Entering 2022, and Some Thoughts...

Well, I haven't posted in a little while, I guess. But I hope you have all had a very blessed January💗. To start off the New Year, I'm going to try to keep this post short and sweet...and a little random!

    It's hard for me to believe that it's already 2022. In a lot of ways, 2021 felt really short! I chose a word for this year: gratitude. It's easy to look on the bad side of things, and not so much the good side. My hope is that this year I remember to thank the Lord for what I do have, and not worry so much about what I don't have.

    Now for the "some thoughts" part of this post :-). Not too long ago I wrote a post titled "Resetting My Priorities."  I was really despaired at the time. I saw all my mistakes at once, and it felt like I could never fix them. To be honest, some days it still feels that way.

    So many times I've questioned myself as to why my priorities felt so off.  So many times I've compared the growth I experienced when I first became a Christian to the despair I felt recently. A phrase I came to repeat was "when I was first saved...." Then I would think of things that happened right after I was saved, and ask myself why things were different now. I wanted things to go back to the way they were.

    The truth is this: yes, I was saved. I had finally laid down my own will, and I will never forget that. But I don't need to go back. I am following Christ: I am still saved. To anyone else who struggles with this too, know that you don't need to go back either. As Christians, we have the choice everyday to take up our crosses and follow Him. True surrender does not only happen once in our lives; it is a choice that we must continue to make day after day. And in the same way, His mercies are new everyday! 

    Yes, we may make mistakes. Thousands and thousands of them! But God is merciful. So, continue to surrender your life to Him, and live life for Him in the here and now. 

    He is faithful.

"Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; Revive me according to Your judgements." - Psalm 119:156

Linnea 

Life Lately...

 Hello, to anyone who reads this!

    Well, it's been a little while since I've posted, but I've *ahem* had very few ideas lately. So I decided to give a quick peek into what life has been looking like for me.

    First of all, I am on break from school this week! Now, that does not mean I don't have homework... *wishing I had finished all my homework this week...* but it does mean I have a little more time for other things.

    The past couple of days have been especially exciting and crazy. My sister celebrated her birthday, we finished up our last week of classes before break, and I participated in a piano demonstration. Also, the weather is finally getting a little bit colder. Winter is on it's way! Life is definitely moving quickly right now.

    Finally, before I go, I just wanted to share a little bit of encouragement. 

    Life isn't always easy. Things don't always work out the way we want. It's easy to feel discouraged, weary, and lonely. I know for me especially, I struggle with these feelings. But as I was reminded recently, we have been given Christ, "the most greatest gift." Nothing can compare to this Gift. So even when life feels hard, we can rejoice and praise God for what He has given. He is so, so good. 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

Linnea