Joy in my Heart & Strength like the Sun

I brag on my family all the time. God has certainly blessed me with a wonderful family, and extended family. We all have our problems, but in the end we are there for one another no matter what. 

This past weekend we celebrated the twins graduating high school. A few of my extended family members were able to come to GA to spend time with us. One of them being my Aunt Margaret and Meredith, David’s mom and sister. In my last post I said I would be writing an update on David soon, and this is it. 

During exam week I received an email from my Uncle Lee with a video of David walking with his PT. I sat and cried because this is the first time I’ve seen David walk since everything happened. (you can read David’s story here: http://emassengale4350.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/for-david/ in case you may not know what I am referring to). 

It amazes me at what the Lord has been doing through him and how He is healing David. My aunt Margaret showed me a video this past weekend of David bending his knees and working on regaining his strength back in his legs. He has made so much progress. It has been a slow progression but God has done so much and it is all happening in His timing, for His glory.

David still has his joy too. For whatever reason God allowed this to happen to David. I believe that what was meant for evil, Jesus has redeemed and made Himself known through this accident. 

Thank you so much for all your prayers. I know that some of you are still praying for David, and my family really appreciates that. David still has a long road ahead but I thank God for how far he has come. 

As I write this post I am sitting in my dorm room in Pratt, where I will be living for the summer while I work in the Admission Office. Up until this past weekend, it has not really felt like summer to me. Since school got out I have been moving, working, and driving back and forth from Atlanta to Anderson. I have been busy, but I am loving every minute of it. I know I say this all the time, but God has blessed me here and I work with some amazing people. I will miss being a nanny this summer and not being a counselor at summer camp, but I know God has a reason for keeping me here right now and I am so grateful.

As predicted, I did not do so well academically this semester. However, Jesus showed much mercy on a situation that could have been much worse. I have now changed my major to English and I am not really sure what that will lead me into after I graduate but I am not worried about it anymore. Hopefully this will allow me to graduate in May next year, but if not, I’ll just be a semester behind. It has been a pride issue for me-letting go of the education and teaching dreams- but I am content and know that God has a plan. May He receive glory and not me. 

This weekend I’m heading home again to watch the twins and their friends graduate high school. I cannot believe they are almost done! I am one proud big sister! 

Please pray for me this summer that the Lord will use me where I am to bring glory to His name, to love and serve the people that He surrounds me with, and to grow more in love with Him each day!

I love you all, thank you for reading, and soon I will be writing an update on David! 

“I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

John 17:26

Well. You all knew it was coming…. it is kind of inevitable. This is my sweet & sappy post about the twins growing up & graduating high school.

 So Daniel and Mary-Margaret, this is for you :)

I remember the day you guys were born. The most vivid memory I have of that day was holding you in the hospital. The nurses made me put on a weird outfit and Daddy talked me through the whole thing.  All I remember feeling while holding you guys was how proud I was. I had a new brother and a new sister. It was no longer just myself.

Today, that feeling has not changed. I look at you both and I am so proud to claim you as my brother and sister. You mean more to me than you know, and I love you more than you know. I feel so blessed that God chose me to be your big sister and that I got to spend 18 years growing up with you. Sure, we fight, just like any siblings do. But at the end of the day when I lay my head down to go to sleep I know that there are 4 people out there who would do anything for me (you guys, Mom & Dad.)

 Mary-Margaret: Thank you for just being you. Even though you’re my little sister I look up to you in so many ways. You are strong and independent, and know who you are-better yet—whose you are. You have grown into a beautiful young lady and I think you are the only one out of the three of us who has any common sense whatsoever. I love you little bit!!

 Daniel: Um, it’s a little “fuzzy”  :) I love you bubba! My gosh, you might be my little brother but you act more like my big brother. From all the boys you’ve threatened to beat up to just being there for me, thank you! You have grown into a godly young man and you have the biggest heart. Thank you for loving people the way they are.

 Even though you guys are twins you are both two very different people. I love that you are ending up here at Anderson with me! (Don’t worry-you’ll probably never see me).  But do not forget that if you ever need anything, I am less than a mile away now J I am here for both of you!

I love you more than words can express. I am so thankful that at the age of three, God gave me two little blessings. It has been a privilege growing up with you, and I am excited to see what the future holds! 

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 

Ephesians 1:16

This has been a weird/hard year for me because a lot of my good friends and mentor moved or transferred schools last year in obedience to what the Lord was calling them to do. It’s like my close circle of community was ripped and taken out from under me. 

But you know what it has taught me? The body of Christ is not limited to distance. Or time, or walls, or towns or really anything. In the past two months I have received more encouragement and love from people that live hundreds of miles away than from people I see everyday! Literally. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the people here in Anderson, but it amazes me at the encouragement I get from my friends who I hardly ever see. It is so easy to lose touch with people—but that has not been the case for us.

I love being able to hear what the Lord is doing in and through you guys where you are. It is amazing! It might be hard not seeing each other as often but knowing that you are being obedient to Christ and glorifying Him through everything you do makes it so sweet. 

and to my Woodstock family: I love each and every one of you! Since coming to college three years ago I still to this day receive encouraging texts/phone calls/ (and the rare visits) from you all. I love being able to go home and hear about what the Lord is doing. It hurts my heart thinking about how I won’t be there this summer or be able to be a counselor at summer camp. But I look forward to visiting often and hearing about how God is working!

Like Paul said often in his letters, I thank God for you all!

I also pray that He abundantly blesses you beyond all you could imagine! 

Quick update on life:

Academically, this has been the worst semester of my college career. I still have no idea what the future holds for me. That’s hard when everyone around you keeps asking you what it is that you’re doing with your life and you always reply with a “Well…not sure yet..” and they look at you oddly and reply with a, “well aren’t you about to graduate?” 

Things is, I have to be content with the fact that no-right now-this very second, I have no idea what I’m doing. And that is OK. God says His plan is to prosper me and not harm me (Jer. 29:11). I don’t even know what tomorrow will bring, and I am not even promised tomorrow. So no, I have no plan in place for myself right now, and I am literally waiting on the Lord. All my prayers have been answered with a soft reply..”wait.”

So I wait and be content.

Today as I was driving home I was praying for an attitude adjustment. Jesus started bringing to my thoughts all the wonderful things He has blessed me with and done for me. Of course this was a slap in the face. It was like He was telling me, “Elizabeth, look at all I have given to you and done for you….you have all you need in Me…I am not going to forsake you.” 

One thing I have learned is that God does things for our good and His glory. If that means that I have to have a few bad days or months for Him to be glorified, then so be it. 

Even so Father, for it seemed good in thy sight!

Spring break is approaching quickly for some of us. I am excited to get a week of rest and spend some time with some awesome high school girls this weekend!! 

However, my thoughts cannot get passed last spring break. It has almost been a year since David’s accident. It is so hard to imagine and remember that week. Some days it is easy to thank God for healing David how He has and other days it is hard. Today has been one of those days where I’m having a tough time understanding. 

Don’t get me wrong. David has come a long, long way since his accident. I am thankful that he is alive and that Jesus did to David what only He could. Nobody in that hospital expected him to wake up and live. Sometimes I just wish he was completely healed. 

But David’s joy never ceases. I know that he has his bad days, but every time I see him, he is still joyful. I don’t even know if David understands what happened to him, but that doesn’t matter. 

The other night as I was praying through some things the Lord led to me this verse. It’s scripture that I’ve read and memorized a hundred times, but Jesus told me to read it in its entirety…and really read it. This is what stood out to me: 

 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:10-13

This has been one of the hardest semesters for me in my college career for many different reasons. One pretty much being academic’s and making a final decision about my major. I have not been content about the situation I’m stuck in. Nor have I been very joyful lately.

Other than Paul, David still remains the perfect example of what it looks like to be content in every situation. It blows my mind. David has such a good attitude about what he is going through, and he always has. 

There may be days when I don’t understand why David hasn’t been completely healed. But God’s purpose still remains. I do have joy and peace knowing that one day David will be completely healed-from everything that this life has thrown at him. 

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 Corinthians 5:5-10

Feb172012-My Utmost for His Highest
Arise and eat—1 Kings 19:5

The angel in this passage did not give Elijah a vision, or explain the Scriptures to him, or do anything remarkable. He simply told Elijah to do a very ordinary thing, that is, to get up and eat. If we were never depressed, we would not be alive—only material things don’t suffer depression. If human beings were not capable of depression, we would have no capacity for happiness and exaltation. There are things in life that are designed to depress us; for example, things that are associated with death. Whenever you examine yourself, always take into account your capacity for depression.
When the Spirit of God comes to us, He does not give us glorious visions, but He tells us to do the most ordinary things imaginable. Depression tends to turn us away from the everyday things of God’s creation. But whenever God steps in, His inspiration is to do the most natural, simple things-things we would never have imagined God was in, but as we do them we find Him there. The inspiration that comes to us in this way is an initiative against depression. But we must take the first step and do it in the inspiration of God. If, however, we do something simply to overcome our depression, we will only deepen it. But when the Spirit of God leads us instinctively to do something, the moment we do it the depression is gone. As soon as we arise and obey, we enter a higher plane of life.

If you think that you’re going to find a guy someday that’s perfect & never does wrong, I can tell you that you’ll end up highly disappointed. You should pray for God to give you someone who is just as imperfect as you are, who needs Jesus every day-just like you do. Then, you fight on behalf of that person everyday in prayer.  

My best friend got engaged this weekend :D ….so of course I have to write a post about it!

Some background information: I met Courtney & Adam my freshman year of college while at AU. Adam lived in Savannah and was best friends with Courtney before they started dating in October 2009. Courtney was a freshman here too and lived in Charleston near my Aunt’s family, so we quickly became good friends. This past year the Lord was leading Courtney to transfer to the College of Charleston, and live with her family. So she and Adam had been planning a trip up to AU for quite some time to see friends here, and each other. 

Last weekend Adam called me to let me know what was really going on & his plans to propose to Courtney in Anderson. I got off the phone and sobbed. I know-“I’m such a girl” but I cannot express in words how much the two of them mean to me. There are few engaged/married couples I’ve had the privilege of knowing that I can say glorify God together. Courtney and Adam are one of those couples. It has been a blessing and a challenge for me to watch them grow together, and separately in Christ. I firmly believe that Jesus brings two people together and that He brought Adam and Courtney together for His glory. 

I love you guys so much, and I cannot wait to see how the Lord uses your marriage in the future! Thank you both for always being there for me- I am excited for this new season of life you have entered! 

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:3-11

Yesterday I was going through my bookshelf here at school and came across my journal from last year. Wow!! It was so awesome (and a little hard) reading through my prayers & thoughts. It was so beautiful though to see how the Lord worked in my life. It was also humbling for me, I feel like I had forgotten all that He got me through last year. I never realized how completely dependent I was upon Him and I definitely want to still have that attitude even when things aren’t going so terrible. 

God is so good, if you do not journal, I would encourage you to do it. I’m so not as consistent about it as I would like to be but it is so cool looking back and being able to praise God for all He has done. My favorite thing about journaling is seeing how prayers have been specifically answered. What a great reminder of God’s faithfulness & provision.