My Prayer Tonight

I want my life on earth and my future in heaven to merge.
Within my soul a quiet confidence,
I want to live a life worth living, by living a life of giving,
Within my body steadfastness.
To quell my fear, by putting all my confidence in my Saviour,
Within my mind, true hope.
I want to learn meekness, and become shameless,
to Love my Lord.

Longing to Belong

I don't know about you, but I think everybody wants to fit in. We have a desire to fit in, be at home somewhere. We want someone we can count on, we want to feel safe. A home to which to return when all the world seems upside down. A friend we can turn to when we are alone. A rock in the quicksand.
The sense of wanting to belong somewhere is universal to mankind. Women want someone that they can belong to, to be cared for and cherished. Men desire approval, vindication, and respect. We all want to be accepted.
I have been pondering this quite a bit lately as I move back into college life after being home for a month. Where do I belong? I love being with my family, but I can't live there forever. I love my friends and work at school, but it will be over in a couple of years. Which friends should I spend time with more? Where should I go to church? Will I ever have my own family? What should I do with my life? Where do I belong?
You see, each of us is restless at heart until we find our rest in Christ. Even then we still search for our place in this world. We do have a place in this world. But its is defined by our place in another world. Christ accepts us for who we are, us, not our sin. He chose us, his own, he predestined us from the beginning, died for us, and loves us. I am secure in the knowledge that whatever new curve life throws at me next, I am safe in God's plan, because I Belong to Him. We serve our King!
“Peace I leave with you, not as the world gives, give I unto you, Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.”~Jesus, John 14:27

Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Here is a hymn that we sing in RUF (Reformed University Fellowship), that always serves to reminds me of the way that Christ cares for us. We can cling to him and in the darkest times the gospel becomes evermore precious to us. The song was written by George Matheson, a Scottish minister whose fiance left him when he was going blind, and his family was gone to celebrate his sister,his companion's, wedding. It is through trial that we find out just how deep and satisfying the Father's love is. The music for this hymn is quite beautiful, I urge you to look it up at Indelible Grace Music .com and listen to it.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

1. O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

2. O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

3. O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

4. O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Joy in the Small Things

We have all heard the saying, “stop and smell the roses.” We know that out there somewhere in our busy hectic lives there is beauty and joy. But we can't really stop right now... If you're like me, existence has been defined more by putting one foot in front of the other just to survive. For me, pressures and concerns have been slowly sapping the joy from life as I've plodded from class to class and one late night of assignments to another. But there is a better way. It involves a child-like faith in the Creator that surviving moment by moment is ok. He is taking care of us and wants us to be completely dependent on him. Knowing this provides me with an assurance that I can take a deep breath and press through day to day tasks, not without tiring, but with a strength that comes only from the Lord. It also involves in remembering to take pleasure in one's tasks, in the small things, and in our purpose. For me, this means that as wake up for a 6:00 a.m. tennis practice, I can thank the Lord that I get to play tennis. Really!, I love tennis, what a fun game! Or when I am stuck in a drawing at midnight, needing to finish but the grueling marks just won't come out right, I can remember that I love to draw. Sure there are things I do not like, but seeing those things that make one's moments sparkle help us to survive. Every time I walk past the roses on campus, I turn my head and just look at them for a second as I walk past. They really do cheer me up. One of my favorite things to cosider when all else seems to fail is the sky; I look up and just drink in the wide expanse of blue or beautiful clouds. Remembering that I am here for a reason, also helps to keep me from despair. Even if where we are doesn't make sense the way we want it to, we can know that we have purpose as Bearers of Christ's Light to our world and as saints on the road of sanctification. I pray that the Holy Spirit would fill me with his joy and hope in my life this week.

Bring the Rain

Encouraging music video featuring MercyMe.

School Time

I am filled with anticipation, wondering and even doubt as I prepare to head back to college. You see, over the years I have changed my mind back and forth about whether I should go. So I didn't make any grand plans, but when God opened the door for me to be able to go last year, I walked through it. And He has continued to hold it open, providing with each thing, including money, that I need to go.

There aren't many colleges (a small few I am sure) like Belhaven. So small and personal, Christian worldview curriculum, a wonderful Christian art program, smart and caring professors, beautiful campus, and large homeschool percent of the student body. Belhaven is far from perfect but a chance to play tennis and learn the art skills from a rare gifted art instructor has been a treat.

So I am going back with no intention of quitting. I miss my family and even wonder if I should leave home. But my parents do want me to go if I can. College is not for everyone and girls especially should think twice before following the trend. In my case I am learning things that I could not have learned at home and the life experience has been valuable. I will continue to pray and follow God's leading one step at a time.

I think that God has a different path for each of us, but reading the Bible is the clearest way to understanding God's plan for us. The Bible doesn't say girls may not go to college. It does say what is expected from a Christ-honoring woman. A helpmeet to her husband, mother to her children, minister to the needy, teaching God's Word to younger women. This is not a career woman who pursues her own goals above others, although she may have a source of income. I hope that my college experiences, and especially my art classes, will make me a better woman and most importantly better able to fulfill the role Christ has for me to play down the road.

MY BLOG

Hi everyone!
I am so sorry that I have been absent for so long, but I am going to schedule myself to make sure that stay on top of blogging more often!
I have just spent a lovely week visiting my grandmother in Virginia. We visited art musems and visited with family. (I am originally from that area so I have a lot of family there). I am feeling encouraged to get back to my art with a new vigor.
I thought some of you might be interested in why I named my blog “A Flower of the Field.” Psalm 103:15 reads, “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him,and his righteousness with their children's children-with those who keep his covenants and remember to obey his precepts.” You see, I find this verse comforting. God is unchanging and steady, he is always loving and just. No matter what we do, he never loses his temper, never goes back on his word. We are temporary and weak, but guess what? God is taking care of his children! There is another verse: “Observe how the lilies of the field grow, they do not toil, nor do they spin, yet I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these,” Matt. 6:28. So we should not be anxious for tommorrow for only God knows what it will bring. Sometimes we flowers are bending in the storm, other times we are lifting our faces to the sun. But through it and beyond it even when are gone from the earth the Lord is remembering us! And if our trust is in him we will live forever with him. Casting Crowns sings a wonderful song about it:


Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.


Bridge:Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

Chorus:I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.I am yours.
I am yours.
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?
I am yours..I am yours..

I have this song playing on my playlist(lower right on this page), stop and listen and see if you can't give your troubles to the Lord, not once, but over and over again, for He is always there.



Besides, I love flowers!