Stay Strong

Stay strong, you are not lost, come on and fix your eyes ahead.
There's a new dawn to light our way.

Stay strong, you and I run for the prize that lies ahead.
We've come too far to lose our way.

Stay strong, his grip is sure, and his patience still endures.
They'll be no letting go today, no way.

Get up.
This race can be won.

Lauren Christine.

Cry Out to Jesus

God, I thank you for being faithful.

For never leaving me no matter how many times I may run from you. For listening and hearing my cries no matter how much I try to block out your voice sometimes. For keeping a steady hand on me no matter how much I try to fight your arms that are holding on to me.

Father, I thank you for being faithful. Bring me back home.

Lauren Christine.

Today

Today was one of those days where anything but blessings seem to fade.

Your focus is altered off of your problems and troubles and instead on the simple and yet beautiful aspects of life that are so often taken for granted. Such as...

Jumbo cinnamon rolls.
Sunshine.
Sunburns. In WASHINGTON.
Singing.
Cozy sweatshirts.
Warm chocolate chip cookies.
Your dad playing with your hair and wondering where you got the color from.
Eating Chinese food.
Savoring every little moment you have left with your older sibling- every song, every car ride, every talk.
Dancing.
Blaring music like its August.
Talking with old friends you haven't spoken to since December.
The sound of your sister singing off-key.
The smell of tulips.
The feel of aloe vera.
Taste of hot tea.

Lauren Christine.

Spring :)

Valleys and Mountains

Have you ever stopped for a minute in your busy day to look around? Smell the flowers, feel the wind, hear the birds?

Count your blessings?

Most often the most beautiful things in life are missed all because we're to "busy" to do one simple act- stop.

To appreciate all you've had and all you have presently. The opportunities which opened up new doors, and the trials that made you stronger. The situations that God chose to shine his grace and mercy and, well, miracles through.

Stopping and recognizing all you have can bring on different waves of emotions. For me, it brought back a specific thought/hope that kept burning in my mind.

That although I may not feel God now as much as I have or as much as I'd like to, he's still here. Right next to me. Helping me through this valley while keeping my eyes fixed on the mountains up ahead.

Reminding me that this will indeed pass.

How thankful I am for all the mountains and the valleys and that things are never constant.

"Would you appreciate something that always felt the same? Even the air you breathe makes you go up and down. Your heartbeat goes up and down. If we were always at the same place in our relationship with God, in this world, it would be like having no relationship with Him. Like in a heartbeat, if we didn't have the ups and downs we wouldn't be alive. Yes, God wants you to feel Him. But He wants you to know, trust, and believe Him more. And you cant learn trust without risk. Without pain. Just like now."



Lauren Christine.

Empty Me

Lord, empty me of ME so that I can be filled with YOU.

Lots empty me of my selfish inside. Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride. And any foolishness that my heart holds on to.

Lord, empty me of ME so that I can be filled with YOU.




Lauren Christine.

Never Fading Flame

It's so hard when you can't see.

The big picture, I mean. The end result. The finish line to this race.

Because in reality, nothing matters here. Not the car you drive, how many medals you earn in sports, or the amount of money in your bank account.

None of it really matters.
Why?

This is not our home.
This is not our final destination.
This is not where we belong.

No matter how much pain or confusion may strike during our time on earth, it's not going to effect our future living with God eternally in heaven.

Is this not encouraging?
My goodness.

I admit, it's hard to focus on all the time, but hearing this when feeling so blinded and stuck at a dead end is PAST the word "encouraging".

It's that small sense of hope that keeps shining no matter how dark, endless and, frankly, HOPELESS something may seem. Nothing can extinguish that light.

Nothing.

Lauren Christine.

I Have A Shelter

I have a shelter in the storm
When troubles pour upon me
Though fears are rising like a flood
My soul can rest securely

O Jesus, I will hide in You
My place of peace and solace
No trial is deeper than Your love
That comforts all my sorrows

I have a shelter in the storm
When all my sins accuse me
Though justice charges me with guilt
Your grace will not refuse me

O Jesus, I will hide in You
Who bore my condemnation
I find my refuge in Your wounds
For there I find salvation

I have a shelter in the storm
When constant winds would break me
For in my weakness, I have learned
Your strength will not forsake me

O Jesus, I will hide in You
The One who bears my burdens
With faithful hands that cannot fail
You’ll bring me home to heaven

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfect of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame..."
-Hebrews 12:2

Good Friday? Wake up call.
Lauren Christine.

Glory, Glory, Glory...

So I've just noticed (AGAIN) how long it's been since I've been on my blog. Or other people's blogs. Or blogs in general.

It's finals week. Blah. Things are busy, stress levels are rising, and tea is running short in the Messmer household. I have 5 total, and have 4 completed so far. I finished today at around...1:10PM? And came home at a lovely time immediately after. :) It's weird being home right now. But as I'm sitting around thinking of something to do(other than study for tomorrow's exam, of course), I'm surfing through the Internet and find blogs! My blog! My friend's blog! It's so weird. I forgot what this was like to post...to post anything.

So I guess life has really been busy, actually. Not overwhelming, but easy. My first year of my 4 year high school career is going surprising well. Not sure if any of you remember (I certainly do), but I believe it was...last summer? or so that I was stressing about this year, the freshman hike, the upcoming volleyball season, etc, and I posted several times about it and talked to some of you personally about my worries and struggles of the upcoming year. And as most of you said, YES, it was definitely something I shouldn't have worried about at all. :) God was at work in my life and he still is. He got me through the week of the freshman hike, my first year of volleyball for high school, and the last couple months of freshman year. Have they been necessarily EASY? No. But were they worth it...? Yes. Of course they were.

I believe I've grown in my faith tremendously from this last summer till now. So many things are going on around me that I could easily crumble under, but God has slowly and surely been giving me the strength to stand through all the worries and struggles I've gone through in the last couple months. I won't go into much detail than that, but God is good. He works wonders and I don't think I've ever been as close to Him in my life than right now.

That being said, I'm still struggling with my spiritual life. I'm keeping up on my nightly bible study, and I've completed my studies of the books Colossians and Hebrews, and am now on to Romans. I'm even in shock that I went this long. I struggled at the beginning of my very first study with doing it every night- I would make excuses for myself or say I was too tired, say I'd do it the next night, but never do it. It would slowly push further and further back until I was behind weeks. It was crazy. But I soon discovered that I really need that time alone with God and I treasure it dearly throughout my crazy life. I told one friend a while ago how I was struggling with it, and she simply told me to not let it slide. Not to let myself sleep before I did it. If it even came to the point of my eye lids drooping closed, I HAD to do it. I had to make myself. And since then, my self discipline has grown immensely. Not saying in the slightest way that I ALWAYS keep up. Just the other night I skipped because of exam studying. But even that shouldn't be an excuse, and I see that. So I ask you all to keep my accountable some how, and if I ever talk to you about struggling with keeping up with it, slap me silly until I listen again. ;)

Like I said earlier, I feel closer to God now than ever before. I see His work in my life so much clearer than before and in a brand new, exciting way. I still have several things that scare and worry me about the future, but the way God is in control of my life now gives me the assurance that when the time comes for the things that I'm most worried about, it won't be any different.

As for the past few months?

I wouldn't change a thing. I'm thankful for the tears. Because all that? It got me HERE. Where I am NOW.

Throughout the last week or so I've been struck- and I mean complete AWESTRUCK- with how blessed I am. How much I'm given by God's grace on a daily basis that I don't deserve and yet am so quick to take for granted. I have truly a beautiful life. And I know how much I forget that and think otherwise, and it hurts me to think that I've ever been angry with God for how my life is or whatever is happening. I know all things work together for good, but it's definitely hard to see that. It's hard to trust God that he knows what he's doing and can see the whole picture when I might just see the little piece. It's tough...but it gives you strength. It gives you endurance, and God preparing me with the small things will help me in the future for the bigger things. I'm so thankful that he has shown me this. There will be days where I definitely won't have this thought process. I'll be down, thinking I can't get back up, thinking it's hopeless. But thank the Lord Almighty that this is a truth that I can always stand on.

So that's that. That's where I am.
I guess I will keep this dear ol' blog for times when I just need to write and praise God for all He's done.

To Him be the glory. I would have nothing without Him.

Lauren Christine