music can speak for us... this song has been on my heart for the last few days.
If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-7, The Message)
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
A quick thought on jobs...
We all have to work... whether it's a corporate job, a stay at home mom, a retail gig... whatever.
These past few weeks, I have had an eye opening experience regarding work... I love my job. I love everything about it.... the people I work with, the customers... the fact that I get to help people look their best... I love it... the fact that it's fashion related is a bonus.
The great thing about this job; there are some really great Christian girls... their attitudes, their work ethic, their love of fashion... it makes for a wonderful work environment.
Work willingly at whatever you do... If you're like me, you've had a lot of jobs that you've disliked... I've been an admin, I've been a receptionist... and there are jobs I've loved and jobs I've very much disliked... some of them, it's been hard to do my work as unto the Lord... my attitude was rough... and I was trying to please everyone around me... schmooze, kiss up... most of the time it didn't work.
Now that I am happy and enjoying my job, I work and I love it.
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
These past few weeks, I have had an eye opening experience regarding work... I love my job. I love everything about it.... the people I work with, the customers... the fact that I get to help people look their best... I love it... the fact that it's fashion related is a bonus.
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Colossians 3:23
The great thing about this job; there are some really great Christian girls... their attitudes, their work ethic, their love of fashion... it makes for a wonderful work environment.
Work willingly at whatever you do... If you're like me, you've had a lot of jobs that you've disliked... I've been an admin, I've been a receptionist... and there are jobs I've loved and jobs I've very much disliked... some of them, it's been hard to do my work as unto the Lord... my attitude was rough... and I was trying to please everyone around me... schmooze, kiss up... most of the time it didn't work.
Now that I am happy and enjoying my job, I work and I love it.
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
King Sisyphus and the boulder
In the myth, Sisyphus shares one of Zeus' secrets with the river god... Zeus is angered and sends Hades to chain him up and take him to the underworld. Sisyphus tricks Hades by asking him how the chains work. Hades obliges him and ends up chained himself. But because of this, people were not dying... the gods threatened to make Sisyphus' life so miserable, until he had no choice but to let Hades go.
When it came his time to die, Sisyphus begged his wife to throw him in the square after his death... which she did. When he came to the river Styx, he complained to Persephone that his wife had not buried him corrected. She allowed him to go back to Corinth and chastise his wife, however, he refused to return to the underworld and had to be dragged back by Hermes... because of this trickery, Zeus punished him by making him push a boulder up a hill for all eternity.
Albert Einstein defines insanity as:
How many times have we struggled and struggled to make everything go according to out plans, only to have them topple around us... We're like Sisyphus and the boulder... struggling to push it to the top of the hill, only to have it crash back down to the bottom.
It's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole... you can push and try to force that peg through the hole, or you can find the correct hole that the peg fits into. Instead of rushing ahead, sometimes we need to be patient and bide our time... God knows what he's doing. If we try and run ahead, we may miss some amazing blessing and instead end up hurt and discouraged. But if we wait on God, follow after his plan for our lives and are patient... we will find that his blessings surround us and are far too numerous to count.
Instead of rushing into a position for a raise, ask God for clarity... I know that is what I should have done. I rushed into a position and not even three months later found myself on the job hunt again. It wasn't that I was horrible at the job, it was simply not the job for me. My personality can only abide silly people and their nonsense for so long... and, believe me, my patience was being tested every day that I went to work. But I found myself, like Sisyphus... pushing a boulder up a hill and fighting a losing battle. I felt like I was stuck in a time loop... my attitude was getting worse, bad habits were forming and I was out of touch with God.
Saturday, I found that I was able to breathe. My stomach wasn't in knots anymore... I quickly returned to my writing, reading the Bible and enjoying my quiet time in the morning instead of grudging taking five minutes to quickly read a verse and then go to bed. Prayer was slowly returning and I felt like I was changing back into who I wanted to be.
If you've ever seen the movie Groundhog Day, this might help... Bill Murray plays Phil, a egotistical meteorologist that gets stuck in a time loop on Groundhog Day. After he repeats February 2nd, several times, he finally talks with someone he's met. She suggests that he reevaluate his life... make some changes, and become a better person... when he starts to really want to change, the cycle is broken.
When I first saw this movie, I hated it... it annoyed me... probably because I didn't get the underlying message of the movie... after doing so reevaluation of my own life, I get it... even though you aren't stuck in a time loop, you can get stuck in a routine of ego, bad attitude and self centered-ness that can lead to falling into the same pattern over and over and over.
Romans 12:12 tells us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.... when you feel like you're stuck, don't just stick it out, pray... really seek God's will for your life... you might be surprised what find.
Have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July everyone!!!!
Photo credit: "Fireworks" by: bayasaa, used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license
When it came his time to die, Sisyphus begged his wife to throw him in the square after his death... which she did. When he came to the river Styx, he complained to Persephone that his wife had not buried him corrected. She allowed him to go back to Corinth and chastise his wife, however, he refused to return to the underworld and had to be dragged back by Hermes... because of this trickery, Zeus punished him by making him push a boulder up a hill for all eternity.
Albert Einstein defines insanity as:
doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
How many times have we struggled and struggled to make everything go according to out plans, only to have them topple around us... We're like Sisyphus and the boulder... struggling to push it to the top of the hill, only to have it crash back down to the bottom.
It's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole... you can push and try to force that peg through the hole, or you can find the correct hole that the peg fits into. Instead of rushing ahead, sometimes we need to be patient and bide our time... God knows what he's doing. If we try and run ahead, we may miss some amazing blessing and instead end up hurt and discouraged. But if we wait on God, follow after his plan for our lives and are patient... we will find that his blessings surround us and are far too numerous to count.
Instead of rushing into a position for a raise, ask God for clarity... I know that is what I should have done. I rushed into a position and not even three months later found myself on the job hunt again. It wasn't that I was horrible at the job, it was simply not the job for me. My personality can only abide silly people and their nonsense for so long... and, believe me, my patience was being tested every day that I went to work. But I found myself, like Sisyphus... pushing a boulder up a hill and fighting a losing battle. I felt like I was stuck in a time loop... my attitude was getting worse, bad habits were forming and I was out of touch with God.
Saturday, I found that I was able to breathe. My stomach wasn't in knots anymore... I quickly returned to my writing, reading the Bible and enjoying my quiet time in the morning instead of grudging taking five minutes to quickly read a verse and then go to bed. Prayer was slowly returning and I felt like I was changing back into who I wanted to be.
If you've ever seen the movie Groundhog Day, this might help... Bill Murray plays Phil, a egotistical meteorologist that gets stuck in a time loop on Groundhog Day. After he repeats February 2nd, several times, he finally talks with someone he's met. She suggests that he reevaluate his life... make some changes, and become a better person... when he starts to really want to change, the cycle is broken.
When I first saw this movie, I hated it... it annoyed me... probably because I didn't get the underlying message of the movie... after doing so reevaluation of my own life, I get it... even though you aren't stuck in a time loop, you can get stuck in a routine of ego, bad attitude and self centered-ness that can lead to falling into the same pattern over and over and over.
Romans 12:12 tells us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.... when you feel like you're stuck, don't just stick it out, pray... really seek God's will for your life... you might be surprised what find.
Photo credit: "Fireworks" by: bayasaa, used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license
Monday, June 17, 2013
Ripped Jeans, faded memories and prospects of adventure
How many times have you promised yourself that you would clean out your closet? To rid yourself of the old so that you would have room for the new... and how many of those times have you snuck a few of those pieces back into your closet instead of getting rid of them?
We all have that one article of clothing that has been in our closet for as long as we can remember.... for me, it's an old sweatshirt from College... now granted, the school has since closed and I can no longer buy the sweatshirt anywhere... but I find myself sinking back into it when I have a bad day. Surrounding myself with the familiar.... but it's a good kind of familiar... the smell of laundry, the golden ghetto couch, and the sounds of dorm life.
But what about that old statment familiarity breeds contempt? We allow ourselves to become comfortable in a situation... we hold on to the familiar and comfortable instead of moving forward...
Sure, we can look back on memories, learn from our past mistakes and talk with friends about things we've done that are long since past... but if we stay there... if we hold on to the past... what happens then? We might find ourselves falling back into old habits, putting on our old, ill-fitting and faded rags... our old self creeps back in.
Sometimes, we allow ourselves to get too comfortable.... Let me put it another way...
In The Hobbit, Bilbo is working to wrap his head around the idea of becoming a burglar... and in the film (which takes a number of liberties, I might add, but that's another blog and day altogether) states that he just needs to sit quietly for a moment... Gandalf interrupts that He has been sitting quietly for too long. He is inviting Bilbo on the adventure of a lifetime... and is shocked that Bilbo is hesitant.
Like Bilbo, We grow comfortable in our lives... we cling to the old (we have done this particular thing, this way as long as we can remember) and forget that there are adventures to be had... we fear the unknown and hold to what we know... but we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that in Christ, we are a new creation... the old is gone and the new is here... Embrace the new, let go of the old. God is inviting us out on a great adventure... will we be brave enough to shed the old us and move forward?
We all have that one article of clothing that has been in our closet for as long as we can remember.... for me, it's an old sweatshirt from College... now granted, the school has since closed and I can no longer buy the sweatshirt anywhere... but I find myself sinking back into it when I have a bad day. Surrounding myself with the familiar.... but it's a good kind of familiar... the smell of laundry, the golden ghetto couch, and the sounds of dorm life.
But what about that old statment familiarity breeds contempt? We allow ourselves to become comfortable in a situation... we hold on to the familiar and comfortable instead of moving forward...
Sure, we can look back on memories, learn from our past mistakes and talk with friends about things we've done that are long since past... but if we stay there... if we hold on to the past... what happens then? We might find ourselves falling back into old habits, putting on our old, ill-fitting and faded rags... our old self creeps back in.
Sometimes, we allow ourselves to get too comfortable.... Let me put it another way...
In The Hobbit, Bilbo is working to wrap his head around the idea of becoming a burglar... and in the film (which takes a number of liberties, I might add, but that's another blog and day altogether) states that he just needs to sit quietly for a moment... Gandalf interrupts that He has been sitting quietly for too long. He is inviting Bilbo on the adventure of a lifetime... and is shocked that Bilbo is hesitant.
Like Bilbo, We grow comfortable in our lives... we cling to the old (we have done this particular thing, this way as long as we can remember) and forget that there are adventures to be had... we fear the unknown and hold to what we know... but we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that in Christ, we are a new creation... the old is gone and the new is here... Embrace the new, let go of the old. God is inviting us out on a great adventure... will we be brave enough to shed the old us and move forward?
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Are we on the same page?
Have you ever been a part of a conversation where you are talking about one thing and the person that you are talking to is somewhere else entirely?
I feel like this happens to me more often than I would like to admit... I feel like I'm being pushed one way, when really God is pulling me in the opposite direction.... it's a little awkward. It's like I'm having a one-sided conversation without actually listening to God... I hear what he wants to do, but I'm already thinking about what I want to do.
I have several friends that, with one look, we know what the other is thinking or what they are about to say.... shouldn't we try to be on that same wavelength when it comes to our spiritual lives? Striving and yearning to understand God's heart?
When we are on a different page, we often interpret our own desires as those of God... We put words in His mouth, so to speak... no pun intended...
God works in mysterious ways, His timing is perfect, He has a plan for us... we've all heard these sentiments, and if you're like me... you're thinking, I know all this... but what exactly is he planning, how long is it going to take and am I going to be put in an uncomfortable situation... When we are not on the same page with God, we get out of sync.
Do you remember Milli Vanilli? If you're too young to remember, here's the nut shell version. Singing Duo Milli Vanilli was doing a concert tour... one night, the CD they were lip-syncing to started skipping... it made the news... then they were found out to be frauds. They hadn't been singing at all... ever... They couldn't sing...
In our lives, as Christians, we are told to be geniune... to be real... but how many times do we step out of line with God's will, fail in our daily walk, or just fail. We get out of sync... like Milli Vanilli, the CD starts skipping and we are embarrassed. We are called a fraud... a hypocrite...
We may fail sometimes, and we will... we are human and we aren't perfect... *gasp*
In the midst of our selfishness, our brokenness and our self righteousness, God longs to draw us to him... to show us his perfect love and his perfect plan for our lives... take the time to have an actual conversation with Him... Listen to what he has to say and actually take steps to be on the same page... let God in...
You're not on the same page...
I feel like this happens to me more often than I would like to admit... I feel like I'm being pushed one way, when really God is pulling me in the opposite direction.... it's a little awkward. It's like I'm having a one-sided conversation without actually listening to God... I hear what he wants to do, but I'm already thinking about what I want to do.
I have several friends that, with one look, we know what the other is thinking or what they are about to say.... shouldn't we try to be on that same wavelength when it comes to our spiritual lives? Striving and yearning to understand God's heart?
When we are on a different page, we often interpret our own desires as those of God... We put words in His mouth, so to speak... no pun intended...
God works in mysterious ways, His timing is perfect, He has a plan for us... we've all heard these sentiments, and if you're like me... you're thinking, I know all this... but what exactly is he planning, how long is it going to take and am I going to be put in an uncomfortable situation... When we are not on the same page with God, we get out of sync.
Do you remember Milli Vanilli? If you're too young to remember, here's the nut shell version. Singing Duo Milli Vanilli was doing a concert tour... one night, the CD they were lip-syncing to started skipping... it made the news... then they were found out to be frauds. They hadn't been singing at all... ever... They couldn't sing...
In our lives, as Christians, we are told to be geniune... to be real... but how many times do we step out of line with God's will, fail in our daily walk, or just fail. We get out of sync... like Milli Vanilli, the CD starts skipping and we are embarrassed. We are called a fraud... a hypocrite...
We may fail sometimes, and we will... we are human and we aren't perfect... *gasp*
In the midst of our selfishness, our brokenness and our self righteousness, God longs to draw us to him... to show us his perfect love and his perfect plan for our lives... take the time to have an actual conversation with Him... Listen to what he has to say and actually take steps to be on the same page... let God in...
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Stories...
We've all got one... or many... but we all have one life defining moment where we know our true calling.
We know we are meant for more... we strive to become the better version of ourselves. We are driven, curious, hungry... for those of us rooted in faith, we know that they are God-given. Our hunger is for more... more of God, more of His presence, His goodness.
Our stories wind through our lives, bringing us into contact with new faces, new friendships, hardships, trials, tears, laughter and awestruck wonder....
The beauty of this life, the tragedies that we overcome... our stories, create a beautiful work of art, woven together by the master's hand.
He is sovereign and we can trust Him... taste and see that the Lord is good.
We know we are meant for more... we strive to become the better version of ourselves. We are driven, curious, hungry... for those of us rooted in faith, we know that they are God-given. Our hunger is for more... more of God, more of His presence, His goodness.
Our stories wind through our lives, bringing us into contact with new faces, new friendships, hardships, trials, tears, laughter and awestruck wonder....
The beauty of this life, the tragedies that we overcome... our stories, create a beautiful work of art, woven together by the master's hand.
He is sovereign and we can trust Him... taste and see that the Lord is good.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Birthday wishes and nostalgia
It's odd how birthdays bring back memories... dusty and forgotten. I have been absent from the blogging world for a stint of about three weeks and I have missed it terribly.
Work has been keeping me from writing... and it has been partially on a voluntary basis. I have been busy at work and just life in general.
This past thursday, the 18th, I celebrated my birthday... with this particular celebration, my longing for writing has returned to me....
I pray that I will have time this coming weekend to actually write.... thus producing a much longer and meaningful blog....
Thank you, dear reader for visiting my site, for keeping me from quitting when times got hard. Thank you for your patience, I will hopefully have another blog up soon.
Have a blessed remainder of your weekend.
Work has been keeping me from writing... and it has been partially on a voluntary basis. I have been busy at work and just life in general.
This past thursday, the 18th, I celebrated my birthday... with this particular celebration, my longing for writing has returned to me....
I pray that I will have time this coming weekend to actually write.... thus producing a much longer and meaningful blog....
Thank you, dear reader for visiting my site, for keeping me from quitting when times got hard. Thank you for your patience, I will hopefully have another blog up soon.
Have a blessed remainder of your weekend.
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