Thank God for Doug and Terese.

I had the pleasure of going to coffee with one of my amazing, talented, inspiring, best friend. It was a conversation that had gone a different direction that either of us were expecting. Admitting that we were feeling a little out of sorts, our topic started to change and we started talking about lighter subjects. Like her recent trip for a choir competition where she probably blew everyones mind with her gift.

Anyway, we were having a much lighter conversation by the fireplace in Starbucks when an older man came over and sat next to us. We turned to smile and say hello and his face instantly lightened. (It's amazing what a hello can do isn't it.) He continued to talk about his "bride" and how they loved to just spoil each other. She was grabbing him his coffee and his favorite thing to do was take her to watch the sunset and buy her diamonds. While he was talking about all of her favorite colored diamonds, and all the diamonds he was looking to give to her, the excitement in his voice was what got me the most. I started thinking about a sermon I heard in Generation Church UD.

The woman there was talking about how we are all God's treasure and how we are all diamonds in his eyes. None more valuable than the other. How when we hand ourselves over to Him, He will make us new and refined. The more we allow Him to work in our lives, the more we will be able to see a reflection of His face in our life.

So, God is excited about his treasure and the man in Starbucks is excited about buying his wife diamonds.

The wife, who's name is Terese, comes back with his drink and starts blushing when she realizes that her husband, Doug, has been talking about how amazing she is the whole time. She also has a Joyce Meyer book tucked under her shoulder. Madison comments on the book saying how she listens to her on the radio almost every morning. Doug gives a sheepish smile and says "Now you know the real reason our relationship is so good." They go on to tell us that they teach at local churches in the area and have devoted the rest of their lives to teaching and counseling. He brings out this briefcase that looks as if it is going to combust if one more bible study guide goes in. He started rummaging through his papers and brings out the study that they're leading today. The names of God. The paper lists all the names mentioned in the OT in reference to Christ. He starts talking about how when he prays for certain works, he prays to God in that name. We start talking about the names and what each means and I brought up Rob Bell. (Shock!) He asked us if we do a lot of studying on our own and started looking through his briefcase again.

"Have you two ever studied the crowns?"

We answered no and he immediately got out two more study guides he had made years before. He goes on to talk about how on earth we can do works to earn crowns. He stops himself and says, "now no work can get you into heaven because Christ has already done the work. You are saved by grace." Then he talks about how when we go up to heaven and are judged, we are given the crowns with the diamonds we have earned. And that when we receive the crowns, we get to run over to Jesus and lay them at his feet.

We get to.

What else do we get to do? We get to worship an awesome God free of persecution. We get to glorify His name and give Him the credit. We get to say His name out loud and free of fear. We get to go to heaven not out of our own deeds but by His grace. We get to live our lives for Him. We get to hand over to Him all of our times of trials and hardship for peace and love.

Stop.

If you're like me, you have a hard time wrapping your head around that last one. God wants me to make a trade with Him? God wants me to give Him my problems instead of me trying to fix them. How often have I heard the God doesn't want you to clean up before coming to Him sermon? How many times have I misunderstood it?

Your life may be a mess. Your school, your friends, your family. They could all be a mess and God doesn't want you to do it alone. He doesn't want to see you unhappy. He wants you to trust Him. He wants you to come to Him dirty and He wants to hold you in His hand and wipe away all of our worries. And the more you let Him into your life, the more that reflection is going to become clearer and clearer.

I have been running a lot lately. Running from my worries, trying really hard to make it look like I had everything together. Trying hard to be perfect. Trying hard to be enough. It fooled some, others noticed how thin I had stretched myself, but God was the only that I couldn't fool.

In His presence I would try and put my best self forward. Trying hard not to show any sign of weakness or area of improvement. And yet, I cried all the time. I got back into an old habit where I would run myself dry, taking on so much that when I was alone, doing nothing, I would feel worthless. My up's and downs were always to the extreme.

God had been trying so hard to warn me of this. For the past two weeks, I have heard several references to diamonds, self worth, and the peace that God graces us with when we hand over our insecurities and problems. And I still held on, thinking "I can fix this. I can do this without bothering anyone." God doesn't want to hear that.

I love thinking of God as a best friend. If my best friend was having a huge problem and she didn't talk about it with me, I'd be hurt and frantic to figure out what's going on. I'd only want to help her and share whatever burden she felt weighed down by if not try and take it all. I'd want to take it all away so that she could be happy again. And the great thing about God being your best friend is that He can literally take it all away. He knows what we're not telling Him. Imagine knowing what your best friend is going through and them not allowing you to help in anyway... it'd break your heart to see them try and go at it alone.

Last night I went to Oasis. It's an awesome Youth lead youth group at the Belle Chapel in Snohomish. My friend got up to speak about his life struggles, and how for a long time, he tried to solve them without the help of God. Yes. It was one of those God loves and wants you right now, he doesn't want to wait for you to clean yourself up sermons. He spoke about the power of prayer and the peace that God had given him for trusting that He was more than enough. Isn't that awesome? That God is more than enough for any problem you will face. He is more than enough.

So last night I sat with my face in my knees, eyes balling, and I spoke with my awesome Creator.

Lord, you are greater than any problem that I will face. You are larger than life and you are more than enough for whatever comes my way. I don't want to face it alone anymore. I am weak and I need only You.

And like that, the God of the Universe lifted my worries and gave me a whole new reason to leak from my eyelids. His peace is unexplainable. Today I was actually clicking my heels singing Reliant K through my school. God is sooooooo good.

So my point of this was to remind you that:
-God is more than enough for your life.
-God values you, right now, not just the soon to be improved you, but all of you.
-You can lay crowns down at Jesus' feet in heaven, but right now, laying down your life and worries is the healthiest most peaceful thing you could do.
-Jesus is your best friend. Go talk to Him.