Words of the Wise - Wise Author, Wise Friend

Your real, new self (which is Christ's and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds, you know, for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end submit it with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.

C.S. Lewis

Breath of Heaven

This weekend I caught up on some DVR. I was watching the Country Music Christmas Special. Country music and Christmas - what can be better?!

Amy Grant (I know she isn't a country star but she is married to one so I guess that counts) sang a song that I really like - Breath of Heaven.

This time listening to it, I really listened to the words and found that this song is relevant in my life. How often are we asked to be Mary? To do something we are terrified of or have a responsibility from God that we aren't quite sure we can handle. How many times do we think, "God, am I really the right person for this?"

This will be my prayer anytime I feel inadequate for the task in front of me.

Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me, your holiness
For you are holy Breath of Heaven

God will not bring us into anything we can't handle. And when it seems too big, He will hold me together.

Shalom

We all want peace in our lives. Recently, I have been feeling a lot of internal unrest - definitely not peace. This weekend's service was definitely one I needed to hear.

Currently, some of my relationships are messy. Some of my friends are mad at me to the point where I could be on the verge of losing those friendships. I have felt extremely guilty about some of my decisions - but I notice that I am trying to make everyone else happy. That is just part of my personality. But in my quest to please everyone else, am I losing sight of my own happiness?

I think that is something I need to be conscious of. But I also think that I am following the path God has put me on. He is guiding me toward peace - the Shalom peace - and I need to trust in that.

The path of peace goes through problems. Check. I don't know a single person who doesn't go through problems. Luckily, my problems aren't nearly as bad as some others. I need to step back and remember that more often. The bigger thing that I need to take away is that the path of peace is through obedience. If I obey God, I will find peace. One way it was put this weekend was - While it is difficult, if I didn't make this choice, then I would be disobedient.

"If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." - John 14:15-17

As disciples, we are different. We often won't be accepted by the world - and it may make our relationships a little murky. But if we stay on our path, we will find the peace of knowing we are flourishing because we are being obedient to God. The rest will work out somehow.

Celebrating Strength

I am only as strong as the cocktails I drink,

The hairspray I use,

And the girlfriends I have.

Yep, this is hanging in my house. It is a cute saying - and it can be very true in different parts my life. Let's face it, there are days where all we need is a cocktail. The others I need every day - my girlfriends and some good hairspray.

Let's face it. Throughout the past 6 weeks, we faced some challenges. I faced quite a few - with work, with relationships, with myself. It wasn't until about the 5th week of the journey that things started to change for me. Yep, I was relying on all of the above listed items to keep me going - especially my girls. But think about it, after too many strong cocktails, you don't feel so great. Yea, I may have great-looking hair, but every time I wash it, it takes a lot of work to get it to look good again. And I have the best girls in the world to support me, but some times you can hear all the right things and still not believe it.

Over the past 6 weeks, I was reminded of the things I need to be doing daily, but especially when time are tough.

Play - sometimes you just have to let it go and have a little fun.
Pray - talk to God, listen to God (yea, don't get me started on that one)
Train - just press play and keep going...we are running the big race here.
Study - read up on the Bible to have the support of these truths when trouble comes.
Serve - share with others: your gifts, blessings, Gods' love.

With these disciplines in  my back pocket, I will be ready for whatever life brings your way. As a disciple, I realize I have a lot to improve on these things. Yes, I do them here and there - especially when I have a card to check off my list, but do I incorporate them in my everyday life? No. Even after the journey, I have seen how easy it is to slip. So as I celebrate the end of a trying, encouraging, growing 6 weeks, I am celebrating that I now have the right training regimen to grow even more as a strong disciple - so that I can serve and disciple others.

Yes, there are times when we still need our cocktails, our hairspray and of course our girls. But we have a great support that nothing can take down - a loving Father who wants nothing but the best for us. And that is all I need.