Caution: Construction in Progress

Recently, I have asked God to strip me of my entire being and to replace it only with what pleases Him. I asked Him humbly to take away my pride, my selfishness, my lack of self-motivation, my laziness, my tendency to judge and criticize, and my stubborness (not the good kind). I asked Him to forgive me. This week has been spiritual boot camp packed into the normalcy of everyday life, which is when spirituality is hardest to think about. Nothing truly spectacular happened, but I am more at peace than ever before.

I was grounded. Yes, I'm under 18 for still another month, and this is the first in a long time because I disrespected my parents and stayed past curfew multiple times. You know, looking back, it wasn't that big of a deal, but God wanted it. I know it. I lost my phone on a camping and rafting trip right after I was grounded (I was allowed to go to that because it was already planned and payed for). I knew this was God's way of showing me His approval of what had been set (this was after I searched through my luggage and purse and pillow and wet and dirty clothes and pockets and still couldn't find it). So I accepted it and waited to see what He'd do now that He had me to Himself. Well, He set to work. Through different things, He's been sifting through my crap and sanding my rough edges and cutting me down to make me a masterpiece. His masterpiece. Of course, He's still working. A lot. And He's got quite a bit more, but I love just letting Him settle everything and not worrying. Anything that happens I am so sure is in His plan.

Mom found my phone in my dirty laundry. I smiled when she told me. I had told my parents I wasn't at all worried about it, and that I wouldn't be at all surprised if it showed up right when my grounding ended. Personally, I think God made it show up because Daddy was more worried than me because Dad actually paid for my few hundred dollars sweet sixteen present.

Anyway, this was sort of a jumbled, I-can't-explain-it-but-I-have-to-tell-everyone thing, but thank you for getting through it if you did. The fact that it's 1 in the morning probably doesn't help my babbling either...

God bless you all! I hope this is encouraging to you, jumbled though it is :)