Today I am…
…drinking: Chamomile tea, which fit the day’s mood just right. I’ve always had a weak spot for chamomile, and sometimes crave its mild, soothing cheerfulness.
…reading: P.G. Wodehouse’s The Catnappers (I do love a good Jeeves-and-Bertie), Elizabeth Elliot’s Let Me Be A Woman (outstanding, and at just the right time for me), and various homework bits about photography.
…photographing: The thin-but-warming winter sunshine, and a little dog who lives for those few hours of warmth in the afternoon.

…enjoying: The zephyrs of fresh air that keep slipping into the living room from the deck door. There’s a certain lovely magic in letting the first springish air into the house…if I could, I would drink it by the cup. It has such a perfume.
…wanting: Spring to arrive for real! Of course, where we live, it usually appears in late February, so I won’t have long to wait. I do so love Spring.
…praising Jesus for: The answers to prayer He is speedily bringing about in many areas that need …

Today has been a rather heavy day in the process of rooting fear out of my life, but in the midst of it all, the Lord reminded me of something very good that I thought I'd share with you.

So often when I go through a trial, I find myself thinking about where I might have gone wrong. What path did I take that led me here? Why do these wretched problems keep plaguing me? How do I make them stop?

Then the Lord reminded me of this:

Trials are normal.

Trials are right.

Trials are good.

They are normal and right and good because they are the Refiner's fire. If we wish to become gold, but never want to brave the fiery furnace, we will never be anything more than a bit of unusable ore.

So today, in whatever you're going through, remember that the Lord is using it for good in your life, and you will come out on top, because He has promised it. You are being refined...rejoice that you have been judged worthy to be!

Laurie

This will be a shorter post, since I'm still lazing around in my pajamas and have to leave for class in an hour and a half. (I like the later start time...and I'll be home for lunch! Just perfect.)

This morning, the one passage I highlighted in my Bible was Proverbs 13:20:

"He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."

I love the first part, as I personally long to grow wise, especially in inter-personal situations, the way my mother is. It even sounds like wisdom come by osmosis, which makes things easier. Right?

Well, I'd like to think so, but I've discovered that's it's often a hard choice to hang out with the wiser people. And not just people in the flesh--people/communities online. As young people, foolishness is sooo tempting simply because it's easy. And not just easy, it's also fun and amusing.

For a case in point, look at Tumblr, Pinterest, or YouTube. Internet humor is addictive, at the least…

As you can see, I’ve spent some time updating my blog look, and am pretty happy with it. There may be some more tweaks in the future, but for now I’ll leave it be.So what’s new in my life? - I’m working/interning at the local museum and loving it. Although we’re small, we're at the heart of the community, culturally and geographically. There’s always something happening, and I’m surrounded by the nicest people day after day. It was an opportunity truly crafted by God and dropped in my lap with the greatest nonchalance, and as there’s no real end in sight, you’ll likely be hearing quite a bit about it!- Graphic design at college! I have definitely found my place. Graphic design is such a beautiful blend of science and art…not too squishy-feely, not too cut and dried. Just right. And my professor rocks.- Less internet. I went on an internet break at Thanksgiving, and loved it so much for two weeks that I decided to simply continue! My rules have relaxed somewhat, but I try to keep i…