Beauty in the Broken

simple.

spinmymotivation — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 22:01:02 +0000

Everywhere I go I hear in my heart and in my spirit the message of simplicity. Our Church is going to share a message this Christmas called; “Simple Christmas”. I honestly believe that this is God’s heart for us… to return to the simple things. As some of you may know these past few months have been incredibly trying for me and my family. We’ve dealt with my Dad’s sickness, the loss of several of our family members and financial struggles. Through it all God has been more than faithful. Even in my student teaching this semester, he gave me favor and the strength to complete all of the significant projects I had to complete and carried me through the times where I didn’t think I could handle the pressures of life . During those months all I needed was Jesus and the love and support of my family and friends. It was that simple. Being able to watch a movie with all of my family together in the same room: simple. I’m finding that the purest and most enjoyable moments of my life now are the simple things. During this holiday season Jesus is calling us back to himself, the simplicity and beauty of his gospel message and the quiet strength that his love provides. I went Christmas shopping at the mall today, BIG mistake. I was so overwhelmed by the sounds and the lines and the foreign men asking if I wanted to try a dead sea scrub facial. This is not what Christmas is, it’s so simple. God wants us to know him as Savior, not just as a little baby in a manger. He is also calling us to not just be thankful for the things that we have but to be thankful for the things that we don’t have. Scattered throughout scripture are references to riches and material possessions and how meaningless they are. Yes God wants to bless us with things, but when we are all about stuff all of the time, it takes our focus off of the things that are eternal. God tells us to store up our treasures in heaven where moths cannot destroy or thieves cannot steal. This Christmas I am glad that I don’t have to keep up with the latest technologies or fashion trends or this or that. I’m just a simple girl, wanting a simple life, a simple Christmas.

When God Brings the Blank Space —- Learning to Wait on God.

spinmymotivation — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:51:50 +0000

As a culture we are completely overstimulated and consumed with instant gratification. Wouldn’t you agree? Think about this for a minute: When we’re hungry, we can just grab cheap, greasy food to fill us instead of building a hunger for something that will satisfy us more in the long run (many people around the world don’t even have this option). What about in conversations? (I am so guilty of this) Instead of stopping and really listening to someone in conversation, we feel the URGE to interject at every pause and lull. When we shop, most of us feel the need to buy something right away if it catches our eyes instead of going home and making a conscious decision about whether it is a need versus a want. Interesting right? I don’t know if this is just an American thing or just a product of our human condition, but waiting is such a hard thing for us to do. Slowly but surely, I coming to see waiting as a really good thing. It refines us, it builds patience, it shows us to not take things for granted, and it helps us to really treasure and enjoy blessings as God fulfills the longings of our hearts. One of the great little blessings in my life right now is a daily devotional book called My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I received it last September when I was baptized, but it was only until a few days ago that I started to read it. One passage from yesterdays devotional inspired me to write this blog and I think it’s brilliant! I’ve never been much into devotionals but sometimes another’s revelation from God is all that you need to get some good internal dialogue going.

“ There are times when you cannot understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait. The blank space may come in order to teach you what sanctification means, or it may come after sanctification to teach you what service means. Never run before God’s guidance. If there is the slightest doubt, then he is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt-dont.”

Hmm… isn’t that so true?!? The blank space isn’t God trying to torture us, even though at time it may feel like it. The blank space is God’s time of testing our faith so that it can be proved of more worth than gold. We may stamp our feet and look at our watches thinking “I don’t have all of eternity here, Lord” but when it comes down to it, we stink at filling in the blank. When we choose to fill in the blank before God, we fail EVERY time. I know that some of you can attest to that, I know that I sure can. Whenever we go before God’s timing we end up bruised, broken and trampled on, but if we wait for God to fill in that blank we can be assured of blessing and fruitfulness in our lives. One other thing to mention is that God knows our needs. We don’t have a high priest that cannot sympathize with our needs. Jesus was tried in every way. Jesus knows what it’s like to long for something. He so desperately longed for us to be reconciled to him that he died for us. WOAH! He also knows that longings can make us sick if they are not fulfilled. Proverbs 13:12 says that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. I hope that my words have not bored you or made you roll your eyes, but I think this is a truth that we all should come to understand, even if it takes a lifetime.

Get Up and Walk!

spinmymotivation — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:50:33 +0000

Before you read this post, I just want to put out a disclaimer: My thoughts in here are scattered, but I’ll try to bring it all together somehow. It’s been an incredibly long time since I last wrote, so here goes:

As I opened my bible this morning, I came across Ephesians 4. While I have read this chapter so many times, it always speaks into a different area of my life each time I read. I hope that this will speak to you as well. I really like the Message version of this passage (I usually read from NIV) so I will lay it out here: In light of all of this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the master, I want you to get out there and walk-better yet, run! on the road God called you to travel. I was pretty amazed at this paraphrase and through it I felt God directly speaking to me. Over the past six months I’ve felt like a paralytic, spiritually. I was coming to God as a beggar and not approaching him as his child. I didn’t believe that he had the power to rescue me from the pit I had dug for myself and I wanted him so desperately to rescue me at the same time. I know that God is speaking this verse into my life because it has been confirmed through many conversations I’ve had lately with friends. By far the biggest barrier to my spiritual growth has been lack of faith. Instead of having faith in Jesus and taking up my mat and walking, my unbelief kept me down. Another point to be made about this verse is that God wants us to start taking steps of faith! Granted, we must be empowered by the holy spirit and abiding in him, BUT at some point we have to get moving. One of my friends put it really well the other day. She said: we can’t be babies crawling around forever, we have to get up and walk! That my friends, is what I am encouraging you to do today. Get up and walk that road God has set you on. Yes it’s hard and painful at times, but he has given us everything we need to live godly lives and to push through. if you belong to Jesus, he works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). As a side note, I have been LOVING Bethany Dillon’s music lately. Her lyrics really communicate the heart of God and speak into this season of my life. This song entitled “Get up and Walk” (coincidence? I think not) really inspired me today. I hope that you will get some encouragement from this today if you are reading! God Bless !

Here’s the link to the song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCjwYTjLFck

3 more years, PLEASE!

spinmymotivation — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:05:04 +0000

Last night I couldn’t sleep, usually that’s an indication that the Lord’s trying to speak to me. So for a good hour or so I lay there just thinking about my life. Lately I’ve just been feeling really useless. All around me I see people being bold for Christ and winning souls for the Kingdom. I was really contemplating my feeble attempts to make an impact on the world around me and realized that I am completely BORING. Okay, so I can talk to other Christians openly about Jesus, but what is that doing? Great, so I know some bible verses. What good is that going to do anyone if I’m not applying them to my life and sharing them with those that don’t know him. Of course I don’t want to bible bash ANYONE, but what I’m saying is, I need to be applying these biblical principles to my own life so I can produce good fruit. The point of my aimless wanderings is the fact that I have not been producing this fruit. I have been self seeking and inwardly focused. So at about 3AM the Lord brings Luke 13:6 into focus: ⁶Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. ⁷So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ⁸” ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ “

What words for me to hear at 3 O’clock in the morning! What a perfect mirror for me to witness my inactivity first hand. I know full well that my salvation is not dependent on the amount of good works that I do, Jesus took care of that, but what I am most concerned with is my heart attitude. In listening to my friend, Bill Morgan preach this morning I realized how luke warm I’ve been as of late. I’ve been way too comfortable where I am and it’s about time I shake things up. Lord, I don’t want to be cut down like that fig tree! I need another three years, in fact I need a whole lot more! I am so thankful for this revelation he gave me. I know that I need to begin on my knees in prayer. I needed to be searching myself and asking the Lord to search my heart. I want to know what that next step is. I want to be in his will for my life and be his servant. All things aside, the only thing that matters in my life is the relationship that I have with Jesus. Where is my sense of urgency to let the ones I love know about his awesome, redeeming love! I’ve got a lot of thinking and praying to do!

Lots to be Thankful For!

spinmymotivation — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 04:33:41 +0000

Today was a great day! Not just because I got to eat a ton of delicious homemade food, but because I was able to regain another part of my past. For about ten years I’ve had an estranged relationship with my extended family. For some reason, hurtful words were exchanged and years were spent apart. I can remember countless Thanksgivings and Christmas’s filled with laughter as a child. All my family was in one place, at the same time and we were able to really enjoy one another. Today was the greatest Thanksgiving I’ve had in many years because we were a family again. In thinking about all of the things I am thankful for, I was ultimately reminded of my love for Jesus Christ and the awesome gifts he’s given me. He really does bring beauty out of ashes and restore homes that are broken. Lately, I’ve had a lot of time to consider the extent to which he has impacted my life. I’ve never had richer friendships and I’ve never felt so complete and loved. I may be single, but I am definitely not alone! I am so blessed by the work he has begun in me and am thankful for this refining period in my life. In every season of my life, God seems to bring people up along side of me that keep me accountable and inspire me to keep running hard after him. Most of all I am thankful for my new church family. When I first came to the House of Praise, I really couldn’t put my finger on why I loved it so much. I now know that what I experienced there was genuine Christ-like love that made me feel accepted and wanted. Never before had I witnessed a community of people that really cared about each other and served one another without agenda. When I talked, people really listened and when I needed prayer, they really prayed. I am just beyond excited about this next chapter in my life. I’m at a point where I can see his plan for my life slowly unfolding. I have much to be thankful for and much to be excited about. I continue to be amazed by the fact that God wants to use me despite my sinful nature, my doubts and my failures. That’s just how good he is! Since I love to write, I figured today was just as good a day as any to begin blogging. Hope I didn’t bore you too much!