He leads me by still waters. He restores my soul.

I love New York the most when it's 7:00-7:30 in the morning.  No matter what the season, you wake up feeling it will be like any other day, but as soon as you pull yourself out of bed, open the blinds, and get hit with a beautiful golden warmth of sunshine, you know it's different.  Yesterday morning I went into our living room and it was like I was tackled with this big sunshine hug from God.  The pure golden color of this light cannot be adequately described in my opinion.  I probably sat there for a good ten minutes soaking up the radiance of God's majesty with a huge sleepy smile on my face.

Outside, it's almost like the streets have been untouched.  You feel like you've stumbled onto a new place, undiscovered, and all your own.  Even in Midtown there's so few people up and about so early in the morning that you could practically go running down 34th spinning, and dancing, without needing to even remotely worry about colliding with other pedestrians.  For those of you that have ever walked down Midtown New York on 34th, say around 1:00pm, you know that it can get pretty crowded.  In fact, during the majority of the day 34th is absolutely crammed with tourists, business people, students, and more. 

At 7:30 in the morning, 34th is calm and seems strangely simple.

The streets are somehow always wet in the early morning.  People tend to walk a little slower and taxis seem to honk less as if they didn't want to wake anyone.  Even the whissshhh of the cars going down the street seems to be hushed.

The air is paper thin and the sun feels as sweet as a child throwing their arms around your neck unexpectedly for a hug.

But wait even thirty minutes and you miss it.

I don't know what happens or how it manages to change so drastically so quickly but it's like receiving a random and unexpected blessing from a friend.  Like when someone brings you flowers just because they know you had a hard day, or if someone takes the time to write you a letter just because they wanted to, or when someone stops you right in the middle of the hallway to give you a really solid hug.  The city seems to embrace you, showing you that it isn't insensitive like some might believe.  And then just like that you move on.  Your day continues and you join the rush of people.  However things aren't the same.  The city seems less threatening and more like some type of home.

Psalm 23

Here Comes the Sun Little Darlin'

I have a confession.... I have been blogging for my own sake/practice and so this blog has been neglected for far too long.  I was experimenting with formatting and what have you and wanted to be able to do that knowing I was the only person seeing my blog flubs.  But, I've decided that I'd like to pick this torch back up and develop The King's Girl blog.  I figured I would still share the things that I posted on my other blog though.  So here it is! :) Hope you enjoy.

http://herecomesthesunlittledarlin.blogspot.com/

Stay excellent!

Sweetly Broken, Wholly Surrendered

So, halfway through my first semester at King's I wrote a blog post and then thought that my computer had lost it.  I was so disappointed and discouraged because I had spent a decent amount of time writing it and for some reason that made me hesitant to write out another blog post.  Well, just yesterday I was looking over the blog and realized that it had saved the post without me knowing it!  I read over it and knew that it was still something that struck truthful notes.  So, here it is.  A little late, yet still prevalent.

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When I felt all alone, God was there.

When I questioned my purpose, He took me to a dock off the Atlantic ocean, reminded me of all the memories I continue to share with loved ones in California, and told me that my purpose was the same as always.  That my purpose was to love people just as I had the opportunity to do on the opposite coast.

When I missed home, He provided me with two amazing roommates that I could laugh, cry, and pray with.  He blessed me with roommates that I not only get along with, but that I can be myself with and let down my guard around.  

When I began to desperately miss my tight knit community of friends and brothers and sisters in Christ, God pulled me into the Spiritual Life Project, a group of people that (like my community in California) I believe I will stay close to for - Lord willing - the rest of my life.  

When I was feeling run down or exhausted, God always seemed to send one of the ten Boom upperclassmen girls knocking on my door, to see if they could do anything to help me.  They've listened, helped, encouraged, hugged, laughed, prayed, fed me, helped me clean, and just talked with me.

When I started to miss (the merry men :) my brothers, God opened our kitchen (hmmm... & yet not our sink! lol) and blessed a night of cooking, laughing and exploring.  Every time I miss one of my sisters, God reminds me of the house that He has placed me in and the beautiful girls that He has surrounded me with.  

When I felt frustrated because I didn't feel like I really *knew* anyone or felt like anyone really *knew* me, He sent me one of the best of friends to randomly go to Walgreens with, accidentally match with when working out, and to laugh at dorky things with until one or both of us are on the floor holding back happy tears.

Psalm 27:4-8 says,

^“4 One thing I have desired of the LORD,
         That will I seek:
         That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
         All the days of my life,
         To behold the beauty of the LORD,
         And to inquire in His temple.
 ⁵ For in the time of trouble
         He shall hide me in His pavilion;
         In the secret place of His tabernacle
         He shall hide me;
         He shall set me high upon a rock.
 ⁶ And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
         Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
         I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
 ⁷ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!
         Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
 ⁸ When You said, “Seek My face,”
         My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”’

When I first made this blog, I wanted the name The King's Girl mainly because I was on my way to The King's College... but since I've been here, God has been opening my eyes.  He has been showing me what His love really looks like.  He has been teaching me (among many other things) what His character as a Father is and even as the love of my life.  I hope to always desire that I would dwell in His house, and that I would be praising Him through my life and abiding in His will.  I pray that wherever I am, I would be seeking the beauty of the Lord.  To be a King's Girl means something more to me than it used to.  It means to thrive in His love for me, to trust that He will provide, and to rely on Him completely because I know that He will meet me in my moments of need.