Looking through the Eyes of Love: Times of Refreshing

Happy Friday!

I hope you all had a great week. I know I definitely had a week filled with lots of work, but it was still enjoyable. I have been very busy with my semester getting close to wrapping up and everything that comes along with that. I have many tests and projects coming up in the next three weeks before Thanksgiving, but amidst all of that I know I can have peace in the Father.

I wanted to share a little something that has been on my heart lately. Last night, I had the privilege of going out to do an outreach with hundreds of other students in the amazing student body of ORU. Every Halloween, ORU has a Fall outreach where students go around collecting canned foods for the homeless. This year, all of the donations were given to the Joh 3:16 outreach here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was an amazing experience as we got to share the love of Christ with so many. This week had been very stressful for me and I really wanted to pour into the lives of others to get my mind off of myself. We were able to pray for families all around Tulsa and it was so fun!

I wanted to mention that because yesterday wasn't the greatest day for me. I had been feeling a little worried about some upcoming tests and assignments. After the night was over, that feeling had completely gone away. After I got back to my dorm room, the Lord reminded me of a scripture. He gave me Psalm 119:114 which says, "You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for Your Word to renew me." (This particular version of the verse comes from The Message Bible)

Three huge things stuck out to me about that verse. First, God is a "quiet retreat" to those who choose to seek Him. I am so happy that I can turn to Him when everything around me seems to be loud and busy. When I turn to Him, I get quietness and rest. Second, we need to wait on God and be patient which brings us victory. I believe that God doesn't want us to strive or worry. He just wants us to wait on Him and receive our help from Him. Third, when we speak God's Word, we get renewed every single day. We don't have to feel worn out or tired. We can always be renewed even in the worst of circumstances. This verse has been speaking volumes to me all day and I really hope it impacts you, as well.

Lastly, I didn't blog about my trip to the pumpkin patch two weeks ago, but I still wanted to include some photos. It was super chilly but I still had a great time with my family and my boyfriend. We did get a chance to make two pumpkin pies, but I didn't get to try any :( I guess I'll have to wait a few more weeks for that :)