A visit to UNI :)

Last weekend Michael and I took a little road trip down to UNI to visit some friends.  Michael spent the weekend with Carter and I got to hang out with Amy!  It was so great.  Friday night was Amy's personal shower, I'm so excited for her to be getting married in a little under a month!  The rest of the weekend was spent going shopping, making some food, playing some cards, and talking a lot.  It was so fun to get to spend some time with her.  Saturday night we spent some time with Jenscie.  She wasn't feeling well so we just spent the time watching movies on her bed.  I loved getting to see them!  It made me think back to the times we would hang out during high school so I thought I would post some of those pictures just for fun :)

Come as you are day senior year

Our last parade!

Amy and I before Sweetheart Ball senior year

Jenscie, myself, Janea and Amy at NHS induction senior year

Jens and I at prom :)

Amy and I at camp

Small group frosting sugar cookies!

Like I already said, I loved getting to see Amy so much and to spend some time with Jens.  I'm very thankful for  these girls and the role they played in my life in high school.  Amy and I have also gotten a lot of opportunities to hang out and just talk in the last few years and I always leave feeling very blessed to have a friend like her. 

A lesson from David

I have had the most ridiculous last week.  I was in my fourth grade practicum classroom all week which was a blast and I got to teach a few lessons which I continue to learn from, but it was exhausting!  Planning lessons and doing homework for Friday makes for a rough week.  But, God is good all the time and He has been teaching me a lot through his word lately and I wanted to share one of those things with you. 

I've been reading through the Bible in a year and am currently in 1 and 2 Samuel.  The other day I was reading 1 Samuel 26 where David spares Saul's life a second time after finding him sleeping in a cave.  The part that got me was when Saul found out that David had not killed him he says to David "Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again."  I have always known that David was a man after God's own heart and his interactions with Saul really display this.  Few people would consider the life of their enemy precious, but David did!  How cool!  Later in the book when Saul dies, David weeps for him.  I was convicted of this this week, especially on Wednesday when I was rushing to get from one place to the next.  I was driving on campus and some girls were walking in the middle of the road, there were also skateboarders taking up a significant portion of the driving space.  I found myself getting frustrated with these individuals for being in my way and then I thought of David and his interactions with Saul.  I reminded myself that their lives are precious and that they themselves are loved and created by God.  Somehow remembering that helps to put things back in perspective.  It serves as a reminder that I am to love those whom God has placed in my life at any point in time. 

Conviction is hard, but I am SO THANKFUL for it!  What a blessing to be able to recognize one's sin and repent in the safety of God's grace!  He is good!  Every day is filled with choices to make, we can choose to follow God and love or we can choose to do what we want and show hatred towards others.  I am thankful for the example David is in following after God's heart and the Psalm of repentance he wrote (Psalm 51).  Praise God for his word and the truth and life we are able to receive from it!