Running the Race

Hello everyone,
So yesterday with Brooklyn, my mom and I went on a dog hike/scavenger hunt put on by our local state park. It was a great way to get out in the middle of the winter slump and enjoy time in the woods with four-legged friends. Throughout the park on trails there were markers that you had to find worth different amounts of points. Whoever at the end of the day had collected the most points won a prize at the end. Now my mother and I figured this would be a pretty simple task as we walk regularly at the park, until we got our map and realized that almost every trail in the park had these markers on them and we only had about 4 hours to get as many as we could. Now we really wanted the prize(free year park pass) and we decided we were going to do our best to come in first. It was funny because this casual day of hiking turned into two woman treating it like it was the Amazing Race and we had to strategize and maximize our time to get to our goal. This was pretty serious business and we got really into it! By the time it was all said and done we hiked on six different trails and covered just about 9 miles with Brooklyn towing me along towards the end. We were utterly exhausted and my legs have never been so sore, but at the end of the day we won our prize! But I got to admit going to the park to hike doesn't sound so grand right now, haha!

Now people who know me really well, know that my mind likes to process and dig out meaning beyond the face value of most things.  For example, a horseback ride is not just a horseback ride for me and a hike is not just a hike for me. It is an event that triggers deep thoughts, often spiritual thoughts about life and the world around me. So this day was not any different. As I have thought more about it more, a verse came to my mind. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it." 1 Corinth. 9:24 (ESV) In this verse Paul is not actually talking about a physical race like in the Olympics but is referring to the spiritual race of the calling of Christ. Even though what we were doing was not an actual foot race, it was a "race" against the clock to see what all we could get accomplished and how far we could go before time was up. I relate this to our spiritual life. We gave a goal, a prize, that we want to reach before our life. For our physical race we had to have our gear: appropriate clothing and shoes, map, snacks and anything that helped us on our hike. In the same way we have to have our salvation, the Holy Spirit, the Bible and other things to help us on our spiritual journey. During the hike because we wanted to win the prize of the park pass we had to strategize and maximize our efforts to accomplish what we needed to. Sometimes that meant changing our original plans due to unforeseen circumstances. In the same way in our spiritual walk, we need to think about the best way to accomplish our calling from God and follow His "map" the Bible, but understand that sometimes things will not always go according to our plan. Therefore, there will be times where we will have to adjust and refocus on what He is asking of us. Despite the things that distracted us at times on our hike we kept our goal in focus which kept us driving on productively. "So I do not run aimlessly..."   1 Corinth. 9:26 Even in our spiritual lives the things that seek to distract us must be overruled by our focus on the prize so we are not "running" in circles but actually getting closer to our goal. Now I want to be clear, this does not mean that everything is a rush in this life and that we neglect to take the time to grow in the ways we need to. We had to stop on the trail and make sure that we were writing down our markers correctly otherwise they would not have done us any good being wrong. In the same way, if we want to succeed, we have to take our time to make sure we are stopping to do what God asks of us along the way so that when we get to the end we have truly accomplished His calling. Not in our frenzy to be super-spiritual Christian who is more deserving and above everyone else.
Now what exactly is this spiritual prize? I believe Paul states it best in Philippians 3:14: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward calling of God in Jesus Christ." The upward calling that ultimately leads to our home in heaven with our Lord and Savior. This is the greatest prize we could ever run after. God's calling in our lives is so important and I have realized just as we were so intent on earning our earthly prize yesterday, I need to take that same fervor towards my spiritual race. I need to have the same determination even when I getting tired and "sore" to keep on pressing forward towards what will make it all worth it. ..."forgetting what lies behind and straining toward to what lies ahead." Phil. 3:13 We have to learn from and move on from what we laid down in our past, what Christ has forgiven us from. We have to move on from what trips us on the trail. We have to put off our sin. We have to carry on with a desire in our hearts to be the best we can be for what God is calling us to do. There are things in my life that have been weighting me down and preventing me from "running my race" to the best of my ability. Weariness has clouded my vision at times. I want to throw those things aside and keep going even when it is hard, even when it seems all uphill, and even when I am exhausted. And honestly, it makes me wonder as Christians, how would our lives be different if we started chasing after our calling with as much fervor as we do for the physical trophies in our lives, the job advancements, the recognition of others, and the success of those we see in magazines? If we put that much effort into reaching God's goals for our lives how much different would our spiritual life be? I think we would be much more joyful and fulfilled. So as I am sitting here resting my aching muscles but feeling satisfied at the accomplishment, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to get to heaven and rest my soul for eternity as I sit at the feet of the Father: my ultimate prize and my ultimate treasure, satisfied I gave everything I had. Let us get into His Word and run the race with the determination to see His face and to hear a job well done.

"Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight , and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

Stress Less, Be a Tree!

Hi everyone,
I want to talk about something that I have struggled with this week. And that is stress. My hope is that this can be an encouragement to all of you out there who are over-thinkers, have the over-achiever syndrome, perfectionist syndrome or just have a tendency to over-stress in general. I am a perfectionist in the sense I don't expect others to be perfect but somehow I expect myself to be. I am the one who puts completely unrealistic expectations on my shoulders and growls at myself when I can't reach them. I am the millennial, who honestly loathes being a millennial at times, because of the modern day stereotype and who tells myself that I have to be like people who are 20+ years older than me. I put pressure on myself to be like people who have had many more years life experience and knowledge than me and when I obviously can't be at that level I get frustrated with myself and feel useless. I want to do and learn all these random thing that people my age aren't particularly interested in (Example: I've decided I want to have my own house built someday, therefore I need to know everything about building houses and being my own contractor...yeah I'm odd I know ;) but often I place a burden on myself because I feel that I have got to learn these things not just because I want to, but because I have to prove myself as being "older" than I am. I often do this at work and I struggled with it a lot this past week because I interact mainly with people who are quite a bit older than me on a regular basis. So I've put this cross on my back that I somehow have to handle it all as if I have to prove my value to everyone. And at work this week a lot of things got thrown at me and instead of running to God with my worries and concerns I let stress build up until it spilled out. Then afterwards, I really felt like the immature millennial stereotype that people like to throw out there. That is not how I want people to see me. I want to be knowledgeable, mature, and capable but I need to not take things to the extreme. And I am not a 45 year old. I am a 24 year old surviving and learning in the position I have been given and that is OK! I can strive to be the best I can be for my age but to compare myself against those who have lived longer, worked longer, faced more challenges, and have had more time and experience is completely unfair and literally exhausting! Plus it is not what God wants me to do. He wants me to be confident in the way He made me and in the way He is growing me. He wants me to use what I know so far to help others. Stress is not to be in the equation. Simply striving to be the best you can be for His glory and not to prove that you are worthy to other generations is what should be happening. Stress is defined as "tension" and "pressure" that cause strain and insecurity in the human mind. It prevents you from being your best. It is worry that overtakes your confidence, your joy, and your vitality.
This morning at church it was amazing because every time, the message seems to be exactly what I need to hear. Today the main text was from Psalm 1:1-3. It explains the man who does not follow the path of the wicked but yet: "...his delight is in the Lord's instruction and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (vs.2-3 HCSB)
Now I don't know about you but I want to be like that tree! In Jeremiah 17:8 it has the same analogy where the tree "doesn't fear when heat comes and its foliage remains green." The heat came this week and I withered. These verses reminded me of what happens when we do not stay deeply rooted in scripture and prayer and begin to replace God's opinion with the opinion of others. None of us are useless irregardless of where we are at in life. Everyone's story is different and everyone is at a different point in their lives. You don't have to be like everybody else. You don't have to be in this mad dash to always prove that you are worthy of the position that you are in at work, or that you deserve to be someone's friends or that you get noticed by someone. Of course we must strive to be our best but realize that you were chosen for a reason and that there is always room for improvement and it's not a bad thing! 2 Peter 1:1-11 is an excellent passage about to grow in faith like that beautiful tree by the stream. God has given us everything we need for this life to be achievers through His knowledge and understanding. By this "He has given us very great and precious promises so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in this world because of evil desires." (vs. 4) We need to stop relying on our own knowledge and start digging deep into His. We need to stop stressing over the world's approval and seek His in our day to day life. We need to bear fruit and put on His characteristics. (vs.5-7,Galatians 5:22-23) These things will prevent us from being useless (vs.8). And these things will be joy and blessings to our lives. 
When we seek after these things and study His words day and night, it will slowly start block the stress and concerns. They will still keep coming but you will become stronger and better at tossing them up to God and walking on rather than breaking down. But you have to be enveloped in His truth continually and it just so happens that the very days I stray away from my time with Him, the frustration begins to be build until things begin to spill out. This is not the fruit we want to show people. We do not want to be "blind and shortsighted" (vs.9) We want to be the tree that is deeply rooted, getting life constantly from the stream(the Father) and that despite drought, scorching heat, or storms stands calmly and confidently with sweet evidence of God's greatness. That is what people will notice regardless of age and experience. Because if we strive to be what God wants us to be we will receive the greatest acceptance we could ever ask for. "For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you." (vs.11) We don't have to be a perfectionist for Christ. He has already paid the price because there is no way we could be perfect enough to deserve eternal life. We don't have to over-think is love for us. He simply does despite if we were born knowing how to automatically run a business or not. ;) We don't have to prove that we are good enough for Him by all that we do for our age. We will never be deserving but He died for us anyway.
Join me in trying to stress less and rest more in the Lord's truth. I want to get that joy back. Grow in knowledge and experience and don't take your age either young or old as a curse. Don't let doubts creep in and the devil speak lies to you. When ever those thoughts come in I have decided to make it a point to pray in those moments whatever I am doing. Do fight against the enemies attacks instead of giving in to them. Become the person who stands calmly no matter what chaos is going on in life. Know that you are not alone and also that there are always those in life that have much harder things to deal with. When you fail pick yourself back up, apologize to those around you and learn from your mistakes. It is not always going to be easy but commit to standing the test of time hand in hand with the Lord and be that tree flowing with life.

Tongues of Men vs. Loving in Action

Hi everyone,
So I was reading the other night and I was reading 1 John. I love this little book; it may be small but it packs a punch. ;) And I read one of those verse that you've read so many times only this time you have a complete light bulb moment. "Little children, we must not love in word of speech, but with truth and action." 1 John 3:18 (HCSB) You know when you watch a movie...it could be some sports movie or a war movie or some crisis moment and there is this person that delivers an amazing inspiring speech that just gives everybody the strength to carry on and succeed? Or this character who declares their undying love and loyalty to someone. Yeah so true confession...I've always wanted to be that person. I've wanted to be the one who boosts the moral of an entire group of people or the one to give a troubled friend just the perfect speech they needed to hear when they were struggling. I like to help and encourage people and many times I thought that giving them the "right" words was the best way to do it.
Once eensie weensie problem....I was not born with a silver tongue. Honestly, I can have the brain of a poet sometimes but somehow in translation it comes out as a bumbled jumbled mess. I have always sat back and watched those who always seem to have the just right words to say, the perfect line, the perfect wit, and felt "I better just keep my mouth shut". And the times when I didn't, I would often regret it because it seemed to come out so flat compared to what I hoped. I have viewed people with the gift of eloquence as the 1st choice as friends, for promotions in social circles and jobs and for leadership roles. All the while forgetting one important thing...that we all have different gifts and that simply is not my gift. (Romans 12:4-8) Is it wrong to have the gift of speaking?.. not at all! It is needed, but what I have noticed is society tends to glorify those who speak with power and grandeur. Pop culture glorifies speeches of characters who express their passion in flowery, poetic prose. Much weight is put onto how you can "talk" your way in or out of anything. You want a job, you have to tell the boss all the things he wants to hear so that you will get hired. Irregardless if they are true about yourself. If you want a particular someone to go out with you, you say whatever you think to flatter them so that they will fall for you. Even if they are really just a conquest or an another notch in your belt. It is very easy to fall into the selfish want of a eloquent speaker. Motives must be examined.
1 John 13:16-18 throws a whole new perspective into view. John puts it into the viewpoint of where the rubber meets the road. If you really want  to make a difference, to help people and show you care and love them, love them beyond words. Love them in action. Not always with a five minute speech filled with what you "think" they need to hear, but in doing. It is easy to get caught up in the "I have to come up with the right words to say" or "what to they need to hear right now to appease them?" mentality. Often times I've found, by the time you come up with what you think is the magical words, the opportunity for you to make a difference is already past. I think sometimes rather we should approach people with the "what can I do for them right now" or "how can I show them I care". Now this approach can be taken to the extreme and that does not mean that buying people things all the time or doing absolutely everything for them is the correct way. And words still need to be spoken but don't let your worry of not having the "perfect" words to say prevent you from letting someone know that you value them and that you understand them. I appreciate words of affirmation just as much as the next person, but what warms my heart most is when people do little things to show that they genuinely care. Anyone can throw words out there and then ditch when you need them the most. Be the person who has the ability to give a kind word but backs it up even more so with your actions. I personally love noticing little details about people. I try to remember things about them and either try to bring those up in conversation or in tangible ways that I can bless them. Find out what people like and talk about those things with them, but also find ways to "show" them that you know they care about those things. Make things that they appreciate, (food is always a good option ;), help them on a project, or simply be there for them to just talk to. I am continually learning that listening is an art form. Something that I have read that I am trying to keep in mind in my interactions with people is to not listen to people as they talk with the intention of replying, but rather listen with the intent to understand that person and what they are trying to say. I think we need to make it important to us to truly listen to people. We live in a day and age where most people don't have the time. You've got your problems and I've got mine and it easier to just look at our phones. But when you stop for a minute or sit down with someone and look them in the eye and truly "see" them, you are telling them that they are worth your time and effort. Talk about them and their passions, take an interest in them. You can put off talking about yourself or trying to "fix" their every life situation as if that was your duty. Sometimes all we can do is be a listening ear, offer our honest advice and pray for them. For me my goal is to be the person that is there for people when they need me. And if that means never having the inspiring word of the day that blows everybody out of the water then so be it because that is easily rooted in my own selfish pride anyway. I want to be content in the fact that they know, no matter what, they can come to me and feel safe to spill their heart and I will listen for as long as they need me to.
Jesus spoke many amazing words this we know, but He also backed them up with action. While He was speaking He was reaching out a hand to the young and old, the broken and hurting, the rich and the poor. Not everyone took that outstretched hand but nevertheless He proved He cared. Verse 17 in 1 John 3 says: "If anyone has this world's goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need--how can God's love reside in him?" We can talk on and on about how we just love and appreciate people until we are blue in the face but if we choose to overlook their needs and walk away then how are we showing true love? Love is sacrifice. Jesus proved that on the cross. It is about putting ourselves aside and uplifting someone else. It isn't about being noticed, heard and admired. It is about showing someone that their life is valuable and precious and not thinking more highly than you out to of yourself (Romans 12:3). Verse 16 "This is how we have come to know love; He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers." Now that is the picture of ultimate love. You want to show someone you truly care, put them first. "Lay down" things for them. I will use this in the figurative sense but also know that just as Christ physically did, literally laying down your life for someone is the most amazing act of love one could ever be called to do. Now many of us will not be called to do that but know that true loyalty is such a precious trait and it is worth pondering about as you never know what life could bring. Understand that words will fade, speeches will be forgotten, but the way you make people feel when they are around you...that can last a lifetime. Don't despair if you don't have a silver tongue. I feel as if I need to tell myself that every day. ;) But rather remember, many people in the bible did not and it was God's words speaking through them and their actions speaking for them. Just think of Moses and Paul. (Exodus 4:10, 1 Corinth. 2:3-5) Both men were not grand speakers by any means and yet God used them to do amazing things, because they were obedient to His call. God spoke through them and He used their weakness in the speech department to show His power and work to those around them. So don't be afraid to speak at all, just know that even if you stumble and fumble here and there, your effort can mean the world to people and it can cause them to wonder about the courage inside you. But don't forget to back it up with action. Simply being a kind face for someone to talk to or shoulder to lean on can be one of the loving gestures they have received in a long time and at times will speak louder than words ever could. Share Christ's love in you but show it as well. That can make all the difference. Come to think of it we are all beautiful speakers saved by God's grace. We just need to understand we can be speakers from the heart and the hands of service just as well. :)

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." 1 Corinthians 13:1 (ESV) 

The Time That is Given Us

Hi everyone,
I am back and ready for 2018. Only this year I am going in with a new focus. It is something that has laid heavy on my heart lately and for what it is worth I want to share it. Choose to take from what you will but please hear me out because this may be the single most important post I ever write.
As human beings we all have two things in common. A common ground that is not divided by race, sex, or religion. And that is two dates: our birth date and death date. Now the time in between can be varied, but inevitably if you are alive and breathing right now as you are reading this, then these two dates are the markers of your life. You have passed the beginning and you are living your life in the between, the "dash". And a dash it often seems like. We live in a world that is so fast paced and we have to have everything right now. There is accelerated transportation, accelerated learning, accelerated communication, heck we even got accelerated grocery shopping now. As children we can't wait to get into high school, start driving, graduation, then comes college, living on our own, graduating college, maybe traveling and then marriage, buying a home, having kids, retirement, traveling again and the list goes on and on until we reach the end. Or is some cases, some of us never reach all of those milestones. Somewhere along the way in our anticipation of what comes next, I think we often forget that our life has an expiration date. That we do not reach all these milestones simply because we "think" that is the way life is supposed to go. We lose people every day and somehow we think could never be touched. "I still have so much do with my life and all these plans I've made". "You have your whole life ahead of you", is the common praise I have heard from people. But really do we? Who is mortal man to say how much time you have left on the life clock? Now none of this is to tell people that they should be constantly worried about when they might die. I do not think death is something to feared. For those of us in Christ it is simply the beginning. Now that doesn't mean we go about recklessly with a death wish but that we simply know that we will be in a far better place than this old world when God says it is our time.
People die from life- long sicknesses and the bad choices they make in life and yet others who are completely heathy are not immune to sudden calamity. Accidents happen every day and suddenly the people who thought they had the whole world ahead of them no longer have that chance. Life is but a vapor, a candle that can be snuffed out in an instant.
Now with this in mind the important part...as if I hadn't touched on it already. But this is the part that I desperately ask you to take to heart. We have a decision to make every day that we wake up to another sunrise. How are we going to redeem the time that we have been given?
Are we going to wake up with a smile on our face because we are alive and breathing or grumbling because we have got to run the "rat race" another day?
Are we going to be happy that we have the capabilities we have when so many others cannot see the sunlight, cannot get out of bed in the morning, or cannot drive a car and go to work.
Are we going to be thankful for our health and strength when so many people go through a living hell of pain every day?
Are we going to be grateful that we have a family to visit with when so many have lost theirs?
Are we going to whine while we are sitting in traffic when there are hundreds of wrecks ever day where people don't survive?
Are we going to complain about our difficult co-workers when we have no idea what battles they may be fighting or the past they may have had?
Are we going to grumble in the check-out lane when we should grateful we even have a place to get food when there are starving people in the world?
Are we really going to complain about our lack of a complete wardrobe, fancy vehicle, latest tech gadgets, and the most beautiful home when so many don't have anything but the clothes on their backs and sleep under a park benches?
Are we really going to pick ourselves apart in the mirror when there are people lying in hospital beds who wouldn't even recognize themselves if they did?
How have we become so vain and conceited when we have so much? How many days of our lives do we spend wishing to be someone else or for what we don't have? We act like life is a curse that we just have to bear. The goal is just surviving. Or on the opposite end, the goal is to live it up and "have it our way", use and abuse people and care less about how it may affect them.

For me it is often frustrating to see people walking around in their own little world without care or regard to their fellow man. It doesn't matter if they hurt him, trample on him, or speak uncaringly to him, as long as they get what they want. And it aches my heart when I think of the times when I have brushed people off, when I have chose to look the other way, to tell myself that I was too busy, that it was not my duty. I have been so selfish at times. I get this picture in my head of standing before God and seeing off to the side all the people God put in my path that  I could have helped but chose not to. They stare at me with hopeless betrayed looks on their faces wondering why they weren't worth my time. It breaks my heart and motivates me to strive harder because I don't want that to happen. (Matt. 25:35-40)
Every life is valuable to God including ours and it is high time we start acting like it. (Psalm 139:13-16) Instead of tearing ourselves down and comparing ourselves to others, we need to make use of the gifts and talents He has given us. Stop micro-managing the face in the mirror. Stop trying to be like in the photo-shopped magazines. Stop getting hung up on the materialistic things. Those things aren't going with us when we die so why do we waste so much time on temporary talk pieces? Why do we stand in places and "show off" our accomplishments like the Pharisees (Matt. 23:5-7) when honestly we lose no sleep in our comfy beds over those suffering in the world. Why instead of our hearts breaking when we see people who have lost their way, we turn right around and just say they are getting what they had coming to them? I am not saying that we should feel guilty for what we do have but we have to realize if we are going to talk the talk we have got to walk the walk. If you need an example try the four Gospels about a man named Jesus.

I say it is time we put the phones down and truly see people, become healthier not so we can look sexy in the little black dress, but so we can use our bodies to the best of our abilities to help others, to love our spouses and families more passionately, to say I love you more often, to shut up and listen more, to turn the TV off and read a book, to learn more so we can in turn educate others, to take a walk in God's creation, to snuggle your fur-babies more(which I may be doing right now as I am writing this ;), to spend time with those we care about instead of throwing money at them, and to give every day the best we got.
Dream big, but put those dreams in God's hands; embrace who you are, but strive to be better and more godly. Sing in vehicle with the stereo blasting, dance in rain, taste fresh snow, enjoy the simplest things in life, laugh at yourself instead of being angry at silly mistakes, find out what your co-workers like and bless them, talk to those around you when you go out and find out what their passions are, compliment someone, mentor someone, let go of petty grudges and forgive because let's face it...no one is getting out alive.
We need to slow down and enjoy every moment. Every breath, every step in this life is a precious gift. And as long as we are breathing we have a chance to make things better. We have the ability to become a better person and to make things right. To turn a sour heart into a grateful one and a bitter word into a cheerful one. You gain nothing from shaking your fist at someone. Instead ask yourself if you have every made a bad choice or mistake? You get nowhere telling yourself that you are just not good enough for something or comparing yourself to someone else. You are miserable when you whine and complain about why you don't have the doting spouse with 2 kids and a house with a picket fence by now. Put yourself in someone else's shoes and take a good hard look. Do some souls searching and focus on how to adorn your character, not your body. (Gal. 5:22-24) Stand boldly for what is true and just and don't put so much weight in what other people think of you. They don't determine the purpose of your life.
And most importantly know your purpose in life and strive to help others do the same. I suggest you question your future; you don't have to fear that last date in your life. If you do then I ask that you turn to the One person who can change that for good. Trusting Christ as your personal Savior of your life and choosing where you will spend eternity is the single most important decision you will make in that "dash" between dates. (Rom. 5-8) Don't take it lightly. Your life will never be the same based off of that decision. Read the Bible and of God's great love for you. He wants you to live this life abundantly and with Him you can face anything with the hope, no matter how bleak things may seem. And whenever we get to the end of this life, death will only be a new beginning to an amazing eternity. Meanwhile we were given this life on earth for a reason and to waste it would be a shame. We never know when we will become nothing but a memory so I urge you, won't you give it everything you got and live for more than yourself? Will you make an impact and be beyond what this world expects? I am tired of wasting time on things that honestly don't matter are you? 2 dates how will you choose to live the in-between?

"So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 (ESV) 

Holiday Wishes!

Hi everyone!

With the holidays coming up, I don't think I am going to have a blog post for the next couple of weeks unless I end up having the time to actually sit down and write...maybe....but I know how that goes! :)

But I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who reads and supports my blog, it means so much to me that anyone would care about what I have say and actually continue to read it.

And personally it has been a blessing for me to just write what God lays on my heart and what I learn through my special furry crew. I hope it can be an encouragement to others or simply bring a laugh or two. ;)

It has been a great year and I can't wait to see what God has in store for the next! I hope and pray everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday season with their loved ones and friends. Cherish every moment, never take it for granted and hold onto the true meaning of the season.

Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Years from me, Brooklyn, Merrylegs, April, Sam, and Bella!

What is Christmas Truly About?

Hi everyone,
So I am figuring based off of the title everybody is guessing a pretty cliché post about the true meaning of Christmas and how we should celebrate. Well yes and no. I want to offer my perspective of this year's Christmas. I have always enjoyed Christmas time with all the music, good food, time with family, and traditions. There does seem to be a magic in the air around this time of the year that can be infectious. But I have been reminded this time around that their is also a darker side to the holidays. The stress of running to countless family gatherings, being with people you may not always see eye to eye with, having the pressure of cooking Christmas dinner for everyone, shopping for the perfect gift for everyone, and feeling like you have to complete this unspoken checklist of mandatory Christmas festivities. I have spoken to several people this year who can't seem to wait until the holidays are over. They just want all the stress to be over with and done until another year. Now in many ways I get that...speaking as a true procrastinator when it comes to gift planning, but this year I have been much more at ease and I want to tell you why and see if maybe this can encourage anyone out there today who is simply just worn out about the whole Christmas thing. I have been asking myself this year the age old question of what does Christmas truly mean to me? It is like Charlie Brown when he has reached the end of his rope and feels as if he can't do anything right for the holiday season and cries out for someone to tell him the true meaning of Christmas. And sweet little Linus takes center stage to proclaim the story of Christ's birth. It may be just a "kids" show but I tell you I tear up every time I watch that precious scene. Why? Because that means something to me. The day Christ was born was the day I received the best gift I could ever imagine. The hope and the way to my salvation. No material gift I could receive here on earth could ever compare to that. There is a reason why it is called CHRISTmas and why some people refuse to acknowledge it. We have tried to replace it with cheap imitations of things that may make us happy for a season but have no affect whatsoever on our souls or eternal happiness. Now I am not saying it is wrong to give and receive gifts but we need to think of the heart of the matter. Are we giving because it is an obligation or because we truly want to? It is just something we do or do we truly wish to bring a smile to someone's face or make their holiday a little brighter this year? And let me tell you not all gifts are material things. I believe some of the best gifts are the ones not in a touchable tangible form. To me Christmas is first and foremost about Jesus's birth but it is also the celebration of this with others. It is the time spent with family, the smiles, the laughter, the memories, and the stories. It is the joy of giving of our time and our hearts to those around us and to helping those less fortunate. Now this recognition brings me to another revelation I have received.
So many people don't appreciate the holidays because of the stress and pursuit of materialistic things but for many others the holidays reminds them of painful things. Past childhood memories that weren't so joyful, broken families, and loss of people dear to them. Everyone of us knows someone who has lost a loved one who they will not longer get to spend Christmas with or we ourselves have experienced this sorrow. And I have to say that the thought has humbled me especially this year and has made me think not just about Christmas but about the whole year entirely. I feel like most our days in this fast paced world, especially the holidays, are filled with the "let's get this over with mentality". I want to change that to a "let's cherish this" mentality. Now not everything will be perfect and rosy all the time but not to sound like a narcissist and simply be real, we aren't promised another holiday season. We aren't even promised tomorrow. And I for one don't want to spend my days stressing over the things that don't really matter. The things that cloud the chance to have a  precious conversation with a family member, laughter from the kitchen mishap, off key but heartfelt singing of Christmas carols, smiles and love of those around you. I want the magic of the Christmas season to last beyond December 25th. I want it to last all year. I want to cherish everyone and every moment I have been given on this earth and to celebrate the life I have received. The future I have been given by God on a glorious night in a stable. I want to give hope to those who have lost their joy for this season. I don't want my goodwill toward men to happen only around this time of the year. So many people out there are chasing all the wrong reasons for Christmas. They are trying to do Christmas instead of receiving Christmas for what it truly is: a time to celebrate the greatest moment in history. When real, lasting hope was born. Every day that hope needs to be reborn inside of us, 365 days of the year. It doesn't need to be about how well we did by the world's standards, but how we did with what God gave us. We all need to be a little Linus and proclaim without fear when all those around us are in desperate need of the real truth because you never know who is really hurting, especially this time of year. Enjoy your gifts, hot chocolate, decorating, and music but remember, what you can't replace is the time God has given you here on earth to share the good news, spend with family, friends and the impact you can leave on someone's life this holiday season. And that is what Christmas is about: the act of giving the gift of all the hope inside your soul, just as the precious Savior gave His all so that we may have life beyond this world. So let's spread the Christmas cheer not just in this month of December but all year around.

Got It All Together?

Hi everyone,
I am sure you have heard the phrase "He/She just has it all together" or "They've just got it all figured out".  It is used to describe someone who's life seems pretty great to the eye and they just seem to have everything mapped out and planned to a T. Life seems to go so smoothly for them or they appear to take it that way. Someone labeled me with this phrase recently and I took it has a compliment, gave it no more thought, and went about my day. But this week I have been pondering about it more. What made them think that?
Now, during church last week the pastor was talking about a subject that brought it all back. It may seem like I am getting of track but just stick with me. :)  Anyway, he was talking about how God gives us limitless grace no matter what we have done in our past. We have the ability to repent, be forgiven and come to know Him with a fresh new life. There is no divide that He can't cross. Now we as Christians have a tendency to "limit" that grace. We have set up all these traditions and regulations that cloud the true path to God. Instead of Christ being enough we add on all these hoops that you have to jump through to be the "perfect" believer or the "perfect" Christian. It can be manifested in so many ways but we begin to pick and choose our own qualities of a qualified Christian. Often these qualities have a tendency to be related to what we think we are doing good at. We go to church every Sunday, we never doing any work on Sunday, we tithe such and such amount, we pray and read our Bible 10 times a day, or we never ever smoke, or drink, or cuss, have done anything remotely "bad". Let me tell you....we aren't fooling God. These things don't make us Christians. On the surface some people may think we got it going on, but inside we are really just broken, weak, and sinful-natured people who need a Savior to forgive us.  So confession time...for people who think I got all my ducks in a row. I'm great at hiding. I am great at holding everything in so it looks okay. Partial that is because I don't want to bother people with my struggles, I mean everybody has got their own problems right? But the other reason is because I don't want people to see the weak mess that I can be. I want people to think I've got it all under control. No, I'm the girl who lets perfectionism rule her life at times(I mean who loves making mistakes right?), who acts like she's this tough spirit sometimes when ultimately she has spent her fair share of nights crying because she feels lonely, or inadequate, or angry because I didn't say the right things or because I feel like I am too sensitive. The girl who doubts herself and can be her own worst critic. I'm also secretly the girl who from time to time wants to have "her moment" to shine, to hog the attention, to not have to be the kind and sweet Kayleigh all the time because let's face sometimes a lot of people hate you for it and think that you are just pushover spineless baby. Not to mention being kind can hurt at times when people step on your heart and don't appreciate it. And of course this wouldn't have to do with being selfish ever would it? I am not strong at all on my own. I can be a train that comes off the track at times. I have made future plans for myself and wallowed in disappointment when there is a lot of people out there who don't have the ability or chance to have the life I have right now.  I don't have it all together and I sure don't have it all figured out. I do not deserve that title. I have told people things and gave advice on things that I have failed at myself. I have been a hypocrite before...we all have. The truth is we all have our messes and it doesn't matter how "bad" they are. Obviously some things are worse than others and we're not going to into heinous crimes and such but in God's eyes the playing field is the same. For we " all have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Romans 3:23 (ESV) We all have sin in our hearts. Not a single one of us is more deserving of God's forgiveness and mercy than the other. We all have our battles we deal with every day. Our weak spots that the devil digs at. So instead of putting those around us down because they do "this" or thinking that somehow we are so much "better" than them and therefore more deserving of God's love, we should be understanding of their struggle and and strive to help them. We need to be  more open and not act like we're "OK" all the time. We need to be real. Also we need to be careful about those we hold in regard. Not that it is bad to have role models, but watch the fine line between that and idolizing someone. Christ should be our true role model.
Now I have to tell you what helps me is to recognize, admit and face your struggles instead of sweeping them under the rug or throwing distracting decorations over them. We want to see the real Christmas tree even if it's a little shabby and uneven. (It's close enough to have a Christmas analogy right? ;) Admit that your areas of weakness and don't be afraid to ask those you trust to help pray for you and those struggles. You don't have to go into to extreme detail if you don't want. But we have to stop pasting on the smile and acting like we are these picture perfect Christians. I think that this is one of the biggest struggles of the modern church today. We are so caught up with looking and sounding the part and we have added all these requirements in addition to Christ that we in a sense play God Himself. We are unconsciously telling people they will never be deserving enough to be a part of His family when the truth is not a single one of us is. That is what grace is about, saving those who have no way of earning it on our own. Granted our lives need to change for the better when when we choose to live for Christ and there has to be fruit, but we are never going to be perfect and we all  will still have our battles to face. But if we face them together and with God's help we will overcome. (Matt. 18:20) So I do not have it all figured out and honestly there are things I am sure I never will. I wake up every day with a challenge I must face, a selfish desire I must die to, choices to make that sometimes I mess up on. Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose, but I have to strive to be better each day. And this is why I keep writing for this blog and how it as grown in different directions that I first imagined. I'm not writing to put myself on some pedestal or to get tons of views, but to share the real life struggles I face in hopes that it can help someone else, so they won't make the same mistakes and to know they're not alone. So here is the line to describe me: I am a messed up sinner saved by God's grace, working to be the best I can be for His Kingdom and my hope is through that I can show others, anything good that comes from me is Christ. So how about we put down the facade, be real with people, stretch out a hand, and be people who "figure it out" together with a loving Father who wants to guide us every step of the way.