encouragement

If It’s Not Finished Yet, It’s Gonna Be – God Moves Us From Glory To Glory

bible, christian, Christian lifestyle, encouragement

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.“

– 2 Corinthians 3:18

The other day I was baking snickerdoodle cookies for the first time ever. As I was trying so hard to make the dough just right and perfectly cover the small balls with cinnamon, I began thinking about the baking process as a whole.

In order for the outcome to be delicious, the baker must carefully gather and mix loads of different ingredients to transform into a sweet taste. They then must bake the cookies with such care that they do not leave them in the oven for too long or take them out too early. Once the cookies are seemingly baked to perfection, they then must let them sit on the tray for a little while to cool down and harden to just the right crunch to gooey ratio before serving them.

I know right. It sounds so much more intense than the cute Pinterest pictures tend to portray. But what interests me the most is the relation between baking cookies and what living for God looks like.

If you put yourself in the shoes of those cookies, you will realize that there is so much trust you have to give the baker if you want to become a delicious, warm, and sweet snack. In that same way, we as Christians are responsible for letting God have our trust if we desire to be made into the new creation scripture tells us about.

We have to trust that God will bring us from glory to glory.

I was reading into the actual meaning Paul had when He wrote about this in 2 Corinthians and…wowza. It turns out, it is not simply a saying; to bring hope that God will use your different seasons for His eventual glory, but that He promises to make us new, free, and able to form a personal relationship with Him.

The glory He brings us from is that of the old testament, the law of Moses. This law brought much fear and despair among the people because it leveled the ground, making us all equal sinners, worthy of nothing but death. Believers were then left to rely NOT on their obedience to the law, but their faith and trust that God would accept their sacrifices as a covering for their sins. The point of the law was not to change a person or personally bring them closer to God, but to bring awareness to our sin and desperate need to submit to the authority of the Lord.

Thankfully, God opened a new door through the death of His son.

Now I am not saying we no longer have to obey the 10 commandments. They are still important and after one is saved, we should be compelled to follow them out of our love and gratitude for God. But the glory that God is moving us to, is one that brings life instead of fear.

The new covenant, salvation through Jesus, is a game changer. Although it shows us our flaws and need for God just as much as the old covenant did, it also brings forgiveness and an opportunity to personally connect with God through the Holy Spirit that now lives in every believer. And with the Holy Spirit comes this beautiful thing called transformation.

As a baker collects the ingredients for a cookie, the only difference between the dough and the sweet treat on someone’s plate is the change that happens in the oven. A cookie is not terrible if it’s not cooked (aside from the salmonella you could get from the raw egg, but ignore that for the sake of my analogy). BUT it is not in the complete form that the baker intended for it to become. The power of the oven is what transforms the dough into the beautiful cookie. But as we know, an oven is hot. That dough endures loads of pressure and heat before it reaches its complete form.

We often believe that with God, our lives should be a breeze. But that is not true. Just because God’s plans for us are promised to be good, does not mean they will be easy.

Growing up, I came to understand very well that what the world offers tends to sound like the easy way out of situations. And a lot of times, I still struggle to fully submit to God’s way because I desire the instant gratification that sin brings. Because of this, when the Holy Spirit tries to guide me to the righteous path, it can be uncomfortable. My brain will understand why the Holy Spirit is right, but my heart will lean towards temptation, making me feel under pressure and heat just like the dough in the oven.

But after each time God reveals why He lead me somewhere, I understand why the transformation was necessary, just as I am sure the cookie thinks about his time in the oven after it is dipped in a nice, tall glass of milk and enjoyed by a family. Both of us then see how the Baker/Maker knew best all along.

So as we go about our lives and sing about how God brings us from glory to GLORY, I hope you really sit and think about what transformation the Holy Spirit is doing in you this season like the oven is doing to the dough. We ought to not miss out on the millions of ways we can be Christ-like every day. Take advantage of the closeness God is seeking to form with you as you slowly become more and more like the person He designed you to be.

What a great joy it is to be transformed. And what a greater joy it is to get to know the “Baker” of our lives so well. Listen to me my dear friend, if it is not finished yet…believe me, it’s gonna be…and it’s gonna be amazing!! Trust that God will bring you from glory to glory in every season of your life. He makes all things beautiful. It is just a matter of time. Let the Baker mold you into the creation you were made to become.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” -2 Corinthians 5:17

Praise Will Be My Song

christian, Christian lifestyle, encouragement

For the past month or so, the story of Joseph has been popping up in conversation, sermons, devotionals, books, etc. I mean, we even taught it to the kids at Vacation Bible School last week. With that, I figured God must have had some clever role to play in all of this.

I have heard the story a billion times before. Often, when we hear the name Joseph in the Bible, a story of great forgiveness tends to be tied with it. However, recently, I have acquired another perspective. Don’t get me wrong, I believe it is one of the greatest stories of how we ought to forgive others, but what I find equally intriguing is the massive heart of praise this boy has.

Quick Recap in case you never heard it or you don’t remember it:

Joseph is the 2nd youngest son of 12 (Abraham’s GREAT grandsons). The brothers got jealous because he was the favorite, so they sold him into slavery in Egypt. This dude named Potiphar became his slave master. Potiphar’s wife tried to sleep with Joseph but he refused to do so. So the wife said he started it all and sent people out to find and arrest him. He ended up in prison next to the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. One day they had weird dreams and were seeking interpretation. God blessed Joseph with the ability to understand them and he told them the meanings of the dreams. Three days later, the baker was killed but the cupbearer was freed. Joseph told the cupbearer to please remember to mention him to the Pharaoh so he could potentially be freed too, but the guy completely forgot about Joseph after he was released. So Joseph sat in the prison for 2 more years. Then randomly, the Pharaoh had weird dreams too. He was looking for someone to interpret them and FINALLY, the cupbearer remembered Joseph and because he could interpret the dreams, the Pharaoh put him in charge as 2nd in command. His duty was to store food for the coming famine the Pharaoh had dreamed about. When the famine hit, low and behold, Josephs’ brothers came searching for food from Egypt because they had so much stored up. And to know what happens next, you are going to need to read Genesis 42 and on because I am only going to really cover the beginning and middle section in this blog.

So as you saw in the recap, Joseph endured some crazy circumstances. Being sold into slavery by your own family is wild enough, but to then be sent to prison for something you didn’t do, and forgotten about after your friend found their own freedom…insane.

It is not uncommon we find ourselves in seasons of our lives we never could’ve imagined we’d be in. But time and time again, we enter a new chapter that seems confusing and hopeless.

For me, if you read any of my past blogs, you could tell that the last year has not been easy in the slightest. And to add a cherry on top of all of that, I most recently lost my best friend.

My first reaction to this, and most things that don’t go my way, was to give up hope in all things. And I mean it in every sense. My coping mechanism is to seclude myself to my room and not speak to anyone unless absolutely necessary. But that is not what God intended me to do with this new season He called me in. Let’s just say, He made that very clear through the conviction I got during any sermon or devotional I thought would tell me “it’s okay to stay that way”.

After realizing I had to actually do something besides sulk, I figured I would do what everyone on social media says; “focus on your personal growth and healing”. That lasted about a week. It honestly caused more confusion than I ever remember experiencing in my life.

For a while, I thought that this failed pursuit of healing meant it would never come. So I simply numbed it out and decided to proceed with the plans I made a few months ago in order to make my summer feel productive. Yet not even that was the right move.

It wasn’t until I recognized the need to truly lay it all down before God and wait on His guidance that some form of growth actually began. (Hence the inspiration of last week’s blog).

I am not going to lie though, I felt stuck. Not feeling any more healed than before. Not finding any more clarity in my next step. The only difference was simply submitting to what I “knew” instead of what I “felt” was the right thing to do.

I am sure Joseph had his times of despair. Verses like Genesis 39:2, where scripture says God was with Joseph so he prospered in his slave master’s house is proof of the hardships life throws at us, but also God’s faithfulness. He never promised us an easy life, but He does promise to be there with us through it all. So as Joseph endured a season of slavery and a season of imprisonment, we can be sure it was no easy task. Considering his desire for the cupbearer to remember him when he is released goes to show that it was not a place in which he enjoyed being.

Yet not once did his circumstance determine his praise.

I want to clear the air that praising God is not strictly singing songs to Him. We praise God through our obedience to Him. And as God commanded us to respect the authority in which we have over us, Joseph obeyed by serving his master well. He also obeyed by refusing to sleep with Potiphar’s wife. And again he obeyed as God called him to interpret the dreams of his fellow prisoners, even if it meant they would no longer be locked up, but he would for another 2 years. Again and again, Joseph chose faith over feelings. He chose to let praise be his song in the suffering, heartache, and hopelessness.

We as humans were designed to bring praise to God. It is through this that we find fulfillment. Whether we get drowned by fear, anxiety, depression, or just a straight up bad year (I am sure we have all had one of those), quit pursuing healing. Rather, passionately pursue the Healer Himself.

It has not been an easy decision for me to let go of the mindset that immediate healing is a right. It has not been easy for me to trust that as I focus on God, His desires for greater things will become what I too long for. And my golly, it has definitely not been easy to sing to Him when all I can manage to get out is the cry of a hurting heart. But praise MUST be our song.

Until we realize that life is not about us, rather, how much we can glorify God, we will never experience the fullness of all He is as our maker, healer, savior, unshakable joy, eternal hope, and so much more.

Please do not let the darkness of your prison prevent you from finding the purpose God has set out for you. There is a reason for every season. Sometimes, we will never know what exactly that is until a few chapter’s in the future, but regardless of your placement on the mountain or in the valley, remember that our hope cannot be crushed or stolen.

I say this often, but I believe it is a good reminder; our heart will endure many pains and trials in life but where better to let it rest than in the hands of it’s maker? The fact that He willingly offered His Son so that we may be able to build a relationship with Him after our own sin condemned us apart makes Him completely worthy of our praise. I thank God that our hope stands victorious over death’s grave. I do not know where you are at in life…but what will be your song?

“The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

Exodus 15:2

What Floods The Desert

bible, christian, encouragement, lifestyle

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

Micah 7:7 NIV

For the last 3 weeks, I have been in a flooded desert. Though there was pain, sorrow, and a lack of resources, none of it was a match for the great flood that flowed through this land. Not a flood of water…but of hope.

As I came across this verse in Micah, I could not help but relate it to the people I encountered on my journey to the Middle East. For nearly a month, I walked in the same land God split the sea for Moses to walk through. The same land Saul had his transformation to Paul. The same land that a Shepard boy was made a mighty king. Yet amidst all God has done in the past, the most amazing thing to me was what He was doing in the hearts of the people today.

I saw fathers give up everything to get their daughters the medical treatment they needed. I saw parents embrace and thank God for the children their culture tells them are a disgrace due to their disabilities. And I saw oh so much hope and praise towards God in the eyes of families who were bombed out of their homes and forced to move to foreign lands with no guarantee of a way out.

This, is a small glimpse of the flooded desert I walked through.

My heart shatters as this world defaces the reputation of the Arab community. I have never met a more loving group of people in my whole life. Their sense of strangers becoming friends and friends becoming family is so wholesome.

After spending weeks drinking an excessive amount of coffee and tea with random families, I have found that they live out Micah 7:7 to the absolute fullest.

Though the name of Jesus was not the one they commonly praised, it has never been more evident to me of God’s hand over a community. These people were living in pain. Pain that began far before their own lives and continues to deepen as they step into each new day. Yet at the same time, they are overflowing with hope and joy. A hope that brings life during dreadful times. And a joy that remains as they lift up God through the rubble of their struggles.

It is this hope I pray I can learn how to share with you all. Like they so kindly welcomed me into their homes, making me feel like a close sister, I hope to make this blog a place you all feel loved and secure.

We as the Church ought to be unified as one. Love should be the driving force for all we say and do. So as you take a second to speak with God today, I pray you ask Him to show you how to love well. This world portrays the people of the Middle East in such a terrible way. But I am here to encourage you to let God be the one to tell you how we should treat others, not the media, not the president, not your family…simply God. If He gave His life to love them, how can we live and not do the same?

What’s your Nineveh? – Stop Running From God

bible, christian, encouragement

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

Jonah 1:1-3 ESV

In all honesty, at this point of the year, I thought I was going to be a writing a blog about seasons ending. About what God did here during my time in West Palm Beach. But instead, I write to you about my Nineveh.

I used to love school. I used to look froward to going to class and seeing my friends every day. But as I entered this college season, all of that began to die out. Between not knowing many people, feeling so far behind everyone in my classes, and losing clarity in where God was calling me, I not only disliked school, I tried so hard to convince my family to let me drop out, do online school, or absolutely ANYTHING ELSE besides stay here.

Palm Beach Atlantic University became my Nineveh. Since around September of 2021, last semester, I began seeking other options. I prayed to God that He would help me find a way out of here that my parents would agree with. I prayed there was some way I could just leave it all behind and start fresh again so that I did not have to continue everyday only finding joy because it ends.

Fast forward to February 2022, I realized my dream career change from non-profit management to this other job that I am still trying to find the words to explain, meant that I had a reasonable excuse to leave. Palm Beach Atlantic did not offer as specific degrees as other schools did for the field I wanted to enter.

So there I was, scrolling through Google and in big old letters wrote: “Regent University Communications Degree: Concentration in Internet & Social Media”. As I read into it, it seemed like the perfect degree for what I wanted to do. And luckily for me, I was very familiar with the school as I already visited it twice last year as a potential option back when I was a senior.

From that moment on, I prayed, talked with my parents, and constantly told myself it was meant to be. After spring break, I was so pumped at the approval from the parents, I told the people I knew that I was transferring. I know, I got a little excited. I literally didn’t even apply to the school yet, but I felt like it was going to happen, so ignore my terrible rash decisions.

After I told everyone I needed to tell, I applied. It took me three days to apply because I kept messing up or getting distracted when I started the application. I probably should have saw that as a sign, but when I am on a mission… I am on a mission and absolutely nothing can convince me to stop.

That was until I sent the application in. Immediately I realized what I did. I thought it was right but I felt it was wrong.

Because of the way I am, I don’t often ask people for prayer for things that are personal to me. But as I was leaving youth the other day, my heart began to race because I knew I needed help but I didn’t want to ask. Yet suddenly, I stopped. Turned around and saw my friends and fellow youth leaders walking inside. I don’t know what got into me at that moment when I saw them, but I began to walk. Well, more like speed walk. Every step I took, my heart raced even more. Then I reached the point where they were and stopped, looked at them and straight up asked for prayer. And at that moment, my heart was still breathing heavy as it was slightly anxious about the conversation that was about to follow that moment, but there was peace. It was a weight lifted that I most certainly did not expect.

Long story short, after good conversations with my friends and family and a small mental breakdown, I realized where God’s peace was. It was not in transferring. It was not in dropping out. It was not in trying to start fresh. It was here. In Downtown West Palm Beach.

For the first time since September, I realized where God called me to be. I found my Nineveh.

Why do I call it Nineveh and not my promise land or something that reflects a blessing? Well, because in my eyes for the longest time, it was not a blessing. I wanted out. I wanted to go anywhere but here. I did not believe God could use me or help me as I was surrounded by a bunch of people who seemed to be so very different than me. Selfish, I know. But I rather be honest because I believe communion is found within vulnerability.

I tried everything in my power to get away, yet God lead me back here. Crazy how for the rest of my life, I can truthfully say, I understand the thoughts of the man who was swallowed by a fish. Silly but comforting to know God is the same God and knows how to handle the runners like me and Jonah.

So now here I am. In a land I still feel somewhat uncomfortable in, but can rest assured as I know it is the land where God guided me.

What a gracious God we serve. Yet this attempted runaway did not stray from the end Jonah’s story. If you recall, Jonah had a few consequences of his actions. And just like that, because of my rash decisions, I lost the opportunity to dorm with my closest friends. I am left with picking classes from everyone’s leftovers. And I missed out on signing up for things during the summer because I didn’t think I would be here.

This year has taught me to much. Even more now as I step back and realize the work God has been orchestrating all along. If only I didn’t fear what God already promised He was going to be with me in, I could have been blessed by and been a blessing to my Nineveh. So…what’s yours?

Silence – Giving God the Chance to Speak

christian, easter, encouragement, lifestyle

The past few weeks have been absolutely insane if I am going to be completely honest. After starting my job, I have been on a tight schedule, dedicating any and all of my free time to school. I wish I could say that I manage things well, but lately, I have been slacking on posting these blogs at the right time, reading the books I need for class, and finding time to do what I am doing now…sitting at the park I talked about in the “finding your quiet place” blog.

It seems as though every hour I have has been strictly set for work, school, or church. And truthfully, it is exhausting. I love church and serving at youth, but that’s about it. School has been draining and work has been killing my body. But the other day, I realized something absolutely crazy. For the past week or so, I have been getting ready for the day, driving, doing homework, and eating in SILENCE. Not a single beat of a song. Not even instrumental music!!

For some, this may not seem that big of a deal, but for me, it is HUGE. I like to live my life like I am in a movie. I have songs blasting in my ears almost every hour of the day. But not recently. Why did I start doing this? I have no clue. I didn’t realize it until I finished getting ready one morning and was humming a song, then realized there was nothing playing! I found this to be the case again and again after that. I honestly never thought I would be one who enjoyed silence, but with so much on my mind, and so many to-do’s, silence has become my saving grace. The only time I feel like I can breathe and remember that I am a human being, not a human doing.

After taking the last few days enjoying my silence as I get ready or drive somewhere, I remembered this park I am at now. The one that I use to come to just a few months ago to hear God and just talk with Him, not worrying about any distractions. It honestly ached my heart to realize how long it has been since I last came here.

So this morning, I had no idea I would end up here, but after being denied entry at chapel because they were full, I felt the immediate hunger for these towering trees, perfectly short grass, and countless leaves that often hit me in my face because of the wind. So I stuffed my fat face with some chicken pot pie in the cafeteria and then headed out.

On my way here, again I drove in silence. Somewhat talking to God then singing some worship songs that have been stuck in my head, then talking to Him again. During that time, I realized how easy it is for us to stop prioritizing the things that we say mean the most. I asked God for this job at Chipotle, but not too long after, I spent weeks obsessed with the blessing He gave me, but not Him. The multiple hours a week that I used to spend with Him turned into maybe 3 hours total. I forgot about Him unless I was struggling or coming back from church.

Terrible. I know. But as I found this great value in silence and became more aware of it, I started tuning into His voice more. I began saying short prayers and leaving the rest of the time for Him to speak. And Holy smoking macaroni! It has been so good. It’s not like I heard His literal voice, but I felt His peace. I was reminded of verses I haven’t read in a while. I thought about songs that I often forget the lyrics too. God showed up big time.

His faithfulness is something I knew always existed and I have seen before. But recently, my church has been talking about God being the Good Shepard. The one who will consistently search for His sheep, regardless of how far and long they wander. And wowza. I can joyfully vouch for Him on that. I was so worried and focused on my own things in life, that I didn’t realize how far out I was grazing. But oh what a beautiful and loving God we have. He knows us by name, face, and personality. He seeks nothing but our trust and love.

With silence, God had room to speak. Not room that He had to force me to give Him, but room He gladly filled as I offered it to Him.

Too often we get bombarded with our daily obligations. We get so jam packed with work, school, family, etc. But I pray you do not forget your source of true life. I pray you do not forget your first love.

Silence has never been something I liked, but as I realized the value it can have when I lay it in God’s hands, it has become all that I long for. I may never see a bush on fire while a loud voice speaks my name, but living in silence that is dedicated to God (get that? not just plain old silence, but that in which you intentionally lay in God’s hands) has filled my life in so many more ways than music ever could. It has made my heart more aware of the moment and more sensitive to His guidance.

I am so happy because in the last blog, you can see that I struggled to realize the time has gone so fast that passion week is already here, yet in the last few days, I could not be more joyful that THIS was the lesson God showed me this week.

Easter is just around the corner. Amidst the egg hunting and family visits, I encourage you to make room for God to move and speak to your heart.

Whether you have five minutes or five hours, will you give your heart a chance to rest in the hands of it’s beautiful creator?