Pink Cotton Candy

Mornings can be hard. I would much rather stay up really late at night and sleep in the next day then go to bed early and wake up with the sun. But, working at a fitness gym requires early mornings....soo I really have no choice.

Even though mornings are hard for me.... and I hit the snooze button AT least 3 times...I've learned to appreciate some things about waking up early.

#1. the sunrise is always AMAZING .... today it looked like pink cotton candy, YUM.

#2. I feel more alert later on in the day...not so lazy which happens when I sleep in too late.

#3. It's SO quiet on the roads... and it feels nice not to have any music going on the drive to work, but just spend some time with God before the day starts. My day always goes better when it starts out this way.

#4. I pickup Tim's coffee on the way to work....defenitly a highlight. I think the people in the drive-thru know me now :)

#5. When I get to work, all the ladies who come into workout are SUCH morning people that I can't help but force my tiredness away and TRY to be a morning person too. (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt).

Even though I PREFER sleeping in....and a perfect day would be to sleep until I wake up...WITHOUT an alarm....as awesome as my alarm is (it sounds like a carribean dance party....(my ringtones were very limited) ...I've been realizing more and more lately that life is so short and I need to try and enjoy every day for what it is. I just watched Charlie St. Cloud last night, and though parts of it were super cheesesauce....the main message behind the plot stood clearly. Our life can be gone in a moment because of a stupid decision we make or a random accident....we don't know how long we have to live....so we better live our life now. We don't get another chance...

When I look back on my life I would much rather know that I FULLY lived it out and lived a life of love to others, then realize how much time I wasted doing things that were SO pointless in the end. Though I may be crabby when I have to wake up at 5:30....I have more hours before me that day to live my life, to love my family and friends, and use the gifts that God gives.

Ecclesiastes 12:1, " Remember your Creator when you are young, before the days of trouble come and the years catch up with you. They will make you say, "I have found no pleasure in them." .....Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, and he realized that after all the things of the world he had experienced, they were all meaningless, none gave him great, lasting pleasure... except for God. Draw near to God while you are still young... Since we have no clue how long we have to live, why throw away a relationship with the God who has created you? He wants to be a part of your life, if you just let Him in :)

The only One who can truly satisfy...

“Satisfy me in the morning with your unfailing love.” -Psalm 90:14

This world is filled with SO many things that can temporarily satisfy us. The biggest problem is....we don't realize that they can't ALWAYS satisfy us....there's going to be a time when the things we hold so tight, dissapoint us and we realize that we truly have been empty the whole time. Lies are everywhere, telling us that if we have "this" we'll be happy, or if we have "that" we'll never need anything else. It's sad, but true, and so many people fall for these lies and than they wonder why things went wrong. Believe me...I've been there.

The things of this world cannot truly satisfy us. God created us so that we would NEVER be completely satisfied in this world...because if we were...we would never TRULY need Him. We would be perfectly happy and filled with other things, that we would never feel the need to depend on Him. God made us to never be completely satisfied in the things of this world so that we would learn that without Him, we are empty.

Ever since reading Psalm 90:14, I've learned how important it is to ask God every morning to satisfy me in all that He is. If I don't, I know there will be things in my day that wil dissapoint me and only temporarily satisfy. But temporary satisfaction leaves us feeling more empty than before...

Jesus longs to be the one to satisfy us completely. If we let Him. Otherwise, hello dissapointment and pain. It can be an extremely hard choice to let Him be the one to make us whole and surrender things to Him, but when He satisfies....WOW....it is powerful stuff :)

“Taste and see the Lord is good. How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” -Psalm 34:8

Peanut Butter & Cheese

So....I have a confession to make. I absolutely LOVE peanut butter & cheese sandwiches. I KNOW they sound gross....I've heard from MANY people :P but....you can't judge, if you've never tried one before ;) I think it started back in 2nd grade when I had two favorite foods. Peanut butter.....and cheese....so I decided, "Hey, why not try them TOGETHER?" and my life was changed. They weren't just good....they were REALLY good. Especially melted on a bagel. I think in elementary school I o-d'ed on those sandwiches and for awhile I couldn't eat them. Too much of a good thing isn't good....right? Now when I have a peanut butter & cheese sandwich it reminds me of being a kid in Minnesota, making forts with my friend Michelle and going to the park to play grounders on the playground. Good memories all around :)

If Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?

"Our God" by Chris Tomlin

Water You turned into wine

Open the eyes of the blind

There’s no one like You

None like You

Into the darkness You shine

Out of the ashes we rise

There’s no one like You

None like You

CHORUS

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, Our God…

Into the darkness you shine

Out of the ashes we rise

There’s no One like You

None like You.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, Our God…

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, Our God…

BRIDGE

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us

And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us

And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?

What can stand against?

I have never had a song on repeat as much as the one I posted above...there's something about it that touches me to the core. I have a God who is so strong and so great, and who can heal me and protect me....it blows my mind. I really wanted to post the lyrics to this song, because in the last few weeks this song has been my anthem. When the bridge of this song plays, my heart seriously stops beating because I am so overwhelmed. If "OUR God is for us....then who could ever stop us?? " If my God is with me....who could ever stand against that?? I've realized the power of God and it is INSANE.

Jesus has the power to work in our lives to the greatest and fullest potential....if we let Him. We can fight against God all we want, but in the end His way is going to win over our way. Instead of complaining...I've learned to thank Him instead. He knows what's going to happen in my life and why He does the things that He does.... I can pretend that I know what's best for me, but HE is the one who truly knows. There's a lot of things in this world that scare me and make me worry. As Christians, we are in the minority and there are so many people who will try their very hardest to make us fall. But at the end of the day....I know fully that I don't have to be afraid. All I have to do is ask God to walk with me step by step, and keep my eyes fixed on Him. If Our God is with us, then what could stand against?

Power in Weakness

I have been learning a lot lately about God's power being found in our weaknesses. I never completely understood what that meant, but lately I have been having to depend on God completely. It's funny, because when things are going right and I'm content at the place I am...all of a sudden, out of NOWHERE Jesus is like..."Okay Hannah, you're getting a little too confortable, how are you going to have the desire to depend on me if you think you're doing great on your own??" I've learned that if God starts to put these thoughts in my mind...usually the storm is coming. But do you know what?? I have learned that weakness is good. At the time it's painful and hard....but I have never been closer to God than in the times when I am the weakest.

Jesus wants us to realize, that without Him and His power ....we are NOTHING. We MUST depend on God in every situation and circumstance. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says..." But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." WOW. Jesus's power is PERFECT in weakness....in order for His power to be made perfect, I must be weak so He can work through me. It's OK to be weak....because Jesus wants to blow our minds with the strength that we lack on our own.

I am overwhelmed by everything that God has been teaching me lately. Honestly...this past week and a bit has been extremely hard because I've had to give up something I care about deeply. Very painful experience.... but at the same time I have never felt more content in resting and waiting on God and realizing 100% that this is all a part of His plan. I can only see the tip of the ice berg but He sees beneath the surface of the water. I am confident that God will do what He needs to do in my life, and during this time of weakness....God has proved Himself STRONG and worthy of my praise. Just remember, pain is temporary...and is necessary for growth. If we don't have pain, we truly don't have gain. Trust in Jesus, and let Him be the one to lift you up, not someone or something else.