I'm not going to lie to you. I don't have time to write this post. I have to have all my possessions out of this townhouse and have it spic and span by Saturday. Sure, my roomies will be helping, but I really don't have time to sit down and write a blog. Although, that's what I'm doing right now.
Anyhoo - if you're desperate for something to read, my BFF just wrote a new blog post about "embracing the suck." Go read it here.
And finally I'll leave you with this, from Ecclesiastes 3:
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
So there's a time to move and a time to blog. I've gotta get back to packing. Will resume normal blogging next week!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Everybody Hurts... Sometimes
Everything hurts, and everything is sore right now. I think it’s mostly stress… but also, that’s what happens when you’re in a car accident. The BFF and I were being good, little Christians, on our way to Bible study yesterday, when- BAM! Some loser-face jerkwad child of God flew through the stop sign and slammed right into us. Had it not been for her swerving, it would’ve crashed right into the driver’s side. I shudder to think what would’ve happened to my best friend if that were the case. Thankfully, God chose to spare us and we veered off to the side of the road- right between a telephone pole and chain link fence.
You’ve probably heard the phrase that God’s got you right where He wants you. Well, I think in that situation, He wanted us right between those two objects. Not a foot to the left or a foot to the right. In fact, had anything happened one millisecond off the way it did, my bestie and I could be toast right now. But we’re not. ‘Cause God’s got our backs… and our fronts.
Often, when crazy things like this happen, we start to focus on the negative: how much damage there is, how much it’s going to cost, all the 1,001 aches and pains going through our bodies the next day. Instead of all that, I want to focus on the positive- the holy crap, I’m alive positive. We didn’t see that car coming. We had no way of knowing he wasn’t going to stop at that stop sign. But God did. He also knew we were going to be fine. I’ve been through things like this before, and to be honest, the first inclination is always, “Why did God let this happen to me?” Sure, He could’ve stopped that other car. He could have slowed us down by making a dog run out in front of the car. But, we sometimes forget that we are subject to this fallen world we live in. The guy who hit us made a bad decision, and now he’ll have to live with the consequences of that decision.
The point I’m trying to make, is that we can’t always see where the road in front of us is going. We don’t know the destination. But we have a Father who can see every side street, every intersection. He knows where it’s going to be gridlocked and where construction is taking place. Are we going to run into some red lights? Sure. A few fender benders? Most definitely. But it makes me feel a whole lot better knowing I serve Someone who can see all the road before me and knows where my final destination is.
Side note: please pray for my friend’s car. The insurance company still has to assess the damage.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
A Full Time Job
My BFF is one smart cookie. Sure, she's deathly afraid of lizards and her hair being too greasy, but she knows a lot about life. Today in the car she told me about when she used to work with kids a lot, she would tell them, "Just worry about yourself... that's a full-time job." Sure, that's great advice for kids. Just pay attention to what you're doing instead of trying to tattle on everyone else. Then, you're more likely to behave and less likely to be upset over what someone else does/has.
It got me to thinking... some adults, myself included, could really use the same advice. If we were only concerned with what we were doing and not into everyone else's business, how much better could our lives be? Jesus talked about not trying to pick out the speck in your brother's eye when you yourself have a plank sticking out of yours (Matt. 7:3-5). The truth of the matter is, if we all payed attention to our own troubles and what we're doing for the kingdom, we wouldn't have time to point out anyone else's faults or start needless arguments over things that are really inconsequential in the light of eternity. My pastor, Randy Humphrey also put it this way- we spend too much time arguing about today, that we don't think about the future. In other words, we're wasting time!
I think this little proverb has other applications to life as well. I'm a musician. My greatest passion (besides Jesus, of course) is music. I love writing, singing, playing it... but sometimes I spend too much time comparing myself to others. I wish I could sing like her; I wish I could play guitar like him. And today I heard God saying to me, "I made you to be you, not someone else. You be the best you can be." I know it sounds simple, but it really brought me such a sense of peace over things I used to really be insecure about. I guess I used to think of God listening to me sing like a heavenly Simon Cowell (that's not blasphemous, right?). Anyway, I used to imagine Him just kind of sitting there listening to Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, and me. I would think, clearly I'm not as good as they are. But God doesn't sit there comparing the gifts and talents He gave us to the ones He gave others, so why do we?
Whether it's comparing yourself to others or judging others for their wrongs, it's not how God intended for us to view the world. I think God cares more about our unity in Christ (Eph. 4:2-6) than our momentary squabbles. Things that are really important, like building encouraging relationships (both with believers and nonbelievers), should take precedence over wondering whether Susie's pineapple upside-down cake tastes better than yours. And you should be listening to the sermon on Sunday morning, not pondering if Jimmy went out drinking the night before. In short, just worry about yourself... that's a full-time job.
It got me to thinking... some adults, myself included, could really use the same advice. If we were only concerned with what we were doing and not into everyone else's business, how much better could our lives be? Jesus talked about not trying to pick out the speck in your brother's eye when you yourself have a plank sticking out of yours (Matt. 7:3-5). The truth of the matter is, if we all payed attention to our own troubles and what we're doing for the kingdom, we wouldn't have time to point out anyone else's faults or start needless arguments over things that are really inconsequential in the light of eternity. My pastor, Randy Humphrey also put it this way- we spend too much time arguing about today, that we don't think about the future. In other words, we're wasting time!
I think this little proverb has other applications to life as well. I'm a musician. My greatest passion (besides Jesus, of course) is music. I love writing, singing, playing it... but sometimes I spend too much time comparing myself to others. I wish I could sing like her; I wish I could play guitar like him. And today I heard God saying to me, "I made you to be you, not someone else. You be the best you can be." I know it sounds simple, but it really brought me such a sense of peace over things I used to really be insecure about. I guess I used to think of God listening to me sing like a heavenly Simon Cowell (that's not blasphemous, right?). Anyway, I used to imagine Him just kind of sitting there listening to Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, and me. I would think, clearly I'm not as good as they are. But God doesn't sit there comparing the gifts and talents He gave us to the ones He gave others, so why do we?
Whether it's comparing yourself to others or judging others for their wrongs, it's not how God intended for us to view the world. I think God cares more about our unity in Christ (Eph. 4:2-6) than our momentary squabbles. Things that are really important, like building encouraging relationships (both with believers and nonbelievers), should take precedence over wondering whether Susie's pineapple upside-down cake tastes better than yours. And you should be listening to the sermon on Sunday morning, not pondering if Jimmy went out drinking the night before. In short, just worry about yourself... that's a full-time job.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Aftermath
No, I'm not talking about an Adam Lambert song... Last week, we saw some severe weather in Central Florida, and a couple tornadoes touched down. My mom saw a downed tree in her courtyard, and the porch area in the townhouse I rent saw some minor damage. I heard stories like this from several people- downed trees, small damages here and there. The general consensus was mostly everyone was safe, and thankful for it.
When nature throws us hardballs like this, it's difficult to not notice the devastation. With the earthquakes, tsunamis, and craziness that's been happening around the globe, we think about all that damage. Flooding, destruction, death of loved ones. It's a lot of catastrophe and mayhem to take in sometimes. One can't help but wonder, where is God in all of that?
God never promised that this life would be easy. In fact, just the opposite (John 16:33). But He did say He would be with us. I believe that He is there. In the desperate prayers of the hurting, in the tears of the grieving mothers, in the touch of the ones there to help.
In my experience, I've faced more emotional disasters than natural ones. The aftermath of those kinds of trials can be just as devastating as the physical damage caused by mother nature. When you feel you have no friends or no one to turn to, where is God then? Sometimes the last thing we want to do is admit we need help. That we can't do this thing called "life" alone. But I believe in a God who sees every tear we cry and waits for us to call out to Him to come dry them.
If we truly believe that our help comes from the Lord (Ps. 121), that He is on our side, then we have to not be afraid to call on Him for help. Whether your crisis is personal, financial, emotional, or physical, God is capable of dealing with it. The question is, can you let Him handle it for you?
When nature throws us hardballs like this, it's difficult to not notice the devastation. With the earthquakes, tsunamis, and craziness that's been happening around the globe, we think about all that damage. Flooding, destruction, death of loved ones. It's a lot of catastrophe and mayhem to take in sometimes. One can't help but wonder, where is God in all of that?
God never promised that this life would be easy. In fact, just the opposite (John 16:33). But He did say He would be with us. I believe that He is there. In the desperate prayers of the hurting, in the tears of the grieving mothers, in the touch of the ones there to help.
In my experience, I've faced more emotional disasters than natural ones. The aftermath of those kinds of trials can be just as devastating as the physical damage caused by mother nature. When you feel you have no friends or no one to turn to, where is God then? Sometimes the last thing we want to do is admit we need help. That we can't do this thing called "life" alone. But I believe in a God who sees every tear we cry and waits for us to call out to Him to come dry them.
If we truly believe that our help comes from the Lord (Ps. 121), that He is on our side, then we have to not be afraid to call on Him for help. Whether your crisis is personal, financial, emotional, or physical, God is capable of dealing with it. The question is, can you let Him handle it for you?
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