A Horrible Exam, but a beautiful day :)

An afternoon exam, so the morning consequently consisted of the last minute panic revision. I decided to leave the latest past paper for the morning, and I am soo glad I actually did it. The multiple choice was tricky, the options were so similar, and a lot of detail was placed on units- which I hadn't really looked at before. During the paper i made a mental note to ask mum if she could pop next door and get me a wee stew from Maud's around 12.10, so i could catch the 12.20 bus. 12.15 came and i was still working on the paper. I had forgot, packed up quickly and headed out the the bus stop. So at 12.20 i hopped on to the bus with only bottle of water, and a chocolate bar for lunch, hoping i would get lunch when i arrived in belfast.

After I got on the bus driver popped out, and then one elderly man. The bus driver came back and the two companions informed him that their friend had gone to the bathroom, and continued to explain their friends 'bowel trouble' repeatedly, and assure us he 'wont be too long'. Meanwhile I'm thinking 'Should i go and get lunch' 'No by the time the stew is ready, the man will be back' The elderly friend interrupts my thoughts again 'He'll be back very soon' 'Maybe I should leave it, or i could ask mum...no by now the man must be done' 10 minutes past, needless to say i could have and should have gotten my stew, but I did not want to miss the bus, or hold it up anymore. In total 15 minutes passed by, and so to did the possibility of getting a proper lunch in Belfast before the exam.

I get the notes out and continue revision. An lovely elderly women joins me in Carryduff, just as I consider reading my Bible. She wishes me all the best and is sure I'l  get the grade I need, and shares a little about a friends son who is just qualified as a doctor. Her trip was short and she gets off, leaving me with a smile and encouraged. Funnily when she first sat down I thought to myself I might encourage her with my Bible or be able to share my faith. 

After a little while I began to panic and felt something strange in my pocket, and i pulled out a key with a tag. 

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven"

After which i re-read a passage I have been focussing on- Colossians 3. Helping me to re-focusing on what is important, God. I am made to glorify God and enjoy Him. 

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

And I remember again the message inside my key- My Beloved. The King of all loves for me, and cares about me. He will see that His plan for my life is fulfilled. Another funny thing to add-  that key was on my car keys, it shouldn't have been in my hoody. 

I hopped off a stop early, power walked to the Spar, picked up a banana, and a cereal bar and chewing gum. I continued power walking on to the college, eating the banana as i went, and finishing the cereal bar as i arrive.

Th paper- very tricky and tight for time. I came out and conferred with a few friends who felt the same. I was still a bit concerned, I need an A, and I can't afford to mess up. On route home- Ryan Griffiths- Faithful to the End filled my ears and spoke to my heart.

http://www.we7.com/song/Ryan-Griffith/Faithful-To-The-End?m=0

God will continue being faithful to me, he has brought me this far, He will be faithful till the end. I pray that one 'end chapter' is in sight- the end of chemistry and the beginning of Medicine. I trust in Him, and if that is not the plan for my life, He will show me the way.

And then in the evening to top it all off I just happened to see the most beautiful (double) rainbow, amongst the powerful winds and down pour. The photo doesn't do it justice!

He ALWAYS keeps His PROMISES. I praise God for His faithfulness. This year I would never have planned, but God has been faithful and I look forward praying- hopefully and expectantly for beginning Medicine next year, despite the lack of confidence I have in my performance in my last paper. Whatever happens I know "that for those who love God all things work together for good."

The One Thing

At meetings for a summer mission I have been challenged to think about what I know about God? Not just what I know from the Bible, but from my life, my personal experiences. The one thing I really know to be true. The one thing no one could take away from me. When I doubt, what is it that I can not get away from, what do I base my faith on. What am I certain of, and how do I know.

I came up with three main things that I always hold to be true. So here our three main things;


I do not know about you, but I often stand in wonder of beauty, complexity and intricacy of two things- The Human Body and The World. I can not possibly comprehend that all of what we see, just happened, there had to be thought behind it, a plan. When I look at the stars and the moon at night, I see glory and power, that points to something bigger, bigger than me. When I think how even the basic movement of a finger works I am see complexity that requires planning- My brain sends a signal to my finger, which causes muscles in the forearm/palm of the hand to pull/release a tendon in the finger.  The thumb alone is controlled by 9 muscles, and 3 nerves. Not only do I see planning in the amazing human body, and the world but in my own life- coincidences upon coincidences. Simply put I can not imagine a world with out a creator, with out a life giver, a master planner- who is still working through His plan.

Secondly each one of us no matter how different have inside us a knowledge of what is right and wrong. It doesn't vary much between us all either, even between nations. It is not always what we want to do, or what is most beneficial for us, since it often involves giving to others, and putting aside our own wants and desires. So why would we have created it? It often goes against what we wish to do, and we can never fully live up to it, no matter how good we are. And so i believe there must be a moral creator, who lives up to true morality. The amazing thing is that despite how much I mess up, He still wants to know me and sent His only son to take the cost of my sin, that I might have that relationship through Christ and join Him in heaven. 


And lastly, I know from experiences that God is love. Not love that we know, a perfect love, an unconditional love. This in-between year for me has been a lonely one at times, chemistry class for two hours a day during the week isn't the same as school and many friends have moved on to university. God has always been there, even during the most loneliest times, he is there and he loves me and reminds me of the bigger picture.  A few instances pop to my mind of how i know God's love, not just from reading the Bible but often from His words speaking to my heart. In fact I believe my first blog entry was on one of those. 

After thinking it through I deciding there were almost two big questions there, which most certainly over lap, but are still separate- 

 1.) How do I know there is a God?

 2.) What do I know about Him?


Ultimately salvation belongs to God, it is not my 'insight' that saved me,  but God revealing himself. And it is only through Christ I have been made right in the sight of a holy God. 


"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" 
Ephesians 2:8