Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
patient hope
"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him" Romans 15:13
I've always been a dreamer. I've tried for years to plan out my life, imagining the perfect house, the perfect job, the perfect husband, the perfect number of children. I've changed my job plans from interior decorator to architect to landscape architect to wedding planner to fashion designer to nurse to physician assistant to baker to writer. I've wanted to travel and volunteer and explore. My Pinterest wedding is utterly gorgeous and probably costs more money than I'll ever see. I've picked out enough baby names to fill a classroom. Honestly though, after all this planning, I don't really know what I'm doing with my life. And I don't feel any less worried about it either.
But lately, I've been trying to remember that none of my 'perfect' plans are actually perfect, nor are they up to me. God has written the plan for my life and I believe that it is truly more perfect and amazing than I could ever imagine. I know that the Lord has promised to do what He knows is best for me, even if I don't know it yet.
My new prayer is "Lord, let your will me done in me. Instead of listing my requests and asking for God's blessing, I pray that He will show me what He wants me to do in order to glorify Him.
With this mindset, I've felt more fulfilled and at peace than when I was worrying about my life's direction. I trust that the Lord will provide and I am filled with joy in His promises that never fail.
So instead of worrying about what the future might hold, I'm putting my life story in God's hands. He has the master plan and I will wait in joyful and patient hope as it beautifully unfolds.
I've always been a dreamer. I've tried for years to plan out my life, imagining the perfect house, the perfect job, the perfect husband, the perfect number of children. I've changed my job plans from interior decorator to architect to landscape architect to wedding planner to fashion designer to nurse to physician assistant to baker to writer. I've wanted to travel and volunteer and explore. My Pinterest wedding is utterly gorgeous and probably costs more money than I'll ever see. I've picked out enough baby names to fill a classroom. Honestly though, after all this planning, I don't really know what I'm doing with my life. And I don't feel any less worried about it either.
But lately, I've been trying to remember that none of my 'perfect' plans are actually perfect, nor are they up to me. God has written the plan for my life and I believe that it is truly more perfect and amazing than I could ever imagine. I know that the Lord has promised to do what He knows is best for me, even if I don't know it yet.
My new prayer is "Lord, let your will me done in me. Instead of listing my requests and asking for God's blessing, I pray that He will show me what He wants me to do in order to glorify Him.
With this mindset, I've felt more fulfilled and at peace than when I was worrying about my life's direction. I trust that the Lord will provide and I am filled with joy in His promises that never fail.
So instead of worrying about what the future might hold, I'm putting my life story in God's hands. He has the master plan and I will wait in joyful and patient hope as it beautifully unfolds.
Monday, January 23, 2012
living
when it all boils down, it seems all one really needs to do to live is breath, sleep, and eat. essentially, doing these things should keep us 'alive', but to me, those things are like specks of nearly invisible dust in the definition of being alive.
for many of us, its difficult to budget time to really live. frankly, i suppose that may be a result of the fact that we find the need to organize every instant of every day of our lives. calendars, planners, checklists. we can't seem to 'get anything done' if its not part of the schedule. but sometimes, the best moments in our lives are not part of the plan at all.
think back to last time you were entirely and unexplainably at peace, even if it was just for a moment. now think of what you did, or what someone else did, or what happened to leave you with that sense of peace, that sense of comforting freedom, and the feeling that in that particular moment everything was still and you thought to yourself, "life is good'.
sadly, these moments seem to be rare and fleeting for so many people. with everything that is on today's to-do (or maybe yours is more like 'NEED TO DO FOR SURE OR ELSE... UH OH') list, how can we even hope to feel that moment of peace and tranquility?
sometimes, i just can't bring myself to do those need-to-get-done-now things on the list. and i think at that point, something inside of me is whispering, "be still". or possibly, "be still and know that I am God".
when i have one of those be-still moments, its a little like getting to a hotel after the stress and chaos and tension of pulling a 50 pound suitcase (that they made you pay to check) all over the airport and spilling your coffee on your white shirt and sitting in the middle seat on the plane and then staring at that endless moving belt waiting for your suitcase and calling a taxi and checking in so late that you really only hear part of what the person at the desk is trying to tell you and then, finally, getting to your room.
and then you just kind of drop your suitcase on the floor and flop without caring a bit onto the slightly suspicious hotel comforter... and finally breathe.
that's what it feels like when i have a be-still moment.
and while every moment doesn't end in a nice hotel and a needed vacation, i must say that my day progressively improves after that first real breath.
entering the world of college life this year has certainly had its ups and downs. although i will say honestly that the ups enormously outweigh the downs and 99.9% of the time i am happy and excited about life and God and pretty much everything! but being happy doesn't necessarily equal being still and at peace. with 18 credits and the homework that accompanies them, organizations and activities, church and volunteering, keeping up with friends, and hopefully a potential new job, this semester is sure to be a busy one!
and now, more than ever, i pray that i will be able to experience those be-still moments with the beauty and clarity of mind that they bring.
so as you are scrambling to accomplish every last task and make every appointment on time, i pray that moments of peace will sneak up on you and bring you the rest and clarity you so desire and need.
remember to live to be alive, not just to breath, eat, sleep, and repeat. remember to take time to do the things that give you a chance to rest and to reflect, and to hand over your burdens to the God who has the strength and the love necessary to carry even your heaviest ones.
so whether you sit in a noisy coffee shop reading your bible with a peacefully quiet heart and spirit, or you turn up the 90's tunes and dance alone in your room with the windows wide open, or you sit on your bed with a good book, a cup of tea, a big spoon and a jar of peanut butter, or you take a walk along a forest trail or the beach or the city streets, or you fall to your knees and pray and cry and sing aloud,
i pray that you will be at peace.
for many of us, its difficult to budget time to really live. frankly, i suppose that may be a result of the fact that we find the need to organize every instant of every day of our lives. calendars, planners, checklists. we can't seem to 'get anything done' if its not part of the schedule. but sometimes, the best moments in our lives are not part of the plan at all.
think back to last time you were entirely and unexplainably at peace, even if it was just for a moment. now think of what you did, or what someone else did, or what happened to leave you with that sense of peace, that sense of comforting freedom, and the feeling that in that particular moment everything was still and you thought to yourself, "life is good'.
sadly, these moments seem to be rare and fleeting for so many people. with everything that is on today's to-do (or maybe yours is more like 'NEED TO DO FOR SURE OR ELSE... UH OH') list, how can we even hope to feel that moment of peace and tranquility?
sometimes, i just can't bring myself to do those need-to-get-done-now things on the list. and i think at that point, something inside of me is whispering, "be still". or possibly, "be still and know that I am God".
when i have one of those be-still moments, its a little like getting to a hotel after the stress and chaos and tension of pulling a 50 pound suitcase (that they made you pay to check) all over the airport and spilling your coffee on your white shirt and sitting in the middle seat on the plane and then staring at that endless moving belt waiting for your suitcase and calling a taxi and checking in so late that you really only hear part of what the person at the desk is trying to tell you and then, finally, getting to your room.
and then you just kind of drop your suitcase on the floor and flop without caring a bit onto the slightly suspicious hotel comforter... and finally breathe.
that's what it feels like when i have a be-still moment.
and while every moment doesn't end in a nice hotel and a needed vacation, i must say that my day progressively improves after that first real breath.
entering the world of college life this year has certainly had its ups and downs. although i will say honestly that the ups enormously outweigh the downs and 99.9% of the time i am happy and excited about life and God and pretty much everything! but being happy doesn't necessarily equal being still and at peace. with 18 credits and the homework that accompanies them, organizations and activities, church and volunteering, keeping up with friends, and hopefully a potential new job, this semester is sure to be a busy one!
and now, more than ever, i pray that i will be able to experience those be-still moments with the beauty and clarity of mind that they bring.
so as you are scrambling to accomplish every last task and make every appointment on time, i pray that moments of peace will sneak up on you and bring you the rest and clarity you so desire and need.
remember to live to be alive, not just to breath, eat, sleep, and repeat. remember to take time to do the things that give you a chance to rest and to reflect, and to hand over your burdens to the God who has the strength and the love necessary to carry even your heaviest ones.
so whether you sit in a noisy coffee shop reading your bible with a peacefully quiet heart and spirit, or you turn up the 90's tunes and dance alone in your room with the windows wide open, or you sit on your bed with a good book, a cup of tea, a big spoon and a jar of peanut butter, or you take a walk along a forest trail or the beach or the city streets, or you fall to your knees and pray and cry and sing aloud,
i pray that you will be at peace.
Monday, January 9, 2012
finding our center
It has been on my heart lately how easy it is to get caught up in the worldliness of our lives. We live in a consumer society where the idea that happiness can be bought has become a maxim for more than a few companies. When we are surrounded by all of the readily available material things of this world, our priorities can get a little wacky.
For example, when we are consumed in worldly pleasures, we tend to put our own selfish desires before those of others and of God. Most often the people we love can be pushed aside when we become consumed in our own 'stuff', interests, and social life. And more importantly, God is pushed aside too.
Our Lord desires that we die to our lives of worldliness and consume ourselves in glorifying His name and loving others the way Christ loved us. No, God doesn't tell us its easy to live the life of a Christian, but He does say it'll be worth it. And by making Jesus the very center of our lives, all of our priorities seem to fall into place - the right place.
When we decide to make Jesus our top priority and to die to our sins and selfish desires daily, unconditionally loving others reaches a higher spot on the list. So does forming and maintaining authentic friendships, caring for others' needs selflessly, and finding joy and peace in both the storms and calms of life.
When these Godly desires become our high priorities, the things we thought were just so important to posses begin to seem entirely unimportant. They pale severely in comparison with our growing relationship with our King.
God wants us to find pleasure in HIM, not in satisfying sinful desires or in having lots of stuff. It IS hard to tear away from worldly selfishness and run towards God, especially when we are constantly tempted by the so-called pleasures of this world.
But God tells us that the pleasure of living a Christ-like life is far more beautiful and satisfying than anything money could buy. Nothing else in life could bring us greater joy than claiming Christ as our center and our savior.
"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever"
1 John 2:17
For example, when we are consumed in worldly pleasures, we tend to put our own selfish desires before those of others and of God. Most often the people we love can be pushed aside when we become consumed in our own 'stuff', interests, and social life. And more importantly, God is pushed aside too.
Our Lord desires that we die to our lives of worldliness and consume ourselves in glorifying His name and loving others the way Christ loved us. No, God doesn't tell us its easy to live the life of a Christian, but He does say it'll be worth it. And by making Jesus the very center of our lives, all of our priorities seem to fall into place - the right place.
When we decide to make Jesus our top priority and to die to our sins and selfish desires daily, unconditionally loving others reaches a higher spot on the list. So does forming and maintaining authentic friendships, caring for others' needs selflessly, and finding joy and peace in both the storms and calms of life.
When these Godly desires become our high priorities, the things we thought were just so important to posses begin to seem entirely unimportant. They pale severely in comparison with our growing relationship with our King.
God wants us to find pleasure in HIM, not in satisfying sinful desires or in having lots of stuff. It IS hard to tear away from worldly selfishness and run towards God, especially when we are constantly tempted by the so-called pleasures of this world.
But God tells us that the pleasure of living a Christ-like life is far more beautiful and satisfying than anything money could buy. Nothing else in life could bring us greater joy than claiming Christ as our center and our savior.
"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever"
1 John 2:17
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