My Busy Day and Stress Pep Talk ;)

Sooooooooo, today is October 18, right? I have 11 days left till competition day. Wow! 

Last night I was up till 11:00 P.M. talking with one of my friends whom I met doing the Bible Bee. So I slept till about 8:30 A.M. Well, actually my Mom woke me up to have breakfast with my Grandparents who were visiting. So I did that, then said goodbye to them as they headed back home. 

Then I moved my stuff back into my room, (they were sleeping in my room), made the couch (which I had slept on), did Bible Bee until lunch (actually I got my own lunch and said verses while eating.) Then I did more Bible Bee till 3:00, then took a break till 4:20, then did it till 6:00, then made dinner and cleaned it up (with a little sister's help), and now I am blogging. 

So, all in all, I have had a busy, great day. :) And after I'm done with this I'll probably go watch a movie with my family because, after all, it is Saturday night, and if I have time later, I will most likely do more Bible Bee. :) So yes, I am having the time of my life! It is so wonderful to be immersed in God's word so much, learning the verses by heart! 

Sometimes when I start thinking about it my brain will start clenching up and saying to me, "This is too hard! You're behind! You'll never make it in eleven days! Come on, you will totally get the worst score ever!" So I have to give it to Jesus right away and say, "Lord, please, take away my stress. Help me to trust You." 

And you know what? It works. Every time. I just stop worrying and start studying! Satan gives us so many lies that tell us "it's okay to stress out, everything is horrible, you'll never make it, you're too small, you should be afraid." 

But come on, guys! The Bible says not to worry about anything, and to cast out cares on Him because He cares for you. It says not to be afraid for He will never leave us. It says that He will deliver us. It says that we should not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Yes, we should fear God, but that is out of respect and admiration, not a throat-gripping terror. 

So I have resolved not to stress. Does that mean that I don't? No. I get those feelings all the time. The trick is learning to catch them in the act and stop them right there. And believe me, they will come time and time again. But we don't have to be afraid of anything, guys! As long as you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, there ain't nothin' that is gonna be able to kill your soul. 

So you'll be fine. This life is gonna hurt. A lot. But in the end we will live with Him and there will be no fear, no guilt, no shame. So trust Jesus! Trust His plan for your life! And live the adventure! 

Hmmm.....I've been saying that a lot, haven't I? Adventure. :)

See ya'll!

Jo