Quilted Music Notes

Hey guys, what's up?! Hope your day is going well.

Today has been a generally good day all around. I got a lot accomplished, and I got a lot of relaxation and reflection time. The morning began with sunlight and sermons-a great sermon actually-and some powerful praise music. Then, this afternoon, my friends and I escaped to the Refuge, which is a park near our university.

It's actually more of a lake-silver mirror water dotted with tree stumps and herons, surrounded by a forest of intertwined trees and occasional eno's. Today, we joined the eno club and set up camp near the lake-a new study setting that allowed for a little more fresh air and a little less stress.

We had to improvise a bit, because all the trees were too big for my straps, and my friend Taylor and I shared a single strap. It was....interesting, but it was a lot of fun. And, it gave me a chance to breathe in and not feel like my lungs were collapsing.

Church this morning could not have been more accurate, more on point, more needed-for me personally. I don't know about anyone else in that crowd this morning, but the pastor asked a series of questions that literally hit me in the face. I'll give you a few of them, just to show you what I'm talking about. These are true or false...feel free to answer for yourself if you want.

1. Is God the #1 priority in your life?
2. Do you regularly make time for God?
3. Do you use his name flippantly, without respect?
4. Are you forgiving others, the way Jesus has forgiven you?
5. Are you living a God-honoring lifestyle?

I don't know where everyone else stood, but I felt like I was being called out personally, and I felt my insides sort of twisting and falling apart. I feel like the last few months have been a darker season for me, a time where I nearly lost myself.

But today in church, something hit me. Before I can start filling the emptiness, I have to find myself in God's light. Before I can be anything, I have to align myself with Him again. I need to love and praise Him, but more than that...I need to respect Him, humble myself, and stand in reverence of His perfection. And it's not until that moment that I begin living the life I'm supposed to.

And I'm ready for that life.

I hope you've had a relaxing weekend, and I hope you are fully prepared for the upcoming week. Even if you don't feel like it, I have total faith that you can make it through, you quilted music notes. I love you guys.