I was reading in Leviticus this morning. There is one chapter that talks all about sacrifices. One thing I noticed is that God kept emphasizing to Moses that the animals he brought as an offering had to be male and without defect. I've read this phrase before in the Old Testament, but I never really thought much of it. But today, it clicked for me. There's a reason the offerings had those requirements. God was giving the Israelites a sign.
Male and without defect. These animals had to be perfect in order to be brought before God to atone for sin. There wasn't anything wrong with them. It's a foreshadowing. Jesus was perfect. He was without defect. And he gave up his life for our sin. He is the ultimate sacrifice. The animals were just a symbol of what was to come. It blew my mind when I realized this. I don't why I didn't see it until now. It makes so much sense. Jesus being compared to a lamb going to the slaughter, the ultimate sacrifice, being without sin; it's so simple, yet so profound. I love it when I come across things like that. Who knew that one 4 word phrase would have so much of an impact? God never ceases to amaze me.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Teaching
When you go through a trial, a lot of times people ask you what God is trying to teach you. As I look back on this year, I can honestly say that it's been the hardest year of my life so far. I've been through many trials and it hasn't been easy, but God has taught me quite a few things.
One thing God has taught me about is change. I can't stand change. I like things to remain constant and steady. And yet, in the past year, I've started college twice. It's one thing to start school; it's an entirely different game when you leave a place that gave you strong community, deep friendships, and a re-ignited faith and come to a new place. Having to basically start over; adjust, find classes, meet people. I'll be honest: it's extremely hard. I miss h2o so much. I know some of you read my blog who are a part of h2o. I will never be able to thank you guys for what you have done and continue to do for me. God brought me to Mount Vernon for a reason. I might not know what that reason is yet, but I do know that coming here was the right decision. God has really been showing me how to cope with change by showing me things that are still constant in my life. They will never change.
1. Him: God was and is and is to come. He will never leave me. Last night I prayed for God to show me His love. This morning in chapel I was having a hard time. We had extended worship time for prayer and communion, and the band started playing How He Loves Us. I don't know how to explain it, but I knew that God was there with me in that moment. I just, felt it.
2. My faith: This is one part of my life that will never be shaken. I know what I believe in and I will always stand firm in it. Simple as that.
3. My family: You know that your family loves you when they all surround you in a giant hug. I have such wonderful support from my family. My parents have helped me so much and will always be there for me.
One thing God has taught me about is change. I can't stand change. I like things to remain constant and steady. And yet, in the past year, I've started college twice. It's one thing to start school; it's an entirely different game when you leave a place that gave you strong community, deep friendships, and a re-ignited faith and come to a new place. Having to basically start over; adjust, find classes, meet people. I'll be honest: it's extremely hard. I miss h2o so much. I know some of you read my blog who are a part of h2o. I will never be able to thank you guys for what you have done and continue to do for me. God brought me to Mount Vernon for a reason. I might not know what that reason is yet, but I do know that coming here was the right decision. God has really been showing me how to cope with change by showing me things that are still constant in my life. They will never change.
1. Him: God was and is and is to come. He will never leave me. Last night I prayed for God to show me His love. This morning in chapel I was having a hard time. We had extended worship time for prayer and communion, and the band started playing How He Loves Us. I don't know how to explain it, but I knew that God was there with me in that moment. I just, felt it.
2. My faith: This is one part of my life that will never be shaken. I know what I believe in and I will always stand firm in it. Simple as that.
3. My family: You know that your family loves you when they all surround you in a giant hug. I have such wonderful support from my family. My parents have helped me so much and will always be there for me.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Naz
Hello all!
Today, I'd like to break from my usual format and talk about what's been going on the past day and a half. Yesterday, I moved in to Mount Vernon Nazarene University. As most of us know, yesterday was also part the "snowpocalypse" as people are calling it. I got a call from my RD that morning saying that Mount Vernon's power went out and they didn't know when it was coming back on. (The power goes out pretty frequently at Mount Vernon, so they know how to handle it.) She said that the dorms were still open for people to move in, although she advised me not to come down that day because of the weather. At that point it was snowing and was extremely windy, so my family and I just waited it out until noon. After some consideration, we decided it would be best to move me in just in case I had class the next day. So we packed up the car and headed out. On the way down, my sister got a call from one of her friends who goes to Mount Vernon. The power still wasn't on. The PSU (student union building) was the only building that had power and heat (they have a gas generator). If the power didn't come back on in an hour, the school was going to have everyone camp out in the gym for the night (which is in the PSU). Now, Mount Vernon is an extremely small school, so yes, the entire student body would fit in the gym. When I heard this, my first thought was not "oh great what a way to start out at the naz." My first thought was, "Awesome! Party in the gym!" This goes to show how calm I was. I give God all the glory for that because I have no idea why I wasn't freaking out about the whole ordeal. We got to Mount Vernon just fine. I had to move all my stuff in in the dark, but thankfully it was still light outside so we could see some. The power finally came back on around 7pm and has been on since then. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming so far. I had about 6 people walk up to my room to introduce themselves and want to know how I was. People had written on the whiteboard outside my door welcoming me to Mount Vernon. People I didn't even know! It was so refreshing, and so much better than when I moved in to Kent (no offense Kent, but you kinda missed the mark on move in day). God has answered so many of my prayers during this time. He is my Rock and He is with me!
Today, I'd like to break from my usual format and talk about what's been going on the past day and a half. Yesterday, I moved in to Mount Vernon Nazarene University. As most of us know, yesterday was also part the "snowpocalypse" as people are calling it. I got a call from my RD that morning saying that Mount Vernon's power went out and they didn't know when it was coming back on. (The power goes out pretty frequently at Mount Vernon, so they know how to handle it.) She said that the dorms were still open for people to move in, although she advised me not to come down that day because of the weather. At that point it was snowing and was extremely windy, so my family and I just waited it out until noon. After some consideration, we decided it would be best to move me in just in case I had class the next day. So we packed up the car and headed out. On the way down, my sister got a call from one of her friends who goes to Mount Vernon. The power still wasn't on. The PSU (student union building) was the only building that had power and heat (they have a gas generator). If the power didn't come back on in an hour, the school was going to have everyone camp out in the gym for the night (which is in the PSU). Now, Mount Vernon is an extremely small school, so yes, the entire student body would fit in the gym. When I heard this, my first thought was not "oh great what a way to start out at the naz." My first thought was, "Awesome! Party in the gym!" This goes to show how calm I was. I give God all the glory for that because I have no idea why I wasn't freaking out about the whole ordeal. We got to Mount Vernon just fine. I had to move all my stuff in in the dark, but thankfully it was still light outside so we could see some. The power finally came back on around 7pm and has been on since then. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming so far. I had about 6 people walk up to my room to introduce themselves and want to know how I was. People had written on the whiteboard outside my door welcoming me to Mount Vernon. People I didn't even know! It was so refreshing, and so much better than when I moved in to Kent (no offense Kent, but you kinda missed the mark on move in day). God has answered so many of my prayers during this time. He is my Rock and He is with me!
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