Today was definitely my favorite day yet. The weather cooperated enough for us to play outside for a bit and ride up the tram in the Teton mountain range. We threw snowballs, slid down the slope like penguins, enjoyed hot chocolate and then danced to Thriller and Party in the USA on the tram ride back down the mountain. The poor tourists didn't know what to do with a bunch of Jesus-loving, crazy college students. :)

We then proceeded to learn about how important it is not to compare yourself with others. One of the key ways to being content in any circumstance is by looking at your current situation as a blessing. Singleness is a gift from God. Marriage is a gift from God. Relationships are a gift from God. Since we are recipients of these gifts, we need to use them well. Psalm 139 says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (and as such there is only one person in the entire universe who can carry out God's plan for you). How cool is that?

I really liked Lisa's definition of humility too. Humility is not thinking high of yourself or low of yourself; humility is not thinking of yourself at all. Additionally, we have to be faithful and trust that God knows best with what he chooses to give us. There's no such thing as one Christian who is filled with "more of the Holy Spirit than I am." Or it's common for us to think, "Oh, I just wasn't made for ministry because I just wasn't blessed with as many spiritual gifts." The truth is that everyone is filled with the Holy Spirit, period. We all have different gifts, but no one is filled "any more of less than someone else." David Platt mentions that discipleship is not reserved for those especially "gifted" leaders. Everyone is commanded to disciple others by cultivating loving relationships with others, sharing the Word, and eventually baptizing them.

Another random thought that kinda ties in with this is the fact that I've noticed that faith and love have one significant thing in common. It is a choice. It is a choice to love someone even though it's difficult at times. It's a choice to remain faithful even if we can't understand what in the world God is doing in our lives. If we just make the choice to be faithful and loving, there is nothing that can prevent us from fulfilling our God given purpose.

In the spirit of avoiding comparison, the girls broke off and we wrote what we liked about each other on a little notecard as a reminder that we truly are beautiful children of God. It's so easy to compare yourself to the super thin models we see in magazines. Truth be told, God painted us painstakingly with exceptional skill. It's disrespectful for us to try and paint over the beautiful canvas God created for us.

So all in all, twas a fantabulous day!

I think if the weather cooperates, we will go horseback riding tomorrow!

Goodnight gang!