Be Still My Soul

Be Still My Soul
Words by Katharina von Schlegel

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

~Riah

Summary of My Week

          Well folks, I've had a pretty good week!

Tuesday -- I got my permit.

          Wednesday... was Wednesday.

Thursday -- I turned seventeen. O.o

Friday -- received a belated gift from my parents; a ring made out of
Josh's signature. Which is just... amazing.

          And then Mom and I drove to Portland.

Saturday -- went shopping with my mom and had dinner
with my AMAZING Northern friends. Miss you guys! :D

Sunday -- more shopping and a long drive home.

Monday -- was welcomed home by my little sibs. :)

          And today I blogged about ice cream. So go check it out!

          I hope you all have had a fabulous week. =)

~Riah

Two Years

        It has been two years since I was forced to say the most painful goodbye of my life. Two years since I sat in this exact spot, begging God to turn back the clock. Two years since my brother Joshua completed his earthly mission and was taken home to be with his Creator. 
I’m raw emotion at this point, with no semblance of eloquence in words or poise of pen. Just a broken little girl, remembering her big brother.
I miss him so much. The hurt is so deep that some days, it's hard to even breathe. I didn't know that you could hurt this bad and still find the strength to live.
        But I have. I have found the strength to live - in Jesus. It has been a difficult journey. Incredibly long, dark, and painful, and yet immensely beautiful. Looking back over the past two years, I can truly say that the only reason I am alive is because of Him. He has given me strength to press on when I've reached the end of myself, peace to make it through the darkest night, and the deepest, purest love that makes life worth living.
        The hurt is never going to go away. One thing I've learned is that time doesn't heal wounds; it only teaches you to live with the pain. There will be pain in life until we are made perfect in Christ. 
        But that's okay, because no pain would mean no memories, and the last thing I want to do is forget him.
        

        "To surrender a precious dream is a fearful thing. But to pursue anything but the full measure of the glory of God's love is a wasted life." 

~Joshua Eddy (1993 ~ 2012)

~Riah

On My Mind

Your favorite color was purple. Mine was orange.
You liked cats. I liked dogs.
You had big sisters. I had big brothers.
You wanted to be an actress. I wanted to be a writer.
        You were fearless. I was timid.
And we were the best of friends.

You taught me how to ride a bike.
I taught you how to swim.
You promised I would be in your wedding.
I promised you’d be in mine.
You vowed to be my best friend forever and always.
I echoed your words.
And I think that was the only promise we ever broke with each other.

        You grew up too fast, while I remained a child.
You were fun and popular, while I was shy and awkward.
You sheltered me from your darkness, leaving me to walk in ignorant light.
        You remained up north, while I moved down south.
        And with that move, everything shifted.

Sure, we’re still friends, but it’s different now. The distance has taken a toll, separating our worlds. We grew up side by side for so long, then suddenly you were 17 and I 16, living such different lives on what seemed like other sides of the world. I can't help but wonder when things changed.
Nothing will ever take away our childhood together. Those years we spent together, laughing and crying, going on adventures and making memories – those are the things that made us who we are. It is because of those things that, despite the fact that we don’t talk much anymore, you are still one of my close friends. No one else knows me in the way that you do. We will always have that special connection.
I don’t know where you are right now. What friends you have, what struggles you’re fighting, what wars you’ve lost, what battles you’ve won. What makes you happy, what makes you cry, what your fears, hopes, and dreams are. But I think of you often, and I want you to know how much I love you.


Just know that you’re on my mind.

~Riah

The Treasure of Jesus

What can I do

How can I live

To show my world

The treasure of Jesus

What will it take

What could I give

So they can know

The treasure He is

And if I can sing 

Let my songs be full of His glory

If I can speak

Let my words be full of His grace

And if I should live or die

Let me be found pursuing this prize

The One that alone satisfies

The treasure of Jesus

~The Treasure of Jesus {Steven Curtis Chapman}~

~Riah

The Truth Will Make You Free

        We've all heard this verse before.

Notice that it starts with ‘and’? That means that it is the continuation of a sentence. And you will know the truth. There must be something we say or do that enables us to know the truth. Let’s go back a verse and look at this in context.

        So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” ~John 8:31-32

Where does freedom come from? Knowing truth. Where does truth come from? God’s word.
You see where this is going? Reading and believing and acting upon His word – His truth – brings us freedom. Freedom from sin, freedom from fear, freedom from death.
        The word freedom implies that we are enslaved; there has to be something for us to be set free from. That thing would be sin.
We are human. Our bodies are made of flesh, and our hearts are born with a desire for the things of the flesh. God’s standards are totally against the grain of our hearts, which is why He must give us the desire. If you long for what is good and right in His eyes then thank God, because He is the one who put that hunger in you. Nothing else possibly could.
But despite the fact that we long for God and long for what is good, we’re still human. Sin is still an inherent part of our nature. We cannot and will not be perfect on this side of eternity. This doesn’t mean that we should just sit back and not even try. The Christian life is a battle, fighting against the hold of sin on our hearts. We must constantly fight against it, or we will succumb.
So... how do we fight?
John 8:31-32 says it all. Continue in the word; know the truth and be set free by it. When we constantly immerse ourselves in God’s glorious truth, sin loses its shine because the glory of God shines so much brighter.
We will enslave ourselves to sin many more times in days and weeks to come. Failure is a part of life. But by continuing in the Word, we will also continue to be set free by the grace of God.
       What a beautiful thing.

        "You have to kill pleasure with pleasure. 'No' will not work in the long run. Enjoy Jesus more than sin." ~John Piper

~Riah