because Jesus.

Because Jesus is strong for me, I am free to be weak.

Because Jesus won for me, I am free to lose.

Because Jesus is someone, I am free to be no one.

Because Jesus is extraordinary, I am free to be ordinary.

Because Jesus succeeded for me, I am free to fail.

because Jesus. because of you i am alive. because of you i am here. because of you i am trusting in your plan. because of you i am going to college. because of you i am stepping out in faith. because of you i am going on an adventure. because of you i am trusting in you. because of what you have done for me, i trust you. 

Jesus, i trust you. i trust you for providing for me. with direction. with peace. with wisdom. with academic skills. with contentment. with joy. with confidence in who i am. and with so much more. Jesus thank you for being everything. i pray with my whole heart that i will remember this all day everyday even in the hard moments. oh Abba, thank you. thank you for always, always having a plan for my little life. i trust you. 

blessing God.

tonight i was at the pond. i had brought my bible as was going to read over-looking the water. listening to nature. and watching the grey night clouds roll in. as i was pondering i noticed the tops of the trees light up. then i saw the reflection in the water and was in awe. the sun was peeking out and the colors were changing. after a grey day, the sun wanted to grace the earth with its color. and so, i turned around... and there! i sat in amazement! not only does He make the sun rise and set but He does it in such a beautiful and creative way.

 
each and every morning and night He paints the sky. how many nights do we just take that for granted? He doesn't have to but God created the world with beauty for us to enjoy! how many times do we pass by the gift? how many times do we receive gifts without thanking the gift-Giver? we were made to bring honor and glory to God. we were made to praise Him. we were made to bless Him. did you know that every time you thank God, He is blessed?

when we thank Him for His gifts, His heart smiles. YOU have the ability to make God smile - just thank Him for all the gifts that He showers you with tomorrow! take a minute and look around you. His creation is shouting His praise and we can join in!

"Give thanks to the Lord ... Sing to Him, Sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy Name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always."  ((Psalm 105:1-4))

joy through trials.

i recently got braces. yeah. not fun but through this, i have been learning a lot and it has been reminded me of some truths about trials. 

trials are not easy. they stretch you. they sometimes hurt. they are definitely not fun. 

trials are for your good. they mold you. they help you grow. and you definitely learn from them.

i have been struggling lately and have been going through trials. and one word that keeps coming into my heart is the word JOY. and then i think to myself, "how can i have joy in THIS? it's so hard."

God commands us. calls us. compels us. to have joy in and through trials. 

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature. and complete, not lacking anything." ((james 1:2-4)) 

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." ((1 peter 1:6-9))

i have had my braces for about 2 weeks now and some people have asked me why? why did i get braces? didn't i have good teeth? weren't they okay? i have survived this far in my life with my teeth how they were so why do i have to have these metal brackets stuck on my teeth for a year? 

after thinking about this for awhile, i feel like i ask God those same questions. why God, why? why do i have to go through this trial? wasn't my life good enough? i was doing okay, why this now? don't i know enough? why do i have to go through this trial right now? 

and gently He reminds me that in this life we are meant to grow. we are made to change. are created to become like Him. to be transformed into His likeness. to take off our old self and be renewed into His image. 

and through all these changes to be filled with JOY because He is creating in us something beautiful.

so right now, with these metal brackets on my teeth that are creating some pain and feelings of discomfort i am reminded of the beauty that it is creating. but to have that end-product i have to go through this "trial." 

it's the same way with life's trials. there might be pain. there might be discomfort. but in the end it is worth it. and through it all have JOY. yes, it will be hard. yes, you might not feel joy-filled. but ask for it. plead with Jesus to give you His JOY and He will. your heart will well up with thankfulness for the work that He is doing in your life and it will all be worth it because and only because He ALONE is worth IT ALL. 

QUIET. be still.

recently, i have been feeling overwhelmed. there has been so much going on in my life and in my mind and in my heart. the other day i was talking with a friend and we were talking about how crazy our lives were and she said what someone told her. "sometimes you have to shut up and sit down." 

wait, what? shut up and sit down? how is that supposed to help me? 

shut up and sit down. 

stop complaining. start listening. stop doing and just BE in the Presence of God.   

this dear friend gently guided me to the story of Jesus calming the sea in Mark 4. for the past few days, i have been stuck there. listening. learning. being. 

let's walk through it together...

"that day when evening came, He (Jesus) said to His disciple, "let's go over to the other side." leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat." 

okay, so to preface this story, Jesus had just been teaching a large crowd all day along with His disciples. that must have been a long, sweaty day. and so when evening came, Jesus, who was looking out for His disciples, called His disciples to go with Him away. think about this for a moment. Jesus knew that they were going to encounter a storm along the way. and He said, LET US. He is not going to call you into a storm without Him. He walks you into it, through it and out of it. are you willing to follow Him "over to the other side?" 

continuing on in the story...

"...there were also other boats with Him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

that little sentence at the beginning really struck me. "there were other boats with Him..."  this means so much to me right now. it doesn't have to be just you and Jesus for Him to teach you. wait, let's rephrase that. it shouldn't be just you and Jesus. sometimes yes, but we were made for community. allow other people to encourage you and help you in your walk. also, when Jesus teaches you something or shows you His power be willing to share it with others. i am very prone to be seclusive in my relationship with Jesus but He is not just my Jesus. He is your Jesus. He is my God and He is your God. He is personal and He is powerful.

imagine what the disciples were thinking while the storm began and got worse and worse. do you think they ever wondered why Jesus called them the other side. i mean, didn't He know that there was going to be a storm? sometimes i wonder the same thing. "why did God call me to this? it's so hard." Jesus knew there was going to be a storm. He knew what each disciple was going to learn through it. He knows you too. He knows what He is doing in your life, even through the storm. i relate with what the disciples said to Jesus when they woke Him. i feel like i say that a lot to Jesus too. "don't you care that...?" (you fill in the blank) 

"...He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, "why are you so afraid? do you still have no faith?" they were terrified and asked each other, " who is this? even the wind and the waves obey Him!" 

how amazing. put yourself there on the ship, soaked, almost drowning, fearful and then... wow! my problems seem so little now compared to that storm but think about it. He calmed that storm. He is that powerful. and He can calm the "storms" in your life. He is that personal. call out to Him. and listen to Him say "quiet. be still....and it was completely calm." maybe it won't be that drastic of a change in your life but listen to His voice, soak in His love and obey what He says. 

sometimes, i need to shut up and sit down. i need to listen. i need to obey Him when He tells me to get into a boat and cross a lake even if there will be storms. but i also need to remember what He told His disciples "why are you so afraid? do you still have no faith?" 

shut up. sit down. be still. listen and obey.