To My Readers: Thank you :)

Over the past 3 months, I have truly enjoyed writing and sharing my life and thoughts with you, more than I could ever have imagined! It has helped me put 'random' feelings and thoughts into more coherent words, and has made my experiences alone seem not-so-alone, knowing that I can share those experiences here at a later date. It really has also helped me to not be as lazy as I sometimes want to be, the fact that I have committed to writing this blog. If a week passed by, and I have absolutely nothing remotely interesting to share, then it's probably a red flag that I need to get my priorities straight! Honestly, I know that even if this blog were merely a 'personal journal' of sorts for me to look back on, it would be enough of a blessing for me. Which is why it is an EXTRA blessing to hear from so many of you that you actually enjoy reading the blog, and that it's been at times an encouragement to you as well! Thank you all so much for your encouraging words, your support and your prayers!

I'm not exactly sure where this blog will go in the future, but for now I still have a strong desire to keep writing. In the months that I have been away from full-time employment, I have learned to relax, enjoy life one day at a time, to 'be' all there wherever it is that I am, and to realize more and more in every situation, good or bad, that it's all about Him. Sometimes when I think back on what I actually accomplished, I feel the urge to criticize myself because I wasn't perfect. I could have done more, I could have read more of the Bible, prayed more, woken up earlier each day, hung out with my grandmother more, explored more of Arizona, tried to meet more people at church, I could have handled certain situations better, certain conversations better. And while yes, these things are probably all true, when the urge arises to beat myself up, I have to remind myself that it's not about me. I will never be perfect or 'good enough' on my own, I am weak and sinful as a human being, and therefore have nothing to boast of in and of myself! Which is why God's unconditional and sacrificial love for me through His Son is SO awesome and powerful! I don't have to 'earn' His love, I already have it! Nothing I do or don't do will ever change that! When we recognize our own failure, He doesn't condemn us or love us any less. We are His children and when we are hurting, He has compassion on us and wants to bring us joy and peace, not guilt or condemnation. When Peter realized that he had denied Jesus three times just as He had predicted, he was so overwhelmed by his failure and weakness that he wept. But after Jesus rose from the dead, Peter was one of the first people who was told of the news that Jesus is alive, perhaps because He knew that Peter was grieving and hurting. It is clear that Jesus still loved Peter very much, despite his mistakes! Praise the Lord that His grace is sufficient for us, for His strength is made perfect in weakness! Paul wrote, 'Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me ... for when I am weak, then I am strong.' How awesome is that! When we admit to our own weaknesses, we allow God's strength to carry us!

So what's my plan now that I'm no longer in Arizona? Well, I had to leave Jake, my printer and a bag of miscellaneous things behind, so there is still a part of me that's still in Arizona! For the next 5 weeks, I'll be in the NYC area hanging out with family and friends, going to a wedding in Florida, and preparing for my trip to Taiwan and possibly a couple of other destinations in Asia! Unless the Holy Spirit tells me to stay in Asia, I'll back in the states and attempting to figure out where to live and work (ack!) sometime in March 2008! I really need revelation from God in these next few months about where He wants me to go and what He wants me to do!