remember.

After coming back from Bible college, I have struggled in my relationship with God. 

This blog used to be lit up with posts about my walk with the Lord and what I was learning, but over the past six months, my love for the Lord has cooled, and my joy in Him has dwindled.

Even as I type this post, I am battling doubts. 

I haven't been reading the Word as deeply, haven't been letting the One who formed my mind and shaped my heart speak to me through the pages of the Bible. Which is a shame, because, wow, God wrote me a book! Even if you don't believe what I do, can you at least admit how incredible the idea of God writing a book to humans is? That's some pretty snazzy stuff.

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

~ Hebrews 4:12

Anyways, what I wanted to say is this: I've been wrong. I've been finding my rest outside of Christ, outside of God. I've been replacing Truth with the lies found on social media, in magazines, in my own jealous heart. Suffice it to say that Jesus correlated about five or six different things I'd been thinking lately into one amazing lesson my pastor preached today. I love when He does that -- His little "coincidences" always get me!

It boiled down to finding my rest, and abundance of life, in Christ alone:

"He will cover you with His feathers,

and under His wings you will find refuge;

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

~ Psalm 91:4

He has taught me so much in the past few days that I can hardly vocalize it.
Just know that you are not who the world says you are. You are not the body underneath your clothes, or a failed geometry test or the smile you hide behind -- you are God's, if indeed you have put your faith in Christ. You don't have to try to be "good enough", to "stop sinning", to "figure it out later".
You can have rest and peace inside the heart of Christ right now.

"For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. 

In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will -- to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. 
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us."

~ Ephesians 1:4-8a

Remember who you are.