After learning about the loss of a friend last night, I have really been reflecting on why things happen whether good or bad and what God is trying to teach us through the really difficult times. The reality is, there is no answer. I was reminded of Job and his story back in December, about a month after I lost my cousin, and it has resonated with me ever since. Job 1:1 says, "In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." Job was, in our terms, a perfect man. He had everything he could ever want until he lost everything--his children, wife, all except 4 servants, and all his livestock. Through the whole ordeal, he never cursed God. Job 2:10 says, "He replied, 'you are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?". This is so true--Job has an excellent point! There is no point in accepting good from God if we don't accept the bad. The two go hand in hand--God gives good to those who love Him. Sometimes He has to give hard and difficult things to the ones He loves to make them trust Him more. This is something I need to remind myself of daily because I expect God to give me only good things but I forget that you can't have good unless you have bad. It's kind of like playing a sport. Say you play basketball and you win every single game and never lose. After a while, winning will get old and the joy of beating the other team will go away because you are used to it. You will feel like there is no need to practice anymore because you feel guaranteed a win. That's how it is if God only gave good all the time. We would become accustomed to receiving only good things which will probably make us feel like we don't need God anymore because we are so positive that things will always go our way. God has to give some bad in order for us to come to Him and rely on Him alone and no one/nothing else.

We will never truly understand of be able to comprehend how amazing God is or even why He allows things to happen in our lives. We just have to trust Him and know that it is for the best.

Rest In Peace, Kate C.

"Jesus Loves Me This I know..."

It is so amazing to see just how much God loves us. In Romans 5:8 it says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in tis: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." It amazes me how much God really does love us...it is so much more than we can even fathom. I mean, He sent His only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins! Not only did he send Jesus to this earth to die, Jesus died a slow, painful death, nailed to a cross! He was sinless, yet he died for our sins so that we would be forgiven. Think about it! That is absolutely amazing! I can't even begin to stress how amazing and wonderful I find this! We, as humans and as sinners, do not deserve so much love from such a mighty and all powerful God, yet He loves us enough that He sent his only Son to die for us--YOU and ME! Yes, I have grown up hearing this and I know it is true but as I have been spending more time in the Word, I have realized just how deep the Savior's love for us truly is and I have begun to really believe it. All I really know to say is--WOW!

My freshman year at PC challenged me in many ways. The main part of me that was challenged was my faith. I thought I knew God. I grew up in church and went to youth group in high school. I even went on a mission trip the summer between 9th and 10th grades. When it got down to it, though, I had a lot of questions. I realized I didn't fully understand what a relationship with Him was like. I have been so blessed to have people placed in my life who love the Lord and have shown me more of Him through their actions as well as their lives. As I learn more about my Savior and go deeper into strengthening my relationship with Him, I want to share it with, and hopefully encourage those around me. I will start out with my summer. This summer was not what I had in mind, honestly. I was planning on going to Leadership Project with Campus Outreach and to grow more in Christ there with other believers. God had other plans. Instead of going to LP, I headed back home and then to the beautiful mountains of NC for the summer. Honestly, I had no clue how I was supposed to grow in my relationship with God by myself. I was mad at God because I wanted to go to LP but He had different plans. As I later read in Proverbs, I finally realized that God's plans are so much better than mine and even if I want something really badly, God knows what is better and He directs our steps where He wants us to go; Proverbs 16:9, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." As a good friend I met this year encouraged me, I was supposed to go home and be the image of Christ to my family. I was still not happy about this. I just finished my freshman year of college and I did not want to go home to spend the summer. Even through my stubbornness and anger towards God, He began to really soften me and show me how to grow closer to Him, even when I was by myself with no one around to encourage me daily like I had at school. This summer, I have learned so much not only about myself but also about God and His love for me. It is amazing how much God can work in a person's life despite the circumstances. I hope this blog encourages those around me as I uncover and share what God has taught me so far and what He will continue teaching me in the days to come!