For your sins were as scarlet, but He has washed them whiter that snow

I hope that you all are having a Sunday afternoon just as lovely and relaxing as I am.

God has been teaching me about His strength this week. I could not have made it through the week without Him. Seriously. More than once, I've been totally overwhelmed with the projects that needed accomplished. But God has given me the strength to accomplish what I need to at the given time. On Tuesday I gave my first speech for rhetoric. It was a pretty low-key, informal project. But God gave me the courage to get up in front of people (did you know that public speaking is the number one fear?), and my professor and classmates seemed to enjoy it. I told how to go down a zip-line (since I have plenty of personal experience :P). Thursday a five-page paper was due, and God gave me the grace to accomplish that. Another 10 page paper is due on Monday, and I was able to finish that last night. I've learned a few key ways to tell that you're a college student: 1) When the clock reads 11:30 and you think "it's not that late; I can keep working for a while." 2) When you tell you're friends, "it's only a five-page paper; I'm not that worried." and 3) When your breaks from paper-writing consists of meals and reading your lit homework. By these standards, I am definitely a college student. :) And like I said, I only got through this past week by the strength of God. I can't do it on my own. It was a lesson I had to learn last semester, and God is making sure I learn it.

As you may have heard, the east coast got a pretty major snowstorm. We like to call it the "Snowpocalypse." It started snowing Friday morning and went non-stop until Saturday evening. We have about three feet of snow, which is more than this region is used to. It's absolutely beautiful to look out and see the beautiful, white, pure snow covering everything in sight. It is such a wonderful example of what Jesus does to us. Because of Him, we are white as snow. We're not hoping to be white as snow, or trying to be or longing to be: we ARE white as snow. We are perfect in God's sight. The God who created the universe loves us so much, that He sent His perfect son to pay the debt that we owed. I'm trying to wrap my mind around this truth. I try so hard to be perfect, to be righteous. And I fail, time and time again. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by how proud, selfish and self-righteous I am. But although I've grown up hearing it, I am just now beginning to realize that I am pure. I am perfect. By my own strength? Not at all. But Christ paid the penalty, in full. What have I to boast of? Only Christ's sacrafice. I am His, and He is mine. This is the foundational truth that we rest our faith on. I think that growing up in a Christian home taught me well many of the particulars of the Christian faith: how we treat others, how we deal with certain situations, etc. But coming away to college has stripped away my external structures of security, and laid bare what is at the foundation. God had been showing me what the foundational, simple truths are, and He is making them real for me. The particulars are important, but they all make sense only on the foundation of Christ.

This is the theme of my college experience so far. I'm excited to learn more and pursue God further. He is a good God and knows how to give good gifts. Speaking of which, I probably will not update next week, because my best friend Kira will be here visiting me! She comes in on Saturday, and I am SUPER excited to see her.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, and I hope it was beneficial for you. Enjoy this all-American holiday: Superbowl Sunday! I'm not a sports fan at all, but this is the one game a year I watch. :) May God bless your week.

~Carissa