Puzzling

The end of the year is so cathartic for me! It’s been a whirlwind year…I’ve lived, learned, laughed and most of all, loved!

Life is like an elaborate puzzle! Your parents start off by building the frame, setting the foundation of your life with God, Love and Family, using all the end pieces to structure it, nailing them down. As you age and grow, their influence wanes and yours increases. You could choose to pull up the foundation and start from scratch or continue building from what they started. Career plans based on salaries, superficial friends and the pursuit of perfect happiness begin to illuminate a picture of what you think life should be. Young and chalking up nails to your parents’ lack of modernization, you forgo gluing. Yet, the wind of adulthood knocks a good portion of the pieces off, high school friends, family members and anticipated plans. Your foundation is all that is left. Venturing through college and your first job restarts the process of again placing puzzles in. You remember failed previous attempts with keeping the puzzle pieces in place and decide to start taping them down, your modified career goals that account for more than money, friends who share similar interests and a desire to just enjoy life. Yet the heat of the twenties strips the adhesive from your puzzle pieces and once again you loose puzzle pieces, not as many as you did from the windstorm but enough to require another rebuild. This time your foundation and a few other pieces are left, a couple friends, networking contacts and a general will to live. You wade through and manage to find a forever person, who is your friend, spiritual partner and life buddy. Along the way, you also discover a professional passion, something that isn’t a career or job to hate for 30 years but something to enjoy for a lifetime. Remembering the failed attempts at not using any adhesives and then tape adhesives, you opt for glue, thinking surely that will hold. The winter of your thirties and forties rages so violently that the glue freezes, separating itself from the puzzle pieces and causing them to fall off. Yet it isn’t long before the replacing process begins once again. Your last lingering superficial friends and lack of budgeting are all ran off by the ubiquitous supply of wet kisses and never-ending need for diapers.

I was sitting in church today and this analogy fell into my spirit. Life is ever-moving and ever-flowing, washing things away and bringing things to shore. We all experience the elements of life that sometimes shake us to our very cores, yet it is because of Jesus’ Love that we are not consumed by them. In life, we never “lose” things, we just make room for what is to come! And being okay with the unpredictability of life, knowing that God has our absolute best interests at heart is the only that is required of us…

Thanks to Jesus, we have a foundation of love that is never leaving…nailed forever to us…

Until Thursday,

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Momentary

“Human beings are frail and temporary, like grass, and the glory of man fleeting like blossoms of the field. The grass dries and withers and the flowers fall off, but the Word of the Lord endures forever! And this is the Word that was announced to you!” – 1 Peter 1:24-25 TPT

Have you ever thought of yourself as frail and temporary, like grass? What about how God’s Word will forever outline all of humanity?

It doesn’t seem like it should be Christmastime again nor does it feel like another year should be beckoning us. Contrary to what we tell ourselves, two things are true:

1. Time is ticking and there are no refunds.
   
2. Everybody is delicate, no matter how pudgy, poised or powerful they may appear to be.

In 18 days, at the stroke of midnight, the chapter of 2018 will be over and continuing story of 2019 will begin. It doesn’t matter how we started the year or fell off sometime in July, we’ve got 18 more opportunities to leave this year right! Cherishing the precious moments, cutting ourselves some well-deserved slack and choosing to be the brightest bloom we can…while we can <3.

Until Sunday,

Triggers

Things that provoke unpleasant events and memories are…triggers. What are some of yours?

I’ll go first! Although I won’t explicitly name them, I have four triggers, that can quickly dampen my mood. This week I was triggered by all four and it felt as the reliving of painful memories and mistakes was unraveling me.

God laid on my heart to write down my four triggers and then think of four remedies to counter them. Satan only uses triggers in our lives in an attempt to cripple and depress us. It is hard to believe that God is still working in your life when a negative memory from months/years ago evokes emotions that make you feel as if nothing has changed. You’re a few years older with the same emotional baggage and then suddenly wondering if Jesus’ promise to help you unpack all that baggage is actually real.

I made the list one day and needed it the very next day! No, it didn’t erase the negative emotions or vindicate my feelings but it did do two important things: 

1. Reminded me that Jesus is always there
2. Returned control of my life and emotions to me

The more I live life I learn that God knew things wouldn’t be easy for us (thanks to Eve), yet all He asks is that we look to Him in those tough times and rely on His Grace.

Until Thursday,

Persistent Prayer

Whew, it’s been one of those weeks! I had my first final today and have basically been living from one deadline and obligation to another…

The toughest climb is right before the best view. The hardest battle is right before the greatest win. Valorous victories require persistent prayer!

“Imagine what would happen if you were to go to one of your friends in the middle of the night and pound on his door and shout, ‘Please! Do you have some food you can spare?⁶ A friend just arrived at my house unexpectedly and I have nothing to serve him.’⁷ But your friend says, ‘Why are you bothering me? The door’s locked and my family and I are all in bed. Do you expect me to get up and give you our food?’⁸ But listen—because of your shameless impudence, even though it’s the middle of the night, your friend will get up out of his bed and give you all that you need.^9–10 So it is with your prayers. Ask and you’ll receive. Seek and you’ll discover. Knock on heaven’s door, and it will one day open for you. Every persistent person will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he needs. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door.” -Luke 11:5-10 TPT

Wouldn’t you do the same? If we as imperfect human beings can show compassion to someone who is insistent and relentless, then how much more will our God?

Yes, we get weary when life provokes questions that we can’t answer. Yes, we get fatigued when our prayers seem to vanish into thin air. Yet, it is at those times of persistence when we are tired of praying, tired of asking, tired of seeking and tired of knocking that we actually receive God’s best and everything Jesus died for!

Until Sunday,

Will Pass

It will pass. The hectic times. The happy times. They truly will.

…

There’s something to say about the leaves shining so bright

Here for one season, gone the next

There’s something to tell about the rivers moving so stealthily

Here for one moment, gone the next

…

“My life, my every moment, my destiny—it’s all in your hands. So I know you can deliver me from those who persecute me relentlessly.” -Psalm 31:15 TPT

So much of life is fleeting and fluid! There are few straight lines or guarantees. And our plans will likely fall apart more times than they come together. The persecutions we face are not limited to the actions of others, as inner turmoil and other inanimate entities such as money and time can also wage war in our lives.

How amazing is it that you don’t have be stuck in today, tomorrow or yesterday? Everyday is an impeccable fresh-start that propels you to aspire for change. We can’t get caught up on one of the many moving parts in life, for it isn’t going to stick around long, but will pass…
 

Until Thursday,

Wrong Answers

I thank God that I am in much better spirits today than I was on Sunday! The great thing about life is that it is always moving…

“A prudent person with insight foresees danger coming and prepares himself for it. But the senseless rush blindly forward and suffer the consequences.”-Proverbs 22:3 TPT

Insight in our lives comes from roughly two ways: 1) as a witness through self-experience or 2) as a spectator through other’s experience. And of course, God plays an integral role in gleaning messages from our mistakes and those of others.

When you have a question with 4 answer choices and you choose the wrong one, you learn something important! Although you didn’t get the right answer, you now know what the right answer isn’t. Our choices in life are typically one of the two: 1) good or 2) bad. Of which our good choices reinforce the things we should do, like drink water and exercise, while our bad choices remind us of the things we shouldn’t do, like overindulge on everything the eye sees on Thanksgiving J

The luxury of perception is afforded to you with each and every outcome of the decisions you make. It doesn’t have to be a pity party but a learning luau! Wrong answers are just as helpful as the right ones…

Until Sunday,

Despondency

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Hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving! I cannot believe Christmas is a month from today…

“Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. He created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make. Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.” -John 1:1-5 TLB

 Today, a sense of despondency, which is, essentially feeling hopeless and having a pessimistic outlook on life, just swept over me. Maybe it was due to the impending deadlines and finals that I am facing or the sinus cold that I’ve been fighting. Whatever the cause, I understand that as a human being I will have days when I feel weak and it’s okay to acknowledge that. Everything that I am, everything that I was and everything that I ever will be, I owe toGod and God alone. It is His Love that formed me, His Grace that saved me and His Mercy that sustains me.

There will be days when you fall down and feel there’s no use in getting back up. There will be times when the fight of faith doesn’t seem worth fighting for anymore. And there will moments when you wonder if you’ll ever make it to the top of your mountains. Yet, those feelings are only indications of our humanness, not our faith. Through Jesus, we can override the weariness of our minds and rely on the supernatural strength within our hearts. We can get back up even when we don’t feel like it, push past moments of despair and be confident that our mountains are already under our feet!

It wasn’t Jesus’s reservations about being crucified, but his action of going to The Cross that made all the difference. Thoughts will come, but will you take them or leave them?

Until Thursday,

P.S.If the words run together, I apologize! I am still trying to learn the new editing interface, so please bear with me J

a Child in You

As a child, my one wish in life was to “stay a baby forever”, because I never was too fond of the idea of growing up! Obviously, my wish wasn’t granted but I do believe that there are at least two ways to be a child in adult’s body…

1. Learn a language or hobby: Trying to understand and gain fluency in Spanish, has been an interesting journey for me. However, when I remind myself that obtaining a new language or crochet pattern is like going back to Kindergarten again, it is expected of me to make mistakes and not be perfect.
2. Lean into and on God: The pursuance of answers in this world is a fleeting, empty and an arduous experience. We were never created to be exposed to the weather elements and jungles of life, without His guidance and His reassurance. God wants to ensure that all His children are saved, checking to see that no one is left behind at the park or grocery store.

There is an immense amount of security that is afforded to children such as: no professional responsibilities, no financial problems and no pressure to plan. It seems like a sweet life, that fortunately for us doesn’t have to end on our 18^th birthday but can still ring true when we turn 82!

         Despite your age/interests or current relationship with God, there is a child in you! Waiting to be released to make mistakes and explore this big and beautiful lens through the safety of God’s Hands.

Sunsets & Rises

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“The sun rises and the sun sets, laboring to come up quickly to its place again and again.” Ecclesiastes 1:5 VOICE

You’ve probably noticed a reoccurring pattern, of posts starting with a scripture. Lately, I have known the unchanging words of God to be most comforting when my thoughts are scattered…

Laboring is hard work! I’ve never considered the idea of personifying the sun and accounting for its struggles. We can be rest assured that our darkest nights, both spiritually and literally will be overcome by our brightest days. Though, Plants wilt if the weather is too cold or too warm. Animals die if resources are scarce or tainted. People lie if situations seem inconvenient or advantageous. All around us, we are surrounded by creations that are subjected to and often succumb to the same challenges we face. Yet the sun doesn’t!

Rain or snow precipitation, it’s shining. Clear or foggy skies, it’s glowing. Freezing or sizzling temperatures, it’s dazzling. God created the sun symbol to be a symbol of His faithfulness to us. He neither slumbers nor sleeps, Psalm 121:4 when it concerns our well-being and loves us unconditionally. The sun sets, laying the earth down to sleep and rises, awakening the earth to a new day. Just as God blankets us in a sweet sleep, Proverbs 3:24 and begins our days with doses of fresh mercy, Lamentations 3:22-23.

Seeing that science still can’t agree on the age, origin or composition of the sun, I’ll take my chances with The One who made it!

Until Sunday,

Our Plans, His Steps

“Within your heart you can make plans for your future, but the Lord chooses the steps you take to get there.” Proverbs 16:39 TPT

This summer, I made plans for how my academic and social life would look during my freshman year of college. Those plans quickly crumbled as my family and I tearfully parted after the convocation ceremony!

Some of the things I expected to happen, didn’t and those that I never thought could happen, did. My overall goals of learning (plus earning great grades) and stepping out of my social comfort zone have been achieved, yet their staircases were like nothing I had anticipated.

We make plans to go to college, get married, start a business, have children, lose weight, change careers etc., not for God to follow our plans, but for us to go to Him and pray, “Father, these are the desires of my heart. Will you help me in ways that I can’t help myself? Will you open doors that others have shut on me? Protect me from those that intend to deceive me? Keep me safe from the traps set out to destroy me?”. To which God will happily oblige, because He already knows our aspirations in life and wants nothing more than to see the manifestation of them in our lives.

If you’re in a stage of life where your plans have crumbled and you have lost all sense of direction, just know that God is The One plotting your steps! I promise you will get to your dream destination, even if God way of orchestrating it deviates from yours…

Until Thursday,