Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens"

Ecclesiastes 3:1

This is just the beginning to one of my favorite passages of the Bible. One of the girls in my Bible study shared it this week as her favorite verse and it just reminded me of how much I love it. Its deep. I mean, the whole Bible is deep (lets be real) but its resonates with so many people on so many different levels. Even non-Christians will use this passage in funerals or in situations where the outcome isn't as they would have hoped. For me, this is a comforting verse. Its a reminder that life is a cycle. Just as the seasons have their own due time to come and go, so do our emotions, our successes, our failures, and our lives. We are constantly changing and life is always speeding by us quickly. This verse tells me "Hey, its ok to feel this way! its time for that! there will be times for other things. those come later. but first you have to ride out this emotion/feeling/time.

God has a beautiful way of wrecking us, I'd say. He knows just what it takes to rock the boat in such a way that we don't know if we're going to come out floating or sinking. He breaks us. To some people this will sound insane. "What? our good God will break us? No, you're wrong, He would never do that." Well how about that time you got fired? You thought your career and life were over. You had no money, no job prospects, and no future. What came out of that? A better job? with better money? with better hours? Yeah, that was part of the plan. OR how about that relationship? God would never want you to break up with them right? no, you're meant to be? Well, what happened when you broke up? You found the guy that led you to Christ in a way you thought was never possible? A guy who showed you that you deserved more than you ever could have dreamed possible? This guy you will spend the rest of your life with and could not imagine your life without.

Yeah. You have to be broken before you can be fixed. Its rough. Let me tell you. And you probably won't just be broken once. Its a continuous process of being refined. My favorite analogy of this is the one of the coal and the pressure you have to put on it in order for it to be made into a diamond. Something so beautiful, so valuable made out of something ordinarily seen as dirty and insignificant. God does this to us; He puts us under extreme pressures and circumstances that turn us into what He wants us to be.

All of this leads to why I am writing to you now. This week is a hard week for me in all aspects as a student, as a daughter, as a friend, as a loved one, as a human. I have projects and tests scheduled from now until forever (student) not to mention responsibilities that I so well intentionally signed up for but could be in over my head in some of them. I have obligations and expectations put on me by the world, my professors, and by the ones I love, for me to be the best that I can be. However, that "best" comes with a price and there is a standard "best" set. In the nations news, Steve Jobs passed away yesterday, the CEO and founder of Mac/Apple computers. His innovation has driven the world of technology for many many years and will continue to do so; he is considered the Thomas Edison of our time. But most near and dear to my heart is the loss that I am feeling today. The heartache and gap that lie within my chest every day but that is especially aching as I write this. Three years ago today my Gran was reunited with her husband and most importantly her Lord and Savior Jesus. She was removed from my physical sight and touch, but she will forever be my spirit. She looks over me and after me. I feel her presence every day. Her best friend was Jesus and I strive every moment to live like she would. I wish I could wrap my arms around her and hold her for forever. I wish I could have one last hug and one last "I love you a bushel and a peck." And I am comforted in the fact that today she is rejoicing in Heaven with God and welcoming an old friend into the kingdom of Christ.

Today, I watched a speech given by Jobs in 2005, for class. I had never heard him speak before and was astounded at his wisdom and the profound way that he was just real with his audience. In his speech he said several things that I just could not live with myself if I didn't share. His words should live on forever, along with the creations of his mind.

• Don't settle for less. You have to keep looking for what you love whether in work or lovers. Keep looking until you find it
• You can only connect the dots when looking backward, it is impossible to connect them looking forward. Have faith in something that will connect them one day.
• "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish"-- always keep yourself on your toes & alive, create and dream.
• **STOP living someone else's life and start living your own.**

(**my favorite)

Challenge: Think about what you want, where you want to go, and what you want to do. Think about who you want to be and who you will be known as. Don't settle for something less than absolutely perfect. God has a plan for you despite this time in your life.

Gran- I hope I would make you proud. I miss you ever day and cannot wait to get to heaven to be with you. You are my role model and were such an example of the godly woman I want to become. God gained such a beautiful, magnificent soul that day in 2008. I will never forget you.

Romans 8:28