Follow Me in Africa!

Hey all,

So I thought I would be using my spiritinsideme blog to document my experiences in Africa but I decided to actually use a tumblr blog account. To follow along my African journey, visit http://rachelinafrica.tumblr.com/

Thanks! Enjoy the posts!

Tribute to Moms

The world would be a rather dull place without moms. They clean up messes. They fight away scary monsters in the closet. They heal boo-boos with their kisses. They love, bring laughter, and give life. What would we do without you?!

Being a mother must be the hardest yet most rewarding job in the entire world. I don't know how my mom does it-- raises three kids, works a job, cleans, keeps on us about homework, goes to all our extracurricular events, stays involved in the community, I could go on. She's amazing; a God-fearing woman I hope to become and model one day when I have children of my own. If only there were words to sum up my thankfulness and deep appreciation for all that she does. Shout out to you, Mom, for being awesome :)

Moms are important people, and God most certainly agrees. In the second chapter of John we see an interesting although subtle interaction between Jesus and his mother when Jesus performs His very first miracle: turning water into wine.

Jesus Changes Water into Wine
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.  Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." 
"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."    John 2:1-4

When the wine ran out at the wedding, Jesus' mother noticed and pointed it out to her son. She did not ask Jesus to do something about it or inform the others there that her son had the ability to do something about it. She simply took Her concern to Jesus with a "...but you do what you want" sort of standpoint. Jesus' response exemplifies His teaching that we are to love, respect and obey our parents.

Mary's behavior depicts a beautiful image of role reversal. In this scene she, as the parent, runs to her child to share a concern, hoping that Jesus can give her peace or be able to fix the problem. When Mary speaks to Jesus, perhaps she expected Him to do something about the shortage of wine. After all, she knew full well that her son was capable of performing miracles. Yet, she didn't press Him to do anything; she simply said, "They have no more wine."

Jesus, too, knew full well of what He had in His power to do. He was aware that the guests ran out of wine but He did not jump onto the scene. He stood back, keeping out of the way until Mary approached Him. Evident by His response, Jesus did not care to do anything right then and there about the shortage of wine because His time had not yet come. He was not ready. It was not His moment. He wanted to wait. But His mother needed Him...

So He acted.

As this famous story goes, Jesus ended up turning the 30 gallons of water inside the six stone jars into wine. John the apostle describes the miracle as "miraculous." While Mary's reaction to Jesus' miracle was not recorded, I imagine that she was full of gratitude for her son's help. As Jesus amazed all the guests, Mary probably stood back and welled up with motherly pride watching her son save the day.

There is a great lesson to learn here. Jesus, the Son of God, recognized the responsibilities of his role as a son to his mother, Mary. He therefore did what He should have done to please His mother and bring her peace. In other words, His mother's concern took precedence over His willingness to wait longer before performing any miracle. The Message translation says that Jesus responded to His mother saying, "This isn't my time. Don't push me." What we see here in this passage, though, is Jesus deliberately choosing to do something for His mother even though He didn't feel ready.

I am convinced that Jesus did not want to miss this precious opportunity to publicly express and demonstrate His love for His mother.  He recognized in that moment a need and He filled it; however, this miracle is not a case of Mary saying to Jesus, "The wedding guests need more wine" as much as it is her saying to her son, "I need you."

God designed the relationship between mother and child to be one of mutual dependency and satisfaction. In our fallen, sinful world this sort of relationship sometimes feels--or seems--impossible to come by. Children often neglect to respectfully honor their mothers with the love they deserve; likewise, mothers often struggle to patiently serve their children in ways that model and extend God's sufficient grace. Even Jesus lived this out for us to relate to: His first reaction when His mother approached Him about the shortage of wine was more or less, "And?!? ....What's that got to do with me, Mom?!?"

I can attest, what I want and what my mom wants does not always match up. But as her daughter, I am to love, respect, and obey her. Upholding this may call me to set aside my own selfish wants or be bold like Jesus was and do things for her even though I may not feel ready. In the end, mom is happy and so is God.

To all the moms out there- you are loved more than you know.

Happy Mother's Day.

Rachel

Look, a Rainbow

It has been a while since I've written. Too long, I must apologize. I am rarely one for excuses but somehow life got in the way of things I suppose. A lot has happened since my last post. Perhaps most notably, I moved to Nashville and started college at Vanderbilt University!!! A dream come true! I wish there were words to sum up how much has happened over these last 10 months. What a journey it has been-- one of faith, self-discovery, and friendship to say the least. It has been a great journey so far and I still have a long, exciting road ahead of me!

God has held my hand with every step and has blessed me tremendously along the way. There is so much comfort in knowing that God is with me wherever I go!! It is awesome to look back over the past year and see just how He has worked and provided in my life. He has met me in life's smallest details and biggest challenges. He has walked with me on rainy days and every day fills my heart with the warmth of His sunshine. He has given me the gift of love by crossing my path with others who share a heart for Him-- professors, friends, scholars, strangers. There was never a minute I felt unloved; so many faces and memories come to mind when I think about my most precious, intimate encounters with God over this past year.

I am still trying to figure out where the time goes. I started school, I blinked, the year ended. Yesterday I moved out and drove home to Ohio. It's great to be home, but a piece of my heart is still in Nashville.

Yesterday was special. "Last days" are always special, but yesterday was extra special. My dad, sister and I were on the drive home when all of a sudden we noticed a full, clear, bright, beautiful rainbow in the sky!!! We kept driving, "ooo-ing" and "awe-ing" at it and hating when a batch of trees would block our view.

I urged Dad pull off so we could get a good long look before it disappeared. He took the next exit and pulled into the empty parking lot of a "Sad Sam" fireworks store. The view of the rainbow was spectacular, although it did not last too long. Within five minutes the rainbow was gone.

Rainbows are rare, and every time we see one it carries meaning. I can recall almost every rainbow I've seen-- the day, the circumstance, the blessing. The day my great grandmother died, God sent us a rainbow. The day we sold our house in Gatlinburg, God sent a rainbow. The day my sister's first pet died, God sent a rainbow.

This rainbow was no different. It came on a day that was my last day of college--a day marking the end to a great beginning God has written in my book of life. The rainbow was God's perfect way to remind me of His promise, His power, His purpose, His perfection, and His protection.

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:13

Promise. The rainbow is God's visible token to Noah that He will never again destroy the world with a flood. God's promises are inviolable and are always good. 2 Corinthians talks about how all of Gods promises are "yes." When we say "yes" and stand in the light of His promises, we will be blessed.

Power. The rainbow speaks to the power of its creator. God, in all His splendor and sovereignty, is capable of that which is unthinkable and impossible. He didn't just destroy the world-- He restored the world. There is nothing too broken that He cannot fix. We need not worry, God is in control.

Purpose. I love the illustration that the rainbow paints- there must be rain. Even in our rainiest of seasons, in our darkest of days and in our deepest despairs, God can create something beautiful. Rainbows give us hope that God is at work to fulfill His purpose in everything and His plan for our lives. Our natural tendency as humans is to place hope in the wrong places. The rainbow says that we are to put our trust in God alone.

Perfection. God's handiwork is flawless because He is perfect. A rainbow is essentially an arc of concentric colored bands evident when light is refracted through raindrops at specific critical angles between 40 degrees and 48 degrees. God obviously cares about the details! Rainbows amaze me. They are scientifically complex and yet so simple to the observer's eye. God's love is like that, too-- incredibly intricate and easy to receive.

Protection. The rainbow stretches around the entire sky; everything under it is under God's protection. The laws of physics make it impossible to walk under a rainbow or find its end. God's security operates under no conditions for those who walk with Him. His protection has no bounds; His love has no limit; His faithfulness is everlasting.

In the words of William Wordsworth, "My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky!" I like to think that it's God's favorite way of sending me a smile.

-Rachel

Surgery Tomorrow

No blog for today.... I'm headed to bed early because tomorrow morning I'm having my wisdom teeth taken out. Probably will be a few days before I am able to get back to writing. Would appreciate your prayers (I'm pretty scared!). Thanks!

Less Familiar Road

We had a really bad thunderstorm yesterday during the middle of the day. The rain was pouring, flags were nearly torn off poles, and debris was scattered on the streets. Several businesses, homes and traffic lights lost power.

I was volunteering at the time when the storm hit and thought it was in my best interest to stay at the volunteer center and wait out the storm. Thankfully the downpour only lasted for maybe an hour, so I was able to head home after the winds and rain calmed down.

The route that I usually take home from there involves crossing a one-lane bridge. As I turned onto the street that would lead me to the bridge, there was a man standing next to his car parked on the side of the road. He was waving his arms, and my first thought was that something was wrong with his vehicle. Being a teenage female and one who is totally ignorant when it comes to cars, I opted not to stop and help him out, hoping that some other kind stranger would soon pull off. 

But as I slowed down and prepared to pass him, he waved his arms even more wildly and started shouting, "Woah! Stop! Don't go any further!"

Must be something pretty important, so it seemed. I rolled down my window, trusting the guy and praying I didn't just get myself into something stupid.

"Turn around," he said. "There's a tree that's fallen over the bridge, happened during the storm. You'll have to go another way."

I'm sure that man wasn't the first to encounter the roadblock, but was the only person who stuck around to warn other drivers about the dead-end.

I thanked him for what he was doing and went on my way. Home was my destination, I just had to take another path to get there.

As Christians, Heaven is our finish line. One day we will call it "home" and ourselves, "dwellers." I don't know about you, but I can't wait to get there. I mean, I can... but just the thought gets me so excited.

We have our time here on Earth to find the staircase to those golden gates. And the only way to get Home is through Jesus. Sometimes, He purposely allows trees to fall and block roads in our lives so that He can direct us elsewhere. The path we then find ourselves traveling might be longer but necessary to better know Him and reserve our spot in His kingdom. 

God has made a lot of detours in my life. There's always frustration in the fact that my fastest, easiest way home had been eliminated. But inevitably there comes a greater reward, that is the shelter He provides and the lessons He teaches as we journey along the less familiar road.

The Bible speaks a lot about God watching over us in this life:

"You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory."    Psalm 73:24

"A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."    Proverbs 16:9

"In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."    Proverbs 3:6

You never know about strangers. They could be an angel in disguise, or they could be someone else God is using to get your attention. 

Will you pull off?

-Rachel

In the River

I love a good adventure. Today, my brother, sister and I went with some family friends to a nearby river. And I'm not talking some puny little creek, this was a legitimate river.

We changed into old clothes and wore water shoes, knowing we'd get dirty thanks to the inner eager explorer inside each of us.

The water was really warm and for the most part, shallow. We hopped from rock to rock, skipped stones, tried catching crawdads, and did other "play in the river" things.

I was walking upstream and my brother Matthew was ahead of me, looking down in the water at the minnows. Suddenly, there was a splash noise and immediately he lifted his head, glanced at me, and asked if I threw a rock. I heard the sound, too, and thought the same thing-- that he was playing a trick on me to scare me. I told him I didn't toss anything. I asked if he did and was trying to play dumb or joke around. He said "no," but none of us believed the other. We let it be, forgot about it, and went back to our individual ventures.

Not long thereafter, I took a step and, out of the corner of my eye, caught sight of this huge, scaly, slimy, spine-like object slither away in the water.

I screamed like a little girl and yelled something very very stupid, "EEL!!! EEL!!!! THERE ARE EELS IN THESE WATERS!!!!!"

Someone told me once, "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it probably is a duck." Well, let me tell ya. This thing looked like an eel and moved like an eel, so my first thought (obviously) was that it was, indeed, an eel. Later, after I got the attention of the rest of the group, it hit me that eels don't live in rivers (biology was never my favorite-- or best --subject). So much for that silly duck rule-of-thumb.

That thing, whatever it was, scared me so much. My body froze and was shaking for who knows how long. Now at least I knew what that sound was Matthew and I heard earlier.

Then someone looked yonder and pointed, shouting, "Look! Look!"

The puzzle finally came together. There must have been at least fifty fins flapping out of the water. Slowly, we moved closer and were able to identify what the mysterious beast was! Carp! They were swimming against the current trying to get upstream where the calm waters were. (Carp? Eel? Same thing, right? Wrong....)

My nerves, by this point, had calmed and we all stood there in the river watching in awe at the fish battle the forceful waters. They were SO big!! A few times, we got so close that we could even see their scales. It really was one of the neatest things I'd ever seen.

My friend Ally who was with us is obsessed with anything Japan-related. She informed me that the word "carp" actually comes from and is the translation of the Japanese word "koi." (You may have heard of koi fish before, whether you'e seen them at hotels or in little ponds at other attractions. The colorful variations of koi fish we know today are descendents of the common carp.)

When we left the river and made it home, I, being the nerd that I am, did some research. What I found out is pretty cool-- the word "koi" in Japanese is also a homophone for another Japanese word that means "affectionate love." This word association quickly caught on way long ago in the Japanese culture, and the koi fish are now symbolically representative of love, friendship and loyalty in various forms of art, music and literature.

By nature, the koi fish expands and contracts to the boundaries of its environment in order to fight past the currents, swimming forward and harmoniously through the waters even in suffering.

I love the picture of faith that the koi fish paints. God's Holy Spirit dwells inside of us and gives us strength to fight life's currents. As Christians, we battle constantly against worldliness but only because of His love, friendship and loyalty do we find strength to push through toward the calm waters. Even when we hurt or feel like giving up, His voice inside us says to "just keep swimming."

LOVE:  "Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away."  Song of Solomon 8:7a

FRIENDSHIP:  "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."    John 15:15

LOYALTY:  "But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands, as at this time."   1 Kings 8:61


When we feel like we're being forced backward, His power kicks in. We make it to peace with Him and because of Him.

We never swim alone.

-Rachel

Star Gazing

Stars are so cool. I was taught that looking at a star is like looking into the past. The nearest stars are millions of light years away, so it takes a very very long time for their light to reach us. By the time we are able to see their shine, we may just be seeing what light is left of a burnt-out star that no longer exists.

If you've never taken time to go star gazing, do it. Lay out on the grass, sit on the roof, swing on the porch, something! Find a place where you get a good, clear shot of the sky and stare at it. Trust me, it is so worth it.

I know when I look up, I always see the brightest, biggest stars first. Usually there's only a small handful of them, and that's where my eyes immediately go. But when I look longer and harder, more and more stars appear. They are smaller and dimmer, although just as beautiful.

It really is mind blowing how many there are. A couple times I've tried to count them, but I only get frustrated when my eyes catch glimpse of another sparkle that I hadn't noticed before. Plainly, there is an infinite amount of stars in what seems to be an infinite amount of sky.

"The moon and the stars to rule over the night, for His steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 136:9

God's blessings are kind of like that, too. It's easy to notice His "bigger" stars, or blessings-- new job, sold house, new baby, getting married, pay raise, healed sickness. When good things happen to us, we are more likely and more willing to give Him praise. That's just our nature. God, in those circumstances, is the most obvious target to give glory.

But there are so many other littler stars, or blessings, God shines our way but we fail to see. I can think of a couple reasons right off the top of my head that we miss out: 1) We are too focused on the bigger stars     2) We don't look long or hard enough

When God lives inside of us, we see the world in a way we never did before. We see Him everywhere, we see His handprint on everything. Even when it comes to the simple stuff. We find ourselves lookers into His night sky, marveling at not only the big, eye-catching stars but also at the more distant, fainter ones-- a great price on an item, a warm day, the smile in a friend's face, a phone call from someone you love... those, too, are blessings from Him.

"When I look at your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for Him." Psalm 8:3-4
 
Have you been missing any of God's blessings in your life? Have you only been focusing on the ones that appear most obvious? Take time to look longer and harder at His world around you.

Jeremiah 29:13 says "You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart."

When we think of "stars," most of us envision sparkly diamonds in the sky. But let's not forget that the sun is one, too.

With that knowledge, we can take comfort in the truth that somewhere a star is shining.

Kinda like God's blessings... they're always there.

-Rachel