Sunday, April 03, 2016
"No matter whether we see singleness as a time of blessing or a time of testing or both, God makes it beautiful. If we take a moment to stop complaining or lusting after things that are not meant for us in this season, we can become content with the plan that God has for us right now. He hears your thoughts and prayers and He knows the desires of your heart. God wants you to experience the most beautiful version of your dreams that is possible, and He will make it so in His time."
"When we sink into disobedience, it will start to feel as if God is further and further away from us, but He has not moved. It is our focus that has shifted and caused the distance. But then, God says, “Why do you doubt Me?” God has brought me through too much for me to lack faith in Him. He has also shown me how much better my life is when I live in obedience to His Word.
"The best part of the story is that Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Peter. He said, “You of little faith.” This indicated that Peter had some faith. And, if we can just have a little faith, even after we start sinking, God will not let us drown. He will catch us, correct us, and come closer to us as we draw nigh to Him. If being single is not what you desire for your life, it can be difficult, but keep your focus on God."
"The best part of the story is that Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Peter. He said, “You of little faith.” This indicated that Peter had some faith. And, if we can just have a little faith, even after we start sinking, God will not let us drown. He will catch us, correct us, and come closer to us as we draw nigh to Him. If being single is not what you desire for your life, it can be difficult, but keep your focus on God."
"Our past is his (Satan's) greatest weapon because he has no idea what our future holds. Our enemy wants us to feel beaten, broken, and blasphemous. If he can keep us feeling like God cannot love us, then we will not love ourselves. When we do not love ourselves, it is impossible to love others properly. Recognize this lie from the pits of hell and know that you are forgiven. You are loved by God. No one can take that love and forgiveness away."
From Fear to Trust
I love my church! I honestly am constantly amazed at how blessed I am that God has brought me to a place that I get to experience His presence and this grace through people around me. Moving to Sacramento, I never thought I could find something like what I had growing up. Something that felt like home... like a family... But God is good and his plan never ceases to amaze me!
Today Caleb spoke about moving from Fear to Trust in our lives which I found extremely appropriate for this Year of Boldness that I find myself in. Too many times in my life I have felt stuck. There are still aspects of my life in which I have felt stuck and way too often, those moments of feeling stuck come from fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of being alone. Fear of never getting married. Fear of never having kids.
Caleb gave an incredible word of what to do when there is nothing you can do. Often times people feel like they will never be happy again, or that nothing good can come from a particular situation, or that there is no point in continuing. But in those moments it is important to remember that God is not absent. God is not apathetic. And God is not angry.
Caleb encouraged us to move from fear to trust by first placing your trust in God alone. In Psalm 27: 1-3, David says that "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall." The Lord needs to be the stronghold of our lives. If he is for us, who can be against us? Caleb encouraged us to "trust in who God is, not what you need from him." How many times do we become discouraged and lose our faith in God when we don't get what we think we need from him? I know I am guilty of this. When things aren't happening according to my plan and my timeline for my life, I take matters into my own hands. But I was reminded today that I need to trust in who God is.
Secondly, to move from fear to trust we have to pursue the presence of God. This has actually been one of my resolutions this year and something I have been really encouraged by. My resolution has been to be in God's word everyday and so far, by the grace of God, I have been successful. Unless we have the presence of God in our lives, we cannot walk in the purpose He has for our lives.
Thirdly, to move from fear to trust, we have to acknowledge our desperate need of God. Even David in his faith and courage in the face of trials acknowledged that he needs God. Sometimes in these moments of crying out to God or in these moments of struggle when it feels like God is silent, we need to remember that God is not absent. Caleb shared, "Don't interpret God's silence as God's absence." God's silence may mean that He is preparing you for a great victory that will take place.
Finally, patiently wait on the Lord. This one really hit home for me (as you can read from my last post). Sometimes when it feels like God is absent, I try to make things happen on my own. I take things into my own hands and mistakenly think that God needs me help to make things happen in my life. We can start to feel that God is further and further away from us, but he has not moved. "Do not confuse God's appeared absence as apathy." He is still present and wants to bring you into a life filled with Joy, and Hope, and Purpose.
I'll post the link to the sermon when it's posted because it was a great one. But I wanted to share with you some of the encouragement that I received this morning. It spoke to my heart and it was for sure something that I needed to hear. I hope that you are blessed by it as well.
Today Caleb spoke about moving from Fear to Trust in our lives which I found extremely appropriate for this Year of Boldness that I find myself in. Too many times in my life I have felt stuck. There are still aspects of my life in which I have felt stuck and way too often, those moments of feeling stuck come from fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of being alone. Fear of never getting married. Fear of never having kids.
Caleb gave an incredible word of what to do when there is nothing you can do. Often times people feel like they will never be happy again, or that nothing good can come from a particular situation, or that there is no point in continuing. But in those moments it is important to remember that God is not absent. God is not apathetic. And God is not angry.
Caleb encouraged us to move from fear to trust by first placing your trust in God alone. In Psalm 27: 1-3, David says that "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall." The Lord needs to be the stronghold of our lives. If he is for us, who can be against us? Caleb encouraged us to "trust in who God is, not what you need from him." How many times do we become discouraged and lose our faith in God when we don't get what we think we need from him? I know I am guilty of this. When things aren't happening according to my plan and my timeline for my life, I take matters into my own hands. But I was reminded today that I need to trust in who God is.
Secondly, to move from fear to trust we have to pursue the presence of God. This has actually been one of my resolutions this year and something I have been really encouraged by. My resolution has been to be in God's word everyday and so far, by the grace of God, I have been successful. Unless we have the presence of God in our lives, we cannot walk in the purpose He has for our lives.
Thirdly, to move from fear to trust, we have to acknowledge our desperate need of God. Even David in his faith and courage in the face of trials acknowledged that he needs God. Sometimes in these moments of crying out to God or in these moments of struggle when it feels like God is silent, we need to remember that God is not absent. Caleb shared, "Don't interpret God's silence as God's absence." God's silence may mean that He is preparing you for a great victory that will take place.
Finally, patiently wait on the Lord. This one really hit home for me (as you can read from my last post). Sometimes when it feels like God is absent, I try to make things happen on my own. I take things into my own hands and mistakenly think that God needs me help to make things happen in my life. We can start to feel that God is further and further away from us, but he has not moved. "Do not confuse God's appeared absence as apathy." He is still present and wants to bring you into a life filled with Joy, and Hope, and Purpose.
I'll post the link to the sermon when it's posted because it was a great one. But I wanted to share with you some of the encouragement that I received this morning. It spoke to my heart and it was for sure something that I needed to hear. I hope that you are blessed by it as well.
Waiting on the Lord
In a recent post I mentioned that I have written down some new years resolutions and have already crossed a couple off of the list. One of those resolutions was to go out on a date.
Yes... I am 28 years old and, until this year, have never been on a date...
Now that you are over the shock, let me explain. I AM AN INTROVERT!!!! In case you haven't already read that from my other posts. I also never really tried to date anyone. And no one ever asked me on a date so it just never really happened. This year I decided that it was time to get out of my shell a little bit and try to put myself out there a little more. So I joined eHarmony (after trying a few other dating websites and apps... shout out to Tinder y'all).
After about a month on eHarm, I finally went out on my very first date ever. The guy was really nice and paid for everything. Our conversation was alright so I agreed to go out with him agin. Our second date was basically a repeat of the first and since we already talked about the big stuff the last time we went out, the second date ended up being really boring so I said no to the third date.
A few weeks later, I started talking to this guy on eHarm and he seemed really cool. He was super funny, had a good job, and was in school to become a nurse. He seemed to have all of the qualities I wanted except for one major problem... He was not a Christian.
Nevertheless, I figured, what's the harm in just meeting up for coffee. It's not like I have to marry the guy right? I'm just trying out this "dating" thing so that when I meet my future husband, I am not a total idiot who has no idea what I'm doing. So I met him for coffee.
He was super nice and funny and very upfront about many things including past relationships. He seemed to be very experienced in the long term relationship area whereas I admitted to him that I was not. We talked for a long time and ended the night with a hug and a text goodnight.
We met up later that week for a beer at talked more through some of the things we talked about at coffee and over the phone throughout the week. I had mentioned to him at coffee that I had never really "done the relationship thing" before, but explained later in a phone call that having not "done the relationship thing" means, I have not really ever been on many dates and had never been kissed... etc. This worried him a little I guess, and so he asked me if this was really something I wanted to do? If I wanted to do the relationship/dating thing or if it was something that I was being pressured into by friends and coworkers. This question really made me stop and think for myself. I had never really asked myself if this was something I wanted. I mean... I want to get married and have kids and have a family of my own and this is what you are supposed to do to get there right? I answered yes in the moment because I figured that if I want to get married and have kids someday, this is what I have to do to make that happen.
So I told him yeah, I was ready for this. And he was kind and said we could take things slow and that he really likes me and he really wants to see where this goes... etc. etc. We talked for awhile longer, then he walked me to my car. We sort of made plans for another date and after a hug goodbye, he leaned in for the kiss...
I felt like my life flashed before my eyes. I had no idea what to do or how to act or if I was doing it right and it felt like it lasted forever and my mind was racing and so many things were going through my head that I can't even tell you if it was a good kiss. He said goodnight (I think... I'm not sure... I sort of blacked out...) and walked away, I got in my car and literally lost it.
Panic set in and I started crying. Like I said, I don't know if it was a good kiss or a bad kiss so that's not why I was crying I don't think. Or maybe it was because I just didn't know.... Was I any good at it? What if I sucked? What if I didn't? I don't even know what happened... I didn't know if I even liked this guy. I didn't know if this was really what I wanted to be doing or if I was ready for this. I didn't feel like I deserved to be kissed so of course it was a bad kiss right? Because I'm probably a terrible kisser because I have never kissed anyone before in my life.... And on and on and on... my brain was going a hundred miles a minute and I couldn't make it stop. I spent half of the night up crying in my bed because my insecurities and fears and frustrations were boiling over and I couldn't contain them anymore. I spent the whole next day at work basically in tears, hearing my friends at work and those closest to me tell me that I deserve this and that it's ok to be scared and that I am beautiful and blah blah blah, but unable to let those words into my heart and accept them as truth.
It wasn't until the next morning that God really shook me awake and reminded me of who I am in HIM. I met with my sisterhood group from church and they spoke suck truth into my life and I actually heard them. People have told me these things forever. I know that God has a plan for my life and that it is good and perfect, but for some reason, I got it into my head that I had to help him make it happen. Somehow I got it into my head that if it wasn't happening yet, then I was doing something wrong. But these women who have become my friends spoke over me in a way that I so needed in that moment. They reminded of who I am in Christ and His promises for me and how I shouldn't be settling for something that is just good. Because this guy was good. He was a nice guy who said all the right things and who was kind and sweet. He was good. But something in me knew it wasn't right. Something in me was screaming out saying, "Wait... I have something GREAT for you." It's the hardest thing to do sometimes to hold out for something great. But it is the most rewarding thing you can do. Wait on the Lord, because He has something GREAT planned for your life!
I broke things off with that guy (which I don't even know if you can call it that because we literally only went on two dates), and got off of eHarm, and now I am waiting for something great!
Yes... I am 28 years old and, until this year, have never been on a date...
Now that you are over the shock, let me explain. I AM AN INTROVERT!!!! In case you haven't already read that from my other posts. I also never really tried to date anyone. And no one ever asked me on a date so it just never really happened. This year I decided that it was time to get out of my shell a little bit and try to put myself out there a little more. So I joined eHarmony (after trying a few other dating websites and apps... shout out to Tinder y'all).
After about a month on eHarm, I finally went out on my very first date ever. The guy was really nice and paid for everything. Our conversation was alright so I agreed to go out with him agin. Our second date was basically a repeat of the first and since we already talked about the big stuff the last time we went out, the second date ended up being really boring so I said no to the third date.
A few weeks later, I started talking to this guy on eHarm and he seemed really cool. He was super funny, had a good job, and was in school to become a nurse. He seemed to have all of the qualities I wanted except for one major problem... He was not a Christian.
Nevertheless, I figured, what's the harm in just meeting up for coffee. It's not like I have to marry the guy right? I'm just trying out this "dating" thing so that when I meet my future husband, I am not a total idiot who has no idea what I'm doing. So I met him for coffee.
He was super nice and funny and very upfront about many things including past relationships. He seemed to be very experienced in the long term relationship area whereas I admitted to him that I was not. We talked for a long time and ended the night with a hug and a text goodnight.
We met up later that week for a beer at talked more through some of the things we talked about at coffee and over the phone throughout the week. I had mentioned to him at coffee that I had never really "done the relationship thing" before, but explained later in a phone call that having not "done the relationship thing" means, I have not really ever been on many dates and had never been kissed... etc. This worried him a little I guess, and so he asked me if this was really something I wanted to do? If I wanted to do the relationship/dating thing or if it was something that I was being pressured into by friends and coworkers. This question really made me stop and think for myself. I had never really asked myself if this was something I wanted. I mean... I want to get married and have kids and have a family of my own and this is what you are supposed to do to get there right? I answered yes in the moment because I figured that if I want to get married and have kids someday, this is what I have to do to make that happen.
So I told him yeah, I was ready for this. And he was kind and said we could take things slow and that he really likes me and he really wants to see where this goes... etc. etc. We talked for awhile longer, then he walked me to my car. We sort of made plans for another date and after a hug goodbye, he leaned in for the kiss...
I felt like my life flashed before my eyes. I had no idea what to do or how to act or if I was doing it right and it felt like it lasted forever and my mind was racing and so many things were going through my head that I can't even tell you if it was a good kiss. He said goodnight (I think... I'm not sure... I sort of blacked out...) and walked away, I got in my car and literally lost it.
Panic set in and I started crying. Like I said, I don't know if it was a good kiss or a bad kiss so that's not why I was crying I don't think. Or maybe it was because I just didn't know.... Was I any good at it? What if I sucked? What if I didn't? I don't even know what happened... I didn't know if I even liked this guy. I didn't know if this was really what I wanted to be doing or if I was ready for this. I didn't feel like I deserved to be kissed so of course it was a bad kiss right? Because I'm probably a terrible kisser because I have never kissed anyone before in my life.... And on and on and on... my brain was going a hundred miles a minute and I couldn't make it stop. I spent half of the night up crying in my bed because my insecurities and fears and frustrations were boiling over and I couldn't contain them anymore. I spent the whole next day at work basically in tears, hearing my friends at work and those closest to me tell me that I deserve this and that it's ok to be scared and that I am beautiful and blah blah blah, but unable to let those words into my heart and accept them as truth.
It wasn't until the next morning that God really shook me awake and reminded me of who I am in HIM. I met with my sisterhood group from church and they spoke suck truth into my life and I actually heard them. People have told me these things forever. I know that God has a plan for my life and that it is good and perfect, but for some reason, I got it into my head that I had to help him make it happen. Somehow I got it into my head that if it wasn't happening yet, then I was doing something wrong. But these women who have become my friends spoke over me in a way that I so needed in that moment. They reminded of who I am in Christ and His promises for me and how I shouldn't be settling for something that is just good. Because this guy was good. He was a nice guy who said all the right things and who was kind and sweet. He was good. But something in me knew it wasn't right. Something in me was screaming out saying, "Wait... I have something GREAT for you." It's the hardest thing to do sometimes to hold out for something great. But it is the most rewarding thing you can do. Wait on the Lord, because He has something GREAT planned for your life!
I broke things off with that guy (which I don't even know if you can call it that because we literally only went on two dates), and got off of eHarm, and now I am waiting for something great!
Monday, February 22, 2016
Aim It
Happy New Year everyone! To kick off my year of Boldness, I did something that I have NEVER done before... I wrote new years resolutions... Wah-wah... Not what you were expecting right? Hear me out. I honestly can say I have never written down new years resolutions. Yes, I have thought about them and made mental lists in my head, but the physical act of actually writing them down on a piece of paper has yet to happen in my adult life. These last few months I have been making some changes to my life in order to get out of my comfort zone a little and not just hide behind my introvertedness. I am happy to report that now being in the month of February I have already crossed off two of my New Years resolutions and have made excellent strides in sticking with the others.
If you haven't written down any new years resolutions yet, it is not too late. And if you are looking for a little inspiration, here is very short video about giving your resolutions aim and focus in order to be successful. Good luck!
Monday, January 04, 2016
Year of Boldness
As the new year approaches, I have been thinking a lot about what this past year brought me and what I would like to change and improve upon for this next year. At church, we were encouraged to come up with a word to proclaim over this next year. Some people chose words like Grace, Love, Forgiveness, Acceptance, etc. While these are all amazing words and definitely things I have to work on during this year (and probably every year of the rest of my life), none of them were really speaking to me. After bouncing around a few ideas, I have decided that this year will be the year of Boldness.
In the last few months, I have really been trying to push myself out of my comfort zone. I have come to the realization that for too many years I have used the fact that I am an introvert as a crutch. Yes, as an introvert I am WAY more comfortable staying home than going out. Yes I prefer/need to be alone sometimes to recharge and regroup. But that doesn't mean that I have to say no to what life has to offer. That doesn't mean that I have to hide from other people and new experiences.
So instead of hiding behind fear, or being a introvert or whatever it is I have been hiding behind, this year will be different. This year I will try new things. This year I will continue to do things that push me out of my comfort zone and maybe make me feel a little uncomfortable. This year, I will be bold. Wish me luck.
In the last few months, I have really been trying to push myself out of my comfort zone. I have come to the realization that for too many years I have used the fact that I am an introvert as a crutch. Yes, as an introvert I am WAY more comfortable staying home than going out. Yes I prefer/need to be alone sometimes to recharge and regroup. But that doesn't mean that I have to say no to what life has to offer. That doesn't mean that I have to hide from other people and new experiences.
So instead of hiding behind fear, or being a introvert or whatever it is I have been hiding behind, this year will be different. This year I will try new things. This year I will continue to do things that push me out of my comfort zone and maybe make me feel a little uncomfortable. This year, I will be bold. Wish me luck.
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