Ash Wednesday

Last night, one of my favorite friends and I went to church. Due to clinicals, work schedules and complete exhaustion, it has been a little while since I have made a Wednesday night service. We go to Church of the Highlands and last night I was reminded why I love my church so much. The worship part of our service brought tears to my eyes and as I felt the Spirit start to due a work in me; healing, convicting and most of all: blessing. We were reminded that "worrying" is not a burden that God intended us to carry and were also taught the right way to handle being broken. My church is such a blessing. God is doing amazing things there. I'm thankful for the friends that I can talk about faith with, they bless me daily.
The reason I titled this blog "Ash Wednesday" is because I was so encouraged by my roommate. She is first and foremost, a Christian, not just a Catholic. It's so easy for some people to claim their "religion" instead of the bigger picture. All God wants is for us to just simply be a Christian and worship through whatever way suits you- may it be singing Amazing Grace at a Baptist Church or taking communion at a Catholic church. When you reach the pearly gates, I seriously doubt saying "Oh, I was a good Methodist/Catholic/Whatever"...is going to get you in. There is only one way to do that, and thats simply claiming Christ as your Savior. Period, the end.
Anyway, back to my roomie- I respect her. She goes to church alone, even though she knows fellow Catholics that either A) Choose to not go to church at all or B) Go somewhere else. Ashley also comes to Highlands, which I love. I had some Catholic friends that wouldn't even try it out because it was "different", so...live a little. The Christian walk is truly a roller coaster for me. I'm up, down, twisted and turned constantly. The one thing that doesnt change however is how much God truly loves me, forgives me, blesses me and hears me. I think I've been in a state of "brokeness" for almost a year and I think I'm finally healed or at least on the road to healing.
I'm a blessed girl and am making it a point to stop taking that for granted.