Saturday, July 21, 2012

Don't Ever Give Up Hope

Out of nowhere in the rosebushes my dad planted in our backyard, there is one small rose bush that bloomed late, but has 25+ blooms in one brilliant cluster of red :) So miraculous, incredible, beautiful! Praise You, God, for another amazing and surprising gift!





And to me, those flowers are a visible symbol of God's faithfulness and promise to work all things together for good. It is always good to wait on God - whatever season of life we find ourselves in - in all of life's ups and downs. He knows best. Waiting on God can be so challenging at times, but it is always so worth it in the end!

 Reminds me of a passage from a book and of several Bible verses:

"Are you trusting God and waiting? . . . Perhaps you've prayed and prayed, but God hasn't answered. Your prayers seem like bulbs planted in a winter garden. Each time you check for results, all you see is barrenness, debris, and frost. You doubt the warmth of the faith you felt when you first planted the prayers in a season of light and hope. Patience, dear God Lover. Nothing is wrong with your prayers. Leave all of them safely hidden with the Lord. Hold fast to the hope that He has heard and is at work in the garden of your heart. One bright spring morning you will be stunned when you see what God's resurrection power has done with those requests you buried so long ago."
-from Praying for Your Future Husband by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
-Proverbs 13:12

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11 

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 

Don't give up hope! God is already at work on your behalf! And one day, you will look up and be astounded and awe-struck! :)

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Exciting News - Praise God :)

Just wanted to share some exciting news (praise God for working things out in CRAZY, incredible, miraculous ways!!!) :) I just found out last night that I was accepted into the Project ALFA (Accessible Libraries for All) fellowship program at Wayne State University. It will cover all of my tuition expenses for my Masters of Library and Information Science, is a huge answer to prayer, and is something that I am really interested in learning about :) For more about the program you can check out the ALFA website at http://www.projectalfa.slis.ua.edu/about.html
. But anyways, I am really grateful and overcome with joy and excitement and wanted to share the news with all of you :) [Earlier in the summer, I got rejected for the other scholarships I had applied for, but this is the one that I was really hoping would work out and had a feeling God might be up to something big :) Praise God for providing in a huge way! and for this incredible opportunity! I am so filled with awe and amazement every time at all the unexpected ways God works for good!]
Please pray that I would serve God and others well in this program :)