Contemplations

First, I must apologize-I just realized that I have not blogged in over two months. I have been busy, but I know that that is really not an excuse. My first college roomie, who is also a good friend, blogs and took a challenge to blog everyday for a month-so proud Amy=), though it makes me feel bad that I can't even blog once a week, but I will work on it-promise!!

Well, these past two weeks I have been on as they call it here "Semana Santa", which directly translated means, "Holy Week"-but we would consider it Spring Break. I'm not going to lie-April has probably been the hardest month so far-it was a busy month, and I just struggled a lot with various issues and spiritual warfare. But as I had these two weeks off, I thought back to when I was an RA, and the director, before our Christmas and Spring breaks, he would challenge us to think about it has "half-time" and "time-out" and reflect on the ministry we were doing on our halls. So thinking of that, I thought a lot about my New Year's Resolutions, how was I doing with those, as well as the goals I have as a teacher, and how I was with the most important aspect-my relationship with God. As I said, April has been an extremely challenging month, yet as I reflected back these four months and then to the almost 9 months I've been here, I can see how God is still at work, still at my side, even through the hard times. It doesn't matter if I struggle or if I grow discourage, what matters is that I remember to look to Him, my Refuge, my Strength, my Comforter. There is this amazing song called "Blessings" by Laura Story I heard today (the lyrics are below) that talked about how there are times God uses the low points in life at times, the pain, the confusion, the loneliness, the "whatever" to teach us, to bless us by molding us, to refining us-to be refined, we must go through fire-through pain to come out as a beautiful vessel to be used by the One who is worthy, the One who promises to be right there, by our side when we follow Him!!

Because of Christ,
Rhonda

Blessings-Laura Story
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
As long as we have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise