analogies out the wazoo.

i have a slight obsession with analogies. one day i might right an entire book on all the analogies i can think of. there is just something about making something understandable from something else that just fascinates me. actually, the first post i ever blogged on here was about the analogy of a trees roots...

this summer while on beach project, i had a friend who had an equal appreciation for analogies. we would go on analogy runs and then talk about all the ones we thought of after as encouragement for starting the day. you'd be amazed at all the analogies that can come just from running and some sunrises!

while on a run to go watch the sunrise,we had such an encouraging conversation about how no matter how dark the night it, the sunlight always eliminates the darkness. like the Psalm says, "but joy comes in the morning..." those words are so true. go watch a sunrise and tell me if your day isn't 10 times better. seeing the darkness brighten and then witnessing the gorgeous colors that come out is truly indescribable. and it is so encouraging to know that that is what the Lord has done in each believers life. that beautiful sunrise is like the beautiful transformation that takes place in a persons heart when the Lord comes in and pierces the darkness. the light always overcomes.

over thanksgiving break i got to go to the mountains and as you could probably imagine, analogies were being made left and right. (the picture above is from a sunset there, not a sunrise from this summer...)

one night while in gatlinburg, we saw this water fountain that had fire coming out of the top. and for some reason it reminded me of Romans 7 when Paul talks about when he wants to do good, evil is right there to tempt him. and it blows my mind that i can have something so incredible as the Holy Spirit in me, yet i also have such an ugly inborn nature to sin. how can 2 things so opposing come from the same source? kind of like this fire and water. they shouldn't be together, but they are.

another one that, i think, hit me the hardest was when i was shooting this tree that had the coolest looking mushrooms and moss on it. the colors were so vibrant and the dew was melting off of them so they were kind of glistening in the sunlight... it was beautiful. and i realized, thats what satan does with sin. he makes it look so appealing and easy. he makes it look like its not that bad or it wont really hurt me that much. but if i was to pick one of those mushrooms and eat it, they're poisonous and will make me seriously sick. its the same with sin. look at Adam and Eve. he took something as nutritious as fruit, made it beautiful and appealing causing Eve to question the truth she knew. how many times a day do i do that?!

another thing that i feel like has been a theme in my life recently is events or emotions that cannot be put into words. (this realization came while thinking of another analogy that is way too long to type!)

my dads birthday was last week and as i sat down to write him a letter, i realized no matter how long a letter with the most amazing adjectives and descriptive words, there was physically no way for me to express in human terms my admiration, love, and respect for my dad.

then thanksgiving day came around and we have this tradition where we go in a circle and each have these kernels of corn that represent things we are thankful for. and as i was trying to pick which 2 to say, i realized i could never put into words my love and joy that comes from being with my family and each sibling.

and while i was in the mountains, i stood there in this huge valley looking at hills after hills of gorgeous trees, animals, weeds, and flowers and could never put into words how small it made me feel. and at the same time how amazing it is to me that even with me being that small, i had the creator of all of that beauty die. just for me. because he loves me immensely. it blows my mind.

and not too long before that i was looking at the stars one night and had that same feeling of being so small yet at the same time feeling so incredibly loved by my Father.

and in coming back to auburn i went to dinner with 3 close friends that really are amazing girls. we were all sitting at dinner catching each other up on our breaks, talking about funny things that happened, just enjoying each others company... and i had this surreal moment when i sat there, listening to one of them talk about how funny the conversation we were having now is when thinking about where we all were this time last year, and i kind of wanted to cry because i am so thankful for where the Lord has me and how he got me here. was it easy? heck no techno. was it fun? not really. but now, i know my self, and my Savior in a way i never thought i would have have the most amazing friends in the world. (like ones that will stay up till 2 to hang snowflakes in the kitchen even when we both have an 8am the next morning haha!!)

i could never put into words how i feel about all that has happened in my life recently. i wish i could, but there just aren't words that could accurately portray exactly how i feel. and honestly, im kinda ok with that. i wish i could explain exactly whats going on in my heart, but in a way i think that would take away some of the excitement of it. its a joy that cannot be explained.

abc.