I found this quote on part of a friend's graduation present the other day. I absolutely LOVED it! Just thought I'd share, because it fits very well into my life. Enjoy!
Dear God,
Thank You for my loved ones, and for choosing me from all others to care for them. Fill me with Your Spirit to share Your warmth and love with my dear ones, and bless them with Your joy,peace, and grace. May we come someday as one family to live with You forever in Heaven.
Amen.
He chose YOU out of all others to care for those in your life. Take courage, and fearlessly impact those around you. May the peace of Christ rule in your hearts always. Peace!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Soundtrack to the Summer of My Soul
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." ~John 14:27
This passage pretty much sums up the three main themes of my summer: peace, giving, and fear. I apologize for the length of this post in advance-it's been a long time since I've written, and I've had lots of time to think ;)
PEACE: This has been something I've been thinking about a lot-especially the last few weeks. I've written myself notes about it, and believe me, when the Spirit grants me the mindset to go into that once again, there will be a long post about this alone. But I want you to look at the first sentence of this passage and notice this: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." God is the only one who can provide us with peace in this crazy life-peace of mind, peace of heart, and peace of soul. Nothing and no one else in this world can do that for us, despite how hard we try to make it happen. Peace is knowing and trusting with our entire being that our Creator has been, is, and will continue to provide for us exactly what we need most.
GIVING: I'm continually realizing how much I have to give, and how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life who constantly give to me. "Not as the world gives do I give it to you." I seriously had a mini freak out moment/huge smile breakout when I read this the other day. How perfectly it applies to my summer is kind of ridiculous! But then again, God does seem to be that way sometimes...;) God provides us with everything we need. He may not give us everything we want, but He ALWAYS provides. And really, what more could we want than to have our deepest needs filled completely by the one who loves us most? He doesn't give to us as the world does. The world give us what we want, when we want it, and in whatever way we can get it. Christ gives us what we truly need (which are also our wants-even when we don't realize it), in the moment we need it most, and in the way that will have the greatest impact on our soul. The world gives us instant satisfaction; He allows us to learn during our trials, awaiting with hope what is to come. As creatures of this world,we give ourselves to others and to Christ with reserve, selfishly holding back part of ourselves to use as we wish. He gives himself ENTIRELY for us. He cares about every aspect of our lives, down to the smallest details. He gave His body on the cross, enduring both the physical and spiritual pain without the slightest complaint. This world gives us speed bumps; Christ gives us Everest.
FEAR: One phrase I've been hearing constantly this summer-both from friends and in my own conscience-has been this: "Be not afraid." Yeah....much easier said than done, I know. Fear is something that I've struggled with every since I can remember-both rational and irrational, but mostly in my faith. There have been many times in my life where I've felt like I'm engaging in this beautiful faith alone, and some of those moments can be pretty discouraging. We all feel lonely at some point-I mean, we need others. It's as simple as that. But sometimes we forget that there is something bigger than ourselves that we're fighting for. We are in the ultimate war; a constant, never-ending battle for souls. And if we fear, we're allowing ourselves to lose by default. For example: I get sooo much out of watching others show their faith. It encourages me, and gives me the hope I need to be courageous in my own. I'm not talking about preaching to a lost friend, or talking someone out of a murder, either. I mean things like kneeling with respect, and being visibly reverent and thankful during communion. Who knows what those little acts of faith can do for someone who needs hope-only God knows how many times may day has been turned around for the better by a kind smile or a good bear hug. We have much more to fear in this life than the little things, so why worry about those? Put on His armor, and go out into the world fearlessly, knowing that He is with you always.
Peace, Giving, and Fear-the soundtrack to the summer of my soul. I hope you take something away from what I've learned this summer, and apply it to your own lives. May you find rest in Him, and may Momma Mary be guiding you always on your journey. Peace.
This passage pretty much sums up the three main themes of my summer: peace, giving, and fear. I apologize for the length of this post in advance-it's been a long time since I've written, and I've had lots of time to think ;)
PEACE: This has been something I've been thinking about a lot-especially the last few weeks. I've written myself notes about it, and believe me, when the Spirit grants me the mindset to go into that once again, there will be a long post about this alone. But I want you to look at the first sentence of this passage and notice this: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." God is the only one who can provide us with peace in this crazy life-peace of mind, peace of heart, and peace of soul. Nothing and no one else in this world can do that for us, despite how hard we try to make it happen. Peace is knowing and trusting with our entire being that our Creator has been, is, and will continue to provide for us exactly what we need most.
GIVING: I'm continually realizing how much I have to give, and how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life who constantly give to me. "Not as the world gives do I give it to you." I seriously had a mini freak out moment/huge smile breakout when I read this the other day. How perfectly it applies to my summer is kind of ridiculous! But then again, God does seem to be that way sometimes...;) God provides us with everything we need. He may not give us everything we want, but He ALWAYS provides. And really, what more could we want than to have our deepest needs filled completely by the one who loves us most? He doesn't give to us as the world does. The world give us what we want, when we want it, and in whatever way we can get it. Christ gives us what we truly need (which are also our wants-even when we don't realize it), in the moment we need it most, and in the way that will have the greatest impact on our soul. The world gives us instant satisfaction; He allows us to learn during our trials, awaiting with hope what is to come. As creatures of this world,we give ourselves to others and to Christ with reserve, selfishly holding back part of ourselves to use as we wish. He gives himself ENTIRELY for us. He cares about every aspect of our lives, down to the smallest details. He gave His body on the cross, enduring both the physical and spiritual pain without the slightest complaint. This world gives us speed bumps; Christ gives us Everest.
FEAR: One phrase I've been hearing constantly this summer-both from friends and in my own conscience-has been this: "Be not afraid." Yeah....much easier said than done, I know. Fear is something that I've struggled with every since I can remember-both rational and irrational, but mostly in my faith. There have been many times in my life where I've felt like I'm engaging in this beautiful faith alone, and some of those moments can be pretty discouraging. We all feel lonely at some point-I mean, we need others. It's as simple as that. But sometimes we forget that there is something bigger than ourselves that we're fighting for. We are in the ultimate war; a constant, never-ending battle for souls. And if we fear, we're allowing ourselves to lose by default. For example: I get sooo much out of watching others show their faith. It encourages me, and gives me the hope I need to be courageous in my own. I'm not talking about preaching to a lost friend, or talking someone out of a murder, either. I mean things like kneeling with respect, and being visibly reverent and thankful during communion. Who knows what those little acts of faith can do for someone who needs hope-only God knows how many times may day has been turned around for the better by a kind smile or a good bear hug. We have much more to fear in this life than the little things, so why worry about those? Put on His armor, and go out into the world fearlessly, knowing that He is with you always.
Peace, Giving, and Fear-the soundtrack to the summer of my soul. I hope you take something away from what I've learned this summer, and apply it to your own lives. May you find rest in Him, and may Momma Mary be guiding you always on your journey. Peace.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Adversity
"One blessed be God in times of adversity is worth more than a thousand acts of gratitude in times of prosperity." -St. John of Avila
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Life...It's Complicated
Random Facebook inspiration! Here we go: Life. As in babies. As in beautiful creatures. As in God's work.
I just got on Facebook to-let's face it-waste some time. Funny how God makes sure we even do little things like check our profiles at the right times. I saw a post about a friend of mine and her pregnancy-which reminded me of something else I've been thinking about for a while now. LIFE.
I've always enjoyed working with young kids. They're so easily amazed, and overjoyed with the little things in life. They see the beauty of the small parts of God's creation. And they never fail to make me smile :)
I have a couple of friends that are/will soon be experiencing what it's like to be a mother. The two that I am closest with are very young (recently graduated high school), and not married. Because of this, many people look down on their situations and choose to act like it's not happening or choose to end friendships with them. But they continue to do what they know is right, and accept the cards that have been dealt to them. These women have chosen to stay strong and ignore harsh judgement. And whether they know it or not, these woman are experiencing something amazing. They have life inside of them. They are the ones who are providing love and care to some of His newest creations. They are the instrument that God is using to begin a child's song.
I've been thinking alot about how complex our lives are, and how great God has to be to do it all. I will most likely post more about this topic later, because right now my brain is full of ideas but my energy level is slowly draining. But really, think about it. The complexity of our bodies, our souls, our minds, and every aspect of our lives is ASTOUNDING. My sister, my dad, and I went on a road trip for the 4th of July, and I had my head phones in. I'd been quiet for a while, and I decided to (sneakily) pause my ipod and tune into the conversation the other two were having and see if it was more interesting than my music. I quickly realized the topic of today's car ride was religion-something that I have a different view on than them. I decided to stay out of it, but before I could unpause my ipod, my dad said something that's stuck with me, and pretty well sums up what I'm getting at. "I don't believe God is as present in our daily lives as some people believe, but look at our world: look at how complex it is. Our bodies, our relationships, our lives. Look at all the details of them. How could that just come out of some random explosion?" Although we think of our faith very differently, my dad makes some very valid points about creation ;)
Anyways....point of my random Facebook explanation: God did good work. And He will continue to do good work. Love Him. Praise Him. Thank Him for this crazy complicated life.
I just got on Facebook to-let's face it-waste some time. Funny how God makes sure we even do little things like check our profiles at the right times. I saw a post about a friend of mine and her pregnancy-which reminded me of something else I've been thinking about for a while now. LIFE.
I've always enjoyed working with young kids. They're so easily amazed, and overjoyed with the little things in life. They see the beauty of the small parts of God's creation. And they never fail to make me smile :)
I have a couple of friends that are/will soon be experiencing what it's like to be a mother. The two that I am closest with are very young (recently graduated high school), and not married. Because of this, many people look down on their situations and choose to act like it's not happening or choose to end friendships with them. But they continue to do what they know is right, and accept the cards that have been dealt to them. These women have chosen to stay strong and ignore harsh judgement. And whether they know it or not, these woman are experiencing something amazing. They have life inside of them. They are the ones who are providing love and care to some of His newest creations. They are the instrument that God is using to begin a child's song.
I've been thinking alot about how complex our lives are, and how great God has to be to do it all. I will most likely post more about this topic later, because right now my brain is full of ideas but my energy level is slowly draining. But really, think about it. The complexity of our bodies, our souls, our minds, and every aspect of our lives is ASTOUNDING. My sister, my dad, and I went on a road trip for the 4th of July, and I had my head phones in. I'd been quiet for a while, and I decided to (sneakily) pause my ipod and tune into the conversation the other two were having and see if it was more interesting than my music. I quickly realized the topic of today's car ride was religion-something that I have a different view on than them. I decided to stay out of it, but before I could unpause my ipod, my dad said something that's stuck with me, and pretty well sums up what I'm getting at. "I don't believe God is as present in our daily lives as some people believe, but look at our world: look at how complex it is. Our bodies, our relationships, our lives. Look at all the details of them. How could that just come out of some random explosion?" Although we think of our faith very differently, my dad makes some very valid points about creation ;)
Anyways....point of my random Facebook explanation: God did good work. And He will continue to do good work. Love Him. Praise Him. Thank Him for this crazy complicated life.
Yay Lists!
Warning: This will probably be one of the most random blog posts I will ever write.
This past week I've been camped out at our county fair-not that big of a deal, right? Unless you're involved in 4H/FFA....then it's one of the best weeks of the summer-especially for those crazies of us that move in on Thursday and don't leave the fairgrounds until the following Tuesday. It was a week filled with poop-scooping, sweating, helping others, making new friends, playing cards, and taking down livestock pens/shoveling sand at 2 a.m. I told you, we're crazy. But my week was also filled with many blessings. If I had some sort of internet access, you probably would have heard a great many ramblings in detail a lot sooner. And you probably will at some point after I can get an actual night of sleep and another shower (for those of you who haven't realized this yet, those things are AMAZING. Go stay a week in a 1964 Airstream trailer-you'll feel blessed ;)) I warned you-random. Anyways...since I'm so good at making lists (I get lots of practice) and I can't get my brain to focus long enough to complete a post, here goes nothing:
This past week I've been camped out at our county fair-not that big of a deal, right? Unless you're involved in 4H/FFA....then it's one of the best weeks of the summer-especially for those crazies of us that move in on Thursday and don't leave the fairgrounds until the following Tuesday. It was a week filled with poop-scooping, sweating, helping others, making new friends, playing cards, and taking down livestock pens/shoveling sand at 2 a.m. I told you, we're crazy. But my week was also filled with many blessings. If I had some sort of internet access, you probably would have heard a great many ramblings in detail a lot sooner. And you probably will at some point after I can get an actual night of sleep and another shower (for those of you who haven't realized this yet, those things are AMAZING. Go stay a week in a 1964 Airstream trailer-you'll feel blessed ;)) I warned you-random. Anyways...since I'm so good at making lists (I get lots of practice) and I can't get my brain to focus long enough to complete a post, here goes nothing:
- God is good, and hard work pays off. Doing hard work for God pays off even more.
- Solidarity is a great thing. When given the chance, always choose to get to know someone more. Definitely more on that great word later.
- Having a relationship with Momma Mary is very helpful and fulfilling indeed.
- Every action we take should be done with courage, no matter the size.
- Trusting that everything is under control is terrifyingly difficult...but necessary.
May you never stop learning. Peace, friends.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Ice Skating
Oh, the joys of babysitting! I have been blessed this summer with being able to spend time with two of the most adorable girls I could ever imagine. Katie, who is eleven, likes to make up metaphors to go with random things (this is probably why we get along so well). So today, as we were debating whether we wanted to make our ramen noodles by microwave or stovetop, this is what she threw at me:
"It's kind of like ice skating. You can use the tight skates that are really easy to skate in but hurt your feet, or you can use the softer skates that are hard to skate in but feel REALLY good on your feet."
Wow....thanks God.
Ice skating....living out our faith....close enough, right? I mean, think about it. There are two choices of ice skates, and there are really two choices for how we live our lives: We can choose to follow the ways of the world, or we can choose to follow the ways of our faith and the wonderful plan God has in store for us.
Following the ways of the world is very easy....and very tempting. There are a million different objects and a million different ideas pulling us in a million different directions. This world trains us to think only of ourselves and no one else. We are continually bombarded with advertisements and peer encouragement to make us happy, to make us feel good about ourselves, and to satisfy us. It is easy to fall into the habits of immodesty, lies, and seemingly immortality that the world offers. The ways of the world seem like a tight fit and are much easier to skate through this life in. But they HURT. Maybe not immediately-but they leave terrible scars....loneliness, desperation, longing for joy, longing for peace, longing for hope. The ways of this world are easy to skate in, but leave our souls longing for more.
To step out and follow the plan that's been created for us is SCARY. I will be the first one to admit that. The idea of putting on the more difficult ice skates scares the living heck out of me-and I know for a fact I'm not the only one. God's plan for us involves much worldly suffering, and a few faceplants in the ice rink. It's not easy to say no to what others are doing, to keep up a holy lifestyle when surrounded with nonbelievers, or sometimes, even to keep up hope. Following our faith will result in getting made fun of, put down, being fearful, and sometimes feeling alone in this world. But you know what? At the end of this life, the skate of faith feels REALLY good on our souls. If we stick with it through the worldly blisters and pain, we will discover things we could only find on these skates.......peace, joy, humility, love, and so many more.
My friends, we have a choice. Not once, but daily. Each morning when you get up, think about one thing for me:
"What skates will you wear today?"
"It's kind of like ice skating. You can use the tight skates that are really easy to skate in but hurt your feet, or you can use the softer skates that are hard to skate in but feel REALLY good on your feet."
Wow....thanks God.
Ice skating....living out our faith....close enough, right? I mean, think about it. There are two choices of ice skates, and there are really two choices for how we live our lives: We can choose to follow the ways of the world, or we can choose to follow the ways of our faith and the wonderful plan God has in store for us.
Following the ways of the world is very easy....and very tempting. There are a million different objects and a million different ideas pulling us in a million different directions. This world trains us to think only of ourselves and no one else. We are continually bombarded with advertisements and peer encouragement to make us happy, to make us feel good about ourselves, and to satisfy us. It is easy to fall into the habits of immodesty, lies, and seemingly immortality that the world offers. The ways of the world seem like a tight fit and are much easier to skate through this life in. But they HURT. Maybe not immediately-but they leave terrible scars....loneliness, desperation, longing for joy, longing for peace, longing for hope. The ways of this world are easy to skate in, but leave our souls longing for more.
To step out and follow the plan that's been created for us is SCARY. I will be the first one to admit that. The idea of putting on the more difficult ice skates scares the living heck out of me-and I know for a fact I'm not the only one. God's plan for us involves much worldly suffering, and a few faceplants in the ice rink. It's not easy to say no to what others are doing, to keep up a holy lifestyle when surrounded with nonbelievers, or sometimes, even to keep up hope. Following our faith will result in getting made fun of, put down, being fearful, and sometimes feeling alone in this world. But you know what? At the end of this life, the skate of faith feels REALLY good on our souls. If we stick with it through the worldly blisters and pain, we will discover things we could only find on these skates.......peace, joy, humility, love, and so many more.
My friends, we have a choice. Not once, but daily. Each morning when you get up, think about one thing for me:
"What skates will you wear today?"
Monday, July 18, 2011
The View of a Lifetime
Stars:
Everyone sees them differently, depending on from where they are looking up. Each one is a different shape, a different size, and a different strength. One star alone is beautiful, but together they make an inspiring sight to see. One star guides in the right direction, slowly leading the eye to a breathe-taking masterpiece.
In that same way, we slowly lead one another out of darkness into a clear view of not only light....but beauty. Silently, boldly, fearlessly. We show the world what we already know: That this world is NOT just about us. There are people out there who need stars....need light....need beauty....need YOU.
Be that star guiding others towards the view of a lifetime.
Everyone sees them differently, depending on from where they are looking up. Each one is a different shape, a different size, and a different strength. One star alone is beautiful, but together they make an inspiring sight to see. One star guides in the right direction, slowly leading the eye to a breathe-taking masterpiece.
In that same way, we slowly lead one another out of darkness into a clear view of not only light....but beauty. Silently, boldly, fearlessly. We show the world what we already know: That this world is NOT just about us. There are people out there who need stars....need light....need beauty....need YOU.
Be that star guiding others towards the view of a lifetime.
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