Hello Friends~

Happy Monday! I hope you are enjoying the beauty of these summer months…the long days, the warmth of the sun, the season for adventures and time spent with friends and family. I certainly am enjoying this time…this time to build community, to engage in new relationships, to challenge myself in embracing spontaneity and to embrace the beauty of today.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1

Thankful for the splendor of God’s goodness all around me…the reminder that He sees me and knows my heart….the beauty of His creation and power illustrated through the work of His hands.

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I pray that you give yourself permission to go slow this week. To stop and acknowledge the beauty that He’s creating in and through you. To see the grace, beauty and power that are illustrated through the work of His hands in your life. When you practice such awareness, your heart can’t help but pour out thanks and admiration for His ways.

Academics: 

*Here we are in week 5~ half-way through the term! Although this term has been quite an adjustment in terms of skills practiced and patients interacted with, I am enjoying the slower pace, the opportunity to embrace spontaneity and the chance to really soak up all that this journey into medicine has brought to me. These four-day weekends have brought about sweet time with friends, laughter shared over chocolate chip cookies, Portland foodie finds, great worship and Biblical teaching, exploration of the beauty of the land, and quiet moments for reflection and prayer. My heart is truly thankful.

*As I look ahead to what the future months may hold, I have an excitement brewing amidst my heart, while also feeling the anxiousness and impatience for answers, that dwells there too. I see the goodness of God evident in my life, but fear that I’ll miss His guiding hand or miss the quiet whisper of His voice amidst the loud opinions of others telling me what I should do. I stand confidently knowing that God is and will continue to use my life for His glory and for the furthering of the Kingdom, but I’m afraid that the constraints that I put on myself to live a “righteous” life could blind me to the actual freedom of what God is calling me into.

Do you ever feel this way?

So confident of the goodness of God, yet trembling in the waiting, with fear that you’ll hear wrong or you’ll make the wrong decision, or you’ll let the loud voices around you claim greater worth than the powerful whisper of God. Facing some of those doubts this week…but also conquering such thoughts in the name and power of Jesus. Believing that His want to reveal is so much greater than my want to know. Remembering that a life of ease and comfort is not a catalyst for a life of growth.

Remembering these words today…

Lord, let my life speak so boldly the beauty, grace, wisdom, and power of your name, all for your glory and for the furthering of your Kingdom!

Must-Haves: 

*Love these satin hair ties from Anthropology!

*Salt Water Sandals…best shoes ever! Summer is in full swing, which means that I have these shoes on pretty much all the time! They are the perfect shoe for all your summer adventures!

Goals for the Week:

*So my goal for last week was to practice patience….funny thing- I had an ABUNDANCE of opportunities to practice patience this past week! Thankful that God saw those fleshly areas of my heart and loved me enough to challenge me with lots of opportunities to practice this virtue, remembering the gift of patience that He gives to me on a constant basis. So Humbled.

*My church recently began a sermon series on ‘Community’ and what such a practice looks like within the church. This week, I want to be intentional about practicing healthy community- surrounding myself with healthy relationships, inspiring growth with one another and loving life all the while.

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Love to you friends!
Blessings,
Lindsey