Seeking Serenity

Psalm 23:1-3

God’s beauty and complete ability to give serenity and calm a heart when it’s cracked, broken, beaten, and swelling up to what you may think is it’s full capacity is just astounding. He is so good. That’s really all I have to comment about this… Just gonna be short, sweet and to the point— if you need peace, go right now, this very second, straight to God. He will give you just that.

Recognition to the Sun

Psalm 84:11

Whenever I pray, I generally thank God for the goodness He has placed into my life, and I pray for things to stay good and I guess “comfortable” you could say. But what have I done to truly earn or be entitled to a good life? Am I truly living with God right in front of me as my shield, protecting me the whole way as I march on through serious risks and heavy times for the sake of bringing others towards His light I’m walking in, or do I just sit back and wait for the good times to start rolling, with no thought or regard to why I even deserve them to at all? Am I truly doing what is right in His eyes as a Christ follower?  I guess you could say I am, by atleast trying to be a nice person and remain peaceful towards others. But am I truly doing the right thing when an opportunity comes up to love someone as God has loved me and help them out? Am I truly working to bring them to Christ, or am I trying to just be comfortable and nice, just getting the job done and walking away? Sometimes that can be good…. but why would I need Christ as a shield unless I were going into some heavy territory and areas in people’s lives in order to bring them closer to Him? I think in the end, taking those risks and diving in somewhere, even when it’s uncomfortable, can be what the right thing truly is. Showing others God’s love, His light and having that one or even many conversations with them could be a little frightening, but maybe that could be a reason why we will receive His goodness, even when we truly don’t deserve it… Because we were willing to risk our own heart and time out of our lives to save someone else’s as they step towards Christ. He’s not going to leave us on our own to do this, because like He said, He is our sun AND our shield. He’s not going to let us go out on the battlefield alone, or even just on a walk down the road or in a grocery store with a friend alone. He’s going to be with us every step of the way, protecting us and helping push us forward. He wants be the sun to not only us, but to everyone. So they are not blissfully unaware looking down at their shadow on the ground. He instead wants them to be squinting and looking up towards the sun, aware of its role in their lives, thinking about why their shadow is even being put there in the first place, and how much they need that light and goodness God gives to them as well.

Worth the Loving Fight

Proverbs 17:17

This is my best friend Katie on the left!!:) 

This verse is truly applicable to our friendship, and I am trying to let the truth of this pour out into all of my other friendships as well. One thing that Katie has taught me, is how to love no matter what. There have been situations we have both been in, especially one in particular where we have had to go through something and let our love for the friendship keep things afloat. One time recently, I told her something I had done that she wasn’t too happy about; something that was once one of my own morals and hers as well, but I had now changed my mind about it. She learned by talking to a small group leader of hers at our church that she needed to just love me no matter what through that time, because our friendship was based on how much we cherish and love each other. Not on morals, and other branches of little things that are parts of a friendship. The truth was, no matter who we were or who we were becoming when it came to those little branches, we were going to love each other no matter what, and just have to accept that things were not always going to be the same and would possibly break a few branches. But because of our dedication and commitment to the friendship, we would be there for each other through anything. Even the things we didn’t agree on. 

She has shown me what it means to truly just love a friend even in a disagreement, and even kept her mouth closed about the issue until I had brought it up and asked for her opinion. She had told me she was hurt by my choices, and I had no idea until that moment, because she had been so focused on only loving me. And because of that, I chose to quit what I was doing, and that not hurting her and others meant more to me than breaking boundaries and morals of things I had chosen I was alright with. 

Katie is an amazing example of a model friend, and is truly a blessing straight from God to me. We have worked so hard for our friendship, since the 7th grade, through moves and tragedies. I pray anyone who reads this understands and knows that friendships are worth all the hard work. Even when you may feel like just giving up and walking away from the person. Loving and even forgiving them through tough times can make a friendship solid and unbreakable in the long run. Loving them even when what they are doing is hurting you or others is so important as well… that’s when they will need it most. Trust me, it will always be worth it in the end.

Certainty of Hope

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

This verse was inspired by my beautiful friend Raquel. One of her close friends passed away this week and she asked me to dedicate one of these to the struggle that we all face losing a loved one, but also the hope that God and Christ has given us. And something cool to add onto this; my boyfriend told me last night, (he’s on a missions trip currently and was speaking with his professor he’s traveling with) that the literal translation for hope in the original language, is actually something to the extent of “certainty”… that rather than using the word to say “oh gosh i hope that happens someday!” it instead means more of “I am certain it will.” So Raquel, the hope I have for you and all the other friends and family this girl has left behind, is that you will continue on. You can make it through this, and just think: she made it to the ultimate party; the ultimate destination! and just beat all of us there by getting there early. I love you tons and I will be praying for you girl.

If anyone else is struggling with any other kind of serious pain or death of a loved one, I also want to let yall know that I am always here to talk. Just message me on here, Facebook, text, or even call, and I’ll be there for you in a heartbeat. I lost my best friend in the whole world last year and would definitely love to help anyone through anything they are struggling with… my best friend’s death is actually the reason I came to faith and falling in love with God.

The Bigger Plan

Romans 12:21

This verse stuck out to me a lot. With all going on in the world lately, I have found it hard to base a solid and true opinion based on what God truly feels about evil and how to handle it. I still am unsure but I do know one thing for sure; our God is a good God. And those who do His work will truly see His love and goodness in the entirety of their lives, despite all of the negativity and evil placed in this world as well. I mean, without hate and evil, how would we truly know or cherish love and goodness? So although I still have confusion about many things going on, I still do know the one truest thing of all, that our God is good, and whatever goes on in this world is all a part of His big plan.

An addition to this verse is one that my friend Sean pointed out. It was in the same chapter (Romans 9:10-18) and it said:

“10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.”

In what I got from this, I now understand that not all is meant to be good. In the craziness of this world, God’s love is meant to be brought up through the constant struggle of good and evil, as to try and help you make your final decision to follow Him or not. We all have free will. But just like if you are writing and presenting a persuasive speech, you are going to have to get both sides of the bargain until you decide which you want. Which i think is ultimately one of the bigger goals of God creating and hardening some hearts, in hopes to bring forward the ones He needs to create and further the Kingdom of God.

Through It All

Psalm 23:4

I will never forget that You are with me Lord… and I truly never could. thank You for never leaving me astray, even when I feel my worst and as if the whole world has walked out. I love You, not only because I know You’ll never leave, but because I know You are my eternal Father in heaven.. You created me in Your image and have always had me in mind while planning out this world and Your kingdom. Just like You planned having each and every one of us here, with each of our stories so intricately and intimately crossing and leading us to the people we are meant to be until the very end. I feel so little knowing this.. You have me here for a purpose…a purpose I may not see or always understand, but I will always stay committed to You, even through the hardest of times to find out what it always truly has been. I know You will see me through until the end of time, just like You will with all else who love you entirely. Thank You for always holding my hand through it all, Father.

Where True Love Resides

Proverbs 4:23

Throughout my whole life my mom and dad have always said “guard your heart!” in reference to some boy I liked, or some risk I was about to take that could lead toward heartache. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized the significance of these words and this verse mean so much more than just a quick check of myself to make sure I don’t fall for a guy too hard, or get all sad about losing. No, this is about so much more.

As a Christian, your heart literally is where God lives and resides, therefore it can become the strongest source of guidance in anyone’s life once they’ve accepted Him in. Whenever I doubt the way I’m thinking, I still know which way to discern and conclude any thought; by looking into my heart I can find the answer. Your heart will NEVER lie to you. Which I think is pretty cool, seeing as that’s where God resides as well… the one who will never throw you under the bus, or give you some sort of false information just to laugh in your face as you fall. God wants to help. And He will never steer you wrong in the course of your life. He has it planned and mapped out perfectly. Therefore, looking to Him in your heart can do so much. It can give you every answer you will possibly ever need. And that is why you need to guard it… Without your guard up, you can be easily hurt. Evil can try and make its way in. And that’s exactly where it wants to make its home as well. Because evil may be able to just begin and form thoughts in the mind, but once it’s in your heart telling you lies about yourself or whatever is going on in your life, it’s hard to ever go back to the way things were before.

Just use “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss for example. He let those hurtful words that everyone said get to him, and it made him cold and mean as he grew up, which allowed for even more anger to flow in and for him to become a different person than the sweet kid he used to be before. By the time he was an adult, his heart was ice-cold. And in the story, it was even included that his heart was 2 sizes too small… All because he truly started to believe all of those lies and hurtful words the other children and townspeople said about him. But by the end, someone showed him love. True and sweet love. He became warmer, and his heart grew back even larger. All he needed was that source of love.

For us Christ followers, that source is God. And we have to protect the place where He has made a home in us with everything we have. We have to believe HIS truth about ourselves, and not let the negativity and lies everyone else says about us into our hearts. I love this verse.. it’s such a great reminder of something that can truly affect you every day.