Fingerprints

I keep thinking about Paul, the Apostle, and how much we can learn from him. He was patient, forgiving, humble, courageous…

And faithful. In Galatians 6:17, Paul says, “From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” He was easily identifiable as a follower of Christ and had the scars to prove it. Paul was an incredible servant, but he was also just a man. Only by God’s grace did he develop such noble character.

This verse in Galatians makes me consider what people see when they look at my life. I’m not convinced there’s enough evidence of Christ to convict me of being a Christian. I love God, but I don’t invite Him into every area of my life. I don’t always invite Him to work. I don’t always invite Him into my relationships. I don’t always make time for Him in my schedule. My spiritual walk has become a walk of convenience and not a walk of conviction.

God is the ultimate gentleman. He will never force Himself on you, or beg for your affection, or guilt you for abandoning Him. I take advantage of His goodness, at times ignoring or neglecting our relationship. I forget what a privilege it is that the King of the universe would want a relationship with me. I ignore His invitation to develop the very same character traits in me as He did for Paul.

I don’t want to walk the path of convenience anymore. I want my heart to be enraptured by God. I want His fingerprints all over my life. I want His marks all over my relationships, investments, and values. Paul reminds me that God doesn’t just want us to get to heaven– He wants us to live abundantly so that people might see Him through us.

And that’s the best invitation I’ve ever received.

[image via tumblr weheartit]

May God Bless Your Socks Off Today

I love you all. ♥ ♥ ♥

Mercy

Some people read the Bible as an instruction manual, but I’ve always read it as a love letter. I’m convinced that this letter from God to His people is the most beautiful love story ever written. I’ve been studying Matthew 5 and I’m enchanted by the concept of mercy.  ”Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” In other words, blessed are those who passionately long for Jesus Christ, for He will satisfy their souls.

I used to picture mercy as a form of justice but now I see it as a form of compassion. Mercy is feeling so compassionate for someone else that you want to feel what they feel. It’s wanting to put yourself in the middle of someone’s chaos to help them get out. Jesus is the ultimate expression of mercy. He felt so much compassion towards us that He came to Earth and put Himself in the middle of our chaos.

As Christians, we should show great mercy to others because we already know great mercy. Cultivating a merciful spirit begins with forgiveness. As C.S. Lewis put it, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”  When we forgive others, we set ourselves free. Free to show kindness and compassion. Free to fully feel the forgiveness that we’ve been granted.

I’m not an expert on relationships or religion. If you spent time with me, you’d know that I say and do many things out of selfishness… But, I’m working on it. As I work on it, I realize that I don’t need to do anything spectacular with my life. I don’t need wealth or fame. I don’t need everyone to approve of me. I don’t need to walk an easy road. I just need a forgiving spirit and a compassionate heart. I need to keep planting seeds of faith in my life so that I’ll have flowers to give other people.  

I keep trying to figure out where I’m going, but maybe I’ve missed the point. It’s not about figuring out the direction of my life… It’s about recognizing when other people are lost, and having the courage to walk beside them. I think that’s how God’s love story continues beyond the pages of the Bible. His story continues everyday. He writes it through you and He writes it through me.

Philippians 1:9-11

 

This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more;
that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love;
that you will see the difference between good and bad and
will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong
for the coming of Christ; that you will be filled with the good things
produced in your life by Christ to bring glory and praise to God.

 

5 Truths About You

1. God Loves You For You

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. –Psalm 139:2-3

[JJ Heller, What Love Really Means]

2. You Have Hope In Christ

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. –Romans 15:13

[Owl City, In Christ Alone]

3. Your Trials Will Make You Stronger

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. –2 Corinthians 12:9

[Mandisa, Stronger]

4. You Are Forgiven For Your Past Mistakes

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. –2 Corinthians 5:17

[Tenth Avenue North, You Are More]

5. You Are Beautiful (& It Has Nothing To Do With How You Look)

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. –Psalm 139:14

[Jonny Diaz, More Beautiful You]

Are We Trying to Fit In or Stand Out?

Our pastor said something at church yesterday that really resonated with me.

“Don’t be so comfortable in the world you fit into without even trying.”

I think many of us are living too comfortably. God doesn’t save us from our sin so that we can sit guilt-free in church on Sundays and lead stagnant lives. He saves us so we can minister to and share love with others. If the goal of our lives as Christians is to become more Christ-like, then the mission of our lives should be the same as Jesus’ mission. His mission is to save people (1 Timothy 1:15).

I wonder if non-believers would stop doubting organized religion if we lived the way we’re called to live. Christians are good at telling people we’ll pray for them. We’re good at interacting with our church friends. But what are we doing to actually reach out? Are we seeking the lost or just hoping they’ll show up on our doorstep begging for help someday?  All around us, people are drowning as they look for answers. We have the answer.

In his book, Forgotten God,  Francis Chan addresses this issue. “It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that he didn’t call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace.” We often let the world tell us how to live, but what does the world really know about living? So many lives are filled with deception, distraction, selfishness, and chaos. Do we really want to fit into what the world dictates as “normal”? Shouldn’t we be passionately sharing the love, grace, peace and forgiveness of Christ with a world who so desperately needs it?

Maybe we’re scared. Maybe we doubt our individual abilities. Maybe we don’t feel personally “called” to this mission. Maybe we’re too busy chasing things that ultimately don’t matter to notice what’s going on around us. Maybe we forget that our lives are not supposed to be about us. Maybe we fail to realize that just because we’re on the same side as everyone else, that doesn’t mean we’re on the right side. Maybe we trust God enough to let Him save us, but not enough to let Him use us for the work He prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10).

I’m as far from perfect as anyone reading this, but I know where I’m standing now and the direction my life needs to go. That direction is towards Jesus. He deserves to be the center of my life and He’s calling me to live for more than just my own happiness. I also know that there is no greater joy than the joy that comes from loving others.

The most amazing and overwhelming truth in my life is that God doesn’t have to save me, but He chooses to. He doesn’t have to love me, but He chooses to. He doesn’t have to forgive me, but He chooses to. He doesn’t need me, but He reaches for me. We have choices too. We can choose to walk with God, or not. We can choose to love those around us, or not. We can choose to follow the world, or we can choose to follow Him.

We can choose to fit in, or we can choose to stand out.

Thankful for the Little Things

I’m doing a 30-day “growing in gratitude” challenge with my lovely blog friend, V. Today we read Ephesians 5:15-21 and completed a writing prompt on being thankful for the “little things” God blesses us with.

“Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything…”

– Ephesians 5:19-20

I highly encourage you to try this gratitude challenge (http://www.reviveourhearts.com/pdf/30DayGratitude.pdf) and ask a friend to do it with you. It will do great things for your heart, I promise.

Reading Ephesians 5 reminded me of one of my favorite tumblr sites: http://just-littlethings.tumblr.com. This site lists the simple things in life that we should appreciate. Here are some of my favorites:

 

What are the simple things that make you happy?

Waiting

I love this season of singleness and everything God is teaching me, but I have moments of panic. I’m still very young (24 in a few months) but there are times when I think… What if I never meet the right person? What if I’m alone forever? It doesn’t help when people say, “Oh, you’re done with college now… When are you going to settle down and get married?”

While I’ve never been in a rush to get down the aisle, I’ve already experienced independence and know I can take care of myself. I’ve spent the past 3 years living alone, paying my own bills, paying off tuition, and supporting myself (other than my cell phone bill– thanks mom and dad!). As much as I love this freedom, my life is about: me, me, me. I come and go when I please. I spend my paychecks on myself. I can do whatever I want… but the deep desire of my heart is to love and serve someone else.

I’ve spent time praying over this anxiety for the past couple of weeks. I don’t think it’s uncommon for singles to feel a bit overwhelmed during the time between graduating college and getting married. The world constantly tells us that we need human love and commitment to be fulfilled. Recently, it hit me… If my priority is to find another person, I will never be satisfied. My satisfaction needs to come from God alone. But what should we do while waiting for God to bring our dreams into fruition? How do we drown out the voices that say we’re not good enough on our own?

What to do While Waiting on God’s Plan

1. Spend time with God. Even if you do find a wonderful partner, there will be times when he or she disappoint you. God’s love never fails. Spending time in the Bible and prayer will give you confidence and peace about His faithfulness.

2. Do what you love. When I do things I love– running, swimming, writing, drawing, taking pictures– I feel God’s pleasure. We’re given passions for a reason and developing these gifts allows God to use us. I think the best use of our lives is serving God with whatever He’s given us. Rather than coveting someone else’s talents, we should invest our energy into discovering and developing our own God-given passions.

3. Invest yourself in others. Carlos Rodriguez says it best in his poem titled I Sought My Soul. “I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see. I sought my God, but my God eluded me. I sought my brother, and I found all three.”

4. Try something new. Get excited about your life! If there’s something you’ve always wanted to try– try it. Don’t wait for someone else to give you permission to be excited about your future. We were created to live and love fully. It is written, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

5. Don’t compromise. In the past, I’ve entered some relationships out of loneliness and fear. These were not bad men, but we weren’t compatible in faith or morals– two very important things. Through trial and error, I’ve realized what I desire in a partner. I want to marry someone who inspires me and who loves God more than I do. I’m not looking for someone perfect, just someone good for me.

To everyone going through similar circumstances: Whether your season of singleness last several months, or an entire lifetime– don’t forget that God has big plans you!

“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

I Praise You Because I Am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

[Photos Reblogged from Tumblr]

Happy Valentine’s Day

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11