Grace.

FIRST off, I've already failed the whole "post once a week" promise.  In my defense, last week was crazy.  We had a garage sale at my house and if you know me or my family, you probably know that a garage sale for us is a big event that takes a long time to prepare for.

My mom is super sentimental and saves anything and EVERYTHING that means something to her.  She's saved every school paper, every notebook with scribbles, hair from first haircuts, and the list goes on.  SO, for the last week there has been a lot of organizing and re-evaluating.  That being said, I've been re-evaluating more than just "things" that I may or may not need.

I've been re-evaluating situations and how I've handled myself as someone who claims to know and follow Jesus Christ.  I know I'm a sinner and I know that I'm going to make mistakes, but I also know that it's my responsibility to surrender those mistakes to the Lord because I  can't do anything in my  power to be set free from them.

God has really been teaching me a lot about grace.  I didn't realize it at first, but I'm starting to understand it now.  God says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that His  grace is sufficient for us and that His  power is made perfect in our weaknesses.  God has power to do whatever He wants.  He could totally punish us for being selfish human beings and just let us all die like we deserve, but He's so great that He provides a way out and  wants a relationship with us.  He has extended His grace  to us even though we are so unworthy and undeserving.

The last few months have been a really good learning experience for me.  I've dealt with some stuff that I would have much rather stayed out of and not been apart of.  But even now, I've realized that that was meant to happen and I was supposed to be apart of it.

Colossians 4:6 says "Let your conversation be always full of grace,  seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."  I like this verse, and not because it makes me feel good or because it's a good principle to live by, but because it stops me.  It interrupts me and it redirects me.  Most of all, it really challenges me.  The part I have a hard time with is the "full of grace" part.  My conversations should be full of grace  towards the person on the receiving end of the conversation.

I wish I could read this verse and apply it to my life in an instant; like a new nail polish color.  But, it's really something I struggle with.  Offering grace to those who I've felt I've been wronged by is hard for me, probably just like many others.  Naturally, I want to push back 10 times harder when someone starts to pull on me.  I don't want to respond with grace or mercy.

But, when I gave my life to Jesus, I gave Him everything.  Every dream, every hope, every passion, every fear, every flaw, everything.  Like I said in my previous post, God knew us before we even took our first breath.  He created us, flaws included, and created a plan for each of our lives so that we might use our strengths AND flaws for His glory!

God created JennyKate Webb and knew she'd be a little more stubborn and strong willed at times.  God knew I'd have to surrender it to Him in order to live the life that He has for me to the fullest!  And the best part -- God didn't ever expect me to do it alone.  Not only does He take it, but He continues to walk beside me and allows me to continually surrender the things to Him that I get in the way of and mess up.  God is too cool!

I hope that whoever is reading this, or if there is even ANYone reading this, that you'll be encouraged.  Encouraged to know that we get to show God's amazing grace through every conversation we have AND that even when we blow it, God still offers an extra measure of grace.  All we have to do is ask.  God is so so SO good!

Welcome!

I decided I wanted to create a daily record of my life -- the good, the not so good, inspirations, encouragements, and some rambling here and there.  However, this isn't my first attempt at a blog... usually, I make a blog (meaning work for hours to make it look like something that reflects me and the things I like), and then maybe write 1 or 2 blog posts before I get bored with it.  Or, I just can't contain my thoughts in an orderly fashion fit to share with the world.

But, today -- May 7th, 2012 at 10:58 PM, I am making a commitment to myself and to anyone patient enough to read and attempt to understand the mess of thoughts going on inside my brain.

I, JennyKate Webb, promise to commit to a minimum of 1 blog post a week.  Even if no one else reads it, it's motivation for me to think about a year from now and getting to read about all that God did in my life and the seasons of life that I've gone through.

Alrighty, so now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, I guess I'll start with a quick and current state-of-being.  I am 20 years young, almost done with my 2nd year of college, working on a Communication degree, still completely clueless about what life after college looks like or what I wanna do for the rest of my life for that matter, but also very sure that I worship a God who not only has given me life, but also wants me to live it to the full (according to John 10:10).  Even though I have no idea what the future holds, reflecting back over the past few years and seeing all the things God has done in my life, both good and bad, and how those things have helped to shape who I am today is a steady reminder that I am nothing without Him.

But, that truth goes deeper than just my 20 years (and almost 6 months) of life on this earth.  Jeremiah 1:5 says that God knew me before I was formed in the womb and that He had already set me apart before I was born... WOW!  That, alone, is confirmation that God's plan is legit because He already knew me when I didn't even exist on earth yet.

But wait, it gets better -- Psalm 139:16 says that He saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I even took my first breath.  I was born in response to God's intentional plan.  Every day, every step, and every circumstance -- it was all planned and recorded before I began life here on this earth.  God even knew what my strengths and my weaknesses would be AND made them part of the plan too!

And not only all of that, but according to 1 Thessalonians 5:24, this plan that God has for my life is guaranteed because God is faithful.  Whatever He calls me to do, He'll empower me to do and will provide every resource I need to accomplish it.

I can be so stubborn and strong willed as if my life really is mine, when in fact I belong to Jesus Christ because He shed His blood for me.  Because of that, I am free.  Matthew 28:19 calls me to go and spread the great news of Jesus to all the nations.  And Colossians 3:23 says that I am to work willingly at whatever I do, as if I'm working for the Lord and not for other people.  So, regardless of where I am or what I'm doing, my life purpose is to be the hands and feet of Jesus and to work heartily in everything.  

I have faith that the rest of the semantics of life will eventually fall into place, according to God's will for my life.  I know there will be days where I feel unsure, but I also know that as long as I remind myself to lean on the Lord, I will have no fear.