I have attempted to sit down and write this blog post multiple times. The idea has been to sum up my summer and what I’ve learned, but in all honesty I think I am struggling with that because no matter how hard I try I could never fit everything I have learned into one post. The amount that I have grown and matured in this summer alone is even a bit difficult to put into words.

I don’t say that to try and impress you with how much I’ve grown up this summer or to try and one-up your summer by saying my summer won’t even fit into words on a blog post, but instead to show you how incredible the God that I serve is.

This summer my focus was to enjoy being at home one last summer with the people I love and to even gain a little experience with a volunteer internship. Let me tell you, God must have laughed when I went in with only that as my intention.

I have struggled a lot this summer, with a lot of different things. I’ve struggled with where I think my life is headed as far as future plans, I’ve struggled with losing control over situations I thought I got to have the upper hand in, I’ve struggled with knowing where to put my hope and faith, I’ve struggled with earthly relationships and the disappointment they sometimes bring, I’ve struggled with emotions and feelings more than I think I ever have, I’ve struggled with knowing how to struggle gracefully, I’ve struggled with trusting that His plan is better than mine ever could be, these are only a few things, but bottom line is that I’ve struggled with a lot more than I ever could have imagined or expected going into this summer.

However, through all of that I have to say all God has done is proven how incredibly faithful and steadfast He is. I’m slightly convinced that broken is the best place to be.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in your weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” –2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I may have spent a lot of the summer confused or upset and struggling or even simply wrestling with God trying to tell Him what I thought should happen, but I’m walking away from the summer having learned more lessons than I could’ve even thought possible from a three month period.

To name a few, through it all God has shown me how many incredible people He has surrounded me with. I am so incredibly blessed to come from the community, church home and family that I do. I have people willing to support me and encourage me no matter the situation and I leave Marlow this summer knowing I will always have people in my corner. That may sound cheesy, but I am well aware how rare it is that someone my age has so many people willing to speak the Word and wisdom into my life and even just be there for me. It’s certainly something I will never take for granted.

God has shown me that He never lets people struggle without growing them in their faith and relationship with Him. While it may have hurt and may have been hard at the time, no matter what the situation I can look back and tell you I’m glad it happened because I got to see my God work through it.

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured into our hearts throughout the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” –Romans 5:3-5

I have learned where my comfort and refuge should be. God has proven time and time again to be the one constant source of unconditional love and affection that is incomparable to that which another person can provide. Exodus 14: 14 says “The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.” How comforting is that? to know that He will fight our battles for us and in the end, the only battle that really matters has already been won by Him.

This is the point where I can’t help but be in awe. To know that God cares for His people that specifically and is willing to make all things work together for not only the greatest good for all but for my good specifically. As humans we can only maintain a certain number of relationships effectively, but the Creator of the universe makes time for ALL His people. It’s just kind of dumbfounding to know that I have the privilege of such an intimate relationship with God, but so does everyone else that calls Him Lord. Anyway, there’s my side note on that.

God has taught me how to truly listen this summer. I’m really good at talking and trying to make plans, but recently it feels like God has done whatever it took to get my attention and make me listen. I almost feel like I’ve been spinning around in circles trying to figure things out for myself and He finally decided to let me spin around enough that I got dizzy and fell over (metaphorically of course). But this left me with nothing to do except finally just stop, sit down and not move until things stopped spinning, God used that little window as the perfect opportunity to speak and get my attention.

I get really caught up in seeking God’s plan and will for my life. I want to know details and I’m ready to know the next step before it’s time. I like to hold the flashlight ten feet out in front of me instead of pointing it down at my feet so I can actually see where I’m going.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

A lot of people take this out of context and say well, if I seek Him then anything I want will be given to me.. wrong. However, God laid this one on my heart this summer and I think it was so I would realize that I should be constantly seeking him and a relationship with Him, not His plans for me or what He wants me to do next. If we are constantly seeking Him and His word and His righteousness, the plans He has for us will be revealed, but it comes through a relationship, not big flashing signs.

God showed me that there is peace found in Him. I’m a worrier and I get really anxious about things and to be quite honest I spent a lot of this summer mad, angry, sad, hurt, upset or even just feeling emotions, I couldn’t even describe them most of the time, but I knew I was feeling something far from happiness.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Here’s the thing, there is nothing wrong with feeling emotions, even Jesus wept. There is however something wrong with letting emotions reign on your life and control your actions and how you treat others. Worrying, being anxious or upset or mad never changed the situation and it certainly never made anything better. God holds the whole plan and while this small piece or chapter may seem earth shattering at the time, I can almost promise you that in the end you’ll look back and understand it and maybe even be thankful it happened. God has shown me that while having feelings and emotions may be unavoidable, there is certainly peace and comfort in Him and His word. I have experienced it firsthand.

One of the other big lessons God taught me is a lesson in forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t an easy thing. It’s easy to accept and it’s something we expect, but when we’re put on the giving side of forgiveness it becomes a different ballgame. Sometimes we’re even expected to forgive when the other side isn’t even sorry and asking for it.

Bottom line of forgiveness is that we are all so desperately in need of it. Whether we know it or not, every human being falls short of the glory of God. This is something we all need to realize. I spent part of my summer being very bitter and angry, when I think all I needed was for someone to snap me out of it by helping me realize that I am no better than they are and that if God can fully wipe away the sins of all humanity I can forgive for something that pales in comparison to all that God is willing to forgive.

Having to forgive something that hurt me so deeply truly puts the beauty of the cross into perspective. For anyone reading that doesn’t know the gospel, God loved the world so much that He sent His one and only son, Jesus Christ to earth to live an absolutely perfect life. This means he did no wrong, to anyone, never did he treat anyone in a way that deserved persecution. However because of the sinful nature of the world He was sent to die on a cross. When He died on that cross He absorbed every ounce of punishment that all of us deserve for the sins we find ourselves so constantly tangled in. He took the punishment and pain for us when we truly deserved it. He sacrificed His perfect life so that we may have life. After dying on the cross He rose from the grave three days later.

After hearing that story and truly considering it, anything in your life that needs to be forgiven seems miniscule. I serve a God willing to forgive all sins because His only son took the punishment for me. That is absolutely incredible and scandalous and unbelievable. I would love to tell you more about my God if you want to know. I can tell you that everyone falls short and has a sin nature, we all need Jesus and I would be happy to tell you how you can have a relationship with Him as well.

That brings me to the last thing God laid on my heart this summer. Sharing His name and His word. I can’t imagine keeping the knowledge of Christ to myself. It’s too big of a message and it’s too important that others hear it to not do anything about it. I’ve been wrestling with God a lot about what this looks like for my life specifically for about a year now. I still am not sure exactly how it will look for the rest of my life obviously, but I do know God has called me to fully surrender and commit to a life of serving him in that capacity. This is something really exciting and really scary all in the same sense. I can’t imagine spending my life any other way, however having no idea about how that is going to look specifically is a terrifying thing. But that’s where faith comes in. I once heard someone say, “The fear of a wrong decision shouldn’t strip the faith right out of faith. The only way faith will strengthen is to use it.” I think this person knew what they were talking about.

That was a pretty quick version of my summer and what I’ve learned. To be quite honest I could ramble on for hours about the little lessons I have learned and all the different ways He has shown me things, but I think for now I should stop here. To sum it all up, I serve an incredible, forgiving, loving and unbelievable God and I beg you to ask me about Him or seek Him out if you don’t already know Him. I can’t describe to you the feeling of a relationship with Him, but I can promise you it is better than anything this world has to offer.

I can only pray that God continues to surprise and amaze me by teaching me more than I ever could’ve asked to learn, growing me more in maturity than I ever thought possible, strengthening my relationship with Him more than I even knew I needed and simply continuing to be the faithful, loving and steadfast God that He is. I end this post with a thankful and joyful heart because reflecting on my summer only reminds me of the great that He is and I am humbled to have a relationship with the Creator of the universe.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son in to the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” –John 3:16-17

This summer I also went to multiple camps as a sponsor.. One of my campers requested her blogging debut be on one of my posts, so here’s a side column of “Lindley says”.

This week God has been working in my life. he has been great on how he really can do miracles. By the way this is falls creek week for me. and lately I haven’t been spending enough time with God , so this week he has been helping me with my  quiet time. And how he works in us. He is our LORD and SAVIOR we should worship and praise him each and everyday. Because a life without Jesus is unimaginable. And I’ve just been confessing my wrong doings to him because he is always forgiving us for our sins that we make each and everyday. That we should give some part of my time for The lord sent his one and only son to die for each and everyone of are sins that someone would do that we should try just somethings to do for him not for you.  For the LORD is our LIGHT and we should worship him. So if you think he cant work miracles he can and will. He loves you and always will. once you are saved there is no taking it back. His love reigns in us each and everyday of my life and should be in yours. so if you’re not a Christ follower of the one true SAVIOR  I would like you to go to a church and just go and if you like then go and talk to the pastor if you feel the lord tugging on you. And he or she will help you through it.

Love ,Lindley!

God works even through the young in age and I think Miss Lindley is proof of that 🙂

Until next time,

~Em