"He will wipe every tear from their eyes." {Revelation 21:4}

My alarm woke me up at 7:30 this morning after having gone to bed at approximately 4 AM. Needless to say, my body was not diggin' the sleep deprivation. Thus, I informed Brittany and Brianna that I would not be attending church this morning and got right back into bed. I did feel bad about missing church. But as badly as I wanted to sing my guts out and give praise to Jesus, my body just not up to par. I needed more than almost four hours of sleep, so I slept until 11 for sanity's sake. I finished typing up my testimony before going to lunch with Brianna, Brittany, and Andrea all the way at E-hall. It was delicious, but I ate way more food then a person should in one sitting. I won't go into much detail for your sake, but let's just say I had three plates to carry up to the dish return... Anyways! I completed my SOCI homework upon returning to my dorm, and my the time that was all said and done it was time for my candidate class. I was more than a tad nervous upon my arrival at this meeting; I'm not going to lie. Today, we were to share our testimonies, and that's something I've never done before. A million worries littered my mind. What if mine's too personal? Am I going to be the only person who cries while I'm saying mine (because I know I will)? Should I leave out some of the heavier things? Is this accurately portraying my relationship and experiences with God?... The list went on and on. It is truly amazing, though, the intimacy that results from vulnerability. In that room today, we shared things with each other that were emotional, personal, and difficult to discuss. Sometimes it seems like no one else in this world can share in your struggles and your heartache {at least in the same form}. That may be true, but as individual as your burdens are, the same can be said for your neighbor. The person directly beside you may have overcome inconceivable hurdles, and you may never realize it without taking the opportunity to learn and listen. These girls, my sisters, are such strong women. Each of them have encountered aspects of their life that left them broken {as I too have been broken}, and by the glory of God we continue to rise up against incredible odds and praise our Father in Heaven! After all, His desire is to heal us of our pain and lead us to His kingdom. I know how easy it is to lose sight of love and support that is freely given to us, but I also know how insurmountable life can be when we refuse to take God's hand and allow Him to take control. It is only through Him that we can truly grow and prosper! We are His creation and we are made in his likeness! Let's make Him proud, shall we?

{This might be a severe shift in mood, but...}

One of my friends mentioned this verse in her testimony this evening, and the truth of it really hit me. Just reading it is frightening in a way, but I know that fear has no place in the presence of God. And if I am His temple, than fear shall not reside in me if I can prevent it. Just the same, I thought I'd share it so that it could resonate with you.

"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder."
{James 2:19}

We are called to do so much more than merely recognize His existence. We are called to be servants of the Lord and disciples of all nations! Acknowledgement isn't enough... And with that knowledge we must live by Him, for Him, and through Him--never losing sight of the fact the we were made to love Him and model the life of Christ. It's a bold task, dear friends, but that's part of the reason we have each other :) God gave us fellowship and community! And everything has a purpose, does it not?