, the more meaningful it is. That sucks but it's awesome. :)
ReplyDeletehahahaha that's true that such good thngs can come out of hard times and that the combination is cool and sucky all wrapped into one...just another reasons why our emotions can be all over the place during said times...love you
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