God's Whispers

It has been a second since I posted, but it has been out of a place of truly embracing this beautiful time in my life getting into the college lifestyle.

I would be lying if I told you every day was roses and butterflies, but I wouldn't be lying that I have found beauty in every day I have been here. A day has not gone by where I have not seen the grace of God working deeply in my heart every day.

I have had days that I did not want to end. Days full of laughing like old friends with people I met a month earlier. Days where we have no idea how we all became friends other than the fact God brought us all together. Days where I was joyful in a way I probably have not felt in a very long time. But there have been days that I wanted to end right as I woke up with thing after thing hitting me like a truck. Days where I just wanted to run away and go find a dog to cuddle with. Days where I did not understand why I felt the way I did and just wanted to have something or someone that truly knew me to hold me in that moment. No matter what type of day it was I have been able to see the love of God continuing to write my story.

On the best days I see my prayers from this past summer fearful of not finding friends, fearful that I would not be able to enjoy college, fearful my introverted side would take over and people would not know the real me. But oh how great our God is. He hears our prayers, friends. He takes our genuine fears and doubts and everything that makes us anxious and, while filling us with peace, makes a beautiful

story only he could write out of it. On those bad days where I have been questioning if I went to the right school, if I am doing anything remotely right, God shows himself. Whether that is through a conversation with someone that affirms I am here for a reason, whether it is something like a sunset that shows me God is still there, or something as simple as a verse that just hits my heart, God has shown himself through it.

Now I do not know if a year ago I would have seen all these little, and a few big, moments that have happened while I have been here as whispers from God. I think simply because I was not looking.

You see, in this past year God has shown me the benefits of hard work, but also the benefits of resting. He has shown me that his clock is not the same as ours. He does not go as fast-paced as we do. He works on his timing. (Now let me be the first to note that his timing does not always mean slow, rather His timing is perfect timing with his plan in mind). His timing does not rush getting to class, brushing past everyone and not seeing someone who needs help carrying water bottles. His timing is walking at a pace where you can see those around you. See those who may need help, who may need your encouragement. His timing means enjoying every day and not worrying about the next one. It is enjoying the minute you are in and not striving to the weekend. Now I am still working on this and probably always will especially in the world we live in, but it has taken me back the past few months.

When I started looking at the beauty of each day instead of dwelling on pain or hardship and I started resting in the timing of the Lord, I started seeing more of him every where I went. I started walking at the pace of Jesus, who went rather leisurely and stopped when he felt like he should, and started feeling closer to him. I was able to pick up on more of the interworking of God in my life when I started taking each day step by step.

Now I am not perfect and sometimes I get carried away, but God has shown me a piece of himself in the past few months that I love that I am getting to dive into more.

He works in such little ways, but the world is screaming at us constantly that we never have enough time to stop and see what he is doing. We get so "busy" we never get to see the little things God is doing. I have seen prayers answered in the little things that my go-getter self would not have seen before I slowed myself down.

But there's also another issue that we cannot deny. It is that we want from God so we only have a surface level understanding of who he is. We cannot know his whispers if we do not know the voice that is whispering. This is a post from Mo Isom I saw the other day that really stuck with me. We want a sprint to get what we want from God, why not run a marathon with God and get to know the course?

Who would want to be in any sort of relationship where the person comes to you just for their benefit? I do not know too many, but that is exactly how we treat God. We want to get all these things from God, yet we do not even get to know him. It would be like a girl marrying a guy because she wanted the ring and a wedding, but did not even get to know the guy. She would come home and just rant about her own problems but not even know the first thing about her husband. She wouldn't even know his voice if he tried to talk. We need to know God to hear his whispers. We need to know his voice as well so we can throw out the lies of Satan. Satan is deceiving and when we are not connected to the word of God, we can easily fall into the trap. We NEED to know God relationally to grow.

I think a reason why I feel so joyful every day right now is because I can see how detail-oriented, and calm God is. He does not scream at us, but rather through the little workings of our lives shows us he is there. Little phrases people say that you had just been pondering in quiet time, showing you God is there or something you prayed years ago coming back to light at just the right moment. All these things God does that oh so calmly whispers "I am with you."

I have not been very afraid being in college. I know some people who have has very hard times and I am so sorry that has been the case. I have missed my family and friends, but never have I been fearful because I have continually heard those whispers saying "I am with you." I have had bad days and days where I was rushing around not listening for sure, but every time I get back to resting in the Lord I hear him again saying "Here I am."

Friends, whatever season you are in I encourage you to start resting in the timing of the Lord. Start resting. Start listening. Stop rushing, life won't leave without you. Get to know the Lord so you know His whispers. Then Listen for the whispers of the Lord. I read a quote once that said "Sometimes we think God is being silent, but in reality we are just being too noisy to hear." Start being present and seeing and hearing the Lord.