Lately I have had a lot of people tell me I have inspired them. I am a former running hater who has officially turned into a runner - It's true...I have a black toenail. Last year I decided that I was going to run a half marathon and at the beginning of this year, I set my mind to it, started a training schedule and just a couple of weeks ago, I crossed that finish line. It was a great feeling. (And I am going to do it again!)
When the first person mentioned I inspired them to start, my first thought was, "What are you talking about?" I NEVER thought that doing this was going to have an affect on others, but I have to say that hearing those things is a greater feeling than crossing the finish line ever was. Because of a choice I made to push myself and try something new, now other people want to. It is a nice reminder to me that I want to live a life that God uses inspires others. Inspiration is such an important part of your life - how else would we challenge ourselves or grow? God calls us to many things that are for our own good, but they are also important for those around us.
I've started thinking of people that inspire me - the role models in my life. I had a few running through my mind: my high school cheerleading coach, Albert Pujols (well, I am still a little bitter about that situation), Audrey Hepburn, the sorority president when I was a freshman, some of the amazing young women I am blessed to have as friends, women who mentor me (even if they don't know they are), Carrie Underwood (I know when God decides to cross our paths we will be best friends) and of course my grandmothers, mom and dad. Because of all of these people (and plenty more that I probably haven't mentioned) something in my life has changed. Many of these people probably have no idea they had such an affect on me, just as I don't often realize the affect I have on others.
I have a new goal now, even though I am going to continue running. It is a personal thing that I want to do for myself, but who knows how God is going to use that for other people.
God - I pray that I will live my life the way that YOU want me to - that You will use my life to reach those around me to have a positive impact on them. Thank you for those you have put in my life to inspire me. Thank you for showing me their faith, the challenges, the lessons they taught me and the neverending encouragement to keep going. I thank you for the best role model and inspiration for us all, your son. I pray that above all others, we will look to him to inspire our lives. And it is in his name we pray - Amen.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
I Need to Read this Daily
Abby Larson, founder of Style Me Pretty on what advice she would give her 23 year old self...
"Breathe, my friend. You are not old, you are young. You are not a mess, you are normal. Extraordinary, perhaps. In the blink of an eye your life will change. And it will continue to change for decades to come. Enjoy it, embrace it…be grateful for the ride. You are not old, you are young. And faith will get you everywhere. Just you wait."
Monday, April 30, 2012
We're Back
Hi there! I apologize for my absence over the past month. Life took my by surprise and I honestly have been distracted by things, but the biggest one was work. Now that my busy season has slowed, I am looking forward to getting back into my swing of things.
The past few months have been a challenge for sure. I have learned a lot about myself, grown some, and seen so many areas to grow. I am also just so thankful for where God has me in life. Yes, there are some challenges. We all have our good days and bad, but when I sit back and look at it, I am just amazed at the work God is doing in my life and in those around me.
He has blessed me with a community of friends that are my family. I am learning what it means to break down walls - to truly share life with others. That is something that has always been scary for me. What if people don't like what they see behind those walls? One of the people closest to me once said that they like what they've seen since I stopped trying to hide behind things and that made sense, because that is how God made me. I wouldn't say I have completely broken them down, but I am on my way.
The biggest thing I have learned over the past couple of months is that I really need to work on trusting God. I have always had a strong faith in God, but I didn't realize how that didn't match up with me trusting Him. That may be confusing to some, so let me try to break it down. I believe that God is good. I have faith in His plan and that He knows what He is doing. But daily, I am not acting like I trust Him to come through for me. I expect the worse in some situations, don't believe He values me just as much as the next person, and think that I have to work hard to please Him. Yikes! I am happy to say that He has revealed these things to me and that I can rely on Him to help me displace those feelings.
I also just accomplished something I NEVER thought I would. I ran a half marathon. Well, ran most of it. My goal leading up to it was to run the entire race. The day came and it didn't happen. Surprisingly, I am not too disappointed with myself and I am ready to try again! More than anything, I will remember the journey it took to get me there. The faith that I had to have in myself to be able to do it, and actually taking action to train and push myself farther than I ever could. And I am not just talking physically. Running is pretty much paralleled to my spiritual life. I am looking forward to continuing to improve in both.
We are in an interesting session now - not the usual teaching and community, but I fully believe that God will use this time to work these things out of me and strengthen my relationship with him and those in my community.
So as I leave this season of my life and enter another, I can do nothing but sit back in amazement and gratitude for God's work. The things that He has called me to so that I can mature and grow, the relationships He has brought in my life for encouragement and support, the challenges, the memories, I could go on for a while. (And I would be silly to not thank those of you who were by my side the whole time - the ones who had to deal with my crabbiness, anxiety, processing, etc. and who also shared in the victories, growth, and fun.)
I am so excited to see what He has in store for us in the coming months. I know He will continue to amaze me and show me His goodness through all things.
The past few months have been a challenge for sure. I have learned a lot about myself, grown some, and seen so many areas to grow. I am also just so thankful for where God has me in life. Yes, there are some challenges. We all have our good days and bad, but when I sit back and look at it, I am just amazed at the work God is doing in my life and in those around me.
He has blessed me with a community of friends that are my family. I am learning what it means to break down walls - to truly share life with others. That is something that has always been scary for me. What if people don't like what they see behind those walls? One of the people closest to me once said that they like what they've seen since I stopped trying to hide behind things and that made sense, because that is how God made me. I wouldn't say I have completely broken them down, but I am on my way.
The biggest thing I have learned over the past couple of months is that I really need to work on trusting God. I have always had a strong faith in God, but I didn't realize how that didn't match up with me trusting Him. That may be confusing to some, so let me try to break it down. I believe that God is good. I have faith in His plan and that He knows what He is doing. But daily, I am not acting like I trust Him to come through for me. I expect the worse in some situations, don't believe He values me just as much as the next person, and think that I have to work hard to please Him. Yikes! I am happy to say that He has revealed these things to me and that I can rely on Him to help me displace those feelings.
I also just accomplished something I NEVER thought I would. I ran a half marathon. Well, ran most of it. My goal leading up to it was to run the entire race. The day came and it didn't happen. Surprisingly, I am not too disappointed with myself and I am ready to try again! More than anything, I will remember the journey it took to get me there. The faith that I had to have in myself to be able to do it, and actually taking action to train and push myself farther than I ever could. And I am not just talking physically. Running is pretty much paralleled to my spiritual life. I am looking forward to continuing to improve in both.
We are in an interesting session now - not the usual teaching and community, but I fully believe that God will use this time to work these things out of me and strengthen my relationship with him and those in my community.
So as I leave this season of my life and enter another, I can do nothing but sit back in amazement and gratitude for God's work. The things that He has called me to so that I can mature and grow, the relationships He has brought in my life for encouragement and support, the challenges, the memories, I could go on for a while. (And I would be silly to not thank those of you who were by my side the whole time - the ones who had to deal with my crabbiness, anxiety, processing, etc. and who also shared in the victories, growth, and fun.)
I am so excited to see what He has in store for us in the coming months. I know He will continue to amaze me and show me His goodness through all things.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Overcoming the Enemy - He exists
David talks about the presence of the enemy in our lives. Look at the progression of creation. Genesis 1:27-31 - Man was created. Genesis 2:7 God breathed the breath of life. It was good. For some of us, this is where it stops. David gave us the analogy of living our lives on a beach vacation and not realizing that we are in the middle of a war. We are living in the middle of a spiritual war.
God sees our spirit as perfect. Our soul is the battle ground. We tend to place our identity in our soul and not our spirit. {So you can see how troubling this is and why the enemy wants to get in.}
So what are we fighting against? Check out Ephesians 6:12. David read us a passage from "The Final Quest" by Rick Joyner that also describes this.
Who is this Enemy?
Read Revelation 12:3-9 and Luke 4 (the temptations). The enemy has authority over the world. We first met shame in an act of disobedience and introduce the enemy (check out the fall in Genesis 3). He brings fear, accusation, guilt, etc. The enemy knows the big plan, and he knows us. He also has a plan for us.
Here are some verses to help better understand the enemy:
John 8: 43-45 (He is the Father of lies)
Revelation 10 (He is an Accuser)
Colossians 1:22
Believing these things is not how we were designed. So how do we fight?
We have 2 options: our own will, or the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-21)
Don't leave your guide (the Holy Spirit) behind. When the Holy Spirit guides your life, he gives you the opposite desires of the flesh. {I pray to be easy for the Spirit to lead.}
The enemy loves when we don't think he exists or that he is not against us. {So we need to recognize his presence in our lives and turn to the Spirit to overcome his evil tactics.}
Remember, we are in the middle of a battle, and we are the prize.
God sees our spirit as perfect. Our soul is the battle ground. We tend to place our identity in our soul and not our spirit. {So you can see how troubling this is and why the enemy wants to get in.}
So what are we fighting against? Check out Ephesians 6:12. David read us a passage from "The Final Quest" by Rick Joyner that also describes this.
Who is this Enemy?
Read Revelation 12:3-9 and Luke 4 (the temptations). The enemy has authority over the world. We first met shame in an act of disobedience and introduce the enemy (check out the fall in Genesis 3). He brings fear, accusation, guilt, etc. The enemy knows the big plan, and he knows us. He also has a plan for us.
Here are some verses to help better understand the enemy:
John 8: 43-45 (He is the Father of lies)
Revelation 10 (He is an Accuser)
Colossians 1:22
Believing these things is not how we were designed. So how do we fight?
We have 2 options: our own will, or the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-21)
Don't leave your guide (the Holy Spirit) behind. When the Holy Spirit guides your life, he gives you the opposite desires of the flesh. {I pray to be easy for the Spirit to lead.}
The enemy loves when we don't think he exists or that he is not against us. {So we need to recognize his presence in our lives and turn to the Spirit to overcome his evil tactics.}
Remember, we are in the middle of a battle, and we are the prize.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Humilty Week 3
This week Justin explained that when we have shame, we hide. We blame God or other people. Check out Genesis 3:7-13 to see how Adam and Eve hide after they try to be like God.
When we have pride, that leads to shame, which leads to hiding and then blame.
How do you know if you have a shame issue? Are you hiding from anything? Do you use your gifts to hide? We all have strategies to hide and then blame others. We need to constantly remember how broken we are.
Here are some things to help with humility:
1. Say, "I'm sorry." (Leave it at that, you don't need to justify.)
2. "Your idea is better." (It is OK to not always have the best ideas.)
3. Submit to a mentor and do what they say. (1 Peter 1:5-10)
4. Live with someone so you don't get stuck in your own ways. (We've been taught to share since pre-school, but we can forget that easily.)
5. Practice communion regularly to remember that we are fallen. This is something we forget every day. (And Jesus knew we would forget..."Do this in remembrance...")
Another nice little reminder of this is 1 John 1:5-10. We are all fallen. We all live in sin.
Look at Genesis 2:25. Humility is when we can be vulnerable and feel no shame. We can have true intimacy with God and in out other relationships. {I don't know about you, but I want that!}
If this gets frustrating, remember we can't change ourselves. We have to simply turn to God (Psalm 147:1-6).
When we have pride, that leads to shame, which leads to hiding and then blame.
How do you know if you have a shame issue? Are you hiding from anything? Do you use your gifts to hide? We all have strategies to hide and then blame others. We need to constantly remember how broken we are.
Here are some things to help with humility:
1. Say, "I'm sorry." (Leave it at that, you don't need to justify.)
2. "Your idea is better." (It is OK to not always have the best ideas.)
3. Submit to a mentor and do what they say. (1 Peter 1:5-10)
4. Live with someone so you don't get stuck in your own ways. (We've been taught to share since pre-school, but we can forget that easily.)
5. Practice communion regularly to remember that we are fallen. This is something we forget every day. (And Jesus knew we would forget..."Do this in remembrance...")
Another nice little reminder of this is 1 John 1:5-10. We are all fallen. We all live in sin.
Look at Genesis 2:25. Humility is when we can be vulnerable and feel no shame. We can have true intimacy with God and in out other relationships. {I don't know about you, but I want that!}
If this gets frustrating, remember we can't change ourselves. We have to simply turn to God (Psalm 147:1-6).
Friday, February 17, 2012
Humility - Don't "Play God"
Where does insecurity/arrogance come from? Read Genesis 3.
In Genesis 2:15-17 we see this setting up. An important point is that the tree is the knowledge of good and evil (sneak peak: that is what we want!)
In Genesis 3:1-3 we see how we are tempted by Satan. What was their sin here? They wanted to be like God - the can't trust God. This is OUR story.
Our biggest sin is to be like God.
"I didn't trust God in my loneliness, so I (insert something you do to feel in control) to have power like God." Anything we use for power is our biggest sin - it is the root sin.
How do we try to be like God? One of the ways we do this is in codependent relationships. How many relationships do you receive more than you give? If you don't really receive, you are in control of that relationship.You can use serving to be in a power position, to be in control like God. Why are you never vulnerable? You have power by not sharing things.
We can't be Christ-like (humble) if we want to be like God.
Genesis 3:7 - We feel ashamed. There is a difference between guilt and shame. Guilt is conviction from God. Shame is from ourself. We think, "I am bad, I hate myself." Shame is the root issue.
We need to find the middle point of feeling shame and trying to be like God. What is that middle point? We have to remember that we are both fallen and loved. Jesus says do this in remembrance of me - he knew we would forget this.
In Genesis 2:15-17 we see this setting up. An important point is that the tree is the knowledge of good and evil (sneak peak: that is what we want!)
In Genesis 3:1-3 we see how we are tempted by Satan. What was their sin here? They wanted to be like God - the can't trust God. This is OUR story.
Our biggest sin is to be like God.
"I didn't trust God in my loneliness, so I (insert something you do to feel in control) to have power like God." Anything we use for power is our biggest sin - it is the root sin.
How do we try to be like God? One of the ways we do this is in codependent relationships. How many relationships do you receive more than you give? If you don't really receive, you are in control of that relationship.You can use serving to be in a power position, to be in control like God. Why are you never vulnerable? You have power by not sharing things.
We can't be Christ-like (humble) if we want to be like God.
Genesis 3:7 - We feel ashamed. There is a difference between guilt and shame. Guilt is conviction from God. Shame is from ourself. We think, "I am bad, I hate myself." Shame is the root issue.
We need to find the middle point of feeling shame and trying to be like God. What is that middle point? We have to remember that we are both fallen and loved. Jesus says do this in remembrance of me - he knew we would forget this.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Getting LOW
This week was our first night talking about Humility. (Yikes! What a big topic!!!)
To learn about humility, you have to first learn about pride. We want to repent of pride - it leads to every other vice! Pride can be subtle and deceptive.
There are two areas of pride: we either feel arrogant or insecure.
What does arrogance look like? Cockiness, defensiveness, rejecting others, protecting yourself, competition, comparison... The core belief of arrogance is that my worth rests in being better than someone else.
What does insecurity look like? Shame, self pity, assuming rejection, proving yourself, competition, comparison...The core belief of insecurity is the my worth rests in what others think and my identity in God is not good enough.
Both arrogance and insecurity seek to find identity through comparison. The only difference is how you are measuring up. The both say that my identity as a child of God is not enough (and neither is yours).
What is God's response?
Check out 1 Peter 5:5 - This is how God rescues us (he comes to oppose us). Read on...1 Peter 5:6-9
We have some options:
1. We can acknowledge there is an enemy and humble ourselves.
2. We can welcome God's correction. I know I want to be conformed to the image of Christ, so being corrected is for my good!
Humility is...
How can we practice? Soak in God's story. Your core beliefs matter. For arrogance? We have to believe deeply that we are fallen. We can regularly reflect on our own brokenness. For insecurity? We have to believe deeply that we are loved. (And so is everyone around you.) And that is something we just get to receive.
To learn about humility, you have to first learn about pride. We want to repent of pride - it leads to every other vice! Pride can be subtle and deceptive.
There are two areas of pride: we either feel arrogant or insecure.
What does arrogance look like? Cockiness, defensiveness, rejecting others, protecting yourself, competition, comparison... The core belief of arrogance is that my worth rests in being better than someone else.
What does insecurity look like? Shame, self pity, assuming rejection, proving yourself, competition, comparison...The core belief of insecurity is the my worth rests in what others think and my identity in God is not good enough.
Both arrogance and insecurity seek to find identity through comparison. The only difference is how you are measuring up. The both say that my identity as a child of God is not enough (and neither is yours).
What is God's response?
Check out 1 Peter 5:5 - This is how God rescues us (he comes to oppose us). Read on...1 Peter 5:6-9
We have some options:
1. We can acknowledge there is an enemy and humble ourselves.
2. We can welcome God's correction. I know I want to be conformed to the image of Christ, so being corrected is for my good!
Humility is...
- NOT a state you can achieve. It is a practice.
- NOT the opposite of self-esteem.
- NOT thinking less of yourself.
How can we practice? Soak in God's story. Your core beliefs matter. For arrogance? We have to believe deeply that we are fallen. We can regularly reflect on our own brokenness. For insecurity? We have to believe deeply that we are loved. (And so is everyone around you.) And that is something we just get to receive.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
God is a Worthy King
Sorry for the delay! I was a bit distracted during the talk last week, so here are some notes from a friend.
This has been rather convicting to me, and I have seen God show up in many ways. One, was that I was so tempted to by this bag I had been swooning over...it was over 50% off! I was so close to purchasing it when I remembered that I needed to be more obedient in my finances. That was money that I didn't need to spend, especially when I feel called to do all I can to sponsor some dear friends of mine on their mission trip to India. Second, I became aware of a struggle I am going to have to face. Although I am not exactly thrilled to have to go through this, I have come to be thankful for the opportunity to grow closer to God during it, and I know he wants me to obedient in loving others the way he does. I trust that this is His plan, which is far greater than any plan I can come up with on my own.
What is the definition of a king?
- One who holds a preeminent position; a chief among competitors
- Terry’s definition: A person, place, or thing in which we put our hopes and desires, often measured by the consumption of our wallets and our calendars.
(John 6:1-15) They even ate till they were full! (that was rare in biblical times)
He is a King of grace (v14-15)
He is a King of truth (v26-27)
(v28-29) All you need to do is trust Him and be in a relationship with Him
(v30-36, 41-42) He doesn’t always give the way we expect Him to, but it’s because He has better for us (v53-56, 60)
Jesus’ message was difficult to understand and follow, but it has two points:
(1) Showing how close we have to be to understand Him
(2) A testing of faith that we will follow Him closely
(v66-69) “Lord, to whom shall we go?” …would we say this to Him now?
(John 15:13-15) He redefines love and forgiveness
--To whom is my allegiance??--
This has been rather convicting to me, and I have seen God show up in many ways. One, was that I was so tempted to by this bag I had been swooning over...it was over 50% off! I was so close to purchasing it when I remembered that I needed to be more obedient in my finances. That was money that I didn't need to spend, especially when I feel called to do all I can to sponsor some dear friends of mine on their mission trip to India. Second, I became aware of a struggle I am going to have to face. Although I am not exactly thrilled to have to go through this, I have come to be thankful for the opportunity to grow closer to God during it, and I know he wants me to obedient in loving others the way he does. I trust that this is His plan, which is far greater than any plan I can come up with on my own.
Monday, January 30, 2012
This Season's Prayer
All of You is more than enough for all of me.
God, thank you for providing me with everything I need each day. But most of all, thank you for being who YOU are and Your unfailing love for me.
For every thirst and every need.
You know what I desire and need to be the woman you want me to be.
You satisfy me with Your love.
But Your love is all I need to find peace and feel complete.
And all I am in You is more than enough.
Thank You for making me who You wanted me to be. I am Your daughter and that alone all I need to be.
Where you lead me, Lord, I will follow.
God, please direct me. I want to follow the path You have laid down for me. I want to play a part in YOUR story, not just mine. I want to remove my plans that don't align with Yours. I am stepping out of the way to let You work.
Where you lead me, Lord, I will go.
I am submitting my life to you. You say the word and I will obey.
Come and heal me, Lord, I will follow.
Father, remove my doubts and fears. I know I can do anything as long as You are with me.
Where you lead me, Lord, I will go.
My life is in Your hands Lord. Use it as you please.
More than all I want, more than all I need.
Yes, there are things I desire in this life, and you know what each of those are. But more than any of those things, I want You.
You are more than enough for me.
I love you with everything I am.
Amen.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Character of God - 2
This week we continued our series on God's character. Ask yourself this question...are my views of God biased because if my earthly father?
We looked at a clip from The Blind Side (which is one of my favorite movies...Sandra Bullock's character is my mom made over...and probably how I will be).
Our belief this week is that God is a Loving Father. We studied the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Prodigal means "wastefully extravagant" We look at the younger son in this way, but what if we looked at God in this way? "Wastefully extravagant" can be a good thing.
When we look at this story, are there times when in our lives when we have been like the younger son? Have you ever come to God and admitted you had a bad past, then try to work your way back to His love? Are there times when you look like the older son? You are following all of the rules, but you feel like God is holding out on you?
The father has compassion for both of his sons, just as God has compassion for all of us. We need to relate to the father, not just the sons.
Here are some ways that we should believe that God is a Loving Father:
1. The Father runs after His sons and daughters.
2. The Father restores the identity of His sons and daughters.
3. The Father celebrates his sons and daughters when we choose to be with him and he does it extravagantly (The Prodigal God).
So when I look at my relationship with my earthly father, I can't help but feel extremely blessed. He has fit the above description my whole life. My disconnect is that I haven't always seen God in that way, which is not fair to either. Now, I want to be thankful for my earthly father, but to see him as a reflection of God's love (even though God's love is even more abundant and something I won't fully understand while I am here.)
We looked at a clip from The Blind Side (which is one of my favorite movies...Sandra Bullock's character is my mom made over...and probably how I will be).
Our belief this week is that God is a Loving Father. We studied the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Prodigal means "wastefully extravagant" We look at the younger son in this way, but what if we looked at God in this way? "Wastefully extravagant" can be a good thing.
When we look at this story, are there times when in our lives when we have been like the younger son? Have you ever come to God and admitted you had a bad past, then try to work your way back to His love? Are there times when you look like the older son? You are following all of the rules, but you feel like God is holding out on you?
The father has compassion for both of his sons, just as God has compassion for all of us. We need to relate to the father, not just the sons.
Here are some ways that we should believe that God is a Loving Father:
1. The Father runs after His sons and daughters.
2. The Father restores the identity of His sons and daughters.
3. The Father celebrates his sons and daughters when we choose to be with him and he does it extravagantly (The Prodigal God).
So when I look at my relationship with my earthly father, I can't help but feel extremely blessed. He has fit the above description my whole life. My disconnect is that I haven't always seen God in that way, which is not fair to either. Now, I want to be thankful for my earthly father, but to see him as a reflection of God's love (even though God's love is even more abundant and something I won't fully understand while I am here.)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
God is With Us
This week we started to learn about the Character of God, specifically that God is with us.
We see God most when bad things happen to us, even though we often feel like he is not there. (Psalm 22:1-2)
We learned about a Thriveline...when you go through your life and identify the highs and lows, then what you learned in those times. (Note to self - do this!) Then you can start to see patterns in your life.
We looked at the story of Jonah, and how he acted during his time of struggle. Through this story, we learned a few things that the world teaches about struggle.
The world says - when hard times come, we should panic and run away from God. Brokenness isolates us and takes us away from reality. (No one else has ever goner through this, you can't understand...been there, done that.) It causes us to compare with others (You don't know, someone has had it worse.) It also upsets us even deeper and we make it into something bigger than it was (yep, done that too).
Here is the important thing...God is revealed in the low points (Romans 12:2). They cause us to reach out to God. He works for the good of those who have been called to Him (Romans 8:26-28). Bad times get ME out of the way to see God. No matter what we've been through, we need to remember that God has been through it too. (Luke 23:44-46; Psalm 31:1)
So, when I look at this in my life, it is right on. Every struggle has brought me closer to God. Not only that, but most of the time, I cause every struggle by trying to control that situation. Yep, lesson learned. I am sure I am going to get in the way again, but I am excited that it will be another way for God to reveal himself to me!
We see God most when bad things happen to us, even though we often feel like he is not there. (Psalm 22:1-2)
We learned about a Thriveline...when you go through your life and identify the highs and lows, then what you learned in those times. (Note to self - do this!) Then you can start to see patterns in your life.
We looked at the story of Jonah, and how he acted during his time of struggle. Through this story, we learned a few things that the world teaches about struggle.
The world says - when hard times come, we should panic and run away from God. Brokenness isolates us and takes us away from reality. (No one else has ever goner through this, you can't understand...been there, done that.) It causes us to compare with others (You don't know, someone has had it worse.) It also upsets us even deeper and we make it into something bigger than it was (yep, done that too).
Here is the important thing...God is revealed in the low points (Romans 12:2). They cause us to reach out to God. He works for the good of those who have been called to Him (Romans 8:26-28). Bad times get ME out of the way to see God. No matter what we've been through, we need to remember that God has been through it too. (Luke 23:44-46; Psalm 31:1)
So, when I look at this in my life, it is right on. Every struggle has brought me closer to God. Not only that, but most of the time, I cause every struggle by trying to control that situation. Yep, lesson learned. I am sure I am going to get in the way again, but I am excited that it will be another way for God to reveal himself to me!
Monday, January 9, 2012
We Need More Tebow
Before you get into this, let me start out by saying I am not taking the evangelistic celebrity approach to this. Also, my other disclaimer is that I am totally jumping on the bandwagon and am OK with admitting that. Yesterday in service, we had to tell a stranger our favorite color, then our favorite team left in the playoffs. My answers: pink and I don't even know who is in the playoffs anymore. So I am not going on the football approach to this either.
Instead, I am looking at Tebow in a way that every girl my age thinks about men...the future husband. NO. I am not saying I am trying to marry Tebow (although he does make enough money to support my lifestyle :) ). I just think there are so many attractive qualities in him as a Christian man, that I wish guys I knew would adopt some of them. Ok, maybe they are more attractive in Tebow because he does come with the dollar figure attached. But I am opening this up for discussion. These are just my thoughts on what makes a man like Tebow attractive and what qualities I hope my future husband has like him.
1. Tebow loves God more than anything else. This is clear in the way he talks about him all the time. I think as his audience, we have seen that because of his love for God, God has used him in wonderful ways. I want me future husband to love God this much.
2. He is consistent in what he says. Not only does he love God, but he never backs down or changes his mind. I definitely want someone who is consistent in thought, opinion and action - a man with a clear direction. That is someone you can rely on, trust and follow.
3. He takes responsibility. Ok - I don't know this for sure, but as a quarterback, he has to take responsibility for certain plays/throws...you know, those football things. He in many ways is the "head" of the offensive line. He is able to lead others. I don't think I need to say much more about that.
So you are probably thinking, "This girl is an idiot." I have been reading/listening to some things that spurred these thoughts. I encourage you to read/listen to these when you have a chance. Over the past few months, these things, along with many conversations with friends,3 have really put more perspective on relationships for me.
Marriage & Women
Marriage & Men
Serial Dating
You Never Marry the Right Person
Instead, I am looking at Tebow in a way that every girl my age thinks about men...the future husband. NO. I am not saying I am trying to marry Tebow (although he does make enough money to support my lifestyle :) ). I just think there are so many attractive qualities in him as a Christian man, that I wish guys I knew would adopt some of them. Ok, maybe they are more attractive in Tebow because he does come with the dollar figure attached. But I am opening this up for discussion. These are just my thoughts on what makes a man like Tebow attractive and what qualities I hope my future husband has like him.
1. Tebow loves God more than anything else. This is clear in the way he talks about him all the time. I think as his audience, we have seen that because of his love for God, God has used him in wonderful ways. I want me future husband to love God this much.
2. He is consistent in what he says. Not only does he love God, but he never backs down or changes his mind. I definitely want someone who is consistent in thought, opinion and action - a man with a clear direction. That is someone you can rely on, trust and follow.
3. He takes responsibility. Ok - I don't know this for sure, but as a quarterback, he has to take responsibility for certain plays/throws...you know, those football things. He in many ways is the "head" of the offensive line. He is able to lead others. I don't think I need to say much more about that.
So you are probably thinking, "This girl is an idiot." I have been reading/listening to some things that spurred these thoughts. I encourage you to read/listen to these when you have a chance. Over the past few months, these things, along with many conversations with friends,3 have really put more perspective on relationships for me.
Marriage & Women
Marriage & Men
Serial Dating
You Never Marry the Right Person
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)