Divinity Arrived

"As moments go, ( the moment of incarnation) appeared no different than any other. If you could somehow pick it up off the timeline and examine it, it would look exactly like the ones that have passed while you read these words...But in reality, that particular moment was like none other. For through that segment of time a spectacular thing occurred. God became a man. While the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb." Max Lucado, God Came Near.

Isn't it amazing what we don't notice? There is this link that is floating around on the web that is a video. It challenges you to count how many times a basketball is passed from person to person during a game. Then at the end of the video it asks if you noticed the moonwalking bear. I watched that video the first time and of course missed the moonwalking bear. It is amazing what we miss when we are focused on other things. We get so incredibly busy with our lives that we miss really important things. Like the quote from one of my favorite books that I have at the beginning of this blog says, "while the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived." That's a pretty huge thing to miss isn't it? God came to earth and the only people that knew it were some shepherds and wise men and that is because angels shouted it out and they noticed a big ol star in the sky!
When I read this quote, I got to thinking about how busy our lives are. Work, Family, school, church, social activities... the list goes on and on. And at Christmas time it just gets worse! We have to add decorating, buying presents for people, family get-togethers, holiday baking, etc. to the endless list of things to do. So, it shouldn't surprise me that we tend to miss the real meaning of Christmas too, huh? Even over 2000 years later, we are still missing that God came to earth! That's what we celebrate isn't it? Isn't that what Christmas is really about? Celebrating that Jesus came as our true gift that we don't deserve!
So... maybe we could just take the time to slow down for a second and not miss the complete awesomeness that He came to earth knowing He would be our sacrifice for sin. That He humbled himself enough to be God in human form. That he came as a baby. And that he came for us. Let's not miss that.

A Clean Slate

Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him."

I hate mornings. I despise them. I don't like the sound of the alarm buzzing in my ear. As a matter of fact, I tend to hit snooze at least 3 times. One of my favorite things is sleeping in. There are not alot of good things that I can think of about mornings. That's why I think I like this verse so much! Because one of the best things about morning is that it brings new beginnings. What happened today doesn't matter anymore. If I was in a really bad mood today, I can be in a good mood tomorrow. If I didn't have any energy today, tomorrow I might have tons of energy. Mornings bring a clean slate. Everything from today can be wiped clean. It doesn't have to dictate what happens tomorrow. I don't know about you, but I see that as incredibly freeing! No matter what happened today or what I did or what I said, tomorrow can be different. I can choose to do things differently tomorrow. This verse is saying that because the Lord loves us so incredibly much, his mercies are new every single morning. As long as I continue to wake up in the morning, if I ask Him to, He will wipe my slate clean and give me a fresh start. Tomorrow can be better than today. I can make better choices tomorrow! My past doesn't have to dictate my future!
I have made bad choices in my lifetime. I've made some good ones too, however, if I could go back and change some things that I did or said, I would do it in a heartbeat! But isn't that what is so exciting about tomorrow, about mornings, about the future??? That we get another chance to do things right. We get the chance to have a good outlook, to be compassionate towards people, to respond in love and not anger, to be obedient to the Lord. So maybe mornings aren't really so bad after all. They bring one of the things I value the most... A clean slate.

Rest for the Weary

Do you ever feel like you need a cheering section in life? I do. Sometimes I get weary. I get really tired. Emotionally. Spiritually. Physically. And today is one of those days. I'm tired in every sense of the word. I feel weary. Life is hard. It is a constant battle. Work. School. Relationships. Life takes some serious effort. Some days more than others. And today I really wish I had someone cheering me on. Telling me that I can make it. That I can do this. That I can get through it. It's just a season. So I have done some searching to find the encouragement I need.
Isaiah 40:28-31 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."
In my searching for encouragement today, I found it. The Lord doesn't get tired. He doesn't get weary. And my favorite part is: no one can fathom his understanding! He understands that I'm exhausted and He understands why I'm so tired. And He has promised me that if I put my hope in Him, He's gonna give me strength. He doesn't promise that things will be easy or get easier. But He promises me to get me through it and to hold me up while I walk through this season in my life.
Matthew 11:28 "Come to me , all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Some background on me. I am a touch-me-not. I hate cuddling. I don't like to be touched for the most part. It's weird. I know this. However, there are some times in my life when I have enjoyed being held or hugged. I remember times when I was a little girl when my dad would hold me in his lap or mom rocking me and I remember thinking it felt good. It felt really safe. I think that is why I like this verse so much. I imagine God holding out his arms, making room for me in his lap. Telling me, "Come sit with me. I'll hold you and you can feel safe. You can get some rest here in my arms. "
So today, I'm feeling his arms around me and I'm hearing his voice tell me that He's gonna get me through this. He is gonna give me the strength I need.

A Way of Escape

In my last blog, I talked about God's grace. How I have sensed and experienced His grace in my life in the midst of my struggles and failures. This week, I decided to focus on what do I do when I'm in the middle of my struggles? How do I overcome these battles that I face and how do I not fall flat on my face every single time? I believe God gives a way out. A way of escape. Why do I believe that? Because His Word says so. in I Corinthians 10:13.."No temptation has overtaken you, except what is common to man, and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide a way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." If you read my blog often, you know I love the Message version of the Bible. I like it because it puts things so simply. It's version of this verse is great. "No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he will never let you be pushed past your limit, he'll always be there to help you come through it." That's pretty encouraging. He's not gonna let me be pushed past the limit of where I can say no. I listened to a great podcast this morning and the speaker said something of this sort... What are we? animals? Animals can't control what they do. They are controlled by their instincts. But God has given us brains. He has given us souls. He has given us consciences. ..... so should we assume we can't control what we do? I think not! I think God has created us as complex beings. Beings that are absolutely able to stand up against temptation. We are absolutely able to say no to what is wrong and to say yes to what is right. He has given us a way of escape and it is my prayer daily that I recognize those ways of escape and that I don't ignore them but run towards the escape as fast as I can. So that I can live a Godly life. A life that is pleasing to Him. I'm so thankful that He provides a way out. He doesn't just leave us in the pit of sin to wallow there. He gives us His Holy Spirit to convict and guide and if we are keeping our lives submitted to His guidance we will be able to recognize the escape routes He provides so mercifully.

Grace that is greater..............

Let me just start this blog by saying that I am human. I have a sin nature. I was born that way. We all were. I know that sometimes we think once we've been saved, born-again, become a believer, a follower of Christ, that our sin nature goes away. Guess what? It doesn't. The older I get, the more convinced I become that this is a battle that will rage until either I die or until the Lord comes back. I will always have struggles. I will always be tempted to gossip, to lie, to be prideful, to hate... the list goes on and on. That is why I am so thankful for God's grace in my life.
I was reading tonight in Ephesians 1 and was once again struck at the overwhelming nature of God's grace. Ephesians 1:7-8 says "In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace, that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." I really like the Message version. It says "Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the cross, we're a free people- free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free- Abundantly free!"
Can I just say that lately, God has broken me. He has pointed out struggles in my life and I've been on my face before Him crying out for mercy and grace and HELP! Sometimes I wonder why He wastes his time on me...why do I consistently have the same struggles in my life? Why can't I just be delivered from them? But I read something else tonight that spoke volumes to me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 "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."
So here I am.. boasting in my weaknesses in this blog. Because I want Christ's power to rest on me. That is what grace is all about. If it was something we could earn, it wouldn't be grace. This kind of grace is greater than anything we could every imagine and He is lavishing it on us even as we ask for it.

A God of Restoration

In my short 28 years of life, I have seen marriages broken, relationships devasted beyond belief, friendships falling apart, lives wrecked by sinful decisions. But in that short 28 years, I have also seen the amazing work of God in the broken, devastated, falling apart, and wrecked. Maybe not all of them, but many! I have seen God take things that could never be fixed and fix them. I have seen him take things that have been destroyed and restored them until they were better than before. I believe I serve a God of restoration. I believe He is able to do more than we could ever imagine in spite of our rebellion and disobedience in life.
I was reading in Jeremiah 33 tonight. Here is a portion of it that talks about God's restoration...
"But take another look. I'm going to give this city a thorough renevation, working a true healing inside and out. I'm going to show them life whole, life brimming with blessings. I'll restore everything that was lost to Judah and Jerusalem. I'll build everything back as good as new. I'll scrub them clean from the dirt they've done against me. I'll forgive everything they've done wrong, forgive all their rebellions. And Jerusalem will be a center of joy and praise and glory for all the countries on the earth. They'll get reports of all the good I'm doing for her.They'll be in awe of the blessings I am pouring on her. Yes, God's Message: "you're going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say " A wasteland, unlivable. Not even a dog could live here." But the time is coming when you're going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, "Thank God of the Angel-armies! He is so good! His love never quits!," as they bring thank offerings into God's Temple. I'll restore everything that was lost in this land. I'll make everything as good as new. I, God, say so."

I think that speaks for itself. I love the MESSAGE's version of this.
It's talking about God making an unlivable wasteland ( not even fit for a dog!) into something as good as new. Someplace that people all over the earth are talking about because it's so incredibly wonderful. A place of laughter and celebration. That is what my God is capable of.
There is nothing broken that God can't mend. There is nothing destroyed that God can't restore. He is truly a God of restoration. I've tasted and seen.

The Choice is Yours...

I spent 7 hours today on a psychiatric ward doing clinic and while it was exhausting both mentally and emotionally, I was priviledged enough to get to sit in on a group therapy session. The patients' issues ranged from alcoholism to bipolar to depression to suicide attempts and they each brought their own issues into the room with them. But as I sat at the back of the room and listened to what the conversation was about, I gained some wisdom that I think everyone could benefit from.
The counselor was talking about anger and how anger is really a secondary emotion. What she meant by that, is when someone "makes" us angry.. they really aren't "making" us angry. We choose to respond that way and it usually stems from a deeper emotion such as embarrassment or frustration or hurt. Something that person has said or done has brought about some sort of emotion and that emotion has led to anger. She also said that anger just IS. It isn't bad or good. It just is. But how we respond with that anger is the problem. Some people cut themselves. Some people drink or do drugs. Some people lash out at other people. Most of our choices have something to do with a deeper emotion. And the fact is we may have every right to feel that emotion. That emotion may be neither good or bad, but we DO choose in how we respond. Nobody can make us feel something. Nobody can make us feel sad or happy unless WE LET THEM. We give our power away to people. That is our choice to do that. But we have the freedom to feel or do as we want. We need to start taking responsibilities for our actions and for our emotions. We have control over them even though we say we can't control our feelings or actions sometimes. That is a lie that we have all bought into. We make good choices and bad choices in our lifetimes but the main point is the choice is ours..
I believe that if people would start taking ownership of their feelings and of their choices, we would see less chaos on people's lives.
I know this blog was super deep and that is not really characteristic of me, but I wanted to share this

Fall

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I adore it. I love the smells, the colors, the weather. And I can feel it in the air today. The shadows seem to be changing. I can smell it in the air today too. It just smells different. I have felt it coming on for about a week now. Last week I saw the first writing spiders of the season. One in particular builds a web in the same place every year.. near our building outside. They always creep me out a little because they are so big, but it excites me too because I know fall is just around the corner.
I sat out on our front steps today and just enjoyed the feeling in the air. I looked at the beautiful clear blue sky and breathed in the clean smell in the air. When I look around me and see the sights like I saw today, I can see God's fingerprints all over His creation. It is truly an amazing creation. I'm so thankful for my sight. That I can see and bask in the beauty of all that is around me. My heart just feels so full it could burst today. So incredibly grateful for the good gifts my Father has given me.
I'm looking forward to the crisp weather that is coming soon, to get to pull out my sweaters and boots. To not have to worry that I'm losing my tan! It will be here before we know it and I cannot wait!

Friendships take time

Oh my goodness, it has been ages since I have blogged! That is what nursing school will do to you! I have barely any time left in my busy schedule except to check my facebook and email, although there have been many times when I've thought about blogging but just haven't gotten around to it. Life is busy busy. But good. And this brings me to the point of this blog.
Over my 27 years of life, I have had so many friends. And one thing I have learned is that friendships take time and cultivation. Even the best of friendships need a little TLC. There have been friends that I have not seen in many years and only talked to a couple of times a year, yet when we get together, it feels like we just pick up where we left off. But if you don't talk or communicate to the person at all, that friendship can deteriorate.
I have found it to be especially difficult for my friendships this past semester after starting nursing school. I barely have time left for my husband and family at this point, and sometimes my friends get left on the back burner. I warned all my good friends what was going to happen before I started nursing, but I have had to really make the time to keep in touch with them. If that means a short text or email, or even something as simple as a comment on their facebook wall.
While I was pondering on this, a quote that I had heard a long time ago came to mind. "If you want a friend, Be a friend."
It is so true. It isn't fun being friends with someone who only wants to be around you or hang out with you when it's convenient for them. It isn't fun being friends with someone who puts no effort into the friendship. I'm sure we all have had friends like that. Friendships and relationships in general take effort on both sides.
I know that I've been a friend like that in the past to people, but I surely don't want to continue in that path.
I really want to make an effort in my friendships. An effort to maintain them and an effort to make sure my friends know how important they are to me, no matter the distance or how busy my life gets. I'm so thankful for my friends. They are a gift from God!

Pr 18:24 ( the Message) "Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family."
I want to be a true friend. The kind that sticks with my friend through thick and thin, through good times and bad, through busy schedules and restful times. A friend like that is a precious, precious find. Hold on to with all you have. We need good friends in our lives!