These last few weeks have been the most terrifying but the most exhiliarating time in my life.  I have chosen to give up everything that I have in order to allow God to turn my life around.  Now, when I say everything I mean those things that are hindering my relationship with God (though I have faltered), as well as just giving up those things I cannot touch like worry, anger, love, etc.  It has been an exciting experience so far.  But, as I am reading the last few chapters of When God Writes Your Love Story, I have been asked the question of Would I give up my blanket to Jesus?  This means, if I had nothing else in the world but a small blanket to keep myself warm, would I be able to sit next to Jesus and hand Him my blanket even though I know it might cause certain death?  Isn't that what giving your life over to Jesus means?  That we would die for our Savior?  "When we choose to let go of what little we have and surrender it to God, it's then we receive the bounty of His kingdom."  I whole-heartedly believe this.  These last few weeks have tested my faith in God's love for my family and me.  Ever since I chose to give God everything, I believe Satan has been trying to lure my family and me back to our old habits of thinking or the way we react to things.  But, we tried our best not to allow Satan to have any of that and God has shown to be better than any of us could have imagined. 

"When you know Jesus Christ, the tender hand of heaven begins to masterfully shape your life to exhibit the glory of heaven for the entire world to see."  God never said that being a Christian was easy.  I have known people to lose their popularity and friends because of proclaiming to be a Christian.  In fact, I have gone through that too.  There have been numerous friends of mine who choose not to invite me places or hang out with me out in public because I am a Christian.  In all honesty, there are times when I wish that this had not happened and I could say that I was not a Christian because I want to be hanging out with those people.  But, I am so glad that I do not compromise who I am in Christ for the sake that if I did, I would be denying Him and EVERYTHING He has done for me.  What kind of Christian does that make me?  I know Christians who will say they are Christians (to me) and go out and deny that that conversation was ever had.  "We don't just know it, but we live it for all the world to witness."  This is something that I have now dedicated my life for.  There are people (some in my family) who have tried to push me to do what they want instead of what God wants.  I have flat out told them, "If that is what God wants me to do, then pray about it and He will show me.  If this is something that He does not want me to do then I choose not to do it."  Some people are not understanding this, but I do not need them to understand it.  I need God.