I wish I had more time to blog...

What a beautiful evening! You can tell that fall is approaching - there is a soft breeze in the air and the evenings are cooler. The other day, I bought pumpkin pecan granola bars. Last night, I had a cinnamon candle burning in my room, and after I blew it out and crawled in bed I felt the sweet scent enveloping me.

The Avett Brothers are currently playing in my iTunes (since I am going to see them in concert this weekend!). Some of their music is an acquired taste, but overall I really love them. They have three songs named "Pretty Girl From _______." I'd really like a song called "Pretty Girl from Arkansas" so I could pretend it was about me. I think Arkansas would be a great word to use in a song.



Lately, I have been constantly reminded that God is not surprised by our circumstances. It is something I have been encouraged by through the years, and I was able to share it recently with a friend who is at a difficult point in her life. In that, though, I am also seeing that God is also not rushing to put together our futures. Often, I feel like so much of my future depends on circumstances that are still "up in the air," and I am waiting around for other things to settle down or pan out. God is not waiting on situations in the way I am. Our God is sovereign and has the controls of the universe, even if we don't always see Him working.

"Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand wen he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold." (Job 23:8-10)

In the Bible study that I am doing with both my upperclassmen and my freshmen, I asked the question, "As God thinks of you right now, what is the look on his face?" The goal of the lesson is to point out the ways we perform and strive to merit God's favor, but as I personally thought about this question, I came to the conclusion that God is probably laughing at me. I see him with this sympathetic, amused, all-knowing look on His face as I allow my mind to run in a hundred different directions trying to figure out my life and worrying about things that He has under control. I can almost feel His hand on my shoulder, his voice gentle and understanding, saying, "Samantha, you don't have to worry. You don't have to play out so many scenarios in your head so that you are prepared for anything. I am prepared. I won't be taken off-guard. You can trust your heart in My hands."

So tonight, as the breeze rustles through the trees and you are caught in the midst of a busy season, I pray that you are able to rest in the assurance that God is not surprised or anxious about anything in Your life, and you don't have to be either.