Young Promises

When you make a promise to someone, a promise that you probably shouldn't have made, it makes it harder to let go... especially when you made the promise before you were old enough to know what you were saying.

It's hard for me to see little kids run after each other, having 'boyfriends" and "girlfriends" and telling each other they "love them".  It's got to be important to us to teach our kids and our younger peers in school that things like this aren't important--that it's more important to become a better person for God.  I don't like young relationships, mostly because I was in one that's been affecting the rest of my life, and I don't want some of their innocence to be ruined by a pitiful, easily avoided mistake.

But to keep this brief, I will admit, maybe it's good for them to learn young.  Not that they should have relationships in elementary, but that when they are a teen, they can learn somehow what is truly important to them and to life, somehow, someway, by God's plans.

I guess I wouldn't be writing this blog if it weren't for those times when I found myself crying out to God for help because of what I'd done.. but I still can't help but wish I hadn't said some of the things I had, like "I promise to always love you" when I was only fourteen years old.  But I do believe in God's promises--that he will use everything for our good (Rom. 8:28)--and so I just hope that he turns this into a good thing.

But what do you think?  What part should we play in young people's lives?

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will."
- Romans 12:2

Relax

I've been in a wonderful mood lately, and it's no wonder!  It is beautiful outside today!!  After sweating for hours while cleaning and taking a bike ride, I took a relaxing shower, and now I'm constantly thanking God for the wonderful day he has made.

It is on days like today when I get to see God in nearly everything.  So it's interesting that I opened to Matthew 4:10-11.  It says,
Jesus said to him, "Away from me Satan!  For it is written: 'Worship the Lord, your God, and serve him only.' "  Then the devil left him, and angels attended him.

 If you've followed my Twitter or read my last posts, I've struggled with my faith a lot.  Today has been like a break through for me:  finally, loving God is easy!
Immediately when I read this verse, I read, "Then the devil left him, and angels attended him."  So it is possible for Satan to leave us, I thought.  But what caused him to leave?  Both in my life and in Jesus', the answer is found in the verse before it:
  "Worship the Lord, and serve him only."  

 When you are only reading it, this passage seems to say that when Jesus spoke scripture against Satan--specifically saying "I won't serve you, I'll serve God only"--he went away; but that is only half of it.  The other half is what is first mentioned: Worship the Lord.  It doesn't give a specific time nor a specific way, it just says worship him.  All the time, constantly, in everything you do, worship God.  For forty days and nights, Jesus was learning how to worship God with his life, while he fasted.  I'm sure all of that time he spent with God is the real reason behind Satan's departing.  Once Jesus said those words, Satan could tell that he was tied to God, and so he left him.

I think this is a wonderful example of what loving God looks like when the devil attacks us.  He can come with our worries, like Jesus' upcoming death, and try to promise the world as an escape; yet, because we trust God's plan, we say, "Away from me Satan!" and cling to our Lord.

How is your love story?  If you're like me, maybe you need to relax and let God.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Storms

 Many times in life you will hit a storm.

Sometimes you see it coming in the distance and you prepare yourself.  Buy bread, milk, eggs. Close the windows.

But then the storm hits, and it's bigger than you expected.  You thought you were prepared for it, but really you're not.  All of your preparations don't seem to matter now because the power's out, the basement is flooded, batteries are all dying, and you can't find a single match.

 These are times when faith comes into play.

You have no backup plan.
Can you turn to God?  Do you trust him? It's so easy to relax in his arms when you're sleeping than when you're drowning, but you won't survive unless you relax then too!  Sometimes when you can't seem to breathe, you need to just listen to what he says and have faith.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
-Jeremiah 29:11

The Dust

Last week with a group of friends, we studied 1 Corinthians chapters 1-3.
Divisions were arising in the church from many things, one of them being the people's pride.

Pride is something I struggle with all of the time.
"If only I would..." is how most of my thoughts begin.
Most recently, one thought that haunts me is this thought that I am so prideful that really all I am is a hypocrite and liar, and that because of my weakness, I'll never become that strong Christian that I wish I could become...

I don't know you personally, and I don't know what your history is with Christ, but if you've struggled with seeing your worth, listen to this song:

Beautiful Things - Gungor

"All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all..."

Look at the picture; isn't it cute?

Look closely now, and look at what has made such a pretty scene.

"You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us"


God knows who we are, and he knows we are weak.
But we are not worthless.

What are we?
We are servants.

We do God's will, and he makes us into something great.

I like that phase:
"...life is being found in You."

The important thing is that
God 
can
make
us
new.

1 Corinthians 3:6 says that one may have planted the seed or watered it, but God made it grow.

Look to God for your hope.
He makes beautiful things.
He makes beautiful things out of the dust.

"So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future -- all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God."
-1 Corinthians 3:21-23

Pearls

Last week, I attended Camp Manatawny and had an amazing, mind-blowing, heart-opening experience!  I learned many things and I hope I am able to share them with many people, because these are lessons I never want to forget.

In my first Bible Class (girls only!), our teacher read us a beautiful story about a pearl necklace.  I love this story and it warms my heart every time I hear it!
The story was this: The Pearl Necklace

Well, this story has rung true with me many times in my life.  We all struggle with it!  There is something between us and God that we just don't want to give up.  It can be anything: possessions, decisions, pride, bad relationships, our old lives.

For me, it was my deepest-darkest sins. I had been impure, but I had refused to do anything more than just ask for forgiveness.  It was one of those sins that you wanted to handle alone because you were too ashamed to tell anyone about it (I still am ashamed even), but sin is impossible to conquer without God.  Finally one day, I gave up fighting.  Against everything inside of me, I surrendered to God and told my best friend about what I had been doing, and I asked her for help and prayers and forgiveness.  That was the best decision of my life.  The effect was immediate, and I stopped Satan right then and there.  He left me, and I never was unable to stand against those sins again.  Yet, a week later (although this was the last time), I gave into the sin and felt dreadful.  That's what Satan does to us; he will never leave us alone.  He never leaves me alone!  A wise grandmother in my church said it this way:
"You might be done with Satan, but sweetie, he isn't done with you."

But, as this story says, God takes away our sin.  He took it away, once and for all.  Can we keep sinning?  Yes, but why would we?  That would be stupid!  And I'm telling myself that, because it was stupid!  It's taken me a year to realize this since I quit that past way of life, but once we are baptized, we have the freedom to choose not to sin.  We can look it dead in the eye because of Christ and say "No."
After suffering for so long with the thoughts that surrounded my past, I became familiar with the signs of my heart fading into that temptation.  Immediately, when my heart started to fall two weeks ago, I sat up straight and told myself, "NO. Never again."

Guess what girls? It works, because of GOD.

Give your pearls to Him.


"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart,
lean not on your own understanding,
in all of your ways submit to him, 
and he will make your paths straight. 
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body, and nourishment to your bones."
-Proverbs 3:5-7

Little Things

     Today, I came to the small realization that my dad has come to know me better by the little conversations we have.  Ever since he got into this whole "couponing" and saving money with shopping, he has been asking me small questions, like "what do you like to eat?" and "what do you bring for school lunches?" It hasn't been much, just a list of things to buy or not to buy while he tries to narrow down his list to the "need to"s and "have to"s (rather than just "want to"s or "I dunno"s), but it's been building a relationship that has been slightly lacking before.
     A couple years ago, I used to cry in my room thinking and praying about having a close relationship with my parents. I had confided with my mom on a few things, but for the most part, it seemed like they hardly knew the real me, and I was afraid to come to them with my problems. It hit me big time when I dated my first boyfriend and wasn't sure how to handle different situations. At that time, I was more afraid of doing wrong and having them mad at me than I was actually caring about my relationship with them. Soon after we broke up, I realized that I needed that parental relationship badly, but I had no clue where to start.
    It wasn't too long after this that these tiny conversations started up. Now he's asked more things, like what I thought about small topics, or what I thought about events that have happened, and I can tell that I trust him more as a father and friend than I did before--and all I did was have little conversations with my dad. Both of my parents put up with my rants now about school and homework, and both openly give me advice about how to deal with situations, whether I choose it or not.

     All of this made me consider my relationship with God. Right now, it's not very strong, I'll have to admit.
I read an article the other day that in it's essence asked us to compare how much time we spend talking with our friends to how much time we talk to God. It said that all God really wants is to be our best friend, the one we talk to 24/7 about everything good and bad in our lives, simply because we love each other.  When I think about how my dad has been talking to me, I wonder if maybe God wants me to talk to him like that--at least to get started.  The other day, I tried this out a bit after I got my shoes for Formal. I said to Him, "Guess what! I got these amazing shoes! They're so comfortable and pretty, and they go great with my dress!! Just wait until I show you at home!" I don't know if this is weird or crazy or anything, but feeling close to God, I went into my room and put on my dress and shoes and looked in the mirror and asked Him, "Do you like it?"  I'm a bad listener, but written on my mirror, right where my face is, reads, "The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor him for he is your Lord." (Psalms 45:11)

So how are you talking to God? Need a little more practice, like me? Maybe, to start, you can try these little conversations. When you're happy, share the news with Him. When you're sad, cry on his shoulder, talk it out to Him, ask Him "why?"--He can take it.  When you're mad, let out your frustration on Him, then listen to what his plan is.
All the while, read the scripture, because it's "God-breathed."

"Come near to God, and he will come near to you." 
-James 4:8a

College (Part 2)

Prayer works!

After posting about my troubles with finding the right College, things became so much clearer to me!

I am pretty dead set on Graphic Design now. I absolutely love to do it, and I am figuring out what to do with it as well as what I'll want to learn about Graphic Design in order to do the things I see God planning for me. (:

I still am not sure which college to go to, but I have more hope knowing that I will go into Graphic Design. I almost want to get started right away!

As far as colleges go, I still would love to go to a Christian college, so I opened up my options a bit. I'm re-thinking going to my sister's college, because as long as she knows it was my own choice because of the college itself, I will survive seeing her every once in a while. After two years of college, I know she'll change enough to make her survivable around, and at some point, we need to grow together, right?

I'm also keeping open the other Christian college open as an option, since a couple of my friends are going there, and I am going to look for even more colleges to possibly attend. I'm not as afraid as I was before because I know that God is in charge of the world, not me!! If I go to a college that isn't Christian, I will still be on God's side.

I will keep praying and I hope you pray that wherever I go is where God leads me to go, and whatever I do is what God wants me to do.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside still waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23)

Trust

Read Luke 21:1-4. You've probably heard this passage read often at Church services for the offering, but what is this really about?
"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others."
At this point in the short story, the disciples (twelve people who are constantly watching and learning all that they can from Jesus) are probably thinking, "What are you talking about, Jesus?! They gave so much! And she gave next to nothing! You can't use that to make repairs on the temple or to pay taxes!!!" But Jesus points them to a higher place.
(verse 4:) "All of these people gave their gifts out of wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on."
Back then, if you were a widow, you were poor. You might have a family member or a friend taking care of you if you were lucky. But this lady wasn't just a widow; she was a poor widow. So most likely, she didn't have anyone to take care of her. All she even has to care for herself is two tiny copper coins that were hardly worth enough to get food! To give up this was to give up everything she had to live on.
Now there are only two ways a person would do such a thing:
1. She is crazy. or, 2. She has complete trust that God will provide for her.
Jesus was pointing out that by putting both of those coins, her only way to survive on her own, she was placing her complete trust in God, and he was proud of her for it. He was not just saying that the amount given in was more in compared to what she had than the others; he was telling his disciples to have the kind of faith that she had.

Matthew 6:31-33 "So do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well."