Quick Devotional Thoughts: Deuteronomy 31:8

      This is definitely one of my favorite verses! What a beautiful picture of what it looks like to trust Jesus with our lives. God is Faithful. I can wholly and completely put my trust in Him no matter how bad things may be because I know if I just hold on to His hand and not let go...then I am completely safe in His will.
   
     New levels in my walk with God can be scary to enter into but also can be so exciting knowing that He loves me enough to care and bring me deeper in my relationship with Him.

       Putting Him first in every area guarantees I'll stay on track of where He wants me. Making Him the very CENTER of my life because He knows what's best for me and what He has in store for me to do. I will always be in HIS WILL for my life IF I continue to seek Him FIRST in everything big and small.

      IF... we whole heartedly, follow Jesus with our lives and seek out HIS PLAN for our lives... then NOTHING can stand in our way. Trials will come BUT they won't destroy us. People will try to stand in our way BUT they will move. The Enemy will try his best to stop us BUT we will prevail … All Because of Jesus. Don't do life on your own sweet friends, let Jesus lead you every step of the way.


Questions:

1. Do I really believe that God has a specific purpose and plan for my life? Why or Why Not?
2. Am I willing to place my complete trust in Him and His plan for my life... no matter the obstacles I might face and sacrifices He might ask me to make?
3. What areas of my life do I need to give completely over to Him that I have held back?
4. What is God asking me to sacrifice right now in order to be obedient to Him?
5. What is the best thing about knowing that God has a purpose for me?

Simply Destined to Be....

       Hey there sweet friends, ever find yourself sitting and wondering just what exactly that "plan and purpose" that God has for your life is and whether or not you are "in it" yet or not? Yeah... me too. Often actually. Sometimes I take a look at my life and think...wow I could totally be doing so much more with my life right now, I have this talent and that gifting, ect. So why am I sitting here not doing those things? Is that really what God wants from me or am I just totally missing it?

      I have found over many years, including this one... that these are normal and good questions to ask ourselves, Only IF we are looking to God for the answers. What I have learned over the years is that God's PLAN for our lives is a whole lot simpler than we make it out to be. His plan consists of ONE thing really...How we Love HIM. Plain and Simple. The truth is that God does give us gifts and talents and opportunities in life but none of that matters if those gifts, talents, and opportunities are not serving Him.
      This concept is so incredibly simple, mainly because God practically spells it out for us over and over again in His Word, but it continues to amaze me how many Christians don't get it. So many Christians are out chasing "their dreams" and thanking God for opening doors for them that frankly...He would never open. WHAAAAAT????? Yeah, I said it, and with all confidence, Because... God does not now or ever, call us to do something that goes against what He calls us to do and be in His Word. EVER.
     God does not call you to sin...in order to reach the sinner.     

       The thing we seem to miss most of the time is that the BIGGEST part of God's plan for our lives...is that we really KNOW Him. This isn't a "over the years" process but a daily one. That's His plan for our lives, that we follow Him daily as He guides our steps, as we take hold of His hand and we don't let go for the rest of our lives. So many times, we discover a gifting that God has given us and then we just run with it, allowing everyone else around us to determine what our next steps are instead of seeking the One who gifted us in the first place. One of the hardest lessons that I have learned has been that: yes I'm talented and I can do a whole lot of things. I can fill a need in the church I'm attending because I have the skill set to do that, yes I can be a part of this ministry or that ministry because I know how to do those things required and I am gifted in those areas. Yes I can do this or that with my life because I could be really good at it and succesful. BUT... just because I can, doesn't mean I should. Just because I'm gifted in a particular area, does not mean I should be involved in that ministry. Just because I am capable to fill a need... does not mean that it is my job to fill that need.

        We have to stop playing God with our lives and instead live in submission to His Will and His Plan for our lives. The biggest lesson in this for me has been... God doesn't always call us to do things, but He always calls us to Be His Completely. I have had so many tear filled conversations with God over being frustrated and torn in ministry. Frustrated because I know I could be used in ministry in so many ways, and torn because I understand the damage of a double standard and the downfall of linking arms with people in ministry that do not take their relationship with God or their witness seriously. Even through the tears and the frustration of choosing to distance myself from dangerous people in ministry at the cost of not being a part of a church family... God has unmistakenly reminded me, that it is so much more important for me to be faithful to Him than faithful to my giftings.

       The more I love God...the less I like "church". And you know what?....... that's okay. We are living in the end times, in moral decline, it's a mess and unfortunately, churches all over are becoming more and more like the world. It's in the Bible so it's really no suprise. It's still hard to not belong to a "church family" but I belong to the real "Body of Christ" and that is a beautiful thing. And... I have a hope and an excitement to see the real church rise up...that's in the Bible too and I believe it's coming soon!

       We must be careful friends, how we live out our lives. Not every opportunity is meant for you. Not every door that opens to your dream, has Jesus on the other side of the door holding it open. Satan knows your dreams too, he also knows what you're good at. The difference is knowing if it's God calling the shots in your life, or Satan. THIS IS WHY we have to "get it" folks... if our goal in life is to live daily to please God and know Him well, then it's going to be impossible to get off track isn't it? God knew what He was doing when He laid out His plan for our lives... "seek ME and find ME...for I KNOW the plans I have for YOU." Right??? Only He knows what we were created to do and when we are supposed to do it. Don't get caught up in the doing sweet friends...get consumed with the Being... Be His good and faithful servant. Be His Child. Plain and Simple.

Summer Goals: Pinterest Themed Project #2

So this took a while to post BUT I decided to give it to my wonderful momma, and I didn't want to risk her seeing it here first! One of my favorite things to use in my crafting is old barn wood. I definitely tend to like the "rustic flare" more than anything.

Sometimes the beauty in an object comes in a chipped corner, weathered wood, and uneven pieces. I love that there is beauty in the broken things, in the imperfections, hidden in the things that most people would just discard as junk and throw away.

So I took this sad piece of wood, slapped on some white paint, used dark grey for the lettering, an old glass jar wrapped in burlap and jute. A hook on the back so she can hang it up....And yes, those are very fake flowers but it's for the pic only, mom gets to put real flowers of her choice in there!

All in all, this turned out pretty cute! I might have to make some more. This is the first one of these I have made believe it or not... I always see them but always end up doing other things, so CHECK it off my list!!! Fun Pinterest themed project for me. If you're looking for something fun and super easy to do...I highly recommend one of these.  

happy momma...the best part! 

Summer Goals: My Pinterest Challenge #1

Okay so I've decided I need some motivation in the "get stuff done and be more creative" parts of my brain. In order to do this I have decided to do something totally fun and inspiring.

      I am a little bit of a Pinterest junkie and of course I have pinned TONS of amazing things, like ya do, to my "someday i really think i'm going to do this stuff" boards...right? But when I peruse all the amazing stuff on my boards, i realize that those are only dreams and i have done very few things from my Pinterest page.

       SO..... that's about to change! I am challenging myself to a weekly Pinterest Challenge where i do ATLEAST ONE thing off of my Pinterest Page. :) It can be anything, from nifty household tricks, designs, gardening, food, craft projects....of course they probably won't be an exact replica cuz i like to be different BUT it will most definitely be Pinterest Inspired!

I'm excited because I think this will be super fun and oh the feeling of accomplishment i will get...I LOVE that feeling!  And feel free my fellow PINTERESTERS>>>>> to join in the challenge! you are more than welcome to let me know how you are doing if you choose to participate and feel free to post your own pinterest projects in the comments! I'd love to see what you are accomplishing too! :)

So for WEEK #1 : Behold my boring bread box...transformed into country cuteness! Totally keeping this baby. Super fun! well one down....500 thousand (a little exaggeration) more to go! wish me luck!!

Once upon a time....What's YOUR Story?

      So...what's your story? The amazing thing about being alive is the fact that we each have our own story. I think that is awesome. Different experiences, different people, different perspectives, different chances, different trials, different victories, and the list goes on.... Sometimes we get so focused on just parts of our stories don't we? Sometimes we focus too much on our pasts, the hurts that we've been through, the good times we used to share with the people we love, people that have come in and out of our lives that we wish were still present. Sometimes we focus too much on the future...what we will become, life goals, work goals, finally reaching our dreams. If you're like me, I often get caught up focusing on the present day, what is happening now and I don't reflect as much on the past or the future as I maybe should. All of these past, present, and future...tell our story. All are equally important in knowing who we are, how far we have come, and where we are going.

    Life is huge. So many possibilities and directions one can choose to go. No wonder life gets overwhelming at times. Our choices shape our lives and that's a pretty big deal. If we all took that fact a little bit more seriously, we'd probably all make some different choices wouldn't we. Live and learn I guess. Too bad we're not born wise right? If I could go back...there would definitely be some things I would do differently... Like I wouldn't have watched the movie JAWS because to this day... i still jump at shadows in my pool. I wouldn't have bought into the perfect body image garbage when I was a teenager which led to an eating disorder in my early 20's. I would have treated a few people more tenderly than I did. I would have been bolder with a few people as well. Annnd I would definitely started using face moisturizer WAY before now. These are just a few of the things that I would love to go back and change. But I can't. And that's okay too... because I am a better person now than I was then. Stronger. Wiser. Kinder. Bolder. And I love that about life too... we have a chance to BECOME BETTER than we were yesterday.

   My source of strength to face life head on since I was very young has always come from my Savior. Who I am, I am because of Jesus. Life happened and is happening and will happen.... but He is what makes my life beautiful. The mistakes, the pain, the hurtful life circumstances... he's turned the ashes into beauty. All the good things in me...the things I have been able to experience, the good things I have been able to do, the lives I have been able to impact for good...have all come from Him working in my life.
     One thing I have realized so far about life... my story is just a story... just one little person's life experience in this big huge world. But only God can take my little life story...and make it something completely amazing and meaningful. Some people might disagree with me on this, that you need God to make your life meaningful. But it's true. Without God... you live, you die, and some people might remember you for a while..but then they die and no one is really impacted by your life. BUT with God as the center of your life...you share Him with the people around you. His Truth never returns void. People might not remember my name but for every person that I share Jesus and His Truth with... that will go on and on and on... that legacy never dies.

   Your story needs to be shared. No matter what it contains. Your story is Powerful. So many times, Christians believe they don't have a testimony to share because they have never really done anything terrible so they don't feel as though they can relate to people who need to hear about Jesus. The Truth is... people don't really NEED YOUR story... they need JESUS. Give them TRUTH. You do not have to walk a mile in someone's shoes in order to introduce them to Jesus who CAN set them free from whatever it is that binds them. Your story is powerful...BECAUSE JESUS IS IN IT. So don't be afraid to share what you know about living for Jesus. Your story IS enough to share the truth locked inside of it.

    Another fun nugget of Truth... God meets us wherever we are, He is constantly ready to bring us closer to Him and who He's called us to be. Even as I write this blog, I've been reflecting on some things on my past and dreams for my future, I have been given some revelations about God's grace in
my life and as a few tears have fallen just now... I am growing right here, in this moment. How amazing is that? I love life with Jesus... no one may ever know all the details of my story...but I can tell you, thanks to Jesus...it really is beautiful.

Love your story sweet friends.... Let Jesus hold the pen.
                                  Bless ya! -darby

     

Ohhhh.....The Glory of LOVE....

Tis the season of chocolates and flowers, of mushy cards and stuffed animals, of fancy date nights with candle light dinners...

And I've been home sick all week with all things not yummy while sporting my zombie look.

This has not been fun and yet I have been so blessed.

My sweet husband who has also been sick this week, in fact, is also the one who gave me this germ bug, has not only been working hard all week         (i really can't believe the strength of this man... we are sick with the same thing and I literally sat in the chair all day with one shoe on, my mouth hanging open, and my eyes half closed...but he manages to go to work...amazing.) but He came home every night and took care of me, did extra chores around the house and didn't complain about the things that I clearly wasn't taking care of. I have felt very honored and blessed to have a husband that has loved me, definitely in my ugly times this week. 

And despite our plans to "go out for a fancy dinner on Valentine's Day", he walks in today with steaks that He bought because He knows that neither of us are probably going to want to go out this week. Good call. 

It's been nice this week, although feeling completely miserable, just being together with my husband and taking care of each other. Watching movies together, even though the funny movies would cause us to laugh which was painful and funny since neither of us have had voices much of this week, and laughing would lead to coughing so i'm sure we were quite a sad but funny sight to see. (thankfully no one could ;) ) 

I also am feeling so incredibly loved by the simple fact that even though I am an adult (for quite a while now...) and even though I am completely capable of doing life on my own, I am so incredibly blessed to have parents that are still very present in my life. My momma who has always been the voice of common sense in my life, the one who I always want the reassurance from that I'm doing the right thing, has made sure to make contact with me everyday to make sure i'm not dead from this cold. And I LOVE that. She still tells me how much water I need to be drinking and what cold medicine to take. I love my momma and everything that she STILL does for this grown up daughter of hers. 

And my Dad, who stopped by and dropped off oranges and chicken noodle soup just because He knew I was sick. It's that kind of stuff that makes a girl feel loved by her family. The little things, oranges and chicken noodle soup. I could see the look in my dad's face as he was looking at this pitiful sad zombie knowing that there wasn't anything that he could do to make me feel better and I could tell as his little girl, that he very much wanted to make me better. And he did. Oranges and Chicken noodle soup. What a blessing to have parents that love me so much!

And my Sister...what a blessing this woman is in my life. I love the fact that we have really always had the opportunity to "do life" together. I LOVE that I have a sister who is literally ALWAYS there for me. I cannot think of ONE time that she hasn't been. I need to be more like my sister in this form of sacrificial love and dependability. I LOVE the fact that we do ministry together and when I am sick, I can always count on her to carry on. I am so blessed and so thankful that I have such a close and sweet friendship with my sister. 

So even though it's the month of mushy cards and romantic sentiments...I am basking in the simple fact that I am LOVED. I encourage you sweet friends to not ever take for granted the people in your life that God has placed there just for you. It is no mistake, the people who step into our lives, maybe for a moment, maybe for a lifetime...love them. Sacrifice for them. Take care of them. Be there for them. Without love we are nothing, we have nothing. Love them Well. 

.....now, this zombie, is taking some more cold medicine and going to bed! 

It was a Pedicure, IPSY Bag Kind of Day!

These are not my feet ;)

So this week has been rather...overwhelming, confusing, trying, stressful kind of week. You know how sometimes in life we have those days where we feel like if we touch it, it will break? I have definitely had a few days like that lately, it seems like no matter what we do, life throws us a curve ball and it just makes ya tired.  

          Now, I know full well that life is hard. We live in a world with problems. With bills we have to pay, and decisions we have to make, and people we have to deal with, and personal struggles we have to face and it is hard. Weeks like this make me long for Heaven all the more! Weeks like this also push me into harder conversations with my God. I have asked God alot of questions this week about what we (my husband and I ) are supposed to do in a few situations, what I need to be doing in a couple situations, why I am struggling in a certain area...and He and I are working on these things together. 

         It's really easy in times of trial or temptation...to run away from God. To try to hide our decisions and imperfections from him, just like Adam and Eve were DUMB and hid from Him, we do the same DUMB thing. BUT...I determined in my heart a long time ago that instead of running from Him in times of trial or temptation, I MAKE myself run TO Him. And it really has changed my life and my relationship with Him. By intentionally running to Him in the middle of my issue, It keeps Him in the center of my problem, then my problem isn't a problem for very long! He gives me perspective and guidance through it. When I am tempted by something, I instantly start talking to God about it, how I'm feeling, the struggle, the questions and this helps me to not indulge the temptation and sin. He already knows everything so I might as well bring Him in the middle of it and be aware that He is right there with me in that temptation and because of His strength I can strive for holiness and overcome it!

       Living in this world can be hard. We see the chaos and pain all around us. We can see the hate and the evil that is destroying people all around us. We can see hopelessness and sorrow. And this can be very discouraging. Even though it is absolutely OKAY to be saddened by the emptiness of the world around us because, it is sad but...we still have a HOPE. God tells us to not grow weary in doing good. And THAT is the GOD that we serve... He is a God, that even though there may be darkness and sadness all around us, and things may be going on in our lives that are hard, He gives us HOPE.  

      We don't need to walk around defeated no matter what our circumstances are. I have had a very hard week, but as I have drawn in to my Lord and talked with Him about everything, I may still feel the weight of my issues, but I have JOY despite my issues. This kind of PEACE can ONLY come from God. This kind of HOPE can only come from God. And this kind of JOY is only found in Jesus. 

       I had felt overwhelmed this week by all the crazy, but today I went for a much needed pedicure with some ladies from our Women's Group, and as I was being totally pampered by the pedi people, I just closed my eyes and had a great conversation with my God and was completely overwhelmed by the freshness of the Holy Spirit. How He renews us and gives us life in the midst of this dark world. 

      I thank God that He loves us so much that we do not have to grow weary in doing good. That we can be the light that shines brightly in the darkness, leading others to a God who offers an everlasting HOPE. How amazing is that?

       And to top off my day, I get home and find a brand new IPSY bag in the mail full of goodies for me. So all in all...it's been a GOOD DAY! :)

      IPSY BAG OF GOODIES   :)

Sometimes We Just Have to Give Up...

 

    I hate to have to give up. I don't want to give up, I want to win. I don't like to give things up. I like things. I like having things. Things are fun. I don't like giving up time. Time is precious. I have stuff to do. I don't like to give up calories. Calories are yummy. Calories are always hanging out in the food I love most. I don't like to give me up. I like me. I'm awesome.

     But...I have learned some things since I've been alive; We Can't Always Have What We Want!  My first lesson in this that I can remember was when I was like 2 and my sister was like 24 and I very cutely asked her play tug of war with my rubber bunny. I said in my cute little 2 year old voice "Here DB, (Debbie is her name) pull on dis and say mine"..and her being the awesome and naive big sister.. she did as I asked, she grabs a hold of it and says," Hey you give me that it's mine!" At that moment I did what any brilliant 2 year old would do..I ran into the kitchen crying to my concerned mother and said "Mommy, DB tookted my toy!" My mom came in and of course scolded my much older sister for tormenting me. My sister of course couldn't defend herself, I mean, what was she gonna do, point at the 2 year old and say "But SHE started it"? No, my brilliant plan had worked, nothing could stop me so what did I do? I did what any kid genius who just got away with the crime of the century would do..I looked at my sister, held out the bunny and said "Here DB, do it again, pull on dis an say mine". Of course I didn't realize that my mother had heard my little remark and peeked back around the corner at my sister and shook her head yes. So you can imagine what happened... I got a spankin' but much more than that I received a lesson: Things do not always go my way...no matter how cute I am. .)
     Let's fast forward a few years (because that's really the only naughty thing I did in my toddler years...haha ok ok whatever) I went to a little country school. I loved school. School was fun. I was a nice kid, most kids liked me (we all have those few people that don't..that's another life lesson right?) anyway, everything was going great in my little 3rd grade world until this little girl came to school with head lice. Yep head lice..oh what a PLAGUE that was back then. And the other kids all treated her that way. It wasn't just a one time occurrence either. I would watch this little girl be by herself at recess, I'd hear what the kids would whisper in her direction and my little girl heart would hurt for her. I knew Jesus and I would talk to Him all the time. I remember knowing what God wanted me to do...I was suppose to be her friend. So I was. For a while I was her only friend, and yes my friends started staying away from me too, but I didn't care because I knew I was doing what was right and I felt GOOD. Did I get head lice?...YOU BET! And you know what? I knew I would the minute I wrapped my arms around that little girl and told her I was her friend. And bless my mom and sister who took the HOURS to comb out every strand of long thick hair on my head. And how blessed I was to have a mom that didn't get angry because I could have avoided it but encouraged me to be kind and loving no matter what because she believed in the little girl that I was. In this I received a lesson: Sometimes we will lose friends when we choose to do what's right and ONE simple act of kindness can impact someone's life for Jesus. 
     Moving on up to High School: I went to Christian School for several years through 9th grade and I absolutely LOVED it. It was such a blessing and helped me build a firm foundation of faith and understanding. I went to a public high school in a small town and.. oh the testing of my faith began. I loved God with all my heart and needless to say...I did not "fit in". I was okay with that. To me, I had developed a love for God so strong that NOTHING was worth messing that up. I pressed on through ..to be frank, a lot of JUNK.  I loved learning, I was an A student until I attended a class where the TEACHER would tell me to cheat off someones paper if I didn't know how to do the problem. Regardless, I refused and that was the end of that. I was okay with that. My integrity was worth more.
      One class in particular, I LOVED the class itself because it was right up my ally, but the things that would go on in the classroom were not.  But the moment that God did something in my life that changed my level of boldness for the rest of my life was this:  One day I had really just had enough of all the garbage. I had been praying and praying because I was slowly losing my love for school, I felt like I wasn't making a difference because I wasn't willing to jump in and "Be" like everyone else. I was discouraged. On this day, we all had to give a presentation in class, it was a big deal. I was listening to one of the guys practicing his presentation and there it was...completely inappropriate and vulgar full of picture illustrations and I was done! I left, refused to go to class and sit through it, knowing that it wouldn't get stopped because that stuff happened all the time in class. I knew that day would be no different. Needless to say the school called and my mother told them why I was not there. I always had great support from my parents. The school apologized and apparently the teacher got in trouble. I can't remember the details but I remember the snide remarks from the older students that I got when I came back. Obviously I hit a nerve. Strangely enough, I didn't care (not in a rude way but in an incredible peace that flooded my soul).  But it was at the moment when this teacher asked to speak with me in the other room...started out with an apology which I appreciated, but then turned into a what was wrong with me kind of monologue...and then when she was finished...I opened my mouth, and what started coming out was some of the most powerful statements I had ever heard. The Holy Spirit was taking control and guiding my mouth. It was respectful yet boldly full of truth. I believe truth beyond my years, and as I was talking I watched this teacher slowly start sinking in her chair right in front of me silenced and possibly in shock and unable to prove me wrong. The Pivotal Lesson that I learned: Sometimes we will have to give up traveling buddies and walk this road alone. Sometimes we have to give up the notion that people may call themselves Christians but saying it and meaning it are two different things. Be Bold in the TRUTH. Stand FIRM. God is my DEFENDER. HE will NEVER Leave me or Forsake me.

    I could go on with this blog with lots more life lessons, but this blog would start going into next week and I doubt anyone has that much time to read my ramblings. So I'll cut it short. Put it in a yummy nutshell...

    Life is about giving up: Giving up pride, giving up anger, giving up selfishness, giving up jealousy, giving up fear, giving up regret, giving up friends, giving up habits, giving up lies, giving up failure...We HAVE to give it up. The road is long, the road is hard and we often walk it with a backpack full of burdens. God loves us. He loves us and He promises if we hold his hand on our journey and we step where He wants us to step that we will NEVER be alone.  I love a lot of things, but I am striving in my relationship with God to not love ANY of those things (emotional, physical, spiritual) more than I love Him. I've had to give up a lot...still am, but as I look back at everything that I have had to give up...I have GAINED SO MUCH in it's place. God rewards those who seek Him. He sees the sacrifice. He said we all have to "take up our cross".. cross not a pillow, big difference...and follow Him. There is NOTHING that we have to go through that He doesn't fully understand, and there is NOTHING that we have to go through that compares to Him dying on the cross.
      Don't be afraid to GIVE UP in this life. I think there are things DAILY that I have the opportunity to give up for a better relationship and life with God. I hope you're with me, I think this is a great journey to be on! :)
      

Monster Slippers

So, I'm in my 30's and....well I'll admit, I still have some...well I like to call them my "fun things"...and my husband usually just calls them.."weird"...things in my life. But I enjoy them, they make me feel awesome, and hey...I gotta be me...right?
      It amazes me when I look around at the absolute creativity that is represented in every single individual in this world...how awesome is that? Isn't it kind of mind blowing to realize that that much creativity exists? And NO ONE is absolutely the same in their creativity....we all are unique. And the most amazing thing about this is...it all came from the same CREATOR. So how much more awesome is HE?  
    I will spend a LIFETIME getting to know the creativity and personality of my God. And I am SO looking forward to it. Every time I spend time with Jesus, I learn so much more about who He is. The more I study His Word, the more I understand His heart. And it is beautiful.
    I love the fact that God made me. Just the simple fact that He "knit me together in my mother's womb"....the fact that before I was born, He had a plan for my life. He's not "winging it" with me....He knows what He created me to do and to be. It's my job to never let go of His hand and walk with Him down the path that He has laid out before me. And with all of this absolutely amazing mind blowing creativity that He has....why would I ever want to go off on my own? How boring would that be?
    I also love the fact that even though God poured out His creativity in all of us and made us all very unique individuals, He still has standards and guidelines as to what He expects out of His children. He still has a mold for each one of us to fit into and it is the mold that He created us for. It's Perfect, it's beautiful, and it's ours.  
    I hear all the time how "there are no cookie cutter Christians", and "no one can judge anyone else because we're all different", and "I just have to be free to be me"...but I'm thinking...aren't we kinda missing the point? I think we get so caught up in making sure we're not being judged (which honestly I think only the people who are feeling guilty over something are usually the ones screaming this the loudest, people who are confident in their relationship with Christ really aren't worried..) Or caught up in not being able to do the things we want to do because we have talent or desire...but the TRUTH is...it's really not about us. It's about God and His plan for us. 
     If we would just stop trying to have control over everything and ask Him to mold us and make us into what He created us to be, and then be willing to be the clay in His hands, knowing that whatever this Amazing God has in store for us is far better than anything I could dream up, then wouldn't life just be that much more amazing and fulfilling? 
    God has a plan. For you. For me. A much BETTER plan than you or me. I think real freedom to "just be me"...actually comes when I completely surrender all my creativity...to my Creator and allow Him to use me as He chooses. That's when I am at my best in my talents because I am using those talents and creativity to honor Him. It's not about me...It's about Him. And I am far more awesome in my creativity when He's the one directing it. There is FREEDOM in walking in your potential and purpose. Because by allowing God to show you who you really are, you never have to second guess what you're doing...because you know. You are more confident in yourself because you know that you are doing exactly what God has called you to do and you don't need the approval of anyone else but Him. Everyone else's approval is just icing on the cake but it's not a necessity for you to be happy with who you are. 

   It means that I can love myself because I know that God loves me and is leading me and guiding me to reach my purpose. And all the other "fun things" in my life...are wonderful expressions of the creative unique loved person that I am...I am a confident, intelligent, strong woman of God....walking around in my pink monster slippers. :)

I am NOT a MESS!

   

I am amazed at the "spiritual" concepts that we come up with sometimes. I don't know how many times I have heard people say including from our pulpits..."God loves your mess" or "If you're not a mess, then God can't be glorified"....says who? That's not in the Bible...in fact, it's the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what God says. God loves us no matter what..YES. But He does not love our "mess". 
   When we mention that we are a "mess" we aren't talking about our personalities, or a funny quirk we may have...we are talking about the things in our lives that aren't what they should be...we are talking about the "sin" no matter how mild we want to make it. Anything less than pleasing to God needs to go. 
   God desires for us to be holy. To be spotless and blameless. Without sin. Are we human? Yes. Are any of us perfect? No. But that's where God's grace comes in...grace(the transformational power of God given to the BELIEVER to overcome sin and become more like Christ). God is not okay with our "MESS". He HATES sin. We've really fluffed up some concepts in our Christianity to make us all feel "comfortable in our sin." God does not want us to stumble and fall... He wants us to "aim for perfection" to "be holy as I am holy". 
   God's love for us is most definitely unconditional...but His acceptance of us is not. He clearly defines what is acceptable to Him. Jesus did not suffer a brutal death on a cross so that you and I are free to do whatever we want. He suffered and died so that we could be free. But the free He is talking about is found as we draw closer to Him, only then are those freedoms revealed to us. We like to think that God just wants us to be happy. God's goal in our lives isn't really about our happiness, it's about holiness.
    We like to take it that we are free from the consequences of our actions because He died on the cross for us, and whenever we do sin He just looks at us with a smile and says, oh well, they're just a work in progress....God IS LOVE...But GOD is also HOLY.   What we experience when we as Christians sin...is His MERCY. His mercy for not striking us dead on the spot...His mercy for allowing us more time to repent and ask His forgiveness before we stand before Him in judgement.  "Saved by Grace" yes...that's what will save us, because God's grace is what will transform us into righteousness and holiness. spotless and blameless. That is what is acceptable before a holy God. God is really not glorified in our mess, sure when we repent out of that mess and transform He is glorified. BUT God is much more glorified with righteous living than with our "messes". 
    God wants our obedience. God wants us to be serious about Him. He was pretty serious about us when He went to the cross. Not so that we can be so flippant in our walk with Him, but so that we can live how He created us to live. Our SOLE purpose, no matter what we do, is to completely worship Him.  This style of living is not easy. That's why Jesus says only a few will make it to Heaven.  But it does get easier as Jesus becomes the most important thing in your life. 
     There is AMAZING freedom in Christ. It's indescribable until you've experienced it for yourself. I encourage anyone who reads this to really stop and think about these things, dig into scripture and pull these things out. There are a TON of scriptures to back what I'm saying up...I'm not giving them to you because if you are capable of reading this blog, then you are more than capable of picking up your Bible. They're in there. Pretty much the entire New Testament will back this theory up, but if you want to start with just a few books read: 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, James, and 1 and 2 Peter. Ask God for wisdom and understanding as you search these things out...and He will give them to you if you are earnestly seeking Him.  I am by no means perfect...but I can honestly say with a sincere smile that...I am NOT a mess! :) So you and me...let's aim high shall we? :)

I am a Product of Grace

                                    God's grace. I asked Jesus into my heart at the very early age of 3 years old. I remember it like it was yesterday. I KNEW that He loved me, I understood He died for me, and I completely got it that He created me for a purpose. I have grown closer to Him ever since. Sure I've had ups and downs and times when I may have wandered a bit but I have always kept Him close. 
      I love Him...with all of my heart. He is my center. And I am continuing to learn what it is that pleases Him. My biggest fear in life....is not reaching my full potential of who God created me to be. I am a woman who is learning that in order to become what God is calling me to be...It's only by His grace. 
     Now I believe that grace has been so often confused with mercy..His mercy is what went to the cross, His mercy is what gives us a chance to ask for forgiveness if we sin, His grace is what He gives us when we accept Him into our lives to equip us to become more like Him. It's what He gives us to empower us to resist sin and become holy, spotless, and blameless before Him.
     I have realized how casually we have thrown that term of "God's grace" out there to basically make ourselves feel better about not being perfect, but the funny thing is...that's all us. God tells us to aim for perfection(2 Cor.13:11). To be spotless and blameless.(2 Peter 3:14) That IF we should sin (not WHEN)....He desires us to be holy as He is holy. He created us for so much more than what we choose to "settle" for.      I have decided that I am "all in". That isn't a light statement, it will take major sacrifice especially in this world. But I'm willing to take the plunge...and I invite you to take it with me. This blog will be some of the things that God grows me in and reveals to me that I want to share with all of you in hopes that it will encourage you to press on in your faith and to dig deeper in your relationship with God. He loves us so much. I want to live my life to please Him.        


** There are several more verses for each of those points (you should never base a belief only on one scripture...it's easy to twist one but nearly impossible to twist several) but I encourage you...dig in the Word and pull all those scriptures out. There's plenty of them. :)