suitcases and spiritual practices

I am currently sitting on the floor in front of my suitcase, , one that is currently piled high with stuff that I am 100% sure I will need. In all honesty though, I probably will not have any need for about three quarters of the stuff. And so, I sit here stuck on what to leave and what to take. 

In a weird way, this reminds me of my faith journey. Recently, I have been reading a lot about a variety of spiritual practices. Practices like praying the Hours, Lectio Divina, class meetings, practices from various contemplatives, journaling, daily devotionals, and Bible apps. Sometimes it seems like I am sitting in front of a suitcase piled high with spiritual practices instead of actually journeying. Isn't the point of spiritual practices to grow my faith, to shape my faith? Aspects that only happen when I am actually "using" them and not just leaving them piled in a suitcase.

I'm not sure where I am going with this thought. But I think I am ready to lighten my suitcase. Because I'm tired of just sitting; I'm ready to go.

coincidences and God

Do you ever have those moments where you KNOW that they are completely and utterly moments where God is working? Where events seem to just work together so perfectly? Some people might call them coincidences, I  like to call them God-incidences.

I just had one of those.

I have gone through a semester of intense learning. I have grown leaps and bounds in my faith. I can't express how much of a change I see in myself and how I view events. I have gone from having absolutely no clue what I was going to be doing six months down the road to having a rough idea of what the next six months is going to hold. I've gone from being very unsure of what my passion was to being confident that I have discovered it. I know where my heart is, I have some idea of what purpose God has created me for.

At the beginning of the semester, it felt like I was in a holding pattern of sorts. I was waiting. At first, I struggled a lot with God telling me to be still and wait, to get to know Him, His character, and His plans. I didn't want to wait. I wanted to be doing something. I wanted to hurry up and get to the "good" stuff. Yet God knew that I wasn't ready for it. I needed the time of waiting to dig deep into what it meant to live for God, to get to know God on a even more personal level.

Now, about three months later, I am starting to see all the pieces come together. I may not be able to see the whole picture yet but I know that every single encounter that I have is important. Whether it be talking with a woman at Starbucks or trying out a new church or seeing a student counselor, they all have an eternal impact.

It makes  me a lot more conscious of how I interact with people. Because you never know when that person or that encounter could become a life-changing moment.

Abba, I thank you and praise you for the work that I see you doing in my life! Thank you for my times of waiting and preparation. Thank you for opening my eyes to the seemingly small moments. Help me to keep my eyes trained on you in this next period of my life. Thank you! Thank you Abba!