Bonfire

I've had this song stuck in my head all day. I don't know what it's called, but it goes, "Lord, I wanna burn for you, I wanna yearn with passion. Lord, I wanna burn." (Or something like that). I don't really like that song because I don't really like fire (for understandable reasons to be expressed at some other time), yet what did God speak to me through today?

I hung out with Brianne again today, and, unlike on Monday, we had a bonfire. This was an atypical bonfire because it was in the middle of the day. Brianne, however, had a blast, and now her summer can officially start. :-) She's not the best fire-building, but she's an amazing fire-player. As I was watching her (from a significant distance, might I add) play with the fire, God spoke to me. Sort of twice.

Brianne loves to have a stick in the fire at all times. No matter what she's doing, she has to be playing with the fire. Well, she kept throwing small branches on the fire. She threw a plethora of small branches on the fire. Enough small branches on the fire and she almost smothered the fire. Branches are good for building up the fire, but too many and the fire is put out.

God's work in our lives is kind of like that. Small changes are good, but too many small changes at once and we turn away from Him. (Maybe that's the Lutheran in me talking...)

Another way God spoke to me through the fire was through the ashes on the bottom of the fire pit. At one time the ashes were good, solid wood that was helpful in fueling the fire. However, later on they became less helpful and even bothersome. If the ashes weren't forgotten about and were turned over, they once again became helpful in providing oxygen to the fire.

Some of our experiences are helpful at the time in growing us closer to Christ. Yet, if we just leave them in the past and move on, they are no longer helpful. If we look back on them and revisit them, we can continue to grow from the good and bad times.

Ok, so that sounded a lot cooler in my head.

<>< Katie

"I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed." Malachi 3:6

God's Bandaid

I'm starting to feel like Natalie: within ten seconds of me being out of bed this morning God spoke to me. To make it better: it was something kinda science-y. (Or at least body-related). haha

This morning I went to put my contacts in and there was this huge scab right above my eyebrow. It was at least a centimeter in diameter. Yesterday I kept randomly finding blood on my finger but not that much blood and it was nowhere else but this one finger, so I don't have a clue how off the sudden I had this big scab in the middle of my FACE! I have no idea where it came from, but it didn't matter: it need to go away before my final at 8am. I had two choices:
1. Pick it off
2. Attempt to cover it up with makeup.

The first seemed easier, so I started picking off ... God's band aid. Here God was healing some obscure blemish on my face and I was doing everything I could to work against Him.

How often does God start working on something in our lives, we think He's doing it wrong and it's ugly, so we do everything in our power to change it. Sometimes we try to cover it up. Other times we try and undo everything He's doing. Either way: we think He's wrong and we're right. After all, could He have any idea what having a huge bloody scab on my face could do to my entire day? Of course He knows, but He knows the healing will make it all worth it in the end.

Sorry, that was a bit more graphic than I'm sure you wanted, but come on: was it anything we don't do? At least I was in my room and not in the bathroom! (Right, Natalie? :-))

<>< Katie

"Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. " Habakkuk 1:5