Even Still

1 Samuel 1:1-2:21

John 5:1-23

Psalm 105:37-45

Proverbs 14:28-29

It's been 8 days since I've blogged and I feel like I've forgotten how. I stopped blogging because last week I overwhelmed myself with the preparations for a worship night/concert that I put on with a team of my friends last night. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and I was trying to calm down but it was just really nerve-racking! And it was a lot of hard work! And every night when I got ready to sleep I barely had energy to read let alone try to put thoughts together.

But I did read every day. And now that this worship night is over and done with... I feel blessed and happy with how it went...despite all the stress it was preparing for it, it was so much fun during the night. And even tonight as I read the reading for today I was so distracted from the leftover joy and adrenaline I still have from last night. It was a wonderful night.

In the past week I finished Judges and I read all of Ruth. Ruth is definitely a story I would have wanted to blog about if I had only the energy!! And tonight I started Samuel.

I read about Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well and about Jesus's conversation with the Pharisee John 3:16.

And of course I read over many Psalms and Proverbs.

I am grateful for the Word of God. I am grateful for the stories that are so familiar but somehow ring new hope and rejuvenation into my heart every time I read them. How is it that Ruth and Samuel and the Samaritan woman and John 3:16 can all still affect my heart so? How is that even in the midst of stress and distractions and worries that I can read about how God worked in their lives and I am still, still encouraged? How is it that it hasn't gotten old to me? How is it that I know it never will?

As much as I feel like I missed opportunities to write about how these stories hit me over the past couple days, I am very sure, very, very sure that I will other opportunities because I will read them again and I will learn more about who God is and who I am because of who God is. I'm going to love it every single time. Maybe sometimes it will be more convicting than uplifting, but it will point me to love: to love the Lord with ALL my heart, and ALL my mind, and ALL my strength, and ALL my soul. And I will need to keep going to the places that point me in that direction because I am no where close to loving Him that much.

Oh how I want to. And it's these stories, it's this Word of God that reminds me that I want to wholly surrender all. Take all I am and make it Yours.