Being Thankful

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9)

"Since, then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4)

Sometimes when we're in a funk we like to host a little pity party for ourselves. I know I'm guilty of this. We compare our lives to our friends' lives or worse, to some imaginary, impossible ideal. We focus on everything wrong in our lives, but we're blind to the good. We forget:

That we even have family and friends.
That we don't have to live in fear for our lives every moment of every day.
That there are millions of people in third world countries around the globe who would kill for our enormous leftover portions from the Olive Garden.
That we don't have to constantly worry about contracting deadly diseases from the water we drink, the food we eat, and the things we do daily.
That we even have opportunities to pursue and obtain safe and legal forms of work and that we're not forced to turn to drug trafficking or prostitution to make a living and support our families.

And those are just some of the basics. How spoiled and selfish we can be! We complain and feel sorry for ourselves while we dwell in luxury! We have so much to be thankful for; if only we could focus on those things! So today I am going to remind myself of all of the things I have to be thankful for and I encourage everyone else to do the same!

Today I'm Thankful For:

• My life, that God has given me another day and more opportunities to bring him glory!
• My family who loves me, supports me, teaches me, and encourages me!
• All of my friends! They are such blessings! For so long I have prayed for some more friends who live near me; God answered my prayers!
• My new small group which I love! Another answered prayer!
• Jesus Christ: His goodness, sacrifice, love, provision, and mercy and the fact that He chose me to be a child of God!
• Some recent opportunities that I've been given to serve! Yet another answered prayer!
• The good food and clean water that I have been blessed with!
• The home that I have!
• The car that I will be buying soon for law school, which my family is helping me get!
• My freedom, both as a person and as a woman!
• My good health!
• The education that I was lucky enough to receive!
• The opportunity to even pursue law school and a career in law!
• That no matter where I go and no matter what happens to me in life, God has promised that He's always with me...and God never breaks His promises!

Wow! I am reminded of how good God has been to me, how little I deserve such goodness, and how much there is to be thankful and joyful about!

Praying Like Jesus

Something stuck out to me last night during my small group at church. I've been meditating on it and felt like writing about it. We've been reading and discussing the book of Luke for the past few weeks and last night we tackled chapter 22.

It’s all pretty tough. Jesus’ friend betrays him and he spends what he knows will be his last supper with his closest friends. He’s about to be arrested, he’s about to be tortured and killed, and he knows all about it. So Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives to pray.

He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:41-42)

I love this prayer! It’s short, to the point, honest, genuine, and full of so much emotion. Christ’s prayers are, I think, the best examples of how we as Christians should strive to pray. Jesus is honest with God that he would rather not go through what he knows he must do. He even asks for his “cup” to be taken from him. So many times we’re not honest with God about what we really want. I know I sometimes feel like it’s wrong or even sinful to not feel like doing what God asks of me. But how can it be wrong or sinful if Christ himself does it? It is, after all, very real and very human. Whenever we’re struggling, I think it’s best to just be real with God: to tell Him what we really want, to tell Him all of our fears, struggles, and worries. Being a naturally reserved person, I’ve learned recently that when I open up to my friends, I feel closer to them and our bond strengthens. We’ll never feel close to our friends if we’re never truly open and honest with them. What makes us think this doesn’t apply to God as well?

After “being real” with God, Jesus takes it one step further. He prays honestly about what he wants, but he also willingly submits to God’s will over his own; yet another model for us to follow. Jesus, who is both God in the flesh and a King, submits himself fully to God. And then right after he does this, something absolutely awesome occurs:

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:43-44)

Jesus is open and honest with his Father, prays for what he wants, but ultimately submits himself to God’s will…and then God strengthens him! This occurrence makes me think of another verse that I’ve been meditating on lately, written by Paul to the Philippians:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

So what can we learn from Jesus’ prayer in the Mount of Olives? I think we can learn that if we’re consistently open and honest with God in our prayer life, if we confess our struggles and present our requests to Him, and if we ultimately choose to submit to His will for our lives, then we can trust that our loving Father will give us peace and strengthen us to do His will!

Faith When It Seems Impossible

“Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your

changing moods.” ~

C.S. Lewis

"Faith is not a sense, not sight, not reason, but a taking God at His Word." ~Evans

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is

what the ancients were commended for." ~Hebrews 11:1-2

The verse from Hebrews 11 always confused me just a little. It sort of made my head ache in the same way that taking the LSAT did. But lately God has been speaking to me about faith and the other day, that Hebrews verse suddenly made perfect sense. Faith is being sure and confident in God and what He has already said and done, so confident that even when everything around you points to your hope being impossible, you trust with certainty that God is at work and that He will deliver.

Noah trusted what God had told him and built the arc, despite the fact it probably didn't seem like there would be a flood for a while. Abraham was so sure of God's promise when he listened and almost sacrificed his son Isaac.

So what is faith for us then, today? I think faith is taking God's word to be the absolute truth, even when we don't "see" Him working at the moment. Faith could be, for instance, to not give in to hopelessness and depression when everything around you in today's economy says you won't be able to get work; faith would be trusting with certainty that God will take care of your needs somehow. Or faith could be to not settle for a jerk who doesn't treat you right because you don't believe that a good man can love you; faith would be trusting that if God wills you to be married then He'll bring the right kind of man into your life who loves you and treats you well (and that if He doesn't will for you to be married, that He has even better plans to use you to bring Him glory!)

Faith often defies all human reason. Maybe that's why the ancients were commended for it. Maybe faith that trusts God no matter what, defying all human logic and tangible evidence, stands out from the crowd and brings glory to God. Maybe if we all practiced our faith more often in our daily lives, we would stand out more as shining children of God.

Some More Encouragement For Women

I stumbled upon this encouraging little message written by T.D. Jakes recently. I know all too well that we ladies always need some Godly encouragement, so I thought I'd share this with all of my lovely sisters everywhere!

"Just Because" by T.D. Jakes

Just because no one has been fortunate enough to realize what a gold mine you are, doesn't mean you shine any less.
Just because no one has been smart enough to figure out that you can't be topped, doesn't stop you from being the best.
Just because no one has come along to share your life, doesn't mean that day isn't coming.
Just because no one has made this race worthwhile, doesn't give you permission to stop running.
Just because no one has realized how much of an awesome woman you are, doesn't mean they can affect your femininity.
Just because no one has shown up who can love you on your level, doesn't mean you have to sink to theirs.
Just because you deserve the very best there is, doesn't mean that life is always fair.
Just because God is still preparing your king, doesn't mean that you're not already a Queen.
Just because your situation doesn't seem to be progressing right now, doesn't mean you need to change a thing.
Keep shining. Keep running. Keep hoping. Keep praying. Keep being exactly what you are already...COMPLETE!

To all of my Godly sisters, continue shining as the women of God that you are!

Mirror Talk

As someone who has always struggled with confidence and self-esteem, I wrote up this challenge. Every morning, at the start of your day, try standing in front of a mirror and speaking these reminders to yourself:

• I am a child of The Most High God!
• I have been made in the image and likeness of God, who is beautiful and the definition of love.
• I have been fearfully and wonderfully made.
• God, the Creator of the universe, created me and declared all of his creation (including me!) to be VERY GOOD.
• God knows EVERYTHING about me, the good and the ugly, but He sill loves me!
• He loves me so much, that He died for me, in order to have a relationship with me!
• I am not my own; I was bought at a price: Christ's sacrifice.
• My real beauty comes from my inner self, from Christ in me, not from my hairstyles, my clothes, or my jewelry.
• Today, I will CHOOSE to believe and trust God's love for me and aim to please only Him! I will choose NOT to submit to the world's standards and chase after its approval.
• Today, I will remember that I am a child of God who is dearly loved. I will clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
• Today, I know that I can do all things through Christ, who loves me, strengthens me, guides me, and is with me always!

Some Bible verses that I used as references:

John 1:12-13, Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 27:4, 1 John 4:15-18, Psalm 139:13-14, Genesis 1:31, Psalm 139:1, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Romans 12:2, Colossians 2:20, Galatians 1:10, 1 Peter 3:3-5, Colossians 3:12, Philippians 4:13, John 16:13

10 Guidelines From God

I stumbled upon this online today and realized that it was everywhere on the internet. I don't know who wrote it, but I thought it was quite lovely (though a little fluffy). Still, it's very encouraging, so I thought I'd share!

10 Guidelines From God

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:

Please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you. Please, follow these 10 guidelines:

1. QUIT WORRYING: Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST: Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME: Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE: Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now; I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do My job.

5. TALK TO ME: I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me -- OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH: I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE: You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT: I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND: Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF: As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don't ever forget.

Hopefully this will be an encouraging reminder to someone today!