This one is quite personal y'all. I wrote parts of this in my journal that no one sees, but I think someone out there needs to read this, cause they will be able to relate.
Here goes...
The fact that I can talk about it without getting choked up tells me I made the right choice.
The fact that my heart feels at peace tells me I made the right choice.
The fact that I feel free tells me I made the right choice.
The fact that I am able to feel closer to God and able to better worship God tells me I made the right choice.
What is this choice you ask?
I had to let go of something... someone.
I don't need to go into more than that.
I know that God forgives me for fighting Him for so long. I know that He still loves me.
I just wished I had listened to Him from the beginning.
See sometimes... okay, let's be real...usually it is hard to trust when we think we know what is right.
But if we say in one breath that we trust God, but in the other say it's my life, I get to decide... how is that full trust?
Ouch. I didn't like that thought.
See... God will work through my life. He will work through YOUR life.
But you've gotta let Him.
Unless you're willing to surrender, He won't.
God's a gentleman, and won't force Himself on you.
The struggle I have with _______ won't go away unless I call on Him and trust Him with it, and get His help.
See I can try to follow all the rules on my own, but I won't succeed.
Until my desires change, I will not be able overcome my struggle.
I need His help to overcome my struggles AND to change my desires.
[Check out Colossians 2:23 specifically. I highly recommend reading the whole chapter, and even the whole book.]
Now, back to this thing.
I need His help to figure out what to do with my life.
I need His help to figure out healthy relationships.
I have to trust Him at every step of the way.
Every twist.
Every turn.
Every mountain.
Every valley.
Every high.
Every low.
In everything, I have to trust Him in order to allow Him to work in and through me.
I'm in this journey with you all.
I don't have all the answers.
I probably don't have any of the answers.
I'm right there beside you looking for them.
If you need to chat, have a prayer request, etc. drop a comment for me/shoot me an email.
God bless y'all.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
New Beginnings
Ever have a decision you needed to make; you know what answer is best, but you don't like the answer?
Yeah, let me tell ya, I have been there.
There was something going on in my life, and as I was praying about it a bit, I knew what I had to do, but I didn't like what I felt God was leading me to do. It was something that I knew would hurt and make me uncomfortable.
I wrestled with this over a month. Events happened that made it even more clear that this thing God was asking me to do was what I needed to do to fix what was going on.
Eventually, I finally listened. And it was hard at first. But I can say that because I did that thing God was leading me to, I am able to feel a lot lighter. I have confidence that the right decision was made because of the things that have come from it. I have been able to grow closer to God and have been able to take more time to try to really seek Him. I do not feel the stress I was feeling. I feel free.
Some of you really just want to know what the situation was. It doesn't matter. It's personal, just like the things you may be facing.
I'm going to wrap this up with a few more words.
I encourage you to do two things:
1. Take time to seek God in prayer. He will show you what you need to do, if you really are genuinely listening.
Now, the harder one.
2. Actually do what He is asking you to do. There's no point in fighting God. As my friend told me... when we wrestle with God we never win... we only defy what He wants for our lives. Gonna have to remind myself of that a lot sometimes.
Yeah, let me tell ya, I have been there.
There was something going on in my life, and as I was praying about it a bit, I knew what I had to do, but I didn't like what I felt God was leading me to do. It was something that I knew would hurt and make me uncomfortable.
I wrestled with this over a month. Events happened that made it even more clear that this thing God was asking me to do was what I needed to do to fix what was going on.
Eventually, I finally listened. And it was hard at first. But I can say that because I did that thing God was leading me to, I am able to feel a lot lighter. I have confidence that the right decision was made because of the things that have come from it. I have been able to grow closer to God and have been able to take more time to try to really seek Him. I do not feel the stress I was feeling. I feel free.
Some of you really just want to know what the situation was. It doesn't matter. It's personal, just like the things you may be facing.
I'm going to wrap this up with a few more words.
I encourage you to do two things:
1. Take time to seek God in prayer. He will show you what you need to do, if you really are genuinely listening.
Now, the harder one.
2. Actually do what He is asking you to do. There's no point in fighting God. As my friend told me... when we wrestle with God we never win... we only defy what He wants for our lives. Gonna have to remind myself of that a lot sometimes.
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Submission
Submission. Often this particular word is viewed in a negative light, especially among women.
Why is that? My suspicion is because it suggests giving up what we want to be servants to someone else. Who would want to do that? Definitely no one I know!
One thing that God asks Christians to do is to submit to Him and to His will. One thing that is different about submitting to God though is God has your best interest at heart. There are manipulative and evil people on this earth who do not care about your or have your best interest in mind. But God does. He cares about you and what is good for you. Submitting to God is one of the best things you can do, because you are entrusting your life and your future to Someone Who knows it all, and Who knows what you need before you do.
Does knowing this make submission easy? No. No way. It helps, but submission is an action that must be repeated daily. I'll be honest, I am not good with submitting to God. It has to be something you think about daily, pray about multiple times daily, remind yourself of over and over, and spend time with God asking Him to help you submit, and looking to His Word for guidance.
Submission is a work in progress for me. One book I have been working through, and actually doing a study on is "Disciplines of a Godly Woman" by Barbara Hughes. Here is something that she has to say about submission: "All the disciplines of a godly woman are about submitting your will to God's loving rule in daily life" (Hughes 2001, 40). That is a good way to look at it, I think!
Why is that? My suspicion is because it suggests giving up what we want to be servants to someone else. Who would want to do that? Definitely no one I know!
One thing that God asks Christians to do is to submit to Him and to His will. One thing that is different about submitting to God though is God has your best interest at heart. There are manipulative and evil people on this earth who do not care about your or have your best interest in mind. But God does. He cares about you and what is good for you. Submitting to God is one of the best things you can do, because you are entrusting your life and your future to Someone Who knows it all, and Who knows what you need before you do.
Does knowing this make submission easy? No. No way. It helps, but submission is an action that must be repeated daily. I'll be honest, I am not good with submitting to God. It has to be something you think about daily, pray about multiple times daily, remind yourself of over and over, and spend time with God asking Him to help you submit, and looking to His Word for guidance.
Submission is a work in progress for me. One book I have been working through, and actually doing a study on is "Disciplines of a Godly Woman" by Barbara Hughes. Here is something that she has to say about submission: "All the disciplines of a godly woman are about submitting your will to God's loving rule in daily life" (Hughes 2001, 40). That is a good way to look at it, I think!
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
A Child, a Memory Verse, and a Revelation
Sometimes, you have a lightbulb moment from God, and you
just think, well, duh! But it is a profound revelation to you.
This happens to me all the time.
See, sometimes your head knows the answers, but your heart
needs an extra nudge.
I’m not going to lie; these past couple weeks have had rough
patches. I’m looking at my “to do” list for today, tomorrow, and Friday of
assignments due; part of me wants to laugh, the other part wants to cry. Ya’ll
know what I’m talking about.
Yesterday while helping out at a children’s ministry
program, I had a child who told me he was stressed and worried because he had
some choices to make and he didn’t know what to do. We had just gone over one
of their memory verses, so I recited it back to him; “Don’t worry about
anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him
for all He has done.” (Philippians 4:6, NLT).
Throughout the time, he would come back up to me and keep
asking. I would read it back to him and try to encourage him a little.
This morning I was thinking about it, and everything
clicked.
Duh.
Here I am, worried about my assignments, worried about
getting everything else in, and the answer is literally right in front of me.
God used that child. He wanted me to keep reciting the verse to him; it was not
just for him; it was for me too. It was to help me remember it and commit it to
memory.
That clicked as I stood at my sink, in the process of
getting ready for the morning.
So, two things:
1) Reflect on things. Your Bible reading, your devotional
reading, your prayers, and sometimes, even your interactions with others. (Now,
don’t overthink interactions with others. So be careful with that one.) It’s
amazing some of the things we can pick up on after the fact, especially with
our devotional time.
2) PRAY. Prayer is literally the answer to anything.
Worried? PRAY. Scared? PRAY. Overwhelmed? PRAY. Happy? PRAY. Depressed? PRAY.
You get where I’m going with this. Don’t believe you should always pray? Well….
“Rejoice always, pray
continually, give
thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1
Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV; emphasis mine).
Look back at the verse we quoted earlier,
Philippians 4:6 … it says to “…pray about everything.”
I’m sure there are more verses on this. Why
don’t you check it out for yourself?
All in all, I know this was something I
needed to hear. I hope that it helps you in some way.
Love ya’ll! <3
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Growth
Hey everyone, it has been so long!
So I've been back at University for a few weeks now. Time is flying by. This semester has felt a little different than normal. At first I thought it was because of some of the changes I was getting used to; some of my friends graduating and no longer being here, stuff like that. But, I think there is something more going on here.
This semester, I have felt way more open to God than I was before. I have been more excited to be reading the Bible, I listen more intently during chapel services; I just feel more eager to learn.
And boy, when you are eager to learn, the things you will learn are incredible.
I've been spending some time reading in Colossians. This is an amazing book of the Bible to read. It's a letter from Paul to a church in the city of Colosse. Paul wrote a lot of letters, as you find out when looking at the New Testament. This letter is just... it's so encouraging to read.
I feel like God has really wanted me to be closer and to grow more in Him. As I was thinking about that, guess what verse I saw? Colossians 2:7, which says, "Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on him."(NLT)
I started at the beginning, and in chapter 1, I saw another verse about growth; "Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better." (Colossians 1:10)***
Growth isn't always fun, and it definitely is not easy. But God can place an excitement and a desire for growth in your heart; and He will if you really and truly want it. It will mean doing some hard things, like confessing you are wrong to God and maybe even to an accountability partner. But in the end, God will work some amazing things out and will be able to take your life, and help you "grow as you learn to know God better and better."
Taking time in silence with God is a way to grow. Reading the Scriptures is another. I have found value in reading the Scripture I am studying more than once. It helps me to digest the ideas more, and reveals new things to me. Reading our Bible is only boring if we make it boring.
Always go into your time of devotions open and ready to learn. You will come away feeling refreshed and energized and excited about what you are learning.
Keep learning.
Keep seeking.
Keep growing.
*** I have a side note about this verse that I want to include. Whenever something starts with the word "then," it means that you need to go back and look at the rest of the context. Paul is writing about how people had been praying for this church, and how this church had heard the Good News from Epaphras, who was a beloved co-worker (v.3-7). Paul continued on, saying that they have not stopped praying for the believers in Colosse since they had first heard about them. They asked God to give spiritual wisdom and understanding to these people so then they could live in a way that is honorable and pleasing to the Lord (v. 9-10).
Two things I want to point out:
1) Having people who pray for you is good and a necessary part of growth. Having someone who you know is praying for you is encouraging and helpful in your growth.
2) Praying for others is another part of growth. Praying for others helps them grow, and helps you grow too.
So I've been back at University for a few weeks now. Time is flying by. This semester has felt a little different than normal. At first I thought it was because of some of the changes I was getting used to; some of my friends graduating and no longer being here, stuff like that. But, I think there is something more going on here.
This semester, I have felt way more open to God than I was before. I have been more excited to be reading the Bible, I listen more intently during chapel services; I just feel more eager to learn.
And boy, when you are eager to learn, the things you will learn are incredible.
I've been spending some time reading in Colossians. This is an amazing book of the Bible to read. It's a letter from Paul to a church in the city of Colosse. Paul wrote a lot of letters, as you find out when looking at the New Testament. This letter is just... it's so encouraging to read.
I feel like God has really wanted me to be closer and to grow more in Him. As I was thinking about that, guess what verse I saw? Colossians 2:7, which says, "Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on him."(NLT)
I started at the beginning, and in chapter 1, I saw another verse about growth; "Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better." (Colossians 1:10)***
Growth isn't always fun, and it definitely is not easy. But God can place an excitement and a desire for growth in your heart; and He will if you really and truly want it. It will mean doing some hard things, like confessing you are wrong to God and maybe even to an accountability partner. But in the end, God will work some amazing things out and will be able to take your life, and help you "grow as you learn to know God better and better."
Taking time in silence with God is a way to grow. Reading the Scriptures is another. I have found value in reading the Scripture I am studying more than once. It helps me to digest the ideas more, and reveals new things to me. Reading our Bible is only boring if we make it boring.
Always go into your time of devotions open and ready to learn. You will come away feeling refreshed and energized and excited about what you are learning.
Keep learning.
Keep seeking.
Keep growing.
*** I have a side note about this verse that I want to include. Whenever something starts with the word "then," it means that you need to go back and look at the rest of the context. Paul is writing about how people had been praying for this church, and how this church had heard the Good News from Epaphras, who was a beloved co-worker (v.3-7). Paul continued on, saying that they have not stopped praying for the believers in Colosse since they had first heard about them. They asked God to give spiritual wisdom and understanding to these people so then they could live in a way that is honorable and pleasing to the Lord (v. 9-10).
Two things I want to point out:
1) Having people who pray for you is good and a necessary part of growth. Having someone who you know is praying for you is encouraging and helpful in your growth.
2) Praying for others is another part of growth. Praying for others helps them grow, and helps you grow too.
Saturday, November 4, 2017
Overwhelmed?
Yep. It's that time of year. It is so busy, no matter what you are doing. It's time to start preparing for the holiday season; for students, it's exam time, aka time to cry endlessly, get little or no sleep, and begin feeling crazy for coming back to school. Maybe that's only me...
Something I have found... which I still have to work on.... is my attitude. My attitude when I get overwhelmed, when I get frustrated, sad, or annoyed determines how I will act/react. My attitude needs to change sometimes so that I can respond better and not react so snappily.
Being positive helps. Thinking about things in a positive way really helps you to better focus and be a better influence on your outlook.
Having friends who can snap you back into reality and be there to support you are important too. I'm thankful for the couple of friends I have who do this for me.
When you begin feeling overwhelmed, how do you cope?
Here are a couple of suggestions that may help you to not be so overwhelmed...
1. TAKE TIME WITH GOD: Be alone with God. This can be a great relaxation time. I like sitting down with my Bible, journal, and good devo book... lots of peace fills me when I take time to relax.
2. RELAX: Focus on things that you enjoy. Carve out time to be alone or be with others, whatever you want to do.
3. SLOW DOWN: Try to not be so busy. Get rid of some of the things that you do not have to do, and just focus on the things you need to.
4. ENJOY YOURSELF: Have fun once in a while! Schedule time to have fun. Do not let yourself always be bogged down in work.
5. PRAY, FIRST THING! It amazes me how when I pray in the morning, I feel better all through the day. I am more productive and am more focused. I enjoy my day more and I am more positive. Devotional time in the morning is hard, but it's worth it y'all!
I hope some of this helps ya. I'm not perfect. I'm not good at these things, but I am working on it. Hopefully someone is helped by this. Remember, God's got you! Love y'all!
Something I have found... which I still have to work on.... is my attitude. My attitude when I get overwhelmed, when I get frustrated, sad, or annoyed determines how I will act/react. My attitude needs to change sometimes so that I can respond better and not react so snappily.
Being positive helps. Thinking about things in a positive way really helps you to better focus and be a better influence on your outlook.
Having friends who can snap you back into reality and be there to support you are important too. I'm thankful for the couple of friends I have who do this for me.
When you begin feeling overwhelmed, how do you cope?
Here are a couple of suggestions that may help you to not be so overwhelmed...
1. TAKE TIME WITH GOD: Be alone with God. This can be a great relaxation time. I like sitting down with my Bible, journal, and good devo book... lots of peace fills me when I take time to relax.
2. RELAX: Focus on things that you enjoy. Carve out time to be alone or be with others, whatever you want to do.
3. SLOW DOWN: Try to not be so busy. Get rid of some of the things that you do not have to do, and just focus on the things you need to.
4. ENJOY YOURSELF: Have fun once in a while! Schedule time to have fun. Do not let yourself always be bogged down in work.
5. PRAY, FIRST THING! It amazes me how when I pray in the morning, I feel better all through the day. I am more productive and am more focused. I enjoy my day more and I am more positive. Devotional time in the morning is hard, but it's worth it y'all!
I hope some of this helps ya. I'm not perfect. I'm not good at these things, but I am working on it. Hopefully someone is helped by this. Remember, God's got you! Love y'all!
Friday, July 21, 2017
Contentment in Discontent
The world today bombards us with all the newest things we should have. Media tells us we need this new product that has just come out in order for us to be stronger, thinner, more beautiful, more successful, etc. We are always on the lookout for the newest things instead of being content with what we have.
This is a problem that is not just with our things. It can be with our work, our home, our looks; you name it. Each one of us can be discontent with things at some point or another.
We often want to change things and be better at things, the do more, be more kind of attitude. But that is not always the best thing for us.
Sometimes we have to learn to be content with where we are. Sometimes we need to stop trying so hard to get where we think we want to be, and focus on being happy right where we are. God can't bless us in the way that He would if we are constantly searching for something else to fill the void, that empty spot inside us, instead of letting Him take it over.
We have to learn to be content in God's love, and trust in the plan that He has for us. We will never find contentment until we let God into our heart and let Him take over all our wants and desires. We need to lay down our wants and our desires for earthly things; our discontent with our earthly position in life, and learn to let God fill that discontent.
The one thing we can be discontent in is our relationship with Him. We need to always want to be learning, growing, studying, and disciplining ourselves to grow in Him, and have a fire to learn about Him.
Let's become more content with our position here on earth, and more discontent in our relationship with God.
This is a problem that is not just with our things. It can be with our work, our home, our looks; you name it. Each one of us can be discontent with things at some point or another.
We often want to change things and be better at things, the do more, be more kind of attitude. But that is not always the best thing for us.
Sometimes we have to learn to be content with where we are. Sometimes we need to stop trying so hard to get where we think we want to be, and focus on being happy right where we are. God can't bless us in the way that He would if we are constantly searching for something else to fill the void, that empty spot inside us, instead of letting Him take it over.
We have to learn to be content in God's love, and trust in the plan that He has for us. We will never find contentment until we let God into our heart and let Him take over all our wants and desires. We need to lay down our wants and our desires for earthly things; our discontent with our earthly position in life, and learn to let God fill that discontent.
The one thing we can be discontent in is our relationship with Him. We need to always want to be learning, growing, studying, and disciplining ourselves to grow in Him, and have a fire to learn about Him.
Let's become more content with our position here on earth, and more discontent in our relationship with God.
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