TARA'S JOURNEY

Hey guys!

I hope you are all keeping well! As much as I miss hanging out with you all I’m so glad that we can stay connected online and I hope you are enjoying the blog posts, devotions, EYTV and everything else that is going on! 

Some of you might know me pretty well, but for those who don’t here is a little about me – I’m Tara, I’m 22, I have just finished my Psychology degree at QUB, I have played hockey pretty much my whole life and last but not least I work in church, so (in normal circumstances…) I get to hang out with you guys all week long! 

Growing up, I always knew who Jesus was. I went to Shankill Parish Church in Lurgan with my family, and I’m pretty sure I asked Jesus into my heart every week at Sunday School. It was all I knew, and if I’m honest I thought that everyone else was the same!

Fast forward to LJHS days and my naïve eyes were soon opened. I realised that lots of other people didn’t share the same experience as me growing up, and now our lives looked very different. It was at this stage that I began to take my faith more seriously. I realised that a relationship with God wasn’t something to be ignored, distracted from or put on the back burner, but it was to be the centre of life itself. It’s in the name – a relationship - this means that God wants to be in relation with me, but it also means that I have to choose Him every single day!

It’s not like my life changed overnight when I realised this. I still had my fair share of bad decisions, doubts, mistakes and relationships that probably weren’t the best for me. But the difference was, I knew that through it all I belonged to God, my identity was in Him and no matter my flaws, He was always good! 

Throughout school, I grew closer to God and began to discover true life in Him! As I look back now, I realise that I was incredibly blessed to be surrounded by some amazing people. I have some of the best mates about – I have learnt so much from simply seeking God together with my friends. We started out as clueless teenagers starting a bible study together (honestly, we had no idea what we were doing), but that has grown into deep friendships that share a desire for Jesus and remain strong no matter what life throws at us. 

Those early days studying the Bible together sparked something in me. I couldn’t put words to it at the time, but I realised the significance of God’s Word and how it gave me life. It wasn’t just like any other book, but there was something within me that knew that it was significant and should change how I lived my life; the words I read brought me closer to God. Eugene Peterson is much better at summing this up - he says that when we read the Bible “we don’t know more, we become more.” 

There are so many things I could tell you about different times in my life – changes in relationships, when life doesn’t go to plan, striving to be perfect, worrying when I’m anything but perfect – but I’ll not bore you with any of that, because the main thing to take away is that God is good, He is consistent and He is faithful.

My story isn’t the most dramatic, I highly doubt they will make a movie of my life anytime soon (but just in case – can Lily James play me, Zac Efron play Robbie and I’ll get the soundtrack sorted?!) but just because I don’t have some crazy story of me going off the rails doesn’t mean that it’s boring or has any less significance. This shows that God is so faithful. He was there when I was a wee kid going to Sunday school, He was there when I was having my little naïve mind blown in LJHS days and He will always be with me through every step of my life, guiding me and being my source of true life and joy. 

And get this - God is faithful to you too and He wants a relationship with you! No matter where you find yourself, what you believe (or don’t believe), God pursues you. There’s nothing that you can do that will change that! We all have a lot of time on our hands these days, so why not give some of that time over to God? Even if it is just 15 minutes a day, I can guarantee that it will change you for the better, you will find life like never before and realise that true joy comes from God! I love how this is reflected in Psalm 27, and this is why it is one of my favourite Psalms and what guides my heart and mind everyday: 

‘One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.’ Psalm 27:4

To finish with – I love this Matt Chandler quote – as you read it, know that this is true for each one of you! 

“God has seen our unloveliness—the deep brokenness and rebellion in our hearts—and instead of withdrawing, he pursues us to the beautiful end.”

Rest in this, read it over and over if you need to and remember that God is relentless in His pursuit of you!

Thanks for reading & I love and miss you all!