Comfort.

It really was rather difficult to put a name on this post. I have hardly any personal thoughts this time around. Honestly, right now I barely feel worth listening to, but I know that God is always worth listening to. I've been looking up verses of comfort, and looking at verses having to do with fear. Now is a time of uncertainty and fear in my life and he lives of those I care about, but I know that God doesn't want us to fear. Moreover, if we are walking with God, we have no reason to fear. Most of these verses are from the Old Testament. Usually I'm guilty of overlooking those stuffy old books, but I realized that it's very fitting to draw comfort for fear out of them. The Israelites were constantly besieged and downtrodden by their enemies, and had plenty of reason to lose hope. But God had hope for them, and that hope is certainly good enough for my fears. So I'll share with you the scripture that I've found.

Isaiah 40:1-2 - "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins."

Psalm 46:1-2 - "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."

Psalm 56:3-4 - "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose Word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?"

Psalm 91:5, 9-10 - "You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day... If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent."

Proverbs 29:25 - "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."

Isaiah 41:12-13 - "Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who rage war against you sill be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'" 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 - "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (One of my favorites)

Matthew 10:29-31 - "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

John 14:27 - "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (another favorite)

And finally, in this hopeful season of Advent:
Isaiah 9:2 - "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

The Second Prayer

"As [Jesus] was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, 'Jesus, Master, have pity on us!' When he saw them, he said, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan." (Luke 17:12-16)

This morning I'm going to share a few thoughts from the wonderful chapel service I got to attend earlier today. The Bible passage that was read contained the verses above, and the pastor shared some thoughts on the Thanksgiving holiday and the prayer that often goes along with it. We often find ourselves more than able to cry to God for help. Just last night I found myself pleading for answers and aid. In the midst of despair, when there's nowhere else to turn, it just seems more natural to turn towards God. However, it's a bit harder to remember the "second prayer". It doesn't feel as natural to stop in the middle of a happy moment and think about how God is answering a past cry for help. Often (at least in my case) we would rather just forget that we even had to cry for help and concentrate on "living in the moment". It's very good sometimes to stop and think about your blessings, reflecting on hardship and giving thanks for deliverance. I'd like to take this free moment to do that. Here's what I'm especially thankful for right now:

Sunshine. This simple blessing has lifted my spirits immensely today.

Health for me and my family in light of my accident and some of the misfortunes we've had in past holidays. 

A new car that was provided after my old one was totaled.

Friends that have made this school year so enjoyable.

Concordia. The professors are so wonderfully kind, caring, and intelligent. The chapel services have comforted me on countless occasions. The Christian environment helps me feel like I belong. 

A boyfriend who is loving and patient through our struggles. 

Phone and my internet. Even though they don't always work perfectly, they keep me in contact with the people I love.

There are tons of other things I could give thanks for, but I'll keep the list short (partly because I need to go pack, because I get to go home today). Sometimes it feels cheesy or strange to sit and give thanks for blessings, but it's such a wonderful exercise to drive off despair. I pray that your Thanksgiving is filled with obvious blessings, and that you remember to give thanks every day. 

 

Fearless?

As an early teen, my father showed me the Syfy mini-series Dune and its sequel Children of Dune. For some reason, I much preferred the sequel, and still watch all 6 hours of it at least twice a year. The point of my telling you this is that the movie contains (as part of the science fiction mysticism in the plot) a phrase referred to as the "litany against fear". It goes something like this: "I will not fear. Fear is the mind killer. I will face my fear. I will let it pass through me."
Not too bad for a mantra. Then again it relies pretty heavily on inner strength, which I know is sometimes hard to come by. I have a better suggestion.
2 Timothy 1:7 reads: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
That's much better. When we rely on our own strength, fear is definitely a "mind killer". When facing a decision or a task, it's so easy to look at it and feel overwhelmed by fear. So many things could go wrong! It seems like every option is a bad option, causing pain or disappointment. But when we let God work in us and strengthen our spirits, things become a little bit clearer. That doesn't mean that things become easy. It's still difficult to determine what God's will is and make ourselves entrust the outcome to Him. But we have the comfort of knowing that if we really are following God's will we can do so without fear. He knows the outcome, and it fits into his plan perfectly, for our ultimate benefit.
I'm not saying that Christians are completely fearless. We live in a sinful world, and sometimes there are reasons to be afraid. We might be following God's will, but that doesn't mean everyone else will do the same. Things go awry, and we feel pain and loss. Sometimes we lose sight of the plan God has for our lives. It feels like we're surrounded by fear and pain. It's a prison that's hard to escape. Yet we can still take comfort in knowing that we should place each situation into God's hands. He is the only one capable of controlling all of our fear and letting us out of the prison we imagine for ourselves. He gives us comfort and assurance that he is always working for our good, no matter how hopeless it seems and no matter how many things could go wrong. All we have to do is ask.

Dry your tears.

What are you waiting for?
I think everyone sometimes buys into the hope of an easy fix. We think that if this would happen or that would change, everything would get better. It sounds so good. On some occasions our "easy fix" is just wishful thinking, and wouldn't honestly do us any good. Though often it actually is the key to making life more manageable. It's such a wonderful feeling when someone says the phrase "That's not crazy, that's common sense."
Unfortunately, we can't usually make those changes happen. Lately I've learned a lot about the human survival instinct. If something is too stressful and there's something we can do to make it better, we usually take action. The problem comes in when our stress is outside ourselves. Fortunately we have a God who not only handles our lives, but also the lives of everyone around us. Does it sometimes seem like he's ignoring us? Certainly. Just last week in a moment of despair I mused, "What's the deal? Was there just not enough love left for me this week?" The key word there is despair. I felt hopeless. One of my favorite movies, Anne of Green Gables, has a wonderful piece of wisdom regarding that state of being. When Anne tells Marilla that she is "in the pits of despair", Marilla responds, "To despair is to turn your back on God." It's pretty hard for God to show us love when our back is turned (although he often finds a way to do it anyway). 
The book of Lamentations (the name says it all) has some wonderful words of comfort: 
"I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall. 
I well remember them, 
and my soul is downcast within me. 
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, 
for his compassions never fail. 
They are new every morning; 
great is your faithfulness. 
I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; 
therefore I will wait for him." 
Lamentations 3:19-24 


Even when everything seems hopeless, God never fails us. It's not always easy to see (or follow through with), but God always loves us and is always finding ways to care for us.


I wanted to share one more thing, just because this song struck me as fitting today.

Humility

First, I apologize for the less than creative name. I'm a bit pressed for time (so this will be short), but I really wanted to share some thoughts from our campus chapel service this morning.
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4
Being humble is such a slippery slope, and our struggles can go both ways. Obviously pride is not a good thing in excess. We should be proud of our accomplishments, but not brag or be arrogant. Yet humility can also be taken too far. It's easy to consider others as better than yourself when your opinion of yourself is so low that it would be hard to find someone worse. Self esteem is very important. We cannot love others the way we were meant to if we don't first show love to ourselves. So pride and humility, like many other things in life, have to be kept in a tricky balance. 
It helps to look at the second sentence of the passage. A great way to show humility is to care about the lives and goals of others, rather than just your own. Helping someone better themselves shows that you think they're important. It (hopefully, if they follow your example) begins a cycle of caring that may make it's way back to you someday. Although it can be said that "nice guys finish last", it can also sometimes be said that they get a bigger reward for their patience in the end. Although it's frustrating to feel overlooked, wouldn't you prefer having the respect that results when the rest of the world realizes that you have worth, and you don't demand recognition for it? God's Word never fails to improve our lives (better than we could do by our own instincts), even though it's hard to carry out sometimes.

Say What?

Maybe it's heretical to say this, but from a human perspective it's true: The Bible can be frustrating sometimes.

Seriously, maybe you don't have a jar of Bible verses on slips of paper like I do, but there are other times when a verse comes up somewhere (church, a book, the internet) and strikes your heart, but you have no idea why. You're left wondering, "Why does this affect me? What am I supposed to get from this? Is there some obvious application that I'm missing?" This very situation just happened for me, and thankfully I do have a jar of verses, and I just drew another one (which ended up being two). 
The first verse was Psalm 119:105, a very familiar section: "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." In this case I wasn't really confused about why it struck me. There's definitely things I and the people around me are going through right now (and always, but especially right now) that are in serious need of divine guidance. But this verse is one that makes you say, "Okay...what now?" It's a wonderful reminder that we should look to God first when we don't know where to go, but where am I supposed to look? Again, thank God I have more verses to pull from.
The next verse I looked at was 2 Corinthians 4:17, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."     Now that's a different thought. It feels like a primer. God says to look to his Word, but rather than always giving instructions right away he begins with comfort. What a testimony of how our God loves us! He understands that we get overwhelmed. So he reminds us that, firstly, our troubles are not as huge as they seem. It's a reality check. We make all kinds of decisions and run into all kinds of issues every day. Some of them truly are momentary. Some of them have lasting effects. All of them pale in comparison to what's really important. Christ suffered all the pain and frustration we do and then died a brutally painful death so that we might have rest and glory at the end of our days. We can breathe deeply and trust in God's mercy and love, knowing that he's been there and he won't just let us ruin our lives. He's watching out for us!
So I went on to read the third verse that fell out "on accident". This one was Isaiah 51:7: "Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults."
As always with God's Word, the answer isn't unmistakably clear. We still have free will. Unfortunately God doesn't just whisper instructions specific to each day when we wake up. However, it gives a good piece of advice: In the end, as long as you're following God's will to the best of your knowledge and ability, the opinions of people aren't that important. In all likelihood, every major decision we make in our lives will be criticized by someone, whether it's an acquaintance that barely influences us or our closest friends and family members. That's why it's so important to pray. Maybe it's hokey, or hard to believe, but I think that when a right decision is made God puts peace in our hearts. Feeling confused and conflicted is normal. But after prayer and consideration the conflict should give way to joy, however tentative. God has a plan for all of us, and he never lets us stray too far from the fold.

 

Let's just call it "Love".

Love. It's incredible. It's incredibly complicated. It can be applied to a million different areas of our human lives. There are so many different kinds of love. The Greek language has four words that are encompassed by the single English word "love". (If I could remember what all four of those words are off the top of my head I would share them with you. Unfortunately I can only think of one right now.) We love our family, friends, "significant others", and spouses. We should love God. If we love God, then we should show love to everyone. Unfortunately, love is sometimes a difficult emotion. 
Today (because it's been on my heart lately), I want to take a hard look at romantic love. This love is unique. Everyone is born into a family. So even though their parents may not choose to love them, everyone at least has that option. God loves every living thing. Although many people choose to ignore it and shy away from God's love, it is there. Romantic love is unique in that we must seek it. We are not born into romance. It can be argued that everyone has a destined "soulmate", but that person must be found and pursued. 
For the sake of ease, I'm just going to talk from my perspective, that of a female. A boyfriend is a wonderful thing, but they can be the hardest to love. My parents, and even God, make me angry sometimes. But I've been loving them my whole life, so it hardly seems an option to just forget about them. Boyfriends are different though. They present a choice. And it is indeed a choice. Sometimes you don't feel like loving someone, but really loving them is remembering that they deserve your understanding. Emotions feel urgent. Love is calm. 
You know, I really don't have everything (or even many things) figured out, so I should probably stop spouting my wisdom. What does God's Word say about love? (I'm finally going to look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8) "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." The section goes on to speak more wise words about the temporary nature of everything else, and the fact that we cannot see or understand everything, no matter how much we learn. I'll focus on the section I quoted though. The question is: Should this really be applied to romantic love? My personal answer: Of course! My basic belief is that the love you share with someone you marry should encompass any and all kinds of love. 
So does that mean that I or any other dating or married person love perfectly, according to God's instructions? Not nearly. The reason I'm looking at this passage and sharing it with you is that I know I've failed in the past and recently. I need to study every part of this verse and try every day to do what it says, because the reason God put it in his Word was to give us instructions on how to be happy. What happens when I'm impatient? Pain. I can't make time go any faster, no matter how much I want to. What about when I'm envious? Pain. I'm only wishing for things I can't have. And when I'm boastful? Pain. It only hurts my boyfriend when I remind him of what he can't have, and what hurts him hurts me in the end. Everything in that passage is a sure way to avoid pain, and I'm guilty of neglecting them all. I'm selfish, hotheaded, and I hold grudges. I lose faith and hope and feel like I cannot go on. And because of all these things, sometimes my love fails. But God is always there to remind me how to fix it, and lend me the strength to do so. Sometimes things don't go the way I want them to, and I think I know best. In the end though, everything always works out better than I ever could have planned. The very end of 1 Corinthians 13 reminds me of God's plan. After reminding me how often I fail, how blind I am, and how perishable earthly things are, the writer concludes (better than any conclusion I could ever write): "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 

Prayer and Praise

Take heart dear friends! I promise to make this post much more uplifting than my recent fare. Today I was having some interesting thoughts about human nature. I realised that my blog is very indicative of my spiritual life: Most of my contact with God involves asking for something. Sometimes it's selfish requests, like "Lord help me make friends" or "Can I please get my brain on track with this homework?" Sometimes the requests seem more noble, like asking for forgiveness and the strength to repent. 
But no matter how good my intentions are with my requests, I often leave out a key element in my contact with God: Praise! James 5:13 expresses the need for both requests and praise well: "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise." 
Sadly, I'm only thinking about this now, when I have some major praise due to God. Really we should be sending up prayers and songs and shouts of praise for the "little things" in life, even when they're hard to see amongst hardship. Thankfully, God does forgive everything, even our "sins of omission", when we don't do something that we should. Those of you who read my post directly previous to this one will be glad to know that I'm settled in at college and having a wonderful year so far. My living conditions have significantly improved, I've been spending time with wonderful people who I'm glad to call my friends, and my classes (although difficult) promise to be stirring and thought-provoking. Best of all, I can much more easily make it to chapel services more often. This is an occasion for exuberant praise, and although I'm late in realising that I should give credit and glory to God, I gladly give it now.
Another cautionary thought I had, however, was to search for a balance between using my praise as a thanks offering and witness, and drawing attention to myself so that people are distracted from my purpose. Maybe a blog post was a bad idea? I don't really think so, since I'm explaining myself fully and this blog has a limited audience. Jesus does caution us in Matthew 6 to be discreet though. He warns in verse 5, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." Does this mean you should never pray in public? No! It's simply a warning to check your motives. When I'm blogging, am I trying to delve into God's word and learn from it, or am I trying to talk about my life using Scripture as a guise? When we pray in public, is it out of real need or gratitude, or do we just want to see how people react? When we post something religious on facebook, are we truly trying to be a witness, or just showing off our Christianity as a personality trait? It's something to think about. A bit later in Matthew 6 Jesus gives another warning, "And when you pray, do not keep babbling on like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." (verse 7) That verse might inspire a rule to live by. In public, everyday life situations, keep religious comments brief. Don't be afraid to profess your faith, in thanking God and telling people that you'll pray for them. But make sure not to say so much that people view you as "too holy". We live in a judgmental and impatient world. We have a difficult task of leaving a good impression of Christ wherever we go. But we have each other for support, and the Holy Spirit is working through everything we do.

 

Tremulous

Fact: I am full of fear and worry. Fortunately for those around me, I can usually play it cool, but I have periodic breakdowns in which it seems like everything is closing in around me and nothing is ever going to be okay. Then I start yelling or crying or simply go catatonic (if the situation isn't conducive to yelling or crying). Generally the only people that actually get to witness this are my mother or occasionally my boyfriend.
Anyway, the point is that I can feel one of those coming on soon. It's been a rough summer, mentally. Yeah sure, I'm spending most of my days doing things that can't qualify as stressful. But I'm in a constant emotional struggle of worry and fear. The biggest culprits at the moment are my impending move back to college, and my boyfriend's transition to college. Both of these are problematic because they both present some big uncertainties. As for me, I have no idea how this year is going to go. I refuse to be as foolish as I was last year and pretend like I have the power to make it great. For some reason I'm not a "college person". The lifestyle doesn't suit me. So will I find the friendships I crave? Will I get out more? How much harder will my classes be? How can I find out more about my career path and get started preparing? Will I find a job? The list of questions stretches on until it's dizzying. Some of the same questions are things I wonder about my boyfriend. His school is much bigger, his program is more intense, and he has more social obligations. I wonder how he'll take to it. I wonder when I'll see him, what we'll do, and how we'll have time for each other. 
I went searching for comfort, looking up the word "afraid" in my Bible's Concordance. One of the suggestions it had was Psalm 27:1, but when I turned to that Psalm I saw that I had highlighted two verses that are more appropriate comfort for this situation. Verses 13 and 14 say, "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." 
Often when things are stressful or nothing seems to be going as I want it to, I sit there wishing Jesus would just come and take me now. This world doesn't seem worth it, and I long for the perfect joy of heaven. But God doesn't just reserve all of his joy for heaven. He shows his goodness here on earth as well. It's very important to use the word "seem" in my writing when I'm using absolute statements like "nothing is going the way I want it to". Maybe there are some really big issues that are difficult to handle or even completely out of my control, but God always provides comfort in some way or another. Even now I'm realising that, although right now having a boyfriend is giving me more to worry about, if I didn't have him to be my best friend I'd be so much more upset. Good things happen to those who wait. Even though waiting is the hardest thing to do when you're worried about the future, it's the only thing we can really do. God promises us wonderful things in his own time, both here and in heaven, and gives us hope to strengthen us as we anticipate the time when the worries of the past become the joy of the present.

 

Springing Eternal

Caution: Recurring theme approaching. 
I'm about to talk about hope again. Because, dear friends, I need constant guidance and very frequent reminders (and maybe you do too) when it comes to the elusive and terrifying concept of hope. 
Hope.
It sounds beautiful. Completely harmless. Wonderful even. But I'm terrified of it. The deepest core of my sinful being fights against hope as if it were deadly. Fact is, hope has burned me. Some of my darkest and most difficult times in life have been caused by disappointed hopes. I hoped to have an exemplary Senior year, filled with wonderful memories. I hoped to be the star of the high school stage. I hoped to have plenty of time with my grandfather. I hoped for a smooth and easy exit form high school. I hoped for an amazing and promising Freshman year of college. I hoped to make tons of close friends. I hoped that one relationship would be forgotten. I hoped that another would be secure. I hoped to spend my summer with my closest friends, having a blast.
You know what? None of it turned out as I'd hoped.
So I swore off hoping (which I've done before, and it never works). I told myself that things never work out right if I from hopes and expectations, so there's no point in hoping. Then one morning last week, I woke with the words of a verse on my heart. I didn't know what verse it was, or what the exact words were, but I'd read it before. "Suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope." It was stuck swimming around in my head. I went on with my morning routine, checking email and facebook. One of my friends had posted a scripture reference as their status: Romans 5:1-5. Upon looking it up, I saw these words:
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
How incredible. The words that I knew but couldn't find were pointed out to me by the most unlikely of sources. But wait, there's more. One of the "sufferings" that was weighing on me had to do with my boyfriend. I texted him and told him to look up the verses when he got the chance. He replied saying that they had been the subject of a Bible Study his OAFC Travel Team did that morning. 
Amazing miraculous story aside, these are great verses. It sounds like something your parents would say, doesn't it? "Suffering builds character." It's true though! When we go through hard times in our lives, we almost always come out stronger in some way. We learn how to cope. We learn how to live. We place our hope in better things. That, I believe, is the biggest lesson I learned here. I was hoping for some very selfish things, and they will always disappoint. When we hope in God, and hope for his blessings (even if they come through pain, something I talk about more in the post right before this one), he never fails. He gives us his unfailing love, the kind of love that inspires us and is the very best we can hope for. During every night we have the hope of a sunrise, and every day the light comes to chase away the darkness. 

Always is a lot.

It's a fact: I'm a pessimist. Most likely it comes from my logical nature. A long time ago I decided that pessimism is the best option. That way, if things go wrong it's exactly as you expected, and if things go right then you're pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately it doesn't always work. As said in one of my favorite movies, Anne of Avonlea, "I can't help myself from rising up on the wings of anticipation. It's as glorious as flying through a sunset. Almost apace for the thud." Basically: I still get disappointed. Frequently.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
When I was much younger (living in Jamaica), I remember going to a missionary retreat where they taught us verse 17, "pray continually". However, until this last week, I hadn't really looked at the rest of the sentence. And it's very important. First, be joyful always. As the title says, always is a lot. Especially for a pessimist like me. But why shouldn't we have continual joy? Christ died for us. We have so much to look forward to. As it says in one of my very most favorite verses, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28). We should rejoice, because we have a God who is constantly working to bring good out of our lives. I'm not saying it's easy. Things still happen that get us down. At the time, when we're going through our rough patches, it's nearly impossible to perk up and say, "I'm sure someday I'll see how this is actually a good thing!" But what an incredible comfort to know that someday we will have joy again, and we can look back and see the benefits of our sorrows.
That's were the second (or third, actually) command enters. Give thanks in all circumstances. "All" is kinda like "always". It's a major word. How can we give thanks about everything? Again, it's not easy, but it is possible. Give thanks for the lessons learned. Give thanks for what didn't happen. For example, something pretty scary happened to me this last week at OAFC. It was a freak incident, but it still shook me pretty hard. For a while I was angry. I wondered, "Why did this happen to me?" But the more I've thought about it, the more I've found ways to give thanks. I'm well established enough in OAFC to not be scared away by one bad experience, whereas if it had happened to someone younger they may not have come back. I'm mature enough to go to the right people and make sure the situation is dealt with, instead of feeling isolated and unable to talk about it. Through my experience, the leaders have gotten practice in dealing with a major issue, and have developed a better procedure for the future. Does all of this make the memory of the incident less painful? No. But it shows that good can indeed come out of any situation.

I've been thinking of posting this song for a long time, but was waiting for the right words to go along with it. I think it fits here perfectly, so enjoy.

 

Immovable

This past week I've been at Summer Training for OAFC, where the theme was "Stand firm in Christ". It seems a bit predictable that I'd come home and write in my blog about it, but oh well. I'll also be writing soon about other scriptural revelations that happened during the week, but I figured I'd start with the theme. 
The inspiration for it comes from 2 Corinthians, which says in verses 20-22, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
This is a pretty loaded set of verses, but they all go together so nicely that I couldn't bear to leave any out. First we can take comfort from verse 20. Christ made it possible from every promise of God to be fulfilled. We have the full inheritance of heaven and a full measure of grace through his sacrifice for us. And because of that, we can be sure enough to speak a resounding "Amen" and be immovable in our faith. That's the hard part. All of us, at some point, have doubted our faith. Sometimes it just seems hard to believe. Could there really be such a God? Other times it's not convenient to have faith. Maybe our friends, family, or coworkers are judging us. Maybe there's something we want to do with our time that seems more important that going to church or studying the Bible. (I'm very guilty of this. In a perfect world I should be posting verses every day. As it is I may post every two weeks.) Whatever our hindrances, it's a difficult task in this world to consistently and boldly stand firm in our faith.
Even though it's difficult, and even though we fail sometimes, it is possible to be immovable through Christ. God has marked us as his own by the blood of Christ. He gives us his Spirit to guide our daily lives and aid us in our spiritual battles. The evil forces of this world are strong and cunning. Countless times a day I find myself sinning by actions and thoughts and wondering how or why I started. That wondering though - that conscience - is God's Spirit. It leads us to repentance and protects us against further evil. As the verse says, it's a guarantee of our lives to come, when there is no evil and no temptation. It reminds me of Romans 8:18, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."  
Life is hard. Parts of this last week were very hard. But in the end, if we are immovable in our faith, we have an incomparable glory waiting for us that will make it all seem like a bad dream.

Trouble.

That's right friends. The title of this post is Trouble. (Note the capital T, it rhymes with P, which stands for pool, which is not actually my trouble. Anyway.) I've chosen that title because it is once again a really terrible hour of the night and I am writing in my blog because I can't sleep due to some trouble. And like all other troubles, the source of this trouble can be traced to sin of some kind. And that sin is (not surprisingly to those of you who have read other posts) jealousy and anger.
What is it about me that can't just live my own life and let other people live theirs? It gets to the point where I get so ticked off and envious about little stuff that I feel sick and lose sleep. One person, or event, or situation is so bothersome to me that I turn it over a million times in my brain until it consumes me and I end up walking around in a moody depressive funk. Why can't I just say, "Oh, it doesn't matter, let them do what makes them happy," and leave it at that? But no, I have to take offense because of my fragile self-confidence and hold grudges. 
So I'm stuck here worried to death about this next week. You know what's so ironic about that? I'm going to Summer Training for OAFC. The entire purpose of my week should be to witness to others about Christ and to worship him. Yet I'm laying here worrying about how I'll deal with certain people, and whether or not I'll have a good time, and how hot the weather will be, and how I'll deal with certain people (that one is recurring). 

"Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." Psalm 50:15
My mom asked me today if I had prayed about the situation. I realised that I hadn't. Sometimes I feel bad about talking to God when I'm having trouble. It feels like whining. But that's what he tells us to do. Unfortunately, sometimes I also just forget to call on God when I'm having trouble. Fortunately though, God doesn't just "cook to order". He says in Isaiah 65:24, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear."
What a relief. God isn't as forgetful as we humans are. Even when we fail to remember to call on him, he doesn't neglect to take care of us. He answers the prayers that we don't even say, and hears the ones that we do. Not to be overly casual, but the only word I can apply to that fact is "awesome". It truly deserves awe.

 

Troublesome

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
I haven't written for almost a month. Why? There's a couple reasons. 
First, I'm not at college right now. I'm not in a theology class, and I'm not grabbing desperately for my jar of Spiritual Vitamins just to make it through the day. As a person, I'm busier and less frantic at the same time.
Second, I'm an idiot. I've been telling myself that I'm too stressed to write. That, dear friends, makes no sense. Writing makes me feel better usually, and scripture almost always comforts me. How does it makes sense to be too stressed to pay attention to God? It doesn't.
So this morning when I woke up cursing this emotional roller coaster I've been on lately, I forced myself to come here and post. I'm liking it already. At first I pulled a vitamin, but it was 1 Peter 5:7, which I've already done a post about. So then I pulled another one, 2 Corinthians 4:17, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." My brain latched on to the word trouble. Now the trouble I think they're talking about in this verse is more like persecution for faith. But it gave me an idea, so I looked up "trouble" in my Bible's concordance and found the verse at the very top of this post.
As I said, life has been an emotional roller coaster lately. Here I thought that summer would be so wonderful and happy and stress free, and it's turning out to be more troublesome than the school year. At least at school it was just my environment that was getting me down. Now there's so many more people in my life that I need to keep track of, and sometimes it confuses me. Questions like, "How do I feel about them?" or "How do they feel about me?" or "When and how can I spend time with these people?" are plaguing my brain. I sometimes even long for the days when I was desperate to make friends instead of keep them. I especially long for the relative simplicity of the way my boyfriend and I operated back then. Now it seems like there's so many questions and conflicts. 
Wishing for "how is was back then" is okay sometimes. But we have to live in the here and now as best we can, or we'll go crazy. Things change, and we have to adapt to survive and prosper. But what can we do when it seems like the troubles of the here and now are just too much to work through? What about when everything seems to be out of our control? Well, it is. We can make decisions and run our lives by free will, but ultimately it all goes back to God's plan. And he does have a plan. A great one. He holds us close and drives us towards wonderful futures, and takes all our troubles in the meantime. He gives us peace. As Jesus said in the verse, he doesn't give as the world gives. We don't have to do anything to merit the gift, and nothing is expected in return. God's peace is utterly free.
I'm not saying it's easy to remember. Certainly not. Just look at me, not writing for a month because "I don't have time." There I was (and I'm sure I'll be doing the same thing in half an hour) ignoring God's peace so that I could worry about my issues myself. But he leaves reminders everywhere of his blessings to us. Hey, maybe one of you reading this really needs a reminder that you don't have to bear your troubles alone. That's what makes this whole writing process worth it.
There's a song that's been really popular lately: Blessings by Laura Story. It pretty much sums up the message I'm trying to convey. The first line of the chorus says, "What if your blessings come through raindrops?" Sometimes God gives us troubles because in the end they turn out beautiful.

Could it be?

My apologies dear friends, it's been a while since I've written. As I mentioned in my last post, my jar of Vitamins was packed away for quite a while. Also, the conditions of my life haven't exactly been conducive to inspiration. Either I'm too busy to sit down and write out my thoughts, or I'm too bored and lazy to have thoughts in the first place (random song quote: "it's the double edged sword of being lazy and being bored"). 
Anyhow, this last weekend was particularly insane. I went to spend the weekend with my boyfriend for his high school graduation. Going into it I had some worries and fears. First: I'm socially inept, and this was going to be a very social affair. We went to about 7 parties, many of them for people I barely know. Second: I've never met his extended family, and they were all going to be there at once. Third: On Sunday night his parents were pushing him to go to "Project Graduation", an after-party of sorts sponsored by the school that runs from 11:00pm until 6:00am. I wasn't feeling too great about being left at night and joined in the morning by zombie-boyfriend operating on 3 hours of sleep. 
All of these issues are mostly driven by selfishness. In a nutshell, I was worried about being uncomfortable, making a bad impression, an being inconvenienced. But I'm human, and I couldn't help but to give in to them sometimes. In the end though, as always, I was thanking God for both his mercy and his blessings. It all worked out. I never felt too awkward, I got along great with his family, and he didn't go to the party because he was wiped out. 

The verse I want to look at today (now that I've gotten personal and told you a story about my own life for a while) is Jeremiah 29:11, "'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." 
First, I'm not sure if I've talked about this one before, but if I have, oh well.
This verse is repeated everywhere around graduation time. You can find it in cards. You can find it on little decorative plaques. Tons of gift items for grads feature this verse. Why? Because it's TRUE. And it's something that young people (like me) bouncing off to college with boldness and trepidation tend to forget. It's a mantra. Now that I think about it, it actually applies to the first part of this post. I worry because I forget that God has everything worked out in his plans. It also works for my boyfriend, who, when asked if he was excited, replied that he definitely was, but he was terrified to fall flat. I think every student and employee feels the same way. We're scared to fail. We're scared to disappoint. Partly because we don't want to disappoint the people who love us. But also because we know that there's consequences for failing. Our whole lives could fall apart after one mistake. It's awful to think about.
But.
God has a plan. We have a hope and a future.

It's everywhere

Temptation.
Yep. I'm writing a post at nearly two in the morning because I'm thinking about temptation. Everyone suffers from it. Everyone gives in to it. The only person who didn't was Jesus, and thank God for that, because otherwise we'd all be in a really bad spot.
There have been a few people lately who have surprised me with the temptations they've confessed to suffering from. Sometimes it's "little things" that don't seem a big deal compared to everything else. But it's still difficult to think about, especially keeping in mind that no sin is really above or below another. Other times it's things that I can identify with, and the other person and I can share our stories and help support each other. 
The worst temptations are those that seem control our lives. The pet sins that we keep reverting back to. The addiction we just can't get away from, or that we have gotten away from, but it's still there in the back of our minds. Sin is everywhere, we can't ever get away from it. In the Garden of Eden our chance to live simple, sinless lives was spent. Now we live with the consequences of original sin: the plague of temptation and the painful results of giving in. What hope is there for us?
Tonight I've been reminded once again of how amazing our God is. Otherwise I would have refrained from writing at this hour, but I couldn't resist the chance to share an undeniable message from God. I was lying in bed, tortured by thoughts of the consequences we pay for sin in our lives and the lives of those around us. I turned on the light to read and calm my mind a bit, and decided to pick out a spiritual vitamin. Unfortunately, my jar is still packed in my college stuff, but I have a few lying on my nightstand. I reached over blindly to pick one up, and this is what it read: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Incredible.

No more pain

From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
pain (n) 1 : punishment, penalty 2 :suffering or distress of body or mind; also : a basic bodily sensation marked by discomfort 3 : great care 4 : one that irks or annoys


Pain. It's such an interesting concept. It's also something that, in a way, defines us. An ancient philosopher said, "Suffering teaches," and I believe he was right. We learn from our mistakes; we learn from the pain that we feel. In a philosophical way, pain (of the second definition) is a good thing in the end. The second and fourth definitions are most used by modern people. When we think of pain, we think of discomfort or annoyance. What is painful to you? There are the little things: the physical pain of humger, emotional pain of small disappointments, or mental pain of a difficult task. Unfortunately, those things are not the worst of the pain that we feel. In this fallen world, there is pain that is almost unbearable. The loss of someone close to us. Broken relationships. Disappointed hopes. Frail bodies. We humans face these and many more potent hardships often. Sometimes in the midst of all our pain it seems hard to believe that there is a God who loves us. Why do we suffer all this pain?
Revelations 7: 13-14, 16-17: "Then one of the elders asked me, 'These in white robes - who are they, and where did they come from?' I answered, 'Sir, you know.' And he said, 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb...Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Christ the Lamb suffered the same pains that we humans do. He chose to remain among us and feel our pain, and felt a physical pain - death on a cross - that most of us cannot imagine. He won for us the reward of heaven, a place where there is no more pain, not even discomfort. When we feel as if our pain is too great, we have the comfort of knowing that heaven is waiting for us. Now that, dear friends, is something to look forward to.

Do it quickly

One of the worst things in life is to be dealing with an issue that seems like a leech. Some things are so important to us that, even if we want to let them go, they stay attached and steal our thoughts and energy. Maybe a leech isn't the best picture, that's gross. Let's call it a band-aid. You've been hurt, and it's ugly, and you don't want it to get infected and be uglier, so you put a band-aid on it. It helps, doesn't it? It doesn't hurt as much when something hits the wound again. But I think we've all had the experience of leaving a band-aid on too long. Your skin gets all soggy and gross. Eventually you have to take it off and let the fresh air do it's work of true healing. Worst part: if it's a really good adhesive band-aid, it hurts to take it off. So the best plan is to rip it off quickly, so it's over quick and the healing can begin.
This is a good analogy for those problems we have that wound us. Especially relationships. I know it's something I talk about a lot, but it's one of my favorite subjects in life. Once I even used the band-aid analogy with a friend who went through a somewhat unexpected and painful breakup. With the wounds that cut the deepest, we always seem to want to take the band-aid off slowly. It may seem nice to go through the exposing process bit by bit, making sure to let go slowly so we don't forget anything. But at some point, we have to just rip it all out, trusting that God will heal us and that (in this life) we'll always have a scar to remind us of the experience, whether we'll look on the scar kindly or with sadness.
It says in 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." My Bible professor made an interesting point in class the other day. In English (and this is the case with many words, which is why translating the Bible is so difficult) we only have one word for that sentiment, "cast". But in Greek, there are two words. One means to cast as in fishing, with the intent of reeling something back in. This is the meaning we humans like to use when we're giving our problems to God. We say that he can have them, but we keep a hold on them so we can check up now and again. It like ripping off the band-aid and putting another on as soon as you're done. However, the word used in this verse means to get rid of permanently. To give the issue to him completely, and trust him to take care of it and give us healing. This is the way God intended it. He didn't design us to carry open wounds. He designed us to heal and carry scars. Like a plant with dead branches that still bears new growth. 
Maybe it seems like we have to bear our own burdens, but God is fully willing to take them from us if we can only learn to give them.  

 

Never fear

I'll never learn. 
I always want to take care of it myself. I never trust. I have hour-long panic attacks on the phone with my boyfriend because I've had barely any social contact outside of class for weeks. So I sit there and tell him that my life is hopeless; that I've prayed and waited and I'm tired of it. And the very next day I get invited to hang out in someone's room and go to a musical theatre showcase. Did it solve all my problems? No. But it certainly felt like God tapping me on the shoulder, saying "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)
It's so hard sometimes to figure out the balance between leaving it up to God and making it happen yourself. When should I throw myself out there? (If it were up to me, never. Social daring is something I lack.) When should I focus on living my life and just trust God to throw opportunities in my face? When should I take them? Am I missing the opportunities I'm being given because I'm "not in the mood for people today"? Some people I know would tell me that I can't do anything. But I disagree, especially since I studied some of James the other day. Take James 2:14-16: "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?" This of course is talking about our charity and witness to others, but it can apply to our own lives too. God oversees our lives and is in ultimate control, but there's a manner of truth to the phrase "God helps those who help themselves". For the thousandth time, I lament that God doesn't write instructions on the bathroom mirror every morning. But I suppose then faith would be pointless. It wouldn't even be faith, it would be scientific observation. "Oh, there is an unknown entity writing out instructions on how to live life well on my mirror. Must be God." 
So for now (and always), I'm back to stumbling through life, praying for guidance. And yet, I still don't doubt that it's worth it. The things that happen in my life are sometimes just to emotional and incredible to call coincidence. Whether or not I always remember it, rich blessings are mine. Thanks be to God.

Note: The pictures labeled "creation's reflection" that will occasionally grace my blog are the original work of my gifted friend Beth. Obviously they have a logo, so it would be silly to copy them, but if you want to do it anyway, show your Christian love by refraining.

Stand firm

"'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken not my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:10
Even in the most desperate of times, God is with us. Can we say the same? I know that I have a bad habit of deserting God in my darkest times. My human nature tells me that I have to throw my hands into everything and try to fix it myself. I think that I'm alone, just because I'm not looking hard enough to see what God is doing to make it all work out. But, just like every other time I fall short, God has it taken care of. Even when I desert God, he is faithful. His love never fails. How wonderful to know that I have a steadfast God who is always stronger than I am, and who will always come to my aid.

Wonders never cease

Considering how frequently I was posting for a while, I've been quite absent. Oh well, the point was not regularity, but meaningfulness. Interestingly enough, I wasn't posting (or even drawing out Spiritual Vitamins, or doing my Bible homework) because I was stressed. I've always had that problem. The times when I'm most harried and could use some comfort are the times when I forget God. But, today I drew out a vitamin, and was abruptly reminded that I'm silly. The verse is Romans 5:3-4, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
I love this verse. So often we pray that God will just take away our suffering. But what good would that do? What would life be like without problems? Boring. Utterly boring. Now, I'm not saying that I love it when my Bioethics professor assigns an exam with 5 essay questions right before our final or when the laundry room is closed and I have no clean pants, but reading this verse reminds me that good can come out of any situation. This crazy, lonely, frustrating semester is preparing me for even more crazy, lonely, and frustrating semesters. Sometimes when I look at it that way I think, "Wow, that seems so hopeless. This is never going to end." But the verse reminds us that going through hardship builds character, which helps us be prepared for what lies ahead. And that gives me the hope that the next time everything seems overwhelming, I'll know how to deal with it better, and it won't be so bad. Hope is a difficult thing for me. I've always been the pessimist who hated hope. "What's the point?" I thought. "If your hopes come true, then it's just what you expected, and if they don't, you're disappointed." But I need to remember that hope is a gift from God. It's one of those wonderful things that he gives us to remind us that life is worth living, and to point to our life with him that will be more amazing than we can imagine right now. I'll leave you with one more thought from the Bible:
"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:12-13

"Oh God, let the world have peace."

The title is a quote from the song "Have Love" by Lost and Found, which I unfortunately could not find on Youtube to share with you. Here's a bit more though: "Stay the fist clenched hand / Help us understand."
Peace has been on my mind lately, in two different ways. First, this morning I was thinking about peace as in the lack of fighting. That application matches my quote a little better. It started as I was thinking about my bioethics class. It's a really interesting class that has helped me gain the information I need to form educated opinions about several major issues. Sometimes I get a little frustrated, because I'm at a Lutheran university and my professor (who is a bit of a stand in for the usual teacher of this particular class) doesn't always tackle the issues from a very Christian point of view. However, I'm thankful that the environment of the class is very open and understanding. Very rarely do we have conflicts during our discussions. Even when discussing heated topics such as abortion, we talk through the different facets of the issue while still recognizing that everyone has a slightly different standpoint. Very non-hostile. I like it.
The second kind of peace I've been thinking about lately goes with this verse: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7 Sometimes God gives us a mental peace - a sense of calm - that we simply can't understand. Sometimes it comes out of nowhere. Sometimes it comes through someone else. That happened to me this morning. I've been so exhausted and stressed out lately that I feel like I can't relax. But on my way to get something from the coffeeshop on campus I met my favorite professor and had a talk with him. Instead of blowing past me, he asked how I was, and didn't just take "Fine" for an answer. He actually cared about my troubles and told me that he knew I would be fine. This professor is really into students' eyes and facial expressions, and I never really got it until today. He explained that he really believes that the eyes are the window to the soul, and that when he looks at my eyes he sees intelligence, understanding, creativity, and drive. I left that conversation with a feeling of real peace that I haven't felt in a while. I guess it's true, God uses unexpected events and people to show us his love and give us his peace.

Why be good?

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10
At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, I went to an OAFC gathering. We always have the New Years gathering, it's always a lot of fun, I always make some mistakes, and there is always a theme verse. Yeah, that was an interesting list. Just so you don't spend the rest of this post with a little voice in your head going "I wonder what mistakes she makes?", I'll just say that we never get enough sleep at NYG which means I'm overtired and emotionally unbalanced which leads to me freaking out on somebody. "Freaking out on" in this year's case meaning sternly toned and over-zealous reprimanding and a couple insults.
Anyway, the reason I'm ranting about my New Years activities is that this year's theme verse was the one above. We spent the gathering mostly meditating on the first few words, talking about how special we are in God's eyes and how he has a plan for all of us.
Right now though, I'd like to look at the last portion of the verse. We were created for good works, and we are equipped to do them. Sometimes people think that good works are actually what gets you into heaven. That's not what I believe. If good works get me into heaven, then Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is either A) pointless, or B) not good enough. Both options are insulting. When I do good works with my Christianity in mind, it's because I'm thankful for Christ's sacrifice and I want to follow his commands. Like a thank you card. It's not worth hardly anything, but it means you acknowledge that a gift (in this case a priceless one) has been given and you truly appreciate it. It's also good do good works as a witness. The world today has a lot of stereotypes about Christians, one of which is that they're goody goodies. Now, I know that I'm not perfect, and I'm not always upright and good and all that stuff. But that is one of few stereotypes that I like to fill as best I can. I want people to know that Christians are loving. That we're different. And I want people to feel the benefits of whatever good I do and ask me why I do it. Best case scenario: they think "I want to be that [happy, loving, nice, etc.] too" and allow an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to do his awesome work.
Like I said, I know that I fail. But I try as best I can to set myself apart to glorify God and make people wonder: Why?   

1 Timothy 1:15

The verse in the title says this: "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst."
Wow. Doesn't that hit home. I think everyone at some point in their lives has thought, "Gosh, I'm the worst." Everyone has those times when they just feel like they're the scum of the earth. A jerk. Selfish. Believe me, I have those moments a lot. Especially when I get angry over really idiotic things. Yesterday I got breaking-out-in-hives angry because my boyfriend was putting off having me meet his extended family. The best part? It was mixed with arrogance. I was mad because I suggested to my family that we move our Easter get together to Saturday so that he could come. So when he told me that he didn't want me to come up to be with his family on Sunday... Man, was I angry. There I was making it easy for him to meet my family, and he wouldn't even let me go out of my way to meet his. (For the record, it ended up that his family isn't even getting together, so it was all pointless anyway.)
This sounds odd, but sometimes sinning "against your brother" is an easier situation. You can talk through it and hear the other person say "I forgive you." What's really hard is when you simply sin against God. Whatever you're doing doesn't affect anyone else, it's just sinful in and of itself. It's hard to really believe that God forgives you. There's never a booming voice from heaven that declares, "My child, you are forgiven, and your sins are no more." The closest thing is maybe the words of absolution from a pastor speaking by the authority of God. But you know, the Bible is the Word of God. He, through the pen of the author, is saying to you that you are forgiven. The first words of the verse are beautiful. The promise is the truth, and you can trust it. Even when you feel like you're the worst and that you don't deserve anything, Christ's blood was shed freely for you. He was the best so that you can be the worst. 
Accept it with joy.