Reflections on my 22nd Birthday

One year ago, I would not have expected to be where I am at today. I moved to a new city, attended a new school, and made a lot of amazing new friends. Life hasn't been perfect, but I have grown so much. I have realized that I am stronger than I thought, because God's joy is my strength. God has brought me out of a lot of legalism, into living out of a love and longing for His presence. Truly I am so thankful for this year, away from my family, with my new family - dear friends and a church who supports me and loves me. God knew what I needed before I asked for it, and He provided streams in the desert. 

Now, I am once more transitioning to a new school and city. This time, however, there is a difference. I will have family around me - I will be house mates with my sister, Casiphia, and my dear friend Joanna. Great things are just around the bend, but I am still savoring each moment as this old season comes to an end. Thank you Lord for another year of walking with You - blessings unimaginable, provision, healing -  truly I have a good Father. 

Soaring Higher

You're stronger than you realize
Hardier than you know
The storms of life have taught you well
To whom and where to go.

When trials of life grow harder
When storms and troubles come
The weight it grows so heavy
It begins to stifle your soul

You cry out in your heartache,
Sorrow grows too much
Falling on your knees
You know you can't trek on.

To Him Who Cares you carry
The heavy weights you bore
You lay them down before Him
Love washes over your soul.

A peace you have not known before
Floods in and wraps her arms around
Warmth fills you overflowing
Reaches to the very tips of your toes

No longer do you worry
About your life and things
When these become too much
You lay them at His feet

The answer is not found
In great and marvelous things -
Rest is full in knowing where
And Whom to trust in time of need.

~ Lysandra Elena 05/26/11

Trust in Hardship

“Remember it is the very time for faith to work when sight ceases. The greater the difficulties, the easier for faith; as long as there remain certain natural prospects, faith does not get on even as easily as where natural prospects fail.”
--George Mueller

In summary, this quote states that it is easy to believe when life is going well. When the hard times come is when our trust is really put to the test. God allows us to experience difficulties in our lives in different seasons. As a believer, one must realize the question is not whether hardships will come, but when. This world is not our home; it is bound in sin, therefore the product or sin, death, will ultimately affect all of us. It is how we respond in the midst of trials and adversity that shows how deep our trust in God really goes. Are your roots dug deep, or would you be easily rocked by the storms of life? Say that you experienced heartache and loss similar to Job in the Old Testament – would you be able to continue to bless God, or would you lose sight of His promises?

These are not easy questions by any means, but I believe it is important to ask them. If are honest with yourself, you will probably say that you are not sure if you would be able to continue to praise God. The knowledge that we need His strength to sustain us through the trials that we face in our lives is half the battle. It takes laying down one’s pride, surrendering completely, and admitting that the answers are not yours, they are His. Once you yield to Him in this manner, the journey will become much easier. You will realize that the weight of the situations you face are not your own, and the burden will lift.

I like to think and pray about burdens in this way:

“God, I am not my own problem. I am your problem. I give this situation (worry, strife, anxiety) to You, and pray that You would give me peace and guide me, because I don’t have all of the answers. You are the God of all wisdom, so I give this to You and pray that You would work it out for good – Let Your kingdom come and your will be done in this situation.”

Once you surrender all to Him, you will realize that your trust has deepened a little bit more. It is a journey of trusting in our Savior, but once we realize that He really is the ever - faithful friend who stays closer than a brother, it will bring a paradigm shift in our way of thinking. Draw close to the Lord – He will sustain you through both the valleys and the mountains. He is there no matter what your emotions tell you – cling only to Him and He will see you through.  

My Sustainer

God you are my God, earnestly I seek. Hide me in the Shadow of your Wing.

-The Psalmist

Truly, I can say that God has sustained me this year.

Looking back, I wonder at how I made it through.

The Lord is the strength of my life, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer,

My strong tower, my refuge, and a very present help in time of need.

He has supplied all that I have needed by His right hand. 

If I believed for one second before that my faith was strong,

Now I know beyond a doubt that my trust in God is solid.

He has proven Himself faithful during these months,

And done a deep work in my heart.

I believe it was a year and a half ago, it may have been more recent,

But I felt God say that He was strengthening and deepening

The roots of my trust in Him.

If anything, I know the purpose of my year here at school has been this:

to build an unshakeable, unchangeable, and constant hope in my Savior.

While I have learned other spiritual and practical lessons as well,

I feel that this is the overarching theme:

Building a Solid Trust in God’s Goodness.

God has taken this heart of mine, and turned it towards Him in such a way that I will never be the same again.