Refuge

It is all becoming real, I have two nights left in Arizona, a weekend in California and then I head back to the midwestern/northern part of the country. I get to write the script for the next 9 months with every passing day and I wholly intend to include God in every part of it. I am going to be searching his plan because my decisions in the past have led to my downfall and my unhappiness. If there is one thing I have learned over the first three years of college, it is that I need to be more careful and I need to adapt quickly. Unfortunately I have been unable to adapt to NCU very quickly and I have been miserable because of it. Everyone tells me that I am the one who makes NCU miserable for myself and that is very true but I think that I want it to be miserable because I feel like I made the wrong choice in going there. I have had times where I would think that it was the best place for me, usually it is just me being in the right place at the right time but I think in the overall picture, many people would be just as fine if not better off if I had not chosen to go to school in Minnesota. The factors that brought me to Minneapolis were not the right ones but I am so glad I have the opportunity to work with youth and invest in the lives of young students. The leadership role I have been given at school has been such a great learning experience even though I have not always been the best role model. I can hack it on the field and in the classroom but life is just rough and I have made mistakes. It rocks me to the core that I have been messed up for awhile and it is all within my control to change and I have been and hope to continue the changes I am making so that I can be stronger this year and for the rest of my life. I have to remember that changes should not just be temporary, they need to change my lifestyle and never return so that I can actually mature and learn from where I have been.

I have said this before and restated it in many different ways but I find rest in God alone and he is my peace in times of trouble. I believe he has given me the gift of baseball to release anger, to relax, to find peace, to just be me. I am forever thankful for the ability to play and just have a good time, God has blessed me immensely and I do not know what I would do without the gifts that he has given me. Psalm 62:5-8 states, "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God, he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." I like the part that says my salvation and honor depend on God. Everything that I do, my future, my eternity are all dependent upon his truth, his plan, his way that he has prepared for me. I have received so many honors, in school, sports, and other activities and none of it would have ever been possible without him. In my times of turmoil and pain he was always there to push me through whether I knew it or not. I believe that God can drive you in the right direction even when you are not seeking him because subconsciously he is always with us, he is ingrained in us as our creator and nothing can ever take that distinction away from him. He will be our father whether we choose to acknowledge him or not and he will always be crushed if we do not return to him. Let us not forget just how easily accessible God is to us and his comfort, his peace, his rest, is all just a call away for every single one of us. This has been my saving grace in situations of doubt and confusion. Seek him and find his wonder anew everyday!

Thank you all for reading, I hope that I can contribute to your daily walk and that you are inspired by some of what I write. If there is ever anything that you take from this, I am forever grateful to God that he is using this to help people. Please continue to pray for me, God is working in my heart and I am doing my best to facilitate the growth needed to live strong and fight for his kingdom daily.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson