He Has Done A L L Things W E L L

"He has done all things well!" Mark 7:37

Yes, from first to last, from our cradle to our grave, from the earliest pang of sin's conviction, to the last thrill of sin's forgiveness, from earth to heaven — this will be our testimony in all the way the Lord our God has led us in the wilderness: "He has done all things well!" 

In providence and in grace, 
in every truth of His Word, 
in every lesson of His love, 
in every stroke of His rod, 
in every sunbeam that has shone, 
in every cloud that has shaded, 
in every element that has sweetened, 
in every ingredient that has embittered, 
in all that has been mysterious, inscrutable, painful, and humiliating, 
in all that He gave, 
in all that He took away, 
this testimony is His just due, and this our grateful acknowledgment through time and through eternity: "He has done all things well!" 

Has He converted us through grace by a way we had thought the most improbable? 
Has He torn up all our earthly hopes by the roots? 
Has He thwarted our schemes, frustrated our plans, disappointed our expectations? 
Has He taught us in schools most trying, by a discipline most severe, and lessons most humbling to our nature?
Has He withered our strength by sickness, reduced us to poverty by loss, crushed our heart by bereavement? 

And have we been tempted to exclaim, "All these things are against me!"
Ah! no! faith will yet obtain the ascendancy, and sweetly sing: 
"I know in all things that befell,
 My Jesus has done all things well!" 

Beloved, it must be so, for Jesus can do nothing wrong! 

Study the way of His providence and grace with the microscopic eye of faith — view them in every light, examine them in their minutest detail, as you would the petal of a flower, or the wing of an insect; and, oh, what wonders, what beauty, what marvelous adaptation would you observe in all the varied dealings with you, of your glorious Lord!

--Octavius Winslow 

All Things Beautiful.

I don't have much to say at the moment but I do have pretty pictures to post, and so that's what I'll do. Well, actually, I have a lot I could write about but not the desire to do so at this moment. Blogging is a funny thing-- I feel like I need to blog immediately after something great happens or I lose all motivation/remembrance to do so-- or maybe it's just me that's funny (fickle).

Here are some photos from the past couple of days, no significant stories attached to any one of them. Living in such a scenic city has me constantly inspired to take photos and capture the beauty that surrounds me. It has been rainy for the past few days and with the rain has come the enhanced, vibrant colors of everything it touches. It had me itching to go out and take a few pictures, which I was able to do, and yearning to go camp up in the mountains, which will have to wait for another time. The forest has never looked so beautiful and the mountains have never been so alluring.

Aside from that there are a few pictures from around my room as I work to put it together and make it feel like "home." Being an introvert, my bedroom has always been a sort of escape and, in a way, "sacred" to me. Moving into a new house and leaving all my belongings back home in Illinois made for a rough start but it's all coming along. I purchased my very first Pendleton blanket this week and found some vintage postcards on Etsy that I plan to hang on my wall in a framed collage of sorts. I also need to paint everything white- anyone who knows me knows that this is absolutely necessary; bright, clean, crisp, white freshens up any room. It really is like some sort of magic. 

Oh, and the puppy. I took some pictures of her. I may not be a pet person but she's pretty darn cute and, at least at this stage, very photogenic. The last photo is my favorite because it's the look I get every time I take her outside. She is always so reluctant and reminds me of an obstinate teenager. So much attitude, so much cuteness.   

Colorado Changes

 Since moving to Colorado I feel like a lot of me has changed. Maybe it's not so much that I've changed, but that I'm finally allowing myself to be the person I've wanted to be. Moving across the country does that, I guess. Being in a new place brings a fresh start, and that fresh start gives birth to a renewed vigor and hopefulness in what's to come. Comfort and security are good things until they become chains. Chains to a monotonous life, an unhappy life, a life without struggle and growth. 

 Moving back home after living in Arizona was a good thing. Since being home I was able to reconnect with family and establish new relations with them since being saved. I watched my younger brother, Tanner, become a true brother in Christ and was blessed to aid and encourage him as he fought and overcame sin. I watched as his girlfriend (now fiancée), Ali, was also miraculously changed and made alive in Christ. I was blessed to be able to mentor her and watch her grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and mature in the faith. I was blessed to be able to lead a Bible study through Romans and another through the book, "Don't Waste Your Life," and was humbled to see it grow from six girls to almost twenty. I watched as my grandma's twin sister Mar, and just as much my grandma to me, battled cancer. I saw her come out victorious as I witnessed her faithfulness to God and to Christ until the end. Confident she was welcomed in with, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master's rest." Surely she was an oak of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified as it speaks of in Isaiah 61. He was glorified in her life and her death. I also watched as my grandma selflessly served her unto the end. I saw the trust she had in the sovereignty of God and the hope she had in the Father as the divine Healer, capable of curing all disease. I saw as she mourned the loss of her twin sister and best friend and reminded her that God is still the sovereign Lord of all and that he is still the divine Healer, the mender of broken hearts. 

I saw myself falling into the sins of my past, the sins I struggled with before being saved. How I lost the youthful vigor I had during the first year of being saved and how my love for God dwindled down into a pitiable thing as I grieved the Spirit and let my flesh win many battles. I also was able to understand first hand, and for the first time, the importance of Christian fellowship and community as I confessed my sins to fellow believers and was built up and restored by their prayers, words of encouragement, and counsel. I saw the "exceeding sinfulness of sin" in my own sins and was able to understand the pain and beauty of a broken and contrite heart. 

In retrospect, as I recount these things, I guess I grew more than I thought. It seemed to be a reverse growth though- a growth in humility which reminded me of the worm that I am. Less than the least but saved by the grace of God. But still, I was comfortable and wasn't growing at the rate that I could have been. I wasn't reading, I wasn't studying, I wasn't praying. I was neglecting the means of grace that God provided for growth and increased love and communion with Him. And I'm sure it's not the last time that I will so stupidly do so; however, things are different now that I'm in Colorado. 

The fresh start- the new, clean slate- has revived my spirits. I really felt that it was a miraculous work of God when my hunger for the Word and my thirst for communion with Christ was renewed. I want to know Him more, and not only know Him more but love Him as I ought. My constant prayer is that I would be granted to see Christ more clearly for who He truly is and what He has done on my behalf, and that seeing that, I would be compelled to a truer and purer and deeper love for Him. 

The thirst for His Word and increased knowledge of His character also has me reading books by the puritans and reformers again. I bought a few used books on Amazon to start my reading list and am confident that they, also, will help me draw near to Christ as they draw on the Scriptures and aid in allowing me to see the incredible riches found therein. I am going to start a personal study again, too! I will be studying through the book of Hebrews, which may just be my favorite book of the Bible. I know, as a reformed believer it should be Romans because, well, duh, but I LOVE Hebrews. Hopefully I'll update here with what I'm reading and learning as a way to hash out my thoughts, encourage any readers, and look back on in the future. I'm already reminded how terrible it is to go without updates as I struggle to keep this post from becoming a novel. On that note, I think I'll end it here. I already have a few posts planned that will expand more upon the changes I've been making since being here, the DIY projects I have planned as I decorate my little space, the gorgeousness of Colorado, and also on the church I have been so blessed to have found and attend!

I am full of thanksgiving and abounding in hope. It's a good place to be at, I think. By God's grace it will continue.

Until next time.

-K

(and of course a few pictures of what life looks like in CO so far)