whatchamacallit

these last two weeks have been so darn hectic and to make things worse i got sick (what the? i'm never sick). the stress level is finally going down. phewf. i'm looking forward to this week simply because i will actually be back to the/a routine, hopefully. So i'm excited and taking this monday off of work & school to relax and read.

if i've learned anything these last two weeks it would be that following 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 is super hard, especially in times like the ones i just had. "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." ah its easier typed than said, and easier said than done. so good news, i'm up for the challenge. ok i'm done. bye bye

oh & the series at my church right now about God's will has been rocking my world :) convictions. yes.

the most important nanosecond

I got a new book in the mail this week by Pastor Greg Laurie called Hope for Hurting Hearts and it talks through his grief process just months after his son went up to meet Jesus after a fatal car accident.

In a specific section he talked about Paul facing execution in prison in Rome. When in Philippians 1:21-24 he says this:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. (ESV)

Paul simply loved life despite his circumstances and the only way He was able to do so was because of Gods loving hand on His life. We are blessed daily with gifts around us, beautiful creation, joy of friendships, comfort of family, the list goes on and on all attributed to our Creator. So RAD! But it doesn't stop there. Picture if this is how blessed we are here on earth, what more are we going to experience in Heaven? These gifts aren't even slight hints of what's to come.

So, after I got excited about all of that, it hit me. The word ETERNITY, forever. Just the typical Liz Martin mind, over thinking my life here on earth, i realized that there is another place & another time i will move to after this. I mean i've always understood this, but not to this matter. If you truly think about this, our life here on earth is simply a NANOSECOND compared to ETERNITY. However it is the most important, crucial part. It's in this nanosecond that you decide where you will spend this eternity, in heaven or hell. i don't know if this blew your mind as much as it did mine, but it was definitely the first time i actually deeply thought about all this.

Anyways this was super scattered, and my brain just functions this way. Welcome to my life. But to sum it up (if it doesn't confuse you even more), it is super interesting to me to put into perspective how this life here on earth compares to that of eternity. Whether it be for the blessings you've received here that seem already too awesome or time wise (nanoseconds vs. eternity). So with that said, i'm looking forward to Heaven even more now! :)

oh and i really liked this quote by C.S. Lewis and thought it fit appropriately, "Aim at Heaven and you get Earth thrown in, aim at Earth and you get neither."