On time.

Everything will be okay in the end; if it's not okay, then it's not the end.

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness."

God is never late nor early; everything he orchestrates is perfectly on time. Only He can see the big picture. So why is it so hard to simply trust and wait for him to unveil my life's story to me?

Crash over me.

I'm drawn to bodies of water; for a long time I couldn't understand why I felt such a strong desire to be near them, but I've recently figured it out. God speaks to me through them. Oceans, lakes, rivers...you name it. Nothing else can calm me the way they do. Whether I'm next to them, in them, or on them, I'm instantly refreshed and reminded that God is in control. The back and forth, sweeping motion of the waves is my mind's connection to God's forgiveness and grace. No matter what imperfections may reside on the surface of the water, they will soon be wiped away and made new with the coming waves. God views me the same way. Despite my mistakes and shortcomings, God forgives and forgets, graciously and lovingly wiping my slate clean and giving me another chance. With Him in control of my life, the bad doesn't seem so bad, it's all just swept away.

Our lives move on faster than we can.

Would sleep forever.

I had a dream last night. You know, the kind where once you realize it was a dream you wish you could just sleep forever. Wishing your dreams were your reality is no way to start a day, especially a Monday. What I want, more than anything, is to fully understand that God's planned reality for my life is far better than any of my own dreams. If only I could grasp that, and then live a life that is molded from His reality for my life, rather than being continually let down by having to wake up.

Knowing When.

The distinction between moving on and giving up is a hard one to grasp. Moving on is a part of life, but giving up, in my mind, equates failure. Our society is one that frowns upon failure, yet what about the times when success is dependent on the very act of giving something up? Not quitting or refusing to try, but realizing that life could hold so much more. That if we can simply give up, then God will present us with something better than imaginable right around the corner. I have begun to wonder if giving up is not actually the hardest part but, in fact, knowing when to give up is. Knowing when to step aside, stand back, and relinquish control takes grace and strength. Knowing when to swallow my own pride and realize that my plans are not greater than the Lord's, that my ways can never win over His. My stubbornness and my own plans too often win over my knowledge of what is best and necessary. I am rarely willing to face the fact that giving up is exactly what needs to be done. I am oftentimes incapable of seeing that to give up is not to fail but is, in fact, a willingness to surrender and a bravery to face change and the unknown.

Isaiah 55:8,9
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."