non nobis domine

five year goal

i recently completed an assignment for one of my classes, child development. the assignment was called a personal development portfolio. part of the portfolio consisted of four essays. one of the essays was to be called "five year goal". it was to be about what we hope to have accomplished and where we hope to be five years from now. i wanted to share my five year goal essay with all of you. enjoy.

FIVE-YEAR GOAL


Five years from now, I will be 23 years old. Many people would expect me to say that my five year goal should be graduate from college and maybe get married. But honestly, I cannot say for sure what I hope to accomplish in the next five years. Whatever happens, I know that God is in control and that he already has my life planned out perfectly. I hope that everything I do will be to give Him glory. Of course, I do have my own plans and ideas of what I want to do, but God could have something entirely different planned for me and I am extremely thankful for that. He is infinitely wise and all things that He ordains are for my good and His glory.

One of my goals for the next five years is to have graduated from college with a degree in music. I know that studying music is a great challenge, but I am up for it. I love music and desire to excel in my musical studies so that I may honor God with my talent. I play the piano and a little bit of guitar, but lately I have been too busy to practice. I look forward to studying music with more intensity than I ever have before. I also hope to gain a greater appreciation for music in all of its different forms. I am still unsure as to which college I will attend to accomplish this goal. My ideal college to attend would be a Christian college that offers degrees in music. I may have to move quite a distance from home to attend such a college if I cannot find one that is fairly close.

Another dream that I have, also related to music, is one day playing in a band. My sister is an excellent guitarist, and some of our friends can play different instruments as well. Another friend of ours enjoys writing song lyrics. I think it would be amazing if we could all get together, write songs, and make music.

My goal for my job in the next five years is also one that I have no idea about. I will probably not be living around Dover five years from now. I currently work at Chick-fil-a. It is a job that I enjoy and love. I will probably continue working with this company for a little while longer. However, even though I love my job, I don’t see myself working there five years from now. Chick-fil-a is a great place to work when you are young and in school. It’s a wonderful job to help you prepare for whatever your field of work may be later on in life. Wherever I am working in five years, I hope to be working hard, and doing my best to serve God and others.

As for marriage, that is completely and totally in God’s hands, as is every aspect of my life. If I am to be married one day, God has already chosen a man for me. I do not want to spend these next few years dating around, trying to find that person on my own. As of now, I have never been on a date. I have been asked out several times, but I have never said yes. I take dating very seriously and I think that its purpose should be to determine if it is God’s will that two people should marry, not to just “go out and have a good time”. None of the young men who have asked me out have any idea of the seriousness of dating. Nor do they desire to honor God with their relationships and to save themselves for their future wives. This is not the type of man I want to marry. I want to marry a man who saves his love just for me, and who serves the Lord with all that is in him. I trust that God will bring us together in His time. It is our job to wait patiently and to trust Him. But until then, I want to save all of my heart for my future husband and not give any part of it to anyone else. I hope and pray that he will do the same. So it really does not matter if I am married or not five years from know. It ultimately does not even matter if I have graduated from college and secured a steady, well-paying job. What matters is if I am honoring, trusting, and living for God in all that I do.


soli deo gloria

posted by katherine @ 11:51 PM 1 Comments

the ten marks of a flesh-pleaser

by richard baxter

the signs of a flesh-pleaser or sensualist are these:

1. when a man in his desire to please his apetite, does not do it with a view to a higher end, that is to say to the preparing himself for the service of God; but does it only for the delight itself. (of course no one does every action consciously with a view to the service of God. nevertheless, the general manner or habit of a life spent in the service of God is absent for the flesh-pleaser).

2. when he looks more eagerly and industriously after the prosperity of his body than of his soul.

3. when he will not refrain from his pleasure, when God forbids them, or when they hurt his soul, or when the necessities of his soul call him away from them. but he must have his delight whatever it costs him, and is so set upon it, that he cannot deny it to himself.

4. when the pleasures of his flesh exceed his delights in God, and his holy word and ways, and the expectations of endless pleasure. and this not only in the passon, but in the estimation, choice, and action. when he had rather be at a play, or feast, or other entertainment, or getting good bargains or profits in the world, than to live in the life of faith and love, which would be a holy and heavenly way of living.

5. when men set their minds to scheme and study to make provision for the pleasures of the flesh; and this is the first and sweetest in their thoughts.

6. when they had rather talk, or hear, or read of fleshly pleasures, than of spiritual and heavenly delights.

7. when they love the company of merry sensualists, better than the communion of saints, in which they may be exercised in the praises of their Maker.

8. when they consider that the best place to live and work is where they have the pleasure of the flesh. they would rather be where they have things easy, and lack nothing for the body, rather than where they have far btter help and provision for the soul, though the flesh be pinched for it.

9. when he will be more eager to spend money to please his flesh than to please God.

10. when he will believe or like no doctrine but "easy-believism", and hate mortification as too strict "legalism." by these, and similar signs, sensuality may easily be known; indeed, by the main bent of the life.

posted by katherine @ 8:15 PM 2 Comments

wow

Wow it's been quite awhile since I have posted on here! I guess I could use the excuse of being too busy. Which I pretty much am, what with all my school work and work work. But basically it just comes down to: i am lazy.

Anyway, since I last posted, my sister Emily and I have been baptized and became members of our church. It was such a wonderful experience and I am so thankful for our church and the fellowship of believers. And even more so for God's amazing gift of salvation. "Great God of wonders, all Thy ways, are matchless, Godlike, and divine. But the fair glories of Thy grace more Godlike and unrivaled shine. Who is a pardoning God like Thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?"

These past few months have also been extremely busy like I already mentioned. School sometimes overwhelms me, but I am thankful that I have made it this far and that I only have a few more weeks to go before I am done. It's been a good experience for me and I have learned so much but I'm not going to continue in this major with this school. I'll be taking next semester off and I would like to choose a different school I can go to where I can study music! But God may have a different and better plan, so may His sovereign and perfect will be done. May He subdue my will to His.

I have also been learning a great deal about trusting in Christ. I am finding out that sanctification is a very long and very difficult process. Praise God that His grace is sufficient for our every need!

Well farewell for now. Who knows when I'll get back on here to post again. I love comments. And e-mail. And your prayers. And all of you... <333

In Christ Alone,
Katherine

posted by katherine @ 10:32 PM 0 Comments