Experiencing God

I'm in the process of figuring out student loans, financial aid and my housing for the Fall today. It's been in the back of my mind to get all of this done and figure it all out, but in a way, I've been avoiding it because, as we all know, paperwork is LOTS of fun (sarcasm at its greatest). But the more I figured it all out, the greater I felt. The more the weight came off my shoulders. The unknown became known, the questions were replaced with solutions, no longer just something in the back of my head that bothers and nags me. That lingering anxious feeling.

Figuring it all out can be very chaotic, but sometimes it's not just enough to trust God that everything will work out. Sometimes we have to do some footwork to get things going. It's not like loans come out of the sky. We have to do some work to get there. Sometimes we need to take care of business.

Meanwhile, I just started my 12th book of the summer, Walking With God by John Eldredge. He talks about the fact that intimacy with God is our main point of living. Intimacy with God isn't just about being a good person and questioning our motives with the question WWJD? (What would Jesus do?) Intimacy with God is much more than that. It is talking with God, hearing His voice, listening to Him speak, listening to the Holy Spirit's guidance. 

Lately, I've been thinking very philosophically. Maybe it's because I spend so much time in nature, exploring God's creation, but I often wonder about the meaning of life. What is the purpose of our lives?

I mean, do you ever wonder why we try so hard in this life to be the best when we are just floating on a sphere in a great wide space. I often feel like there is more to life than the day in and day out, the hustle and bustle of life.

That meaning is found in a deep relationship with God. It is found in the intimacy that we can experience with God.

I don't believe our meaning in our life comes from getting straight As or being the best. It doesn't come from having a lot of money or a high status in society. Mind you, this is coming from someone who has gotten straight As. I have spent years, just like most people, trying to get to the top.

What for?

Isn't there more to life?

As I've mentioned, I'm taking this summer off from school and as I do, I am trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. We are only offered life once and I don't want to waste mine. I want to give my life meaning by changing this world somehow.

My pastor and I had a conversation a few months ago and she said something that I've been thinking about lately. I often said that with my PhD degree, I wanted to do something great in this world. She looked at me and said, "You're not going to do great things. You are already doing great things now."

We must make the most of every opportunity today, in the present. We must strive to make a difference each day in this world. Bit by bit, day by day, if each of us makes a difference, then this world will be a better, more peaceful place.

Our intimacy with God plays a huge role in how we live our lives.

Intimacy with God is a huge priority in my life. From the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep, I try to spend as much time with God, talking with Him, as I can. The majesty I have seen in His creations is unbelievable. He makes me laugh. He makes me cry. He makes my life worth living, no matter how difficult it becomes. Living on this earth experiencing God is beyond anything I have ever experienced. It gives a meaning to my life that I have never felt before.

Each of us has an opportunity to change this world and experience God more deeply.

I want to leave you with some photographs I took over the past few days of clouds during sunrises and sunsets. Whenever I look up at the clouds, I am always in awe of the beauty and the artistic qualities in them. Each day, the sunrises and sunsets are different. Each day, God creatively arranges the clouds so beautifully. Each day, I am reminded that God is so powerful and that He formed this whole universe.

Take time to enjoy your life and to make a difference in this world...