Being Mindful of Holy Week

You guys, I've lived 21 Easters. I've put on the big, poofy hairbows and the dresses that match the rest of my family. I've sung the songs. I've taken communion. For TWENTY-ONE years. And I have missed it. I have missed feeling the full weight of God's mercy during the Easter season. Sure, I've been aware of the fact that He died for my sins, but I'm guilty of not always being mindful of it. Being mindful in preparing my heart for this week. Being mindful as I read, for the millionth time, about what Jesus did for me in the week leading up to his death on the cross. 

As Easter approaches, I'm reflecting on the Lenten season. Gosh, it flew by. I'm five weeks into a quieter mind--a mind that isn't consumed by social networking in my spare time, but a mind and a heart that have slowed down to prepare for this week. This holiest of weeks, I am celebrating Christ's sacrifice for me like never before. My heart has never been so burdened by the weight of my own sin or so freed by the ultimate sacrifice that He made. In short, my heart is FULL.

This heart is full because Jesus paid it all. We can't forget that, and we can't become numb to it. Click play on the video below, close your eyes, and sing to Him. Sing it a million times, and pray that the Lord will clear your heart to realize the gravity of it.

A simple "Thanks" will just not do, you guys. Let's realize in this moment that if God never did another thing for us, He has already done more than enough. Let's commit this week to stop asking for more and spend time just thanking him and resting in what He has already done. He's saved us, y'all. Our chains are gone. We've been set free. We are His, and He is ours, and nothing in the world compares to that.

Let's be MINDFUL.

Love to you,

Carrie

So Much Goodness!

Oh, you guys! This heart of mine is so full this week! There's no way that I can convey to you just how thrilled I am over the Lord's faithfulness, but I'll do my best.

I'll be honest with you. I have had a really hard time keeping my nerves at bay during this season of uncertainty and change. As y'all know, Drew's still got a year of grad school in Memphis, and I'll be graduating from Ole Miss in May. I've spent a major portion of my senior year with my nose in grad school applications, and the nerves have, in effect, been building. I've worried that I'd be far from my family and far from Drew. I've worried that, even worse, I might not get into school at all. I prayed, and I prayed, and I prayed, but the anxiety lingered. But as I've mentioned before, I have the best friends on earth, and they always come through when I need them most! During a breakdown, my sweet roommate, Samantha, brought a big hug and some bigger words into my pity party. She asked me if I'd considered praying about it. Duh, Sam. I've done nothing but pray since I started this process. Then, she asked if I was praying out of fear or out of thankfulness. If I was praying with a truly grateful heart, I'd be thanking God for the plans that I still wasn't sure about. I'd be confident in his omnipotence and in the fact that my future was being shaped as we spoke. I'd realize that God would always be several steps ahead of my small mind. Whoa, girlfriend. You got me there. I quickly realized that my prayers were lacking the bold confidence that comes from a heart that is wholly trusting. In that moment, I gave it up. I gave up making myself sick over the  next step. I gave up crying. I gave up and gave in to the peace that God wanted to give me from the beginning. Oh, and what peace he gave! The butterflies were still there, but they were just background noise now. I was resting in the truth that my Father had it all under control. And then, God started revealing in big ways the plans He'd be working on all along!

To start, Drew received an email this week from a great company in Memphis, and they have offered him a graduate assistantship! This will bring his tuition down to the in-state rate, and they're giving him a little spending money to boot! He'll be collaborating with an awesome group of doctors and developing a business model for their next expansion. This opportunity is going to be huge in the development of Drew's career, and I couldn't possibly be any prouder of him!

We had a few days to relish in that news, and then God delivered another wave of grace. As I checked my email yesterday, I saw in the subject line "UAMS AuD Program Decision Letter." This was it. This sweet school in Little Rock was my very favorite of the four I'd applied to. We'd been told they were taking only 9 doctoral students for next years class, so the odds were stacked. I took a few deep breaths, and I opened the attached file. The first few words put me in tears..."Dear Ms. Foley, I am writing to inform you that our Au.D. Admissions Committee has recommended, and they have concurred, that you be admitted to our Fall 2013 class for the Doctor of Audiology degree program. Please consider this your official acceptance letter." Lost it, right then and there..but there was more. "We would also like to offer you a graduate assistantship position...out-of-state students holding a graduate assistantship in any semester will pay in-state tuition for that semester." Talk about feeling God's grace! Y'all, it was honestly like being hit wave after wave with more goodness than I could possibly comprehend. I laughed and cried and called Drew and my family. I contacted a couple of people who've played vital roles in my undergrad experience to thank them for what they've done. And then I took a breath. I took several, actually, and I let it sink in just how good the Lord is. He's been watching me squirm, and it's like He just waited for me to sit still so he could bring the blessings.

Oh, what a lesson I've learned. I've learned that the worry just isn't worth it when our plans are in the hands of the One who sees it all. He won't forget about us for a second, and He knows exactly where our hearts are. He knows exactly where our lives fit into His plan, and His plan is good. Rest in that.

Love to you,
Carrie

Words

Hello, all! Per usual, I have taken a few months' hiatus between posts, and I apologize for that. Believe me, it's not because the Lord has been quiet in my life, I've just failed to keep you guys updated. So much of what He's bringing me through now is so very case-specific, but this morning He's put such a universal topic on the table during our time together. Words.

One of the most difficult to control parts of our human nature can be our words. When our feathers get a little bit ruffled or we're having an off day, it seems only natural to just open our mouths and let come what may. Its easy to think that our rash responses or insensitive comments can just be shaken off by the person to whom they're directed. What I'm realizing, though, is that our words have a much bigger impact than we give them credit for. In the same breath, our words can be used to hurt or to heal, to tear down or to encourage, to breathe life or to kill.

Y'all, my prayer this morning is that I would take so seriously the power of my words. That I would use every breath I'm given to breathe life and love and Jesus into those around me. It's such a crucial part of our testimony, don't you think? To keep our witness intact, friends and coworkers need to see us as a source of joy and encouragement instead of a snide remark waiting to happen. They need to hear compassion when we speak, and they need to know that when we open our mouths, optimistic and enlivening words are on the way. Solomon wrote that "a gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit." Let's commit to being intentional with our words from this point on, y'all. Let's speak life.

Love to you,
Carrie