Love.

This blog is going to be filled with much randomness, as well as hopefully a few 'worth your time' thoughts. First off, my apologies; this blog is way overdue. I am sitting across the street from my house at the Starlite Hotel: drinking perfect coffee, trying to avoid the flying ants that decided to inhabit the ceiling and the lizard poop that every few minutes rains down, and recovering from the now dead bee that attacked my hair. It has been an eventful 10 minutes. Actually, it has been an eventful week, despite how truly uneventful it has been. Make sense? Probably not. I will try my best to give you all a play by play.

The biggest event is obviously that my roommates left. For the last 3 months I have lived with some of the weirdest, funniest, nicest guys I have known. Yes, 3 guys have played the role of this girl's roommates..good times. (Cue another bee hitting me in the face...what the heck?) Our  nights were filled with Settlers of Catan, singing like you've never heard, Downton Abbey, Insanity,  candlelight dinners and some occasional puzzle making magic. I confess that I am missing them all ready. The day they left (Wednesday) I tried quite hard to fight the few tears that threatened to run down my face. That was the moment I remembered that I was still a girl, as the last 3 months I have developed a tolerance if not liking to the way men are allowed to just be themselves with no filter. So---they are in Gitega now. The last few days have been interesting. I have had much time to spend with God, myself, my computer, and my guitar. I have written a few half songs, read 2 books, and watched the Bourne series in the last 3 days. Tonight threatened me going crazy if I did not step out of my house, thus I am across the street writing this blog.

So because I have spend the last few days alone, I have had many moments to do some deep thinking: to think on things of God and to adjust a few things inside myself by God's grace. I wrote this 2 days ago in a moment of thought: "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I cannot put my hope in man, because this will always fail me. I dare not put my hope in circumstances, because these will always fail me. God created the system this way. For us, as humans. We cannot afford to rely on ourselves, or others for our meaning in life. God has given us our meaning and purpose in life. It's stated directly in His Word. To love one another." Now, I am not a greek/hebrew scholar of any kind. But when I see that word Love, I think of God's love for us- the love He displayed for us that we are to imitate with our lives. This love is so much more than the world's view of 'love'. Jesus giving His life for every sinner was the ultimate act of Love. So to me, "Love one another" is so much more than kindness, or even selfless actions towards others. It is the complete and total giving of oneself to others. It is giving your life, comforts, conveniences. ----1 Corinthians 13:4 (AMP) 'Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. 7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. 8 Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]'--- This passage speaks for itself. If we would all do everything that we do with this in the front of our mind.....JUST SAYING. There would be no need to line up at Chick Fil A to support a cause, while we leave those 'in sin' to believe that we as the church hate them. And you know, maybe it's their problem for thinking that we hate them because we stand up for a cause. But if we stand up for something, and in turn leave those opposed feeling like we hate them...what has this done? Has it offered those effected the love of God, or has it offered them hatred and rejection? Sorry if I offend. To be completely honest I would have lined up with all those people at Chick Fil A if I didn't live in Africa, and didn't have some time to truly think things through. You may have a different opinion than this, and that is okay. You may have scripture to support your opinion, and that is awesome. But so do I. Someone told me recently that I should start voicing my thoughts. So here they are...haha. I am forever grateful that God is full of grace and mercy, and that the Holy Spirit is constantly revealing things to each of us if we will quiet ourselves and have a willing ear. I never want to get to a place where I stop learning, believe that I know it all. Thank you Father for wisdom, and grace.

Have a happy happy day/night, everyone :)