Love

I heard a quote once that went something along the lines of, "So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day…" and I believe that it came from the Notebook and oddly enough I remember it so well because this has been something that I am trying to work on every single day. If you want someone bad, which I have someone in mind, then it is something that you truly are going to have to work at. It is something that is not going to be perfect and you can't expect it to be. Something I often lean on as encouragement comes from the Bible. It is the passage of Corinthians 13:4 which says,"⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues,they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." This verse is so encouraging because it give you an idea of what Love is supposed to look like. It gives you an idea of how we are supposed to be living out love. Although it may seem unachievable, I want to remind you that everything is possible through Christ. 

Spain brings new challenges

If you didn't already know or you couldn't tell by the title... I'm in Spain. Just a little bit of background before I really get into things... I am here in Spain (Madrid to be more specific) to learn Spanish! I am here through Taylor University and I am taking classes during the day and relaxing on the weekends. I was presented the opportunity to come over here in late spring and I figured there could be no possible better way to learn Spanish, than to be in Spain! Anyways, this blog entry is going to focus more on the difficulties and joys that I have endured while being in Spain.
First, I want to talk about how difficult it was for me to leave me girlfriend and my friends and my family from back home. It was so difficult... and believe it or not, I cried as I was walking to the gates for my departure flight. It was difficult time for me because I was so comfortable working, hanging out with my girlfriend, seeing friends occasionally and hanging out with my family. But during this difficult time of not wanting to leave the country, I was presented with the passage of Isaiah 41:10, which says," Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Talk about an overwhelming feeling when I arrived in Barcelona the first day and not a single person I came into contact with spoke english. I was a nervous wreck but what this verse taught me was that I do not need to be anxious because the Lord is right there beside me in every single thing that I do and every interaction I have with someone that is probably not going to understand me. When I read this verse I became more confident in the plans that the Lord had in store for me. (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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29: 11-13)

Second, I want to talk about the communication and the worry that took over me that I was not going to be able to interact with my loved ones from back home. I was slightly a mess because I didn't want to go to a foreign county and not be able to interact with my girlfriend or my family for a whole month! This scared me so much because I rely on them so much but the God reminded me once again that he is in control. Matthew 6:25-27  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" This verse hit me really hard and taught me some serious lessons. I need to give 100% of my trust to the Lord and I need to be able to become completely obedient to him. This life isn't worth spending worried about what is to come next. I soon realized on my trip that it wasn't worth it to become worried about if I was going to be able to text or to Skype or to blog! I should be confident that the Lord will provide for me and he has done way more than that on this trip! 

I am so blessed to be able to be spending my time overseas and I can promise you that if anything comes up that I will be seeking the Bible and I will be seeking the Lord for guidance. 

JAB 


wanted to add this too: http://thesavoia.com/2011/11/10/the-greatest-speech-ever-made/