mi revelación de hoy

After a week filled with little sleep and lots of studying I have realized a few things about myself.  I am great at procrastination (the idea of this blog  is part of that greatness)! I work amazingly under pressure so this usually works fine for me and allows me to stay in the context of the world I am living in.  Through the many exams and scientific papers, I still LIVED.  I am breathing in the chaotic and revolutionary air of Madison, I am running races for God, I am being challenged and enticed by the spanish language, I am researching the leatherback sea turtle, and most of all I am loving my friends and family.

On the other side of this marvelous skill I have honed from many busy weeks, is the feeling of utter exhaustion.  Through all this living I have gained a necessity for coffee and have forgotten the lost art known as sleep.  As I sit down to write my last spanish essay of the week I find myself wishing for just one piece of perfect bliss in sleep but, with the clock ticking and only 3 hours to work, the idea of a nap has to fade into a fleeting thought.  With my eyes heavy and my frustration lurking beneath the surface I am trying to remember that God may give me obstacles that I alone cannot possibly attempt to climb, but with Him anything is possible.  "I can do anything through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).  I can write this spanish paper, I can run 800 meters around a track, I can smile and enjoy the sunshine.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will provide the way of escape, that you will be able to endure it" (ESV).

I have realized that I get mad at God for giving me too much to handle!  More than once this week I found myself purposefully not wanting to spend time with Him because I believed it was his fault that I am so tired.  And the more tired I got the more I would push God away, and the cycle continued.  But I was looking at the entirely wrong picture, God is not the tempter.  He is the provider of strength, He is my escape, He is my father whom I run to during stressful temptation-filled weeks.  You are faithful my Father, You are my comforter and means of endurance.  I pray for rest and reflection of the test of this week, I pray you give me the strength to finish this race that has been this week and that you carry me through my race tonight.  I want to glorify you during this period of weariness! I want you to be in the foreground of my life tonight.