Yesterday, I did one of my very FAVORITE things: I took a walk in the woods, on Putnam Trail.
And as I was walking I started to notice that the woods are kinda grody. There are decayed leaves everywhere, bare trees, and a sort of lifeless brown color. It occurred to me that this was the state of my heart... hard. bitter. selfish. brown and decaying. cold.
But then I noticed the green peaking through the dirt and death. The buds forming on the tree branches. The patches of bright grass taking over the brown. The way the sun illuminated color.
The same thing Christ is doing with me.
I love the way the woods are so representative of our hearts. I love the life that God can breathe... the way we can never be the same when Christ dwells within us and peaks His life through ugly bitterness. He is showing me what it means to be ALIVE.
My dead heart now is beating, My deepest stains now clean Your breath fills up my lungs, Now I'm free, now I'm free!
My deepest hope is for you, too, to know what it means to be ALIVE and new, dear friend.
I lost my Blugold. And losing your Blugold at Eau Claire means it's pretty hard to do anything, like get into the caf or into your dorm. And Anna's gone. And I was hungry. So I made my barefoot-n-jammies way down the hall to my friend, Michelle's, to see if I could have some of her oatmeal. And she bagged up some oats and brown sugar for me, and it made me smile, and so I'm telling you about it. (: Maybe that's weird that it meant so much to me, but it made me feel like family. It reminded me of how much I love doing life here,
with these people.
We ride to church together, we eat together, we brush our teeth together, we knock on each other's doors to share oatmeal or just to talk when we need someone.
And when I'm missing my family, I sure am glad these people have become family the way they have.
Hey, friends! One of my favorite things about living life is that I get to do it with so many beautiful people. I get so excited introducing them to you, too, because I wish every single person could know them and their love. They are my daily reminders of God's presence in my life. What a glorious thing! I love how He uses them.
& This here, is Rachel. If there is anything I want to say about this person, it is that she loves. I know God is in her because of how she loves. How she sees people, how she serves them. She is real and authentic. She loves purely and whole-heartedly. She calls people "dear" (: and empathizes with their emotions.
We share a mutual appreciation for moving lyrics, Charlotte the soundboard (:, Erbs & Gerbs ham sandwiches, and desiring God on a deeper level. I think I would be different without knowing Rachel. She's probably one of my favorite people. And, oh, Jesus loves her a lot (:
I’m free to love once and for all And even when I fall I’ll get back up For the joy that overflows my cup Heaven filled me with more than enough Broke down my levees and my bluffs Let the flood wash me.