A Glorious Love Song

My friends, here is my Christmas post! Now wait, before you grow bored, this is not going to be the typical, sappy Christmas blog post about sweet baby Jesus and how He's the "reason for the season". Now, that is true, but it's not what I'm going to write about. So here's what's up. I'm going to start by sharing with you a little tidbit about my life at the moment. Since I am in college, I have to pay for it. So I work at David's Bridal in Maple Grove. The store has a playlist of songs that play constantly, day after day, the same songs. They are all love songs. Some are old, some new, some good, some...not. After four months working there, I know every song by heart. But that's not the point! What I want to point out is the fact that a large number of them are Christian songs. Amidst the songs speaking of kisses, hearts, and happily ever afters are songs about the love of God. Now, David's is not a Christian store and even if it was we couldn't intentionally play only "religious" songs. And yet we do! Why would that be? I'll tell you why! It's because the story of our God and His relationship with us is the most beautiful love story ever! How, in a list of the best love songs, could songs about Jesus not be included? What other example can be given for the perfect love story? Isn't that just so exciting? When I realized that one day at work, it made my day so much better! The story of our God and how much He loves us is amazing! Have you every really considered it? Every single song written by a Christian artist is a love song, whether us writing to Him or Him writing to us. We are His lover, and He wants it that way! So, my friends, this Christmas season, listen to the Christmas carols and instead of just singing along, listen to the words and hear the love story in it! Fall in love with Jesus this Christmas! Shalom.

How Dare You!

My friends, what I’m about to write is as much for me as it is for anyone who is going to read it. Further, what follows isn’t only for women, it is for all you guys out there as well who need to hear this. Forever and always I have struggled with self-image. Now, this isn’t a statement meant to draw in compliments and I do not want them, I am just setting the stage. I have never been satisfied with how I look. A few weeks ago as I was praying, one of the things I was praying about was being satisfied with my beauty. I was just asking to be content and here’s what God told me. He spoke into my heart and said “How dare you? How dare you think that you are not beautiful? You were made in my image; every time you scoff at yourself in the mirror, you insult me.” Um, wow. That stopped me in my tracks. How dare I? But you know what, it’s true! We were not created outside of God’s will or knowledge. We were put together in the most intricate and exquisite way. How dare we suggest that our bodies, our temples, are not perfect? They are the images of God! Every time you wish your stomach was flatter or your teeth were whiter, you insult the fact that God created you perfectly, in His image! Since God told me that, I’ve discovered something. Every morning that I wake up in Jesus, wake up worshiping, I look in the mirror and like what I see. Now, don’t mistake that statement to say that I wake up happy and singing. Far from it! I hate mornings! But you know what I mean, when I wake up in the Spirit, I feel beautiful: my hair is long enough, my face is clear enough, my stomach is flat enough. I feel beautiful. I understand how petty that sounds. But isn’t that true? We get our beauty from the One who loves us, not from our own efforts! When we dwell in Him and seek to find our confidence in Him, we truly are beautiful, inside AND out! So my friends, guys and gals, young and old, next time you are standing in front of the mirror and are about the say something about how you look, remember Jesus is standing right next to you saying “HOW DARE YOU?”

Not all Those...

Have you heard the saying "Not all those who wander are lost"? I have heard it often and I certainly know it to be true. But I think the opposite of that phrase is also true. To say that not all those who are lost wander is, without a doubt, true. I see everyday lost souls. People who don't know where to go or what to do. I've seen the lifers at Target who get up at 3 am everyday to be in the store at 4 for their shift. I've seen those who go to college because what else would a middle class person do? Those people are lost. Fear paralyzes us. We can be completely lost, totally unsure of our mission, absolutely stuck. But that doesn't mean we are wandering. My friends! Wandering is not bad! Our world today tells us that we have to graduate from High School, go to college, and only after that when you have a respectable career are you worthy of respect. But that simply isn't true. Who cares about a little piece of paper that says you're good at something? Now, don't get me wrong, for some professions, a degree is needed. And if that field is your calling, then do it with all your heart! But if your calling takes you somewhere other than college or a 9 to 5 job, that is wonderful! I know mine is going to. Right now, God has placed on my heart that I am called to tell stories. It's that simple! And I'm counting on that including some wandering. But remember, just because a person has done the same thing for a long time doesn't mean they aren't lost. So first, make sure that you aren't lost, whether you feel like you are wandering or are stuck. And then, my friends, search for lost souls and help them to find their adventure! Shalom.

From the Inside

There is a quote I've seen on Pinterest. Yes, I know, dumb. But I absolutely love the quote; it is so simple, yet so beautiful and profound. Here it is: "No one will ever know the strength of my love for you. After all, you are the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside." Don't you think that's just beautiful? Tonight on my drive home, I was praying, as I usually do when I'm in the car. Now you need to know, praying alone for me means crying while I'm talking to God. I just can't seem to pray without crying! Anyway, I was praying tonight, just talking through things with my BFF(that's Jesus, by the way) and this quote came to mind. At first, I was confused as to why it would have anything to do with my conversation, hem, prayer. And then it struck me. We are to be like the baby! When we are first saved, we pray a cute little prayer asking Jesus to be in our hearts. But shouldn't it be the other way 'round(Cred to Joshy C., my BF, for this awesome analogy or whatever it would be)? Should we not seek to be in His heart? To dwell in our Savior in all things? Who do we think we are that we try to have Jesus in our hearts? If we feel distant from God, and I know I certainly do, it is because we are still on the outside, waiting for God to be on the inside. Instead, we should be in Him! And then, my friends, we will hear His heartbeat! How amazing would that be, to hear the heartbeat of God! And you know what? He wants us to! Our amazing Jesus is so excited for us to be in Him and to hear His heartbeat, THE heartbeat. A heartbeat of love and compassion and grace and joy. Think of the intimacy and intense bond of a mother and her child, that is exactly what we get to have with our God, THE God! So, my dearest friends, be in Jesus. And listen to His heartbeat!

Without Borders

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders; let me walk upon the waters, wherever you will call me..." This is an excerpt from the bridge of a song called Oceans. It is a moving and profound piece of a love story written by God and performed by Hillsong United. This songs speak to my heart intensely. Take a moment and consider what that first part means, Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. That is incredible, courageous, even reckless. In our world, we having nothing that is without borders. To have a trust in God that is without borders is incomprehensible for our feeble human brains. God is calling us to go beyond what our minds can fathom, beyond what our bodies have ever done, farther than our feet have ever walked. Just as God called Abram to leave his family and go to a land God would show him, so are we called to leave our homes, our families, or safe havens and follow God into a world He will show us when we arrive. In the journey that is following Jesus, there is no road map, no owner's manual, and certainly no website with an endless list of how-to's. That is why God gave us His spirit, His divine intermediary. But more than that, the Holy Spirit is the absolute power of God dwelling within us. Just as Peter walked on the water, so must we go beyond what our physical world tells us we can do. We must cast aside our notions of the possible and trust the Spirit to lead us beyond our bodies, beyond our minds and into the glorious journey home!

Take Heart

"In this life you will have trouble. But take heart, for I have overcome the world." Our Jesus is so good, isn't He? What a loving and compassionate friend we have in Him! I believe that this verse is so beautiful. It is telling us, my friends, to have courage. That no matter what may attempt to hinder your journey, it is but a tiny pebble on your path. Why is that? Because God has already defeated every force of evil that may desire to stop you! So it may seem cliche to say that "God's got this." But truly, our Lord has your whole journey taken care of. So, my dear friends, take heart, because your guide on the adventure that is life is the most capable and protective of them all; He is our God!

God's Story

It's been far too long since I have had something to write here. I pray that God will put things on my heart more often in the future. But for now, I want to share something with you. When you look at your future, and what you might want to do, how do you plan? Do you do so as if it is your future? Or as if it is someone else's. Because, in truth, it simply isn't your life to plan or your story to write. I understand this is not something you want to hear, but it is the truth. It is God's story. Now hear again, it is not even your book that God is writing. This story, the grand and intricate story, is God's. Completely. He writes each word, each page, each chapter. Perhaps He will write your tiny part in His story as something that, in the eyes of the world, is grand and "world-changing". But no matter how exciting He writes your story, it is not better or longer than anyone else's story. So, my friends, don't write your story, and don't pretend that you are even the editor. You are the reader. This isn't to say that your whole life is planned out minute-by-minute for it; it only means that God is the author, not you. So read with excitement your part in God's fantastic story, and be honored! Carry on!