If you have been following me on Instagram, you may have noticed my 'Made it through Monday' posts. Mondays are difficult for me, 1. because, well, it's Monday 2. a lot of times I wake up with a weary heart 3. I am at school from 8 am to 6pm and 4. I tend to have a selfish inwardly focused mindset. So, I wanted to take this post and explain why I have these 'Made it through' photos.
Early on this quarter the Lord laid on my heart how unhappy my heart really was on Mondays and how I needed to change my focus. As a physical reminder, I started wearing my Visiting Orphans tee every Monday{my Monday class, the one that only meets on Mondays, probably thinks I only own one tee. It's okay. I'm cool with it}. Instead of an inward woe as me attitude, I wanted to spend my hardest day realizing others {especially sweet littles} had it worse than I. Anytime I started to think poor Clarissa, I tried to physically turn my thoughts to prayer, not for myself, but for the ones who really need it. Y'all it hasn't been easy, it still isn't, you don't realize how selfish you really are until you are having to stop yourself from thinking woe is me every. 5. minutes. Sheesh.
Along with with wearing the shirt, I try to look for the littlest blessings the Lord shares with me throughout the day and try to make mental notes of them. Sometimes its spring and the beautiful heavenly creations that come with it, happy mail from Sevenly delivering my shirt that supported DS orphans, getting out of class 33 minutes early and seeing the sun shining through the trees, the cloudy and rainy weather bringing out the deep hues of green on campus, or its a song the spirit put into my head to help get me through 2 exams. I take a picture of something on campus as I am leaving that reminds me of how good the Lord is to me, even when my heart isn't always comforted there, and I share it with writing about something that blessed me.
Each Monday had blessed me immensely, but I want to share this Monday with you especially. I woke up wearier than usual. I wanted to dig into the new She Reads Truth study, but there was a mix up and it didn't start for another day. So in a desperate attempt to turn my mood around I went to Pandora and blasted Hymns as I was getting ready for the day. They helped, but I was still focused on the 2 exams that were ahead of me. I put on my VO tee and headed towards campus. And in another desperate attempt I grabbed the book Tortured for Christ, about Martyrs, out of my back pack before my first class started. It was good, I was feeling better, but it wasn't hitting me where I needed.
Nothing hit me until I saw this video called I Like Adoption {you can watch it here. And I suggest you do} with a Russian boy who has no arms and was adopted by an American family. He doesn't see his handicap as a handicap. Actually, it's kind of like a talent of his. He can play How He Loves Us So with his toes and sing. Can you say wow?...Now you are definitely gonna watch it, huh?
That was it, my Monday was centered. It isn't to say I wasn't still stressed about my 2 exams, but it wasn't so woe as me anymore.
After my first exam, that was the easiest of the two, I began to go over my notes for the second. As I was studying the Lord placed on my heart a line from a song I had learned at Retreat a few weekends back.
"I will cast my cares on you, the Almighty"
I could not get the line out of my head. It was so comforting to be reminded that even though people have larger issues than my own the Lord still wanted me to cast my own cares big or small on to Him. And boy, did I ever!
When I finally got the exam, the line was still playing in my head and you know what? The exam was SO much easier than I had expected! Can you say major blessing?
When I was headed to bed last night, I had to find the song and play it all the way through. Finally after searching for what seemed like forever, I found it. After playing it, I thanked the Lord and hit the hay. Just a few minutes after that my phone went off, it was a sweet friend sharing her heart with me. It was divine appointment, the song was just what she needed to hear, so I immediately sent it her way.
It is amazing to think that the Lord shared with me that song to not only help me, but also to help another. He used my weariness + mess + need for a song to give encouragement that I had no idea was needed. He is a pretty awesome God.
I made it through another Monday, with a heart full of thankfulness for His blessings. I am so grateful I heard His prompting on that first Monday, so I could live them for His glory, biblical compassion, and grace instead of my own inwardly focused self. Just like we should live everyday.
I will leave you with Cast my Cares by Tim Timmons. Happy Tuesday Friends!
p.s. I tried to get the video just to appear, but YouTube was being dumb. So please kindly click on the link.
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