{Take me, Lord}

 We don't suffer a shortage of words in our language, but sometimes organizing words is hard. Finding the right ones can prove to be nearly impossible. Try and try as you might, the words you wish you had aren't there. The sentences you wish to form aren't forming. The paragraphs you wanted to write are blank because you have trouble expressing exactly what your heart is feeling and your brain is thinking. Stupid brain, why are you so difficult? Just work with me here. 

 I'm graduating in 16 days.

 The questions have been rolling in for quite sometime now, and you'd think by now I would have come up with good, wise answers to them.

"Where are you going to college?" Um, I'm not.
"What are you going to do with your life?"/"What are your future plans?" Well, my biggest dream has always been to be a wife and mother, so Lord willing...
"But what about a career?" What about it?

 As you can see, I have yet to come up with impressive answers.

 At this point in my life I don't plan on going to college, not this year or the next. I have never dreamed of having a big career. The Lord has laid one main desire on my heart and it is this: Get married to a wonderful man and have many, many beautiful babies. Being a wife and mom, those are my dreams.
 Your dreams might require a college degree, mine doesn't. You might be pursuing your dream by dedicating 4 years of your life to further your education, I'm pursuing mine by bettering my ability to care for children and a home. Changing diapers and washing dishes definitely doesn't sound glamorous or even fun, but you know, neither does late night cramming sessions. It's not the diaper changing or the late night studying that we are looking forward to though, is it? They are part of the learning process. We're working towards a goal and when we reach it all of the dirty dishes and hard tests will be worth it.
 Maybe you don't know what your dream is yet, and you're left wondering and waiting. You've tried a lot of different things, but nothing seems to fit. It's easy to get caught up in the worry and fear of the unknown. It's easy to fall prey to the pressure our culture puts on us to have everything figured out. It's easy to be scared and intimidated by those around who seem to have their futures perfectly planned out.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5&6

 Sometimes trusting in the Lord means waiting patiently for Him to make His plan known. But don't be lazy in your waiting. We are never going to get these days back my friends, use them wisely. What does that look like? For me it looks like loving on little kids everyday, serving my family, using the gifts He has given me to bless others, sharing the Gospel with anyone and everyone. Sometimes I don't know what I'm doing next week, let alone next year, but I pray hard everyday that the Lord gives me exactly what I need to deal with whatever comes my way. (Life has a funny way of surprising you with circumstances you don't expect.)
 The thing is, what we're doing now is preparing us for what the Lord has in store for us in the years to come. Whatever it is that He has laid on your heart He will equip you with whatever is necessary to fulfill His plans for you. He will provide a way, He will open the door, He will make straight your paths. We, as His Children, are called to pursue HIM. To trust in Him. To pray and ask Him for the wisdom to make decisions regarding our future. He has not only given us life and salvation, He has given us His word in which He tells us how we are to live, we must read it, search it each and everyday, write it on our hearts.
 Ultimately, He is in control of not only yesterday and today, but everyday to come. He knows exactly where I will be in 5, 10, 50 years, and you know what? It might be completely different from what I think or want it to be. My dreams and desires right now might change throughout the years...as much as I want my dreams to come true, my biggest desire is to live for Christ, to serve Him, to glorify Him with my every word and action. I hope that He will allow me to do that by being a wife and mother, but He might have very different plans for me. Who knows, maybe I'll be an olympic athlete. (ha.)

 My challenge for everyone is this: No matter what it is you're doing, whether you are going to college, starting a career, getting a job, or just living day to day, do it all for HIM. At the end of the day He is all that matters. Live your life in such a way that through you, others see Him and His glory. Serve Him by serving others, love Him by loving others.

Here's to the future, and here's to the One who holds it in His hands.

Take my life and let it be

1. Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
   Take my moments and my days,
   Let them flow in endless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
   At the impulse of Thy love.
   Take my feet and let them be
   Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing,
   Always, only for my King.
   Take my lips and let them be
   Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect and use

Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

1. Take my will and make it Thine,
   It shall be no longer mine.
   Take my heart, it is Thine own,
   It shall be Thy royal throne.
   
   

Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee.