“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend the rest of its life thinking it’s an idiot.” -Albert Einstein

There have been many times in the past few years that I’ve tried to say I was content, but I think I was just saying so in efforts to convince myself that I really was…and maybe I have experienced moments of contentment, but this past week I can say that I have truly been content. Now I don’t have all the answers figured out and I can’t say everything is perfect, but despite all the ups and downs I am content. And I think that’s part of what being content really means…that despite the circumstances I can still say I have a joy in my heart and I know that this joy comes from my ever faithful Father.

One small difference I’ve noticed in the times I’ve approached God this past week is my attitude. For the past few years more often than not I came to Him in groaning, asking Him to fulfill my needs and the desires of my heart. But this past week I simply came into the Lord’s presence because I deeply and genuinely desired to spend time with Him in face-to-face intimacy.

I am utterly amazed at how God has been working in my life these past few months. I cannot begin to express in words all that I have learned about Him and His faithfulness. I love how I can look back on an experience and see all the ways that God was working through an event or situation. I am so, so, so grateful! I am so excited to see what God is going to do these next few months as I hold my life in an open hand, allowing Him to mold me, teach me, and even rebuke me, but more so than all that, draw me closer to Him.  

sometimesalwaysnever:

Campus poster option #1 on Flickr.

By Christa Pierce, Illustration major, SPU

I have an amazingly talented roommate!

Do you ever come across a verse multiple times in a day from various sources? When this happens I believes its more than just coincidence, I feel like God is trying to show me something. So I try to stop and dwell in His words.

Today it was Psalm 89:1 “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD.” I also like the NLT version: “Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.” I feel like God is calling me to deeper intimacy with Him and that I can respond to this call by worshiping Him.

“Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.”  So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut. Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. “Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.” “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land.” -Joshua 2:1-14

“But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.” -Joshua 6:25

Last week I went to chapel for the first time in awhile. It was really good! We were studying the story of Rahab in the book of Joshua. I did a study on her a few months ago and I learned so much and was really intrigued by her story. While we were reading the story during chapel, her story captured me once again and I decided that Rahab is one of my favorite people in the Bible.

While many stories in the Bible have a man as the central character, this story is shows how God uses a woman to reveal Himself to His people. Not only Rahab was a prostitute, one of the lowliest people in society, who God used her to bring His people in the Promised Land and to glorify Him, we see that she is in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:1-16). Every time I read her story and see how God used her in His story I simply stand in awe.

This story reminds me that God uses the humble and lowly to make His reign visible. It also reminds me that no matter what sin I have in my life God’s grace is sufficient to cover all: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” -2 Corinthians 12:9