A Sacrificial Life

Today God is asking me to give up things that are very dear to me. Ordinarily, I would be really, really upset about losing these things. But I want-with all my heart- to be where the Lord is and in order to do that, I have to obey Him, 100%.

The Bible says that "every good and perfect thing comes from the Father of light, in whom there is no dark or shifting shadow." That verse is what makes me happy today, instead of sad. I know that if these things were good for me, God would give them to me. But they must not be, therefore God is helping me to have a heart of thanksgiving instead of mourning about losing them.

Christianity is about sacrifice when you look at it with superficial eyes. But the more time you spend thinking about it, the more you realize that everything God asks us to give up now isn't lasting and He is only replacing it with far better things. Going with our natural desires is like choosing a plastic ring from the dime store instead of waiting for a little while for a $1 million ring from Tiffany's!!

So, today, I go forth with an attitude of gratitude that God sees fit to help me to grow- even if the growth hurts a little and maybe even a lot while it is happening.

Oh, yes!! An update on my last two finals....

I was more nervous about my writing final which was a two-minute presentation than my American Government presentation on abortion that was 10-15 minutes long. I think that is because I feel so passionately about saving unborn babies that I was excited for the opportunity. In writing, I was nervous because it was such a "superficial" topic, one that didn't really have lasting value.

Both presentations went well, but the abortion presentation went much, much better! I was able to think quickly on my feet and answer all the questions clearly and eloquently (except for one that I was a little confusing about.) Thank You, Lord!! One of the girls who did a pro-life presentation with me did hers on partial-birth abortions and she brought some extremely powerful drawn diagrams that depicted a p-b abortion being done. We passed those around the room, and it was interesting to watch the college students' faces turn and grimace when they saw the gruesome diagrams. I pray we changed some peoples' minds about abortion or at least made them think differently about it.