heart

Cultivating Change – Our God is a God of New Beginnings

christian, Christian lifestyle, lifestyle

“Time grows the seeds that are planted, watered, and fertilized. Plant beauty, grow beauty. Plant thorns, grow thorns. Time will allow for either.”

I have been reading this book for the last few weeks and I came across this incredible quote. Recently, the topic of change and its necessity in our lives as Christians has been discussed a lot. When the rug is swiped out from under your feet and all you knew has become far from being the norm again, what is the seed of change you begin to plant?

Is it bitterness towards those who hurt you? Is it emptiness from the loss? Is it denial and ignorance towards difficulties?

OR…is it compassion towards your enemies? Hope in God’s ability to turn grief into glory? Or confidence in the victories God has already claimed He won?

When that moment of inevitable change in our life comes, we cannot allow ourselves to sulk or grow angry in the difference, rather rejoice in our God of new beginnings.

Before I evaluate the circumstance I just experienced, I try to remind myself of the circumstance between me and God. I sinned. A LOT. Meaning, I straight up disobeyed God a billion times over, each time basically stabbing Him in the heart. Yet what did God do? Well based on my alive and healthy body sipping a matcha latte as I write this, He sure didn’t give up and smote me. Rather, He allowed me to be made knew. He gave me a restart. And He allowed me live the rest of my life free from the bondage of my past. He planted a seed of freedom in my heart and every day since, He has not failed to cultivate it kindly so that the harvest I produce is the fruit of a free and beloved child of God.

Once I force myself to remember my compassionate God’s reaction to me doing everything He DIDN’T want me to do, I then look back and think about my circumstance with the people or life that did everything I DIDN’T want them to do. And that heavy feeling from the bitterness I initially had has turned into conviction.

My friend, I know genuinely wanting a desire for change that is biblical is not easy nor appealing in most cases. It feels so much better to take the judgement of others into your own hand and justify yourself in the process because our heart longs for instant gratification. But what happens after you tell off the person who hurt you? Or you seclude yourself in your room for months, sulking about the past? Or you have grown a mixture of numbness and fear towards difficult circumstances to the point where you are constantly running from things or kicking them under the rug in hopes of their disappearance? From someone who has done all three of these and so much more…the good feeling never lasts.

God designed our hearts to not only be loved, but to express love. We were crafted so that we may connect with others and build a community of respect and care towards one another. But too often, we lose track of who we were made to be and how we were made to act.

Ephesians 6:12 states, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Our enemy is not really other humans. And for those who have a habit of collecting all the blame…your enemy is not really yourself either. Hurt may be inflicted on us by people or even ourselves and our mistakes, but we cannot allow our emotions in the heat of the moment be what guides us. God seeks for us to do one thing; honor Him in all circumstances.

The book I have been referring to states:

“We must speak with honor in the midst of being dishonored. We must speak with peace in the midst of being threatened. We must speak of good things in the midst of a bad situation. We must be obedient to, trust, and believe God and let Him boss around our contrary feelings.”

If there is one thing I encourage you to pursue with all your heart (in light of your full pursuit towards God of course), it is to learn how to say no to your heart and flesh. The world will tell you, “do what your heart desires”, but scripture tells us to deny ourselves because any foundation besides Christ is as unstable as shifting sands.

So when situations arise that seem to flip your world upside down, remind yourself of the One you live for. Dive so deep into God’s truth and guidance that your feelings of bitterness and such have no chance of growth because they are so overwhelmed by the compassion, grace, and forgiveness you allow God to fill you with.

There is a perfect Gardener who wants to give you free seeds that will produce the absolute best for your future. He offers them to you daily, but it is up to you to accept His seeds and take the time to cultivate them. As you do, He remains there alongside you so that in your times of weakness, you can rely on Him to keep you steady. That Gardener’s name is Jehovah Shammah; the Lord is present. (Ezekiel 48:35)

What a beautiful gift it is to live with the opportunity to start fresh. Today can be Day 1 of a new beginning, one that God promises to be present during if you allow Him.

But much like the process of cultivating a seed, cultivating change will take watering, waiting, tilling, and consistent attention. And that means any seed. Love or bitterness.

So, which gardener will you get your next seed from…the enemy, filling your heart with anger and pride or Jehovah Shammah, wanting only the best for you?

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?

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?

Finding Your Quiet Place – Being Silent & Still In a Chaotic World

christian, lifestyle

“Be Still and Know that I am God.”

Psalm 46:10

Growing up, I did everything in my power to avoid silence. Whether it was by humming, playing music, talking (my favorite), or watching a show/movie, I never let more than a few seconds of this “silent” ring run through my ears. However, as I aged, especially in the most recent years, I recognized the crucial need for silence in our walk with God. Actually, I would consider silence to be a package deal with something many people also avoid…stillness.

The google definition of a quiet place is a place in which there is little to no noise. A place radiating with peace and no major disturbances. A place where we can be still.

Last Friday, I needed to read a few chapters of a book for a class, so I decided to go to this park I used to run at last semester. It was never too populated and it was very big, making it the perfect place to read under one of the oddly tall trees. So there I sat, sippin’ on my delicious Matcha latte with just the right amount of vanilla syrup to hide the unbearable bitterness, reading my assigned book about Jesus and the world’s justice issues. As I listened to the breeze rush through the branches above me and the leaves tumble by, I remembered the peace God gave me when I would finish my run and sit on the top of the hill listening to worship music just a few months earlier. It was so graceful seeing all of creation flourish perfectly as I sat on my little toy story themed towel. Then, it got me thinking.

Reflecting back on the life of Jesus, I was intrigued of how serious He took His quiet place. All throughout the Gospels, you can read about the times that Jesus would isolate Himself from the crowds and His disciples to go spend hours alone with the Father. How beautiful. Regardless of how late it may have been, or how busy His day was, Jesus never pushed aside the one whom sent Him to earth with this purpose for salvation.

Matthew 6:6 says, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

We were created to be with the Father. But with sin fracturing that original relationship, the only way in which one can experience His presence is through seeking Him, His voice, and the Spirit. What better form of listening can we express than making ourselves quiet and open for whatever He is trying to tell us?

Many, if not all of us, are bombarded by the chaos of life. But I want to share this quote from the book “Whisper” by Mark Batterson. He says “Chronic noise may be the greatest impediment to our spiritual growth.” I couldn’t find this to be more true. I often ask people if they spent time reading the Bible at some point in their day or even just spent time in prayer. If not yes, majority of the responses I receive are, “My day was just really busy”.

We humans have gotten so overwhelmed by the blessings in life, whether it be a job, family, or school, that we so easily forget about the One giving us the Blessing. We dismiss the dire need for community with God because we see the things of this world as having a greater importance or urgency. But if I could leave you with one thing, it would be this: No thing and no one can ever reveal your true purpose and give you genuine life other than God Himself.

When we allow stillness to flood our emotions, bodies, and minds, we give God the opportunity to move in whatever way He pleases. We make room for Him to heal the hurting, mend the broken, fill the empty-hearted, and give peace to the restless.

It is very easy to get caught up in the obligations of this world. And it’s not uncommon to feel drained many days, but I want to encourage you to not let your circumstance or feelings determine your faith and intimacy with God. Deciding to do a devotional every morning and read His word every night has been one of the best decisions I ever made. It has not been easy at all. I have missed some days completely and had some days where I had to reread pages over and over because I was not fully awake. Now I am not saying I hear from God all the time, but when I do, it has been nothing less than transforming. And after reviving the practice of quiet time with God in the park last Friday, I decided that will be my quiet place I visit once a week to simply be still. No noise besides creation, no entertainment besides my Bible, and no company besides God.

As I say often, we were created for one purpose to glorify God. But whatever individual mission we each were given before creation was ever completed, is only attainable and made clear if we tune into the one who created it. May you find this place of stillness, and proactive silent listening. It does not have to be a majestic wonder of the world, it just has to be a place where you can sit with God for however long you have the opportunity to give Him. If you would like to start small, do as I am. Once a week for a couple of hours. Do not underestimate the whisper God can speak over you when you go to a quiet place with Him.

Hope for the Weary- A Short Word.

christian, lifestyle, Uncategorized

This morning I was in my accounting class and my teacher showed us a verse before we began. Galatians 6:9-10.

Both verses are amazing but I want to highlight just this one part “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season, we will reap”

I have heard this verse a billion times before, but today it hit differently. For the past few weeks, being bombarded with homework and the realization of all the things I need to know before I even THINK about starting my career, I have contemplated how easy it would be to forget about it all and do something I’m naturally good at and doesn’t require so much work.

But here’s the catch. I know -don’t ask how, because I don’t know that- but I know that God has orchestrated my life so specifically so that by the age of 19, I am here…in west palm, studying Christian Community Development in hopes to give hope & healing to the impoverished one day.

The place in which I struggle the most, is somehow the most peaceful place I can be. Not the location. The place in my life. And that right there is what I think we need to hold onto hope for.

This is a hard season of my life, but God has blessed me with so many opportunities to pour His love into others and really lean into Him.

So yes. It’s very tough, but it’s one of the greatest blessings. And if this is where God led me…if you are where God led you…let me encourage you with Galatians 6:9-10.

Whatever you are doing, if it is for the good work God planned for you, do not grow weary. The world may throw all it has at you, but believe me, our God is bigger.