Well, once again, I'm apologizing for not posting in so long. Hopefully since it is summer, and I will be spending a lot of my time on my computer for work, I will take the time to post semi-often. Life goes on, always a vapor, and suddenly I find myself on the brink of my Senior year of high school. Yikes! It went by so fast...hard to believe it wasn't just yesterday that I was a dorky little seventh grader entering the campus with big scary high schoolers. Anyways, it is summer! Yay!! This summer, I have a part-time job as a research assistant, which is nice to keep me from being incredibly lazy. It's definitely good for me.
Since it's been so long, there's a lot I want to talk about. As you may have heard, there were some powerful and deadly storms that hit the South, including the area I live in. God was watching over us, and all the trees in our backyard fell away from our house. A few miles north of us, an EF-5 tornado went through, staying on the ground for 128 miles, leaving a path of destruction almost a mile wide. Praise God for providing for us! Even though we had no power for a week, we were able to cook all of our meals on the grill, and the weather stayed nice. Had it been Southern Summer hot, life without air conditioning would have not been as enjoyable as it was with the weather we had.
A couple of weeks after the storms, my great-grandmother passed away. She was an incredible person who loved the LORD and was ready to be taken home. She had been ready for sometime now, and though I miss her, I rejoice that she is with her beloved Savior, glorifying God in heaven. Throughout her life, she was a woman blessed with money who gave generously, never wanting the credit but instead SOLI DEO GLORIA, to God alone be the glory. Praise be to God for giving me such an godly example in my life! The fact that I got to spend seventeen years of my life knowing her and benefiting from her love is incredible. Most people I know never got to know their great-grandmother for that long. I was blessed, and am eternally grateful for the time God gave me with her. She was such a neat lady who loved the Lord, loved to travel, and loved her children. Whenever I cam to spend a week with my grandparents, she would take me out to spend one day with her, shopping, lunch, and playing gin. I have so many great memories, and I treasure them in my heart. I love you Grandmother Huddleston!
Do you know what it feels like when you suddenly realize that you seem to have drifted away from the Lord? That somehow, you stopped trying to live for His glory, you stopped putting thought into your prayers, and suddenly you realized instead of dwelling on Him, His word, and the things He taught us to dwell on, you were thinking about worldly things and putting them before Him? It's a dreadful and hopeless feeling. How did I get here? How do I get out? Was I ever really a Christian? Is my life even real? Doubt is an evil thing. I had one of those moments recently. I'm still struggling with the doubt and the lack of passion, but I think I've discovered what was going on. God always has a purpose, and this time, He was showing me my sin. I stepped back and realized how I was dwelling on ungodly things, how I was treating my brothers and sisters, thinking it was ok, and how instead of living for Christ like I tended to think I was, I was living for my own selfish ambitions, hoping people would notice me. It's a hard thing to grasp. That's where the "face-it-all-time" comes from in the title. It is time to face it all. It's time to face my sin and deal with it. It's time to beg for mercy and strength to fight. One of the most beautiful verses in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 10:13; "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." What a great promise! We will not be tempted beyond our ability to overcome. God will help us escape. And when we feel, as I do right now, just absolutely drowned in sin, this verse reminds us that we are forgiven and washed clean. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9.
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