You Know Me, But Do I Know You?

Yesterday we remembered. Memorial Day. We solemnly honor those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. They gave it all. 

On social media, I came across a precious woman's post yesterday. Her name is Glennon. In her post online, she asked people to share the names of their loved ones who paid that price - their heros. In return, she promised to write down each name and hold a ceremony in the evening with her family to honor each and every name, out loud, and with respect. Displayed on her dining room wall, below is the picture she posted yesterday evening as she dutifully honored each and every name. 

pic copied from Momastery Facebook page

The night passed and morning came. As I sat outside this morning reading a book given to me by a special friend (thanks again, Diana!), I came across the following quote by Jennifer Geralds:

"We live in a world of over six billion people. Can you imagine trying to keep track of all those faces, those names, those life stories? The magnitude of it all can be overwhelming. Your own significance comes into question. Can a single life, like a drop of water in the ocean, really matter? "

As I reflected on Glennon's picture this morning, my heart responded to that question with a resounding, screaming YES! It is obviously a no-brainer, but how often I forget. 

Then, I came across Isaiah 49:15-16. God tells us, "I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."

God knows us. He knows you. He knows me. He loves us and knows us. It's not just a love that is carved into a tree trunk and scratched out years later. We are forever engraved and carved into the palms of His hands. It is an intimate, forever kind of love, and we matter to Him. 

No matter how busy my life gets or how often I forget to study His word and talk with Him -- he NEVER forgets. 

As I reflected on this simple but often overlooked truth, I remembered the graduate school honors medal that I just received from Liberty University. It came in the mail. A GOLD medal. It is given to Masters students who graduate with a 3.95 GPA or higher.  

I was so proud of this medal. I worked hard to graduate with a 4.0. Granted, we know that God asks us to give our best in all that we do (Colossians 3:23-24). So, I am not discrediting the merit of hard work. However, what I ashamedly realized was that I've spent so much of my time learning and gleaning from the world's knowledge, but I cannot say the same for God's. 

Yes, I've read the Bible through. Yes, I've completed Bible studies. Yes, I've seeked His face. But when this world passes away, and I face my Creator face to face. Would I even be worthy of a medal? Would I have to trade in my Summa Cum Laude status for a "Thank the Lord-y"? Or would it really be more like a desperate "Please, Lord".

What will my spiritual REPORT CARD look like? Pass or Fail - there are no do-overs.

I don't want to hear my Father say, "Depart - I never knew you."

I began this morning really digging back into the only study that really matters - His Word. I hope you'll join me. I excitedly look forward to that graduation day in the sky - CLASS OF ETERNITY. 

YOU KNOW ME, BUT DO I KNOW YOU? 

* Ask that question to God. Now, imagine God asking you. What would the answers be? 

Until next time...

BUSY, but Blessed

Busy but BEYOND BLESSED. 

This is a phrase I use often to describe my life, and I think it's pretty accurate. Many happenings have taken place since my last post - hence the reason for such a long absence from blogging. However, that should be changing soon, now that I will finally have some more down time!! Woo-hoo!! That thought just makes me happy. Before I jump full speed back into writing and blogging about various topics, I thought I would at least catch you up on the past several weeks.  

obligations. The past couple months have been full of many obligations that consumed most of our time. 

• We have now wrapped up our Tuesday night Inner City Bible Class for the year. We had a sweet group of kinderbabies this year and will definitely miss them over the summer. However, I cannot complain about the much needed break.
  
• Paul is also wrapping up the Wednesday afternoon tutoring for the year (I quit tutoring awhile back due to other obligations). We've sure enjoyed having a few of the girls join us on Wednesday nights for dinner and church!!
  
• I've been busy with cheerleading, as we kicked off our new season in April. The girls are busy preparing for next year; however, we will take a much needed break over the summer.
• We've also had several church friends who have/are getting married or have had new bundles of joy over the past two months! There have been many baby showers, bridal teas, and fellowship opportunities throughout these occasions that have kept our plates full, yet fun!

graduation. I am finally FINISHED with grad school!! I graduated Summa Cum Laude (4.0 GPA) from Liberty University with a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling. I learned a lot throughout grad school and really enjoyed my experience; however, I am pretty pumped about not having to write any more lengthy term papers, take extensive finals, or live my life on crunched due dates for awhile. This will free up some time, and I am ready for the reprieve! -- Also, Paul has now finished all of his classes for his Ph.D. All he has left is his dissertation, and he plans to take his time on this and finish it within the next couple years. I am SO proud of him, but I will not be joining him, myself, in the venture for a doctorate. This girl is finished with school as a student!!! 

Dapper. As excited as I was to finish grad school and finally have some free time, I apparently do not know how to do so. I finished with grad school on a Monday and decided on Tuesday that I wanted a puppy. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision (as we were not planning on getting a dog for quite awhile), but it was one that would consume my thoughts for the next few days. Thus, on Friday of that week we went to pick up a sweet, 6-week old Golden Retriever puppy. We named him DAPPER, and a dapper boy he is!! He is just so cute, which helps him get away with a lot. We have missed quite a bit of sleep lately and our schedules have had to adjust quite a bit, but we are in love. Once I finish the school year out as a teacher, I will be at home with him, and it will help out a lot!

decorating. Now that I have a little it of extra time, I am now conquering the task of redecorating our living room, kitchen, and dining area. When Paul and I first married, I quickly placed some decorations to make the house more of a home and less of a bachelor pad, but now it's time for some better styling. I really enjoy decorating, so this has been a fun task! 

downtime. Most of all, I am looking forward to some downtime this summer! My school year as a teacher winds down in another week, and my summer will begin. Putting textbooks aside, my personal summer reading list keeps growing, and I could not be more excited. It's been awhile since I've had time to just read for pleasure. I will also have time to play with my sweet Dapper. Not to mention, I will finally be able to put forth the time I would like to my Bible studies. Then, if I have some time left over (because I do not know how to relax), then I plan to begin teaching myself Spanish so that I can converse with others more on things like mission trips. Speaking of trips, Paul and I have also been planning out ideas for summer getaways to enjoy some relaxing time together away from the hustle and bustle of our busy but beyond blessed life. 

Lots of various blog posts coming soon!! Stay in touch!

Until next time...