what do you think of when you hear the word "spoiled?" do you think of food that has gone bad, or maybe you think of those people that you know or you think you know, that are spoiled. well, i have been called spoiled by numerous of people and it always rubs me the wrong way, even though it is very true. i am spoiled and a lot of the time it frustrates me that i am.
when i was a kid, i got whatever i wanted. i don't think that i asked for something and didn't get it. i was a very fortunate child growing up. now, my parents weren't and still aren't loaded by any means but they worked their butt off to give me and my brother whatever we wanted. so being spoiled came at an expense for us. it meant that our parents were always working. my mother was not a stay at home mom, she worked all the time. which is why our grandma basically raised us. we would get dropped off at my grandmas house in the morning when both of my parents went to work and joe or my grandma walked me to school til i was old enough to walk on my own or until joe was too cool to walk his little sister to school haha you choose. anyway, we would go to school and come home and i would go to my grandmas and wait for my mom to get home from work and then go home and then have to wait til my dad got off work (which was very late most nights). i'm not saying that my parents weren't there for us because they were but they just worked so they could give us everything we wanted. when i was old enough that i could actually go out and get a job, i didn't have to. i was one of the few in high school that didn't work to get my own money, my parents paid for everything i wanted or needed and they still do. so yeah, call me spoiled. but you have no idea how hard it is to ask my parents for money. you do not know how conscious i am about spending their money while at school. you don't know how much i hated when they got me a BRAND NEW car a year ago when i totaled my other one by hitting a deer. i am 21 years old. i do NOT need a brand new car. but yet. i have one. of course i am not going to complain but you guys don't know how much i think about that and how bad i feel and thats why it rubs me the wrong way when people call me spoiled.
i started to think about this the other day when my mom (who is currently retired) started crying with both my brother and i in the room because she had wished that she could have been a stay at home mom for us. she feels like she missed out on us growing up. and now that she can actually stay home, both of us are grown up and have our own lives. well, i guess i wouldn't really say both of us have our own lives. my brother still lives at home but he has a full time job and i still depend on my parents for everything. but, she still feels guilty that she couldn't be at home all the time for us when we were growing up.
if you sit and think about it, we are all spoiled. we get to live in the united states of america. we have freedom. but most importantly. we have an amazing God. none of us deserve the love that we get from him day after day. we do not deserve the grace and peace that he gives to us. we did not deserve him dying on the cross for us. but he still did because he loves us. so, if you are sitting there reading this and thinking that man, i wish that i had parents that bought me a brand new car or i wish that i didn't have to work for my own money and blah blah blah. stop and think. do you have a roof over your head? are you warm at night? do you have food that you can eat whenever you want? do you have clean water to drink everyday? and, do you have the love of Jesus Christ? if you answered yes to any of the above questions then you, my friend, are spoiled. always remember, God is love.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
peace
for the past couple of days i have been doing my devos on peace. beth moore has given me "portraits of peace" so that i can observe the nature of God's peace and how we receive that peace. in a previous post i told you about the time where Jesus had stayed in Jerusalem for 4 days without his parents (when he was 12) and had tremendous peace. toady, i read the story about how Jesus walked on water. he had sent his disciples out on a boat while he went to a mountain side to pray by himself. it is believe that he had spent a good 3 hours praying while his disciples were on the boat fighting the storm. when he went to them (because he knew they were in distress) he didn't go run to them, he wasn't in a panic because of it, he simply walked. well, if the boat had been out there for a good 3 hours, how could he just walk to them? well he is Jesus and being the stud that he is, he walked on water. Peter began to freak out (like the rest of them) and said that it was a ghost and that if it was really the Lord, he (the Lord) would tell him to come out on the water. so Jesus did. peter began to walk straight toward Jesus and had his focus completely on Him. he began to doubt though and started to sink. Immediately, Jesus was there. He was there in an instant, no more walking.
well all know the story but what amazes me is the tremendous amount of peace Jesus had. he knew that his disciples were in trouble but yet he stayed and prayed and when he decided to leave he didn't rush to them, he walked. we see his peace in this story but we also see that as long as we are looking straight to Christ and focus on him, we can do just about anything. but once that focus slips, while Jesus' focus is still on us, and we being to doubt, that is when we start sinking. we don't have to fear though, Jesus will be there. now, we may have to wait and we may feel like we are just going to drown but Christ knows what he is doing. He may let us sit there and sink and struggle ... maybe for 3 hours.. maybe for longer but we have to have the PEACE to know that he is right there waiting for the perfect time to help us back up. so, my friends, if you feel like you are drowning and you have been there for hours, days, maybe even weeks, do not be afraid says Jesus, he is right there with a tremendous amount of peace, maybe we can learn something from him and have peace in our drowning.
well all know the story but what amazes me is the tremendous amount of peace Jesus had. he knew that his disciples were in trouble but yet he stayed and prayed and when he decided to leave he didn't rush to them, he walked. we see his peace in this story but we also see that as long as we are looking straight to Christ and focus on him, we can do just about anything. but once that focus slips, while Jesus' focus is still on us, and we being to doubt, that is when we start sinking. we don't have to fear though, Jesus will be there. now, we may have to wait and we may feel like we are just going to drown but Christ knows what he is doing. He may let us sit there and sink and struggle ... maybe for 3 hours.. maybe for longer but we have to have the PEACE to know that he is right there waiting for the perfect time to help us back up. so, my friends, if you feel like you are drowning and you have been there for hours, days, maybe even weeks, do not be afraid says Jesus, he is right there with a tremendous amount of peace, maybe we can learn something from him and have peace in our drowning.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
unconditional love
not such an easy concept to grasp. i was once told that it is impossible for anybody to have unconditional love for someone except for Jesus. i beg to differ. now, i'm not by any means saying that we are capable of the same love that Jesus gives to us 24.7 but i am saying that we are still capable of loving someone unconditionally. i may be wrong. but it is just what i believe. i think parents come the closest to loving someone unconditionally. everybody hears the saying "well they are my child, i have to love them." but i also know of parents that did lose the love for their child for whatever reason. although, i have seen a parent love unconditionally when their child has neglected them. it was my grandma krusen. one of her sons, my uncle, left iowa and never looked back. he still loved his family but that all turned around one day. it happened when i was little and i still don't understand the situation fully but, for whatever reason he began to hate my grandma and completely stopped communication. when my grandma got diagnosed with cancer when i was in 6th grade my dad gave my uncle a call to tell him and his response was "so, what am i suppose to do about it." it completely crushed my dad. to all of our surprise he actually came to the funeral when she had passed away a year later. i remember one day and i don't think i will ever forget it. it was before my grandma had passed and i was up there just spending time with her and i asked her, "does it hurt you that benny doesn't talk to you anymore?" her response was, "it always hurts when a child doesn't talk to their parents but you know what pumpkin, i will always love him and nothing will ever change that." wow. i was completely shocked. she still loved him even though he turned his back on her and the rest of the family. oh the love of a child from a parent. if that doesn't scream unconditional love, i don't what does. now, thats just one example and i'm sure there are parents out there that do not love their child unconditionally. sad. but true. there is also an unconditional love from the child to their parents. and the rest of their family but again there are exceptions.
but what about friends? i really want to say that it is possible but i don't think it is. friends come and go. there are a select few that stick around your entire life. you might be lucky and have the same friend that you have had since childhood throughout your entire life or you may not have any of the same friends you had in your childhood, middle school, and high school. the love for a friend will never compare to the love that a parent has for a child. i don't know how it could. it might come close to the love that a child has for a parent but even that is sticky. so where do friends rank on the love scale? when i think about my friends i would love to sit here and say that i have unconditional love for them. but i would be lying. i could sit here and think of situations that would happen that would wipe away my love for them. there is only one friend in my life that i just might have an unconditional love for. i can't say that i do. i wish i could and i want to say that i do but i think unconditional love becomes sticky when it comes to friends. i think i like the idea of being able to say that i have an unconditional love for her but i don't really know what the future holds. i know in my heart that our friendship will never end but does that mean that i have an unconditional love for her? i don't know. she is the only friend that i think i would actually take a bullet for if it really came down to it (i would for every single person in my family) but is that enough to say that there is an unconditional love? the answer is: i have no idea. i have no idea what unconditional love is. i do when it comes to my family but to friends, i am clueless. i know that God will love me NO MATTER what. He is the only example of a true, pure, unconditional lover. no one can even come close to that. maybe it is just because i want to say that i have an unconditional love for someone other than my family? maybe i want to say it to prove that my part of the friendship isn't going anywhere. or maybe it is because i do have an unconditional love for my best friend. Proverbs 17:17 says that a friend loves at all times. and in Proverbs chapter 18 verse 24, it says that a man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. maybe she is the friend that sticks closer than a brother?
i feel like i'm rambling and i am sorry for that! but it is just something that i have been pondering because i cannot and will not fathom how much love Jesus has for us no matter what we may do. we punch him in the face every time we sin and it is on a daily basis yet, he has an unconditional love for us. amazing. thats why we always have to remember that God is LOVE.
but what about friends? i really want to say that it is possible but i don't think it is. friends come and go. there are a select few that stick around your entire life. you might be lucky and have the same friend that you have had since childhood throughout your entire life or you may not have any of the same friends you had in your childhood, middle school, and high school. the love for a friend will never compare to the love that a parent has for a child. i don't know how it could. it might come close to the love that a child has for a parent but even that is sticky. so where do friends rank on the love scale? when i think about my friends i would love to sit here and say that i have unconditional love for them. but i would be lying. i could sit here and think of situations that would happen that would wipe away my love for them. there is only one friend in my life that i just might have an unconditional love for. i can't say that i do. i wish i could and i want to say that i do but i think unconditional love becomes sticky when it comes to friends. i think i like the idea of being able to say that i have an unconditional love for her but i don't really know what the future holds. i know in my heart that our friendship will never end but does that mean that i have an unconditional love for her? i don't know. she is the only friend that i think i would actually take a bullet for if it really came down to it (i would for every single person in my family) but is that enough to say that there is an unconditional love? the answer is: i have no idea. i have no idea what unconditional love is. i do when it comes to my family but to friends, i am clueless. i know that God will love me NO MATTER what. He is the only example of a true, pure, unconditional lover. no one can even come close to that. maybe it is just because i want to say that i have an unconditional love for someone other than my family? maybe i want to say it to prove that my part of the friendship isn't going anywhere. or maybe it is because i do have an unconditional love for my best friend. Proverbs 17:17 says that a friend loves at all times. and in Proverbs chapter 18 verse 24, it says that a man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. maybe she is the friend that sticks closer than a brother?
i feel like i'm rambling and i am sorry for that! but it is just something that i have been pondering because i cannot and will not fathom how much love Jesus has for us no matter what we may do. we punch him in the face every time we sin and it is on a daily basis yet, he has an unconditional love for us. amazing. thats why we always have to remember that God is LOVE.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
:.messy faith.:
woah buddy. where do i even begin. i have so many thoughts today and tonight that this blog might be a little long and pretty scattered brained. so i apologize in advance, if you even care to read it.
i'm going to start off by telling you that i will be spending my summer volunteering/working for a gospel mission women's and children's shelter in sioux city. i was really pumped for the experience because i really wanted to get involve in these women's life and know their stories and get to know their heart. well, today was my third time there and still i haven't gotten to really interact with the women and children and it has been really frustrating me because the only thing i have been doing is their bitch work. today, i went in a little late because i was seriously dragging butt, probably because i didn't go to bed til 5 this morning and woke up at 10 so i figured i could be a little late figuring that i'm just volunteering now. i almost just didn't go because i didn't want to go and do more bitch work but then i thought that i may just be losing out on the opportunity to interact with these women. so i got there, slowly, but i got there.
i pulled up and first the lady forgot that i was even coming so she had to think on the spot on what she would have me do, never a good sign. she was like "do you like working in the yard?" i just said sure even though i was too exhausted to even think about doing hard labor. she wanted me to go pull all the weeds and grass out from the side of the fence that goes around the entire facility. i take a look around and was like "great, i'm never getting out of here." i being to work. i put on my gloves, get a shovel thinger out and being to pull weeds. as i started i was like "God, why do you have me here. like really? am i just going to be here to do their bitch work and work in their garden (like i did the first day i was there) and pull their weeds and sort through their donations, etc. everything except getting to interact with this people here?" i keep going and my brain starts racing. i just start thinking about numerous of things from "i wonder how long i will have to be here, to, man i need a nap, to as deep as true forgiveness." you are probably wondering how i got there but it was very simple. i was texting one of my friends, while pulling these weeds and everything was just fine and dandy, i was moving right along with these weeds and my friend was keeping me company in a sense until i got a text that kinda just made me stop in my tracks. it was a text that caught me off guard and it stung (because of previous happenings) i didn't really know how to reply back so i didn't, which isn't like me because i am pretty good about replying to texts if i'm in a conversation. i didn't really know why it stung because it really wasn't that big of a deal. so, as i'm pulling these weeds i began to ask God why it still stung.. why certain things in my life, when i come upon them, still stung. i began to ask him many questions but one of the questions i came to that made the most sense to me was "have i just not truly forgiven them? i mean God, i have forgiven them and i have moved on so, what is the deal?" i just sat there and just pondered those questions and pondered what true forgiveness is.
i still don't know the answers and i don't know when i will find them out. so i guess one of my goals for this summer is to really search the word to find out what true forgiveness means and to hopefully answer the question on why certain things still sting when mentioned. it sucks because i don't want them to sting, i'm over it, i have moved on, but my heart is telling me different when i feel the hurt. hopefully, i can work on a lot of hurt that still lingers, this summer.
i also thought about roots. random, i know. but not so much. i was pulling these weeds and grass and the grass was soooooo hard to pull out if you tried pulling a lot out at the same time. it was almost like they were all sticking together so they wouldn't have to be pulled out. when i finally got the bunch out, i looked at the roots. probably because my roommate has a fascination with them. i guess she is rubbing off one me. but i looked at the intricate details that involve the root. also, learned it from the roomie to stop and take a look a the small things. i love that she has taught me that. whether she knows it or not. but i never used to take a minute to stop and look at the small things. i always laugh at her when she does like when she finds a piece of bark beautiful. i laugh but it amazes me. she is so amazing like that. and i'm glad that i can learn from her. anywho, as i was looking at them and thinking about how tough they were to get out of the ground i thought about my roots. it made me want to be rooted in Christ. i want to be who He wants me to be but i want so badly to be rooted in Him. i know that i can say that i am but i want to be so deeply rooted that it is really hard to de-root me. lately, it hasn't taken much to get away from Him so thats why i pray that i can be ROOTED in Christ, deeply rooted.
i also heard this song today on the radio, not for the first time, but today it really hit home with me and it is the cry of my heart right now.
Look at my heart again
Look at the mess I've got it in
I'm learning to trust in You
To know that you'll see me
Through my pride
Through my shame
Into Your love
Into Your grace
I'm not looking back
Till I see Your face
I'm running straight to You
Chorus
---------
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
To break this division
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
Erase it and bring us together again
Verse 2
---------
My life's an open book
Nothing is hidden when You look
You break through my boundaries
Revealing my insecurities
But through my pride
And through my shame
You show me love
You show me grace
I'm not looking back
Till I see your face
I'm running straight to you
Because
Chorus
---------
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
To break this division
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
Erase it and bring us together again
together again
Bridge
--------
Here I am saying I need you
I know I need you
Here I am, I'm coming to meet you
Cause I want to see you
Chorus
---------
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
Erase it and bring us together
hmmm, well i think i could write some more but this is getting insanely long and i just feel like i am babbling now. so, i hope that you have some goals for your summer. and if those are answering questions, like my best friend told me today, look to the word, you will find answers! :) always remember, God is love.
i'm going to start off by telling you that i will be spending my summer volunteering/working for a gospel mission women's and children's shelter in sioux city. i was really pumped for the experience because i really wanted to get involve in these women's life and know their stories and get to know their heart. well, today was my third time there and still i haven't gotten to really interact with the women and children and it has been really frustrating me because the only thing i have been doing is their bitch work. today, i went in a little late because i was seriously dragging butt, probably because i didn't go to bed til 5 this morning and woke up at 10 so i figured i could be a little late figuring that i'm just volunteering now. i almost just didn't go because i didn't want to go and do more bitch work but then i thought that i may just be losing out on the opportunity to interact with these women. so i got there, slowly, but i got there.
i pulled up and first the lady forgot that i was even coming so she had to think on the spot on what she would have me do, never a good sign. she was like "do you like working in the yard?" i just said sure even though i was too exhausted to even think about doing hard labor. she wanted me to go pull all the weeds and grass out from the side of the fence that goes around the entire facility. i take a look around and was like "great, i'm never getting out of here." i being to work. i put on my gloves, get a shovel thinger out and being to pull weeds. as i started i was like "God, why do you have me here. like really? am i just going to be here to do their bitch work and work in their garden (like i did the first day i was there) and pull their weeds and sort through their donations, etc. everything except getting to interact with this people here?" i keep going and my brain starts racing. i just start thinking about numerous of things from "i wonder how long i will have to be here, to, man i need a nap, to as deep as true forgiveness." you are probably wondering how i got there but it was very simple. i was texting one of my friends, while pulling these weeds and everything was just fine and dandy, i was moving right along with these weeds and my friend was keeping me company in a sense until i got a text that kinda just made me stop in my tracks. it was a text that caught me off guard and it stung (because of previous happenings) i didn't really know how to reply back so i didn't, which isn't like me because i am pretty good about replying to texts if i'm in a conversation. i didn't really know why it stung because it really wasn't that big of a deal. so, as i'm pulling these weeds i began to ask God why it still stung.. why certain things in my life, when i come upon them, still stung. i began to ask him many questions but one of the questions i came to that made the most sense to me was "have i just not truly forgiven them? i mean God, i have forgiven them and i have moved on so, what is the deal?" i just sat there and just pondered those questions and pondered what true forgiveness is.
i still don't know the answers and i don't know when i will find them out. so i guess one of my goals for this summer is to really search the word to find out what true forgiveness means and to hopefully answer the question on why certain things still sting when mentioned. it sucks because i don't want them to sting, i'm over it, i have moved on, but my heart is telling me different when i feel the hurt. hopefully, i can work on a lot of hurt that still lingers, this summer.
i also thought about roots. random, i know. but not so much. i was pulling these weeds and grass and the grass was soooooo hard to pull out if you tried pulling a lot out at the same time. it was almost like they were all sticking together so they wouldn't have to be pulled out. when i finally got the bunch out, i looked at the roots. probably because my roommate has a fascination with them. i guess she is rubbing off one me. but i looked at the intricate details that involve the root. also, learned it from the roomie to stop and take a look a the small things. i love that she has taught me that. whether she knows it or not. but i never used to take a minute to stop and look at the small things. i always laugh at her when she does like when she finds a piece of bark beautiful. i laugh but it amazes me. she is so amazing like that. and i'm glad that i can learn from her. anywho, as i was looking at them and thinking about how tough they were to get out of the ground i thought about my roots. it made me want to be rooted in Christ. i want to be who He wants me to be but i want so badly to be rooted in Him. i know that i can say that i am but i want to be so deeply rooted that it is really hard to de-root me. lately, it hasn't taken much to get away from Him so thats why i pray that i can be ROOTED in Christ, deeply rooted.
i also heard this song today on the radio, not for the first time, but today it really hit home with me and it is the cry of my heart right now.
Look at my heart again
Look at the mess I've got it in
I'm learning to trust in You
To know that you'll see me
Through my pride
Through my shame
Into Your love
Into Your grace
I'm not looking back
Till I see Your face
I'm running straight to You
Chorus
---------
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
To break this division
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
Erase it and bring us together again
Verse 2
---------
My life's an open book
Nothing is hidden when You look
You break through my boundaries
Revealing my insecurities
But through my pride
And through my shame
You show me love
You show me grace
I'm not looking back
Till I see your face
I'm running straight to you
Because
Chorus
---------
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
To break this division
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
Erase it and bring us together again
together again
Bridge
--------
Here I am saying I need you
I know I need you
Here I am, I'm coming to meet you
Cause I want to see you
Chorus
---------
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
Erase it and bring us together
hmmm, well i think i could write some more but this is getting insanely long and i just feel like i am babbling now. so, i hope that you have some goals for your summer. and if those are answering questions, like my best friend told me today, look to the word, you will find answers! :) always remember, God is love.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
have the people sit down.
infamous words from Jesus as He turned the 5 loaves and 2 fish into a feast for the 5,000 people. He fed only those that were seated. how hard was it for those 5,000 people to actually trust that He would provide enough food for them to feast? apparently, not that difficult because they all sat. lately, i haven't been sitting in a posture of trust like these 5,000 people which is weird because i LOVE to sit haha. today, as i was doing my devos and reading john 6:1-15 and also learning about the times that Jesus had some pretty astounding peace, for example, when Jesus was only 12 and he stayed in Jerusalem when his parents left to go back home. His parents searched and searched for Jesus. 3 days later, as they returned to Jerusalem, they found him sitting there among the other teachers understanding and asking questions. how often do you think of a 12 year old being able to be alone for 3 days and remain peaceful? as i read these stories and thought back on the 5,000 people that "sat," i learned that i need to be sitting in a posture of trust and really trust that God will provide in any situation and learn to remain peaceful. i hope and pray that we can all learn to stop and sit down in a posture of trust. remember, God is love.
Monday, May 24, 2010
satan
ahh, satan, what a bitch. i wanted to start out in a more profound way but that is just how i feel right now. he is soo annoying. it always surprises me when i hear people say that satan doesn't effect their life. are you guys being serious? maybe it it just me but he loves to kick me when i'm down. and he just keeps kicking and hitting and jabbing me until i can't stand it anymore. you would think when i am getting the crap beat out of me by him is when i would cry out to God for help and sometimes i do but sometimes i feel as if i like being stuck in that beating. do i like being stuck there? as weird as it sounds sometimes it is just uber comfortable sitting there and taking that beating. sometimes i don't even realize when he his well at work on my heart. i think it is when i finally realize that he is sitting there kicking me that i begin to feel as angry as i do at him and sometimes at God even though i'm not a big supporter of being angry at God. i know we are human and of course we are going to be angry at him, i just hate when i am because He knows what is best for me, he has my life planned out so, why be mad? i just keep reminding myself that God is right there next to me wanting to help me up. it is these times where i take comfort in the fact that He can just hold me in His arms and tell me everything is fine. i don't like the feeling of doubting him, though, when He does tell me that everything is going to be alright but i know that doubt is satan. why doesn't he just go away? i would love to live a day and not have to deal with satan playing these games in my head and in my heart. my friends, today i ask you to pray for the the strength that i need right now and that God can wage this war for me. i just need to give it to him but sometimes i feel like can kick satan's ass by myself but wow, am i wrong. i'm sorry for such a downer blog post but thats what satan can do to ya when he is well at work on your heart. regardless, always remember God is love.
do you have that person?
so i recently saw this video of this girl that said that she wishes she had someone in her life that when she says that she is "okay," someone would look her in the eye and say "no you're not, how are you really?" do you have someone like that in your life? i know that i for sure do. i didn't have that person though up until my sophomore year in college. i had people that "knew" me but they didn't really know me. this person took me by complete surprise. i mean, this person can read me like a book and that is quite literal. some days it frustrates the crap out of me because i'm not use to having someone in my life that knows me that well. and some days i just don't want to be read. i want to keep a mask on but i'm super blessed to have this person in my life. she has taught me so many things and has led by example countless of times. i not only look up to her but i have the utmost respect for her. she is constantly teaching me new things whether she knows it or not. we, of course, have our ups and downs, but in the long run those "downs" don't even matter. if anything, we grow from them. i can't really put into words how much this friendship means to me. it is the most real and Christ-centered friendship i have ever had and i thank my God everyday for it. I pray that you guys have a person in your life like this. it is a fulfilling feeling to know that you do. and if you do, don't let that friendship go and always remember to thank God for putting them into your life because you really are blessed. always remember, God is love.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
j.o.y
j.o.y (Jesus first, others second, yourself third)
easy for one to say. but is this easy to live by? hmm.. not a chance. i would love to say that i live like this on a daily basis. but i know that i definitely do not. some days i do though and it is those days where i find the most joy in my day. ironic, right? other days i get my priorities pretty messed up but who doesn't? it's human nature. i may be a little hypocritical saying that because a lot of times i expect people to live this way and i don't understand how they can't. i find myself saying "wow, how can you not have your priorities straight, isn't easy to put others before yourself and Jesus before them?" not so much, my friends. there are days where i get so caught up in either myself or my friends and i don't think twice about stopping and saying "hey" to Jesus. sad. but true. and then there are other days when i feel like the most selfish person on the planet. today, i realized just how much joy i get out of life when my "priorities" are j.o.y. things just seem so much easier and i am literally in a great mood. so why not live everyday like that? it is a constant prayer of mine that i can always put God at the forefront of my day. i pray also for you, my friends that you can live your life by living out j.o.y. remember always, God is love.
easy for one to say. but is this easy to live by? hmm.. not a chance. i would love to say that i live like this on a daily basis. but i know that i definitely do not. some days i do though and it is those days where i find the most joy in my day. ironic, right? other days i get my priorities pretty messed up but who doesn't? it's human nature. i may be a little hypocritical saying that because a lot of times i expect people to live this way and i don't understand how they can't. i find myself saying "wow, how can you not have your priorities straight, isn't easy to put others before yourself and Jesus before them?" not so much, my friends. there are days where i get so caught up in either myself or my friends and i don't think twice about stopping and saying "hey" to Jesus. sad. but true. and then there are other days when i feel like the most selfish person on the planet. today, i realized just how much joy i get out of life when my "priorities" are j.o.y. things just seem so much easier and i am literally in a great mood. so why not live everyday like that? it is a constant prayer of mine that i can always put God at the forefront of my day. i pray also for you, my friends that you can live your life by living out j.o.y. remember always, God is love.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
does the truth really hurt?
good question eh? "sometimes the truth hurts." always has been an interesting saying to me. it may initially hurt if someone has told you something that you don't want to hear but i dare to say that the truth is relieving. because if you think about it, if someone tells you something that you didn't really want to hear, like for example, your hair is ugly or wow, who said that ever looked good on you?, it stings at first but isn't relieving to know that someone cares enough about you to be straight up with you and tell you something that you may just need to know.i mean the truth is better then lying right, because if you are lied to then i dare say that you weren't worth the truth. people can get over the sting of the truth if it indeed hurts them..it's not like it is going to last forever. it may last a couple minutes, hours, days, weeks but does the truth hurt longer then that? just move on if it does. the truth is a powerful thing. doesnt the bible tell us to rely on the truth? it indeed does! isn't our Lord full of grace and truth? yep. and isn't it in john 8? where it says the truth makes us free? so, my friends, the question of the day is: does the truth really hurt?
everybody is doing it right?
so, i thought i would start a blog because it seems like everybody is, so i'm just jumping off the bridge with everyone haha. maybe you will get to know more about me and hopefully see some of my heart. always remember God is love.
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