Capstone Youth Fellowship

hi you guys,

so I don't really have a topic in mind, so I'm going to just let my streams of consciousness flow out, and hopefully something good comes out of it. =)

well, this week has been pretty overwhelming. lots of work to do and too little sleep. it seemed like every day I would desperately want to go to sleep, but be unable to, because I had work due the next day on top of all these other commitments throughout the day. And yet, somehow I made it through the week alive. So that's reassuring. But I guess what I'm trying to say is that God really provides. Even though I felt physically exhausted and almost to the point of burn out, God gave me the strength to get my work done on time and still follow through with all my commitments. He provided in my weakness and even though I, myself, couldn't handle it, God could. And He made everything work out in the end.

So recently, I've been going through the daily bread, and the passage that I picked out for Thursday really stuck out to me. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." [Galatians 5:22] And this made me think a lot, because throughout this week I've been very consumed with my problems. I would think, why do I have so much on my plate? Everyone else seems to have so much time in comparison and I can't even think straight because I'm so tired.

But then, at Bible study on Wednesday night, we all shared how our highs/lows for the week. And hearing all of them share their experiences in life right now was really humbling, because it made me realize I'm not alone; that everyone is going through their own struggles and God will not give us more than we can handle. And though I know this in the back of my brain, I forgot it because I was so wrapped up in all the things I needed to get done. And so going back to the scripture, the message focused on having patience. And I definitely think that is true. Too often we get so absorbed in the busyness of our lives, that we forget that others have a lot of stuff going on, which we can't see because we don't open our eyes to it. But we need to realize that in spite of what we are going through, we should still rejoice and be patient with others, because their lives could be going so much worse. And even if that is not the case, we need to be there for them (be the encouraging sister/brother to build them up and support when they need it) and put others first. And through this, not only will we be living a more God-centered life, but we will also be glorifying Him by showing others a virtue of God.

By the ways, another thing to mention is that we should not compare our struggles with others, because everyone is on their own walk with God, and so it does not matter whether someone seems to be going through something harder or easier. Because in reality, some test that is very hard for one person could be really easy for another. And so there is no point in comparing, because the effects of such can be very damaging. Instead, we should remember that God has everything under control and just because someone appears to be having the better life, that does not necessarily mean it's true; plus it should not affect one's relationship with God anyways. What we should do though, is trust in God to have the best plans for us and turn to Him especially during our vulnerable times, because those are times in which we need God most, and God is the only one who can answer our problems.

Alright, well take care you guys!

Vickie