Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)

- “‘The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.’”

My Interpretation and Feelings: While some may interpret this as God’s chosen people whom they feel fit the bill. I say that this is for all individuals no matter their background, love life, or identity. So with that in mind, this verse is about God’s blessings on our lives. He will be with all of us and will give us everything we need to succeed in this life so that we can grow and become better versions of ourselves. If we could all love one another as we wish to be loved no matter what others say or do, then we could all be happier people. It will bring us the peace we all desire so much. I wish I could say I practice what I preach but I still get so upset when things don’t go my way or the way I feel life should go. I spend hours at a time going through everything that happened during the day and saying, ‘Well why couldn’t it gone this way?’ Or ‘Why did it have to happen like that?’ Then, after I’m done being mad about the circumstance, I get mad at my reaction to the circumstance, and I say, ‘Why did I do it like that and not remain calm?’ and berate myself for hours upon hours over something that I did wrong. I have to remember that the Lord is constantly giving little tests on how to be and treat others. Even when I’m doing good, or things are going well, He will test our reserves to see if we can develop even more strength of Spirit. He will provide it but we must obtain it to keep it.

Favorite Verse

Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Please comment below with the version you use and I will do my best to give you my perspective on that verse.

2 Timothy 1:9 (ESV)- “[He] who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”

We are all called by God to do something for His Kingdom. I feel that my calling is to support others in need, whether by providing time and/or money or by regularly attending Church.

While I don’t attend church regularly, I feel having a solid Christian community is important. I had been going to church regularly but had a falling out with one member and disliked the teaching of another. It was a false teaching, and when I called those who agreed with her, I was shut down, and the discussion was closed. I was angry and frustrated, so I decided not to attend church for a while. I returned five to six weeks later for a Bible study but couldn’t find a parking spot, so I turned around and haven’t returned since. I had a few friends at the church who insisted that I should come back, but I also disagreed with the pastor’s views on LGBTQA+. I’ll get into that in other blog posts (see Where is the Freedom? for example)

I still believe I have been called to do great things for people. This is why I went to college, to help others in a time when they are at their wit’s end. I have even volunteered to help a student with her homework three times a week. I don’t do this for income (no, I don’t get paid as of right now), but it builds my confidence to do good work when I get a position helping others. I have always liked to help others, from the age of nine when I was helping a blind friend navigate our day camp, to high school helping out my friend who was in a wheelchair, to helping my friend achieve the best possible grade for getting her assignments in at the required timeframe. I love to do it, and I do it to the best of my ability.

I do these things not for my own glory or under my own power! I do them to glorify God and under God’s control. I praise God daily that I can help in the best way possible. I try to talk to someone at least daily. It could be a friend or a total stranger. This is how I can glorify my Creator