Lots to consider

Well, life has been good recently and extremely hard at the same time. God is really bringing me through the refiner's fire in many areas of my life and I am extremely thankful. At the same time, I wish there was an easier way to do it!
Several themes are being revealed to me. The first of these is the importance of purity. I guess this started about two weeks ago when it was brought to my attention that I should be careful about physical touches, namely hugs. I have always been a "hugger". It's how I grew up. My family is Italian, therefore, we hug! It is also just a part of my personality. I am boisterous and I just love a good hug. However, God really began to show me through his Word and through the loving and kind of words of two amazing Godly people in my life that I need to be more cautious. I have always held myself to a high level of purity. Of course, I am saving myself for marriage and all of that jazz but I have even set higher standards for myself. I have decided that I will not kiss a man until I'm married. I feel like this is important for me because I know that I am a "touchy" person and that if I'm going to close the door to sex before marriage then the boundary needs to be way before that. It, however, never crossed my mind that hugging could ever be an issue for me or anyone else. I have never been in a romantic relationship and therefore have never experienced the type of romantic hug that is given in that relationship. Since that is the case, it never occurred to me that a hug could mean so much. For me, like I said, it's just what I do. I have since realized that for guys especially guys who have been in serious relationships, these hugs are much more than that. These hugs say "I'm interested, I'm available, Pursue Me". Wow, that's not what I mean. I am truly thankful for a godly man who really spoke into my life about this subject. I am also grateful for the Word and the way God revealed it to me regarding this particular theme. Proverbs 31:30 says "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." He showed me that my charm was deceptive. I was hugging and people were being deceived by that. Obviously, they "read" something that I did not intend. I want to be a woman who is praised because she fears the Lord! The same Godly man who told me to be cautious also told me that ever since he has known me, not once has he thought that I was anything other than a Godly woman. That meant so much to me especially in this time when I was feeling like a failure for being misleading. It is good to know what others see. I am grateful for God's revelation regarding purity.

Theme number two: Amazing Opportunities. As I get ready to graduate in approximately 3 months. I am suddenly overwhelmed with the many opportunities that I am faced with. It is such an amazing time in my life. I am single, I am getting ready to start my career and the options are infinite. I am thrilled about the doors God is going to open in my life over the next three months. When I moved to Birmingham, I immediately loved it. I found great people to fellowship with. I found an AWESOME church that has just rocked my world. I found a town that is fun, exciting and full of good things. I thought I'd never consider leaving. Since I got here 4 months ago, I am realizing that it is not always easy to find a job as a starting Speech Pathologist in this area. People from Birmingham love Birmingham, therefore, they grow up here, go to school here, and stay here, not leaving that much room for new people. Since that is the case, I came to the conclusion that I need to be considering other options for job opportunities and future places to live. This was scary for the first minute and since then it has been extremely intriguing. I am currently thrilled about the fact that I could really live anywhere. I have considered so many places in the last few days. I'll keep those to myself for now though. Just this morning, I began praying specifically about those options and asking God to open doors where He wants them opened and close doors where he wants them closed. Tuesday afternoons are going to be dedicated to job hunting so this Tuesday afternoon will surely prove to be an adventure. Like I said, amazing opportunities.

Theme number three is this, life is short, make the most of every moment. I'm still soaking all of this one up. I know this though. God intended for us to live life abundantly and completely for him. We are not guaranteed our next breath, therefore, we need to live that way NOW!

Until next time-
Les