It's the little things.

I was reading in Psalms today about how David called upon God to deliver him from the hands of his enemies and to save him from those who wanted to kill him. 
In light of that– The problems of my life seem rather petty.
Who am I to ask the God of the universe for help with the silly drama of my personal life or because I don't feel good when there are people crying out for their very lives? How dare I ask for the attention of God when it is so desperately needed by others.

This thinking paints a picture of a small God and a capable me.
Neither is true.

The all-knowing God already knows my issues and problems and He is definitely aware of the plights of those who's lives are on the line. And He has enough time and attention for both. For everyone. 
He knows when even a sparrow falls and I'm concerned that He doesn't care about me?

I am not capable of anything on my own. I cannot save my own life but I also cannot cure my own cold. I cannot do anything apart from Him.
Bringing the little things before God means humbling myself to know that I need him every second of every day. When life is great– I need Him. When things are rough– I need Him. 

God says "Come to me" not, "Come to me when you're in really big trouble." He also says to "pray without ceasing". I should be in such constant communication with God that of course I pray about that test or my headache because I pray about everything. 

Maybe no one is trying to kill me, maybe my life is unbelievably good thanks to the grace of God but that doesn't matter. 
God wants me to need Him even in the midst of abundant blessing. 

We often say that nothing is too big for God, but sometimes we need to remember that nothing is too small for Him either. 

Matthew 10:29-31English Standard Version (ESV)

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?[a] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 11:28English Standard Version (ESV)

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

1 Thessalonians 5:17English Standard Version (ESV)

17 pray without ceasing,

The Struggle is Real

I was talking to a friend (shout out to Joshua Friedlein) earlier about how excited I was for Christian Youth in Action this upcoming week because even though it is going to be tiring and it is going to be a struggle, at least it’s a struggle for the cause of Christ instead of just struggling though school or work. As I typed those words, mid-sentence, God slapped me in the face with a bit of His truth.

Everything that I do should be a struggle for the cause of Christ. Everything that I do should always be for His glory and to do His work. Every action should be 100% about Him. I shouldn’t be struggling though classes for the sake of school. I shouldn’t be struggling to get through my workday for the sake of a paycheck. I should be going to school everyday to share the gospel with my classmates, to glorify God with my behavior and work ethic, to get my degree so that I can go into the field God has called me to. I should be going to work with the intention of showing the love of God to the kids that I work with, to be a good example, to share the gospel with them. When I start to view the hard things in this life as struggles for the cause of Christ instead of annoying things that I just have to deal with, my response to them will be so much different.

When hard things happen, I can be encouraged because they are an opportunity for Christ to work in my heart, refining me.

When hard things happen, I can face them confidently knowing that God is in my corner because I am working towards His purposes.

When hard things happen, I can know that struggling through them is worth it because they have an impact on eternity.

If I’m going to school for the sake of going to school, or just so I can say that I did it, or because it’s what is expected of me, it means nothing in the scheme of eternity.
            If I spend 45+ hours a week with the kids that I work with, just for the sake of a paycheck and think nothing of the amazing opportunity I’ve been given to show love and speak life into the lives of 3 kids, it means nothing in the scheme of eternity.

And honestly- a lot of the struggles in my life come from me doing things my way, instead of God’s way. I need to start struggling for Christ, instead of against Him.

Each and every day, my goal should be living my life 100% devoted to Christ and whatever He calls me to. I need to learn to start striving to serve Him, instead of just striving. I must learn to struggle for His causes, instead of just struggling. I need to view my life as one giant mission, one giant gospel outreach, instead of allowing ministry to be A PART of my life for a few months in the summer. Sharing the gospel is supposed to be my WHOLE LIFE.
            Now does that mean that I’ll never have a bad attitude about struggles ever again? Will I always be able to see God’s hand in every bad situation? Will life just seem easy breezy knowing that it’s okay, God can work through this hard time?
            Haha…. NO.

BUT…
            The more I strive to follow God’s plan and do His work, the more likely I am to rely on His strength instead of my own.

The more I stop having a pity party about the struggles in my life, the more likely I am to let God give me His joy.

So no, life doesn’t suddenly just get easier because I start following Christ fully. In fact, living for Christ usually brings on even more struggles. But- when I’m walking with Christ, I can allow Him to share the burden.

             I’m very excited to serve God at Christian Youth in Action next week. I’m looking forward to the struggles that will bring me closer to Him and the hard things that remind me how much I need Him. But I am also looking forward to the struggles that will come at work once I get home. And the hard things that I’ll deal with during school when this summer is over. Because I know that those struggles and hard things are opportunities for God to grow me, and for me to share Him with others.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10  “But he said to me,  ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in 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 weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Romans 5:3-5 “Not only that, but 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 through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”