Introduction and Learning

i was recently asked by my husband if i wanted to be a part of a group that writes on a blog called "grace and peace." I enthusiastically replied that "i would love to!", and now im at the point where i have to figure out what i want to write about. As time has progressed i am realizing that this is all too sudden and i dont want to be a stranger or just some random person who has an opinion on the web, which i know that will be the case, anyways. no i would much rather have some kind of an introduction. hence, my introduction....My name is sarah bean. i am married to a wonderful man who loves God more than he loves me, which i wouldn't have any other way, whose name is jonathan. we are nine months into marriage, learning alot and loving each other more and more with each passing day.

i have recently graduated college with a degree in international studies and a minor in french and after eight months of being a server i now have my "big girl" job, and all glory goes to God because there's no way i did it on my own. i like animals (and they like me back), i love trees, elephants, reading, cooking (but im trying to get better at it), sleeping, and laughing. i love the family i married into and i miss my parents who now live in washington state. the most important thing in my life is my relationship with jesus christ, if that wasn't already recognizable, and im seeking each day to bring glory to God by being satisfied in him. other than that i like ellipses(sp?) and i don't like to capitalize things if possible.

In the future I hope to write about different topics that relate to jesus christ and living for him, and for this post ill make it as short and sweet as possible with what i am learning right now. the most important thing God is teaching me is to trust him when he wants me to search out things in my heart to see if there’s sin or potential sin that is lurking around. its hard to do because i really really like to think that "im ok" and "im doing good" when in reality i could be hiding from sin or justifying sin or there could be no sin at all, God just wants me to be surrendered to him and allow him access to what’s already his. there’s a struggle that comes if i do see a sin in my life or the potential of one that means that i have to admit it and face it rather than being comfortable, continuing to sin, and ultimately dying because of it.

Romans 6:11-14 says “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passion. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” its amazing how God wants us to constantly be making sure that sin isn't breeding around in our lives because he knows that it robs us of all joy and pleasure in him. No our God, the God of the Bible, wants us to have no part in sin but rather be filled by him for him. God would much rather make us go through the painful process of confronting sin in our lives...so that we have life.