I'm eating spaghetti right now, just thought I'd share that with you all. It's supremely yummy. Maybe it's that spaghetti is just an inspirational food, or maybe something's finally ready to come out of the wood here. I haven't written in a while. I won't apologize for that, but I'm excited to be writing right now for the very reason I started this blog: I just love what happens when an individual puts pen to paper, or here, fingers to keys. God does some pretty epic stuff in the lives of tons of people everyday, and it's part of our job to share that in some way, be it the spoken word, art, music, or, my personal favorite: writing.

So, that said, I'm thoroughly happy to be writing again. God's been doing some awesome stuff in and around me. First off, I am very blessed to be in Cincinnati right now. Although it's not where I'm going to be forever, I have no doubt in my mind that once again, God knew what he was doing. Suprise, I know. Naw, it shouldn't really be a suprise at all, somehow, it always is though. Ha. Humans are dumb. You'd think we'd get that God knows the right plan, but somehow we pull a Peter and ask him if he's sure he wants to take that route. (Mark 8:32-this was in the sermon Sunday at my church and I was floored. I had never noticed this before, but Mark says taht Peter rebuked Jesus! "What was he thinking?!" we say, but I'd need more than just my fingers and toes to count how many times I've done the exact same thing. I find it interesting, and so completely human, that we hold Bible characters to such a high standard. They're people just like us, and I guarantee we mess up just as much as they did. When we hear about their failures, though, what do we do? We ask how they could've been so silly to do or say or think that. Oh irony, how I'm amused by thee.)

Sorry, that was a really long parenthetical...I feel like I may be all over the place today, so just bear with me =] Aaaannnyyyway....basically God's blessed me with some pretty cool people and opportunities in nati city. Lately, I think that, instead of showing me personally things so much, God has been using other people to teach me. See, I've been trying to pay more attention to those around me. It's good to take the focus off yourself. And it's remarkable how, when you stop looking just at yourself, what you can learn from others about me, myself and I.

I have always believed that other people was one of the greatest blessings God ever gave us. He uses friends to show us our faults and our strengths, to encourage us, and to hone us into better versions of ourselves. I want to share with you now what some of these people have been teaching me lately.

1. This remarkable girl isn't intimidated or scared of anything, or so she claims. I'm seeing day by day that a lot of us put up strong fronts so no one sees our weaknesses, myself included. We think that only putting out the elements of our person that we feel confidence in, or that we think will be the most protective and undamageable, is our best bet to making it through this life unscarred. That's a lie though, a suprisingly widely beleived lie, but a lie none the less. Not letting anyone see the real me only damages that person inside that's being supressed and confined. Catapillars can't stay in their cocoons forever.

2. I can only handle this individual in small doses. Some people just rub you the wrong way, I guess. But they're still there, so what do ya do? Come to find out, lots of people have problems. While that's not an excuse for acting a certain way, maybe I'd understand them a bit better if I took into account that I'm not the only one who's had a hard time growing up. Believe it or not, I think that most of us have. This individual teaches me patience, no matter how stubborn I am to learn.

3. Some people, like this one, are just easy to mess with. It's funny to throw those verbal punches, all with the claim of "jk" attatched. Now, I love a good joke. I throw them because I can take them in return. I've realized that not all people are like me, though. Sometimes jokes can hurt just as much as the real thing. I'm not ok with hurting a friend, even if we did get a good laugh out of it. Plus, how many times do our "just kiddings" actually have a hint of truth behind them? I'd say that, at least for me, quite a lot of the time. Sometimes, well, probably a lot of the time, I should just keep my mouth shut.

4. This individual has the biggest heart in the world I've determined. She loves and cares about people waaay more than most, just like God asks us to. Funny thing is, if you knew her past, it'd suprise you that her heart is still in good enough tact to love so much. Sometimes it seems, though, that the hearts that are the most damaged are the most loving. Not, always, but when that damaged heart chooses to push all the junk aside and love people anyway, even though they've hurt you in unspeakable ways, that is true bravery. To love despite, that's bravery, and that's something I want to have.

5. This girl has made me aware how much I judge people. Labels characterize our society, and it's hard not to slap a label on someone before you even find out their name, not to mention anything deeper than that. This girl doesn't always make the right choices, but who does?! See, in our minds we have declared certain sins worse than others, and we're quick to judge each other as we see fit. But I've been realizing that frankly, we all have issues, and to God, we're all sinners. But you know what? We all know who still loved us and died for us, despite our issues: good ole JC. Why on earth, then, would I refuse to love someone because they still mess up? Well, then I say, "I didn't say I didn't love them!" But I don't see how we can treat someone with disdain or judgment and still say we love them. It's just ridiculous to judge someone for their faults when we have our own log sticking out of our eye. This one is a hard thing to get over, because, unfortunatly, it comes so naturally to us. I have to stop judging, though, and instead, love those people, so that maybe, just maybe, I can be a true friend, and help them be better, and*, at the same time, allow them to do the same for me.

(*it truly pained me to write that run-on, but I felt it necessary.)

6. The last thing on my heart right now is something that a bunch of people have been showing me, but one in particular. I wrote a blog a while back about being beautifully made by our Creator, and truly embracing and believing that. I think maybe I forgot about that for a while. Especially for girls, its a hard thing to remember. Always comparing, always feeling unsatisfactory, always trying to be perfect: that's us, ladies. But that is NOT who we were created to be. This friend of mine wrote something quite moving the other day. She said, "My body was not meant to be used for men to lust after. It was not made to seduce men. It was made for the sole purpose of glorifying, praising, and honoring my Creator." And I was just so blow away by that insight, because it's so true, yet I've never thought of it like that before. I don't know why exactly God made me the way he did, but it's not like he messed up or just threw me together. No I was formed, crafted, and created by a perfect God who is in the business of producing nothing less than perfection. Forgetting that is detrimental, but realizing it is like looking in the mirror and seeing a completely different person. Maybe I was made with imperfections-according to society, that is-because God wanted me to give him the glory for creating me that way, or so I could find my fulfillment in him, not others, or maybe so I could help someone in their struggle for body peace. Whatever the reason be, I know that to my creator, I am perfect.

On that same note, I find myself astonished at the cutting remarks we ladies are so good at producing. We do this, at least I do, to make ourselves feel better, to take the focus off our imperfections by putting the focus on the shortcomings of others. I have found that there is almost no other force among women that is more harmful than cutting each other down. So I'm trying hard to replace these hurtful, judgmental, and unnecessary comments with only compliments. Uplifting each other should be our first priority, not judgment.

So there I am, lots of stuff going on, and a lot to figure out. But I think the bottom line of all this is that we're all God's creations, none better than another. I think that a grasp on that can change our world, one life at a time. Spread the love <3

Open Door Policy

I am sitting on facebook right now, but I don't feel too bad about it because I just cleaned our entire room as a suprise for Abby, my roommate. So as I was sitting here doing whatever people do when they are on facebook...basically nothing, and I noticed an old friend of mine's status. We went to middle school together, and that got me thinking about those days that seem sooooo long ago. I went to a small Christian school, with a grand total of eight kids in my eighth grade class. Because of that small number of people, I think, we all became very close over the course of those years. Today, we have all gone our separate ways, but still I'm friends with all of them on facebook. So as I sat there thinking about those days, remembering our friendships and the unique bond that the eight of us had, I started thinking about the people we have all become today. As I try to remember what each of us is doing now, it's really incredible how different each of us are. All of us are at different colleges, I believe, community, private, and public. We all have different interests, majors, activities, and jobs. Some of us are single, others have significant others, and I think one is even married. We are in different places, and we are headed, most likely, even further apart. Perhaps in eighth grade we were not all that different, but now that we have each grown up, I am struck that no two of us are even remotely similar, apart from our faith.

As I thought of all these potentially dividing factors I was struck at the amazing power of Christ to bring people together. Yea, it was eighth grade, and none of us chose to go to that certain school, but we ended up there, and I know I have been blessed from those days. Despite our different lives today and the people we have become, God brought together eight people that year that would go out to all different corners of life. Now, I will not claim that we are all still best friends. I would say instead that we are old friends, but not in the same sense that that phrase is most often used. Rather, I use it to say that we once knew each other, maybe not anymore today than the "acquaintance" type of facebook friends, but we still share a link that cannot be broken: the link of brothers and sisters in Christ.

And so I marvel at the power of Christ to bring the most random and unlikely people together for his incredible, yet unknown purposes. This same principle is seen everyday in the church. In youth groups kids from all different schools are brought together by Christ to learn from each other. In Bible studies and Sunday school classes, people of all ages, pasts, and futures come together to learn about Christ, and, I think, to learn from each other.

But this principle or idea, whatever you want to think of it as, doesn't only stop in Christian environments. And so I realize the vital importance of having a heart and mind open to new people. See, you never know what person God might bring into your life at the most random time, or even at the most normal. Yea, God might use a new experience or place to give you new relationships, but who's to say that he won't use a normal, everyday circumstance, too? If I go into life with a closed mind to new friendships, I could miss out on an individual that God wants me to be there for during that hard time because I have empathy for their hardship. I might lose the chance to have a unique and incredible friend who always cheers me up, or I might shut off my heart to someone who God will use to teach me a valuable lesson.

Looking back, there's no doubt that God brought the eight of us together for a reason. I don't doubt that you have people in your life that God has done the exact same thing with. Rarely, at the point of meeting someone, do you realize a) whether they will be a lasting friend, or b) how they will impact your life. But you know who does know? God. But if we shut ourselves off to new people and friendships, I wonder how much we could miss out on. I don't know about you, but my guess is that, like me, you'd like to have as many meaningfull people in your life as possible. The thing is, we can't pick and choose "meaningfull people" out of a crowd to be our friends. It doesn't work that way. Rather, our all-knowing Creator does the picking and choosing. Frankly, I'm glad for that, mostly because I know He can pick the people He wants to be in my life way better than I would be able to, but also because a life full of suprises is indeed one full of unforgettable people, friendships, and experiences. So ask and trust God to bring the right people into your life. Open up the door of your heart and your mind. After all, you never know who's going to walk in.

"I See You"

I write to make sense of my world. A lot of times life doesn't happen the way you think it will, or work out like you planned. And sometimes, that's ok. Usually at the beginning, it's horrible and terrible, but I've found that God's plan is way bigger than mine. He can see waaaay further ahead than I can, and he truly does have my best interests at the very center of his mind and heart. Sometimes the events that seem like the end of the world are only the beginning.

If you're looking for a collected and organized thought here, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm afraid this post will consist more of a couple disjointed thoughts strung together by punctuation than some revelation or idea. Usually it seems that the things God is showing me relate to each other in some way, but it seems different right now. I have been continuing to see that God's plan is usually unexpected, but undoubtedly superior to mine. I have also confirmed in my mind that I love to write, sensical or not. Whether it's an encouraging letter or a general pondering of what God's showing me (like this), I just plain love it. Just throwing that out there. haha.

I want to share something I have been facing recently, much to my puzzlement. During finals week, I had three consecutive nights of dreams about inescapable death. Yea, kinda dark, I know. I think those were the result of Bible school study of the Bible-in depth and detailed. One too many classes on the martyrs of Acts and the Old Testament's holy war, with my high stress level piled on top, resulted in some scary nights for this little girl. Since then, I have not had anymore nightmares. I have, however, been unusually paranoid about safety. I don't know if it's the bad weather that has me constantly thinking of the worst or what, but I find myself worrying for my safety and the safety of others waaay more than is usual, necessary, or normal. Luckily, I have a God who is much bigger than my fears. Thanks to one of my favorite passages, Philippians 4:6-7, I have been able to deal with this random paranoia pretty well, I'd say. I was thinking about why this was happening the other night, and I realized that it doesn't really matter, because my God is truly the biggest and the most awesome God ever. I know that his plan is perfect. End of story. Never the less, this got me thinking about how I view God. I think that different people appreciate, if you will, different aspects of God. I would say that everyone needs all that God has to offer, but that they focus on different aspects of God's character based on their own needs. I, for example, look to God for protection and guidance most often. While I absolutely need God's forgiveness or mercy, I find myself thinking most often about how God protects and comforts me. I'm sure this is because of the conditions of my growing up and different circumstances of my life. With this in my mind, I find myself reveling at the vastness of our Creator. 6 billion people in the world, and we have a God that can relate to, cater to, and take care of each in the special and unique way that they need. What an awesome God! Our God knows each of those 6 billion peoples' hearts, and he knows exactly how to comfort each one of them. Why and how? Because he created you. He created you in the womb and planned out each day of your life before any of them happened (Psalm 139:13-16). You are "fearfully and wonderfully made" by a God who knows your heart and mind so perfectly that only He knows how to give you the peace that you so desire. It reminds me of a brilliant movie I just saw, Avatar. In the movie, the Na'vi people greet each other by saying "I see you." This implies that they not only see them physically, but that they see into their soul. I love this image because it is exactly what Christ says to us. He sees us, he gets us, and he cares about us more than anyone in the world. And when you realize this knowledge and care God has of each of his children, it can become a scary thing that we want to hide from, or it can become an imense comfort that we will embrace in the absolute hardest of times.

So this has turned into more of a connected thought than I thought it would lol. But it doesn't really matter, connected or not. It's kind of like life: it doesn't always make sense or go in the order you think it should. The bottom line is, though, that our God is vast and indescribable, and when you're talking about him and learning about him, it might not always make sense. People deal with that in different ways: some, like me, write, some talk or produce art or sing, or whatever. It doesn't matter how you do it, though, because one thing we can ALL do is pray to our mighty God to make sense of it. Because despite our confusion and the questions, God knows us perfectly, and he's just waiting help us through anything and everything in his precisely perfect way.

So have a happy Christmas and a merry new year. And remember that no matter how rough it gets, or what this next year brings, our God is unchanging. He knows us yesterday, today, and even tomorrow. Run to him in the tough times and ask him for help on the dark nights, because he knows you better than anyone, and he's absolutely ready to save your life.

Not The Leaving Kind...

It's easy to forget about God when the rest of the world presses in hard around us. Whether you lose someone you love or your workload just seems impossible to handle, life can get pretty tough. I can promise you, though, that when life gets too dark to see the light, feel a hug, or believe there's hope for a brighter tomorrow, God is still there beside us, no matter how dark it seems.

One of my favorite songs by Tenth Avenue North says "I'll be by your side, whenver you fall, in the dead of night, whenever you call." Like God is at all hindered by the junk of this world, yea right! No, God is next to us in the moments we just want to sleep the day away, when we feel worthless, or when it just doesn't seem like life will ever get better. Because, unlike people, who may or may not be there for you, God isn't intimidated by social boundaries-no matter who you are, what you've done, or where you've been, God is always going to be right there beside you as long as you call on His name. As the song says, He's not the leaving kind.

In Matthew 28:20, Jesus gives us an unparalleled promise: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Amen. That's all I can say to that. Because so often I just forget. How is it so easy to forget a God like ours? I really can't wrap my mind around how I can ever let that happen, but I know I do. I know I let the junk of the world crowd my mind and steal the peace that only comes from trusting in God's flawless plan. I forget that the love of my Savior is the only thing I need. And yet, Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." When we seek God, he is right there next to us. He is with us always, all we have to do is look for him and call out to him for help.

I ran across a verse the other day, a whole chapter actually: Psalm 34. It's pretty incredible, not gonna lie. Here's a couple of my favorite verses that have seemed particularly applicable amidst all the drama, tension, stress, and frustration of the last few weeks. Verses 17-18 in the Message version say, "Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there; if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath." Now that's a promise I can hold on to. So many verses in the Bible just scream God's love and devotion to his people, but so often I miss them when I could use them the most. Instead I turn to stuff like chick flicks, music, chocolate, or facebook-all cool and awesome things-but never the less, things that have absolutely no power to heal my hurting heart. I really don't know what I'm thinking, when the answer to my troubles lies in an age-old, yet so contemporary, book right next to me, yet I chose to turn on my computer instead.

Despite my stupidity in this area, however, that doesn't mean God gets fed up with me screwing up and calls it quits. Heck no. Quite the opposite. A song by superchick is on my ipod right now. The chorus says, "So stand in the rain, stand your ground. Stand up when it's all crashing down. You stand through the pain, you won't drown." Why won't we drown in all the mess of this life? Because God, Jesus, our Savior, the most Awesome God that was, is, or ever will be loves us so very dearly, and He's not going anywhere. Yea, people always leave, but not our God. If you're crying for help, God is right there, and he is sooooo ready to be your knight in shining armor to the rescue. To get all the love, peace and joy he gives, all we have to do is ask. And you know what's awesome? He doesn't even have to come running-He's been there all along.

Take <3

"Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God." Psalm 27:14 (The Message).

Winter is a lousy time of year in my opinion. It's cold, windy, and dead-looking. The sky is almost always cloudy, and the only good part of winter-snow-is only pretty for the first hour or so while it is falling. Not to sound cynical, but winter is quite an unpleasant time of the year. It gets dark way too early, and no one likes to hop out of a warm bed onto an icy floor in the morning. Despite my dislike of winter, it's part of the year, and no matter how much I kick, scream, and wish for summer, the months are always the same amount of time. It doesn't matter how much I grumble, winter is going to stick around as long as it wants. It's just the way life is.

I ran across the above verse last night, and I couldn't get it out of my head. So often I find myself losing sight of God, not because He is leaving me behind, but because I don't make the effort or chose to keep up. Other things get more interesting, and my focus on God begins to blur into apathy. Other times, it's not apathy that trips me up, it's something bigger than that. We all know the phrase: "stuff" happens. Bad things happen to good people, and when we come to that fork in the road, we have two choices, give up on God, or, as David urges us, "Take heart, don't quit, and stay with God."

Life is drab sometimes, just like the winter season. But we know that after winter comes spring, a time of rebirth and renewal. Though it's dark out during those long, winter months, we know that the sun hasn't disappeared, it's just around the corner (of the world), and it will shine on us again. Just like the faithful little sun, God hasn't gone anywhere. There may be darkness, but joy comes with the morning. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Every winter, we know the spring will come eventually. We have no trouble beliving that. You know who makes the spring come? God. The same God that changes the seasons each year can just as easily change a life. So if it's the same God, and we believe the seasons will change, why would we put our trust in something else less reliable? Don't lose sight of your faith in our all-powerful God with whom "all things are possible." (Matt. 19:26)

So first of all, take heart. Find at least a glimmer of hope in the dark winter time and have faith that the God who changes the seasons can see you through anything. And whatever you do, don't you dare quit. Rather, stay with God, the one who makes the world go round, literally and figuratively. Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Put your faith in God and keep it there for always; He won't let you down. Remember, winter doesn't last forever.

Love Extravagantly

"Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses." Proverbs 10:12(NLT)

Love. It's a common word to us anymore, used at least several times a day in my vocabulary, not even when I'm referring to a person, but maybe to the spaghetti I just ate at olive garden, or maybe a favorite tv show. I throw love out all the time, but only a couple times a day do I really mean it.

At CIY this summer, I challenged myself to love people more. While I'm not necessarily a mean person, I wanted to be someone who exemplefied the idea of loving people. The hard part is, I wasn't just talking about my bff, my boyfriend, or my pets, but rather that guy who doesn't know what deoderant is, or that girl who annoys me more than anything. I wanted to be someone who loved the unlovable. That's why I want to be a high school teacher, to show the kids who don't think that anyone gives a rat's behind about them that they are wrong. Like most things in this world, this proved harder than I had anticipated.

1 John 4:20-21 (Message translation) pretty much calls me out, "If anyone boasts, 'I love God,' and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both." Yep. Pretty much hits me dead on. How can I say I love God and then judge those that I don't get along with or don't like? I often fall guilty to the "I don't really hate them" thinking, but how much better is it to talk about people and insult them behind their backs? Not very, in my opinion.

This is a hard subject for me to write about because I know that I fail to love people all the time. I judge people, I laugh at them, I make fun of them if they're different than the people I like. I know it's wrong, but what do I do? I slap on a "just kidding" and pretend I didn't mean it. Who am I fooling? Certainly not God.

"This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:10. Wow again, I am smacked in the face with the importance of loving those around me. The hardest part is getting around my cultural instincts to protect myself, to make myself look better, and to try and survive in the social world. I struggle to push aside those barriers and love people as God's creations. I don't know why it's so hard, but it is.

So how do I do this? How can I love the people in this world that make me either want to tear my hair out or sit on the other side of the room? Frankly I'm not entirely sure. The only thing I can figure out is that I must become more like Christ, who loved the worst people in the world while he was on earth and then died for them and everyone alike. Colossians 3 is turning into one of my favorite chapters. Verses 12-14 say, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." There it is. The Amplified Bible puts it as "putting on behavior marked by tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, [and] patience [which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper]." I read about these traits and I understand the defecit in my life that I have when it comes to loving the unloved. I don't have mercy for those I don't like, I want to show them what's up! I succumb to pride when I'm around those I consider better than myself. And of course, my patience flys away so fast when I'm around those annoying or obnoxious people that it's not even funny. Really though, it's not funny. Because God calls me to love those people, to show them gentelness and patince and humility and kindness and compassion.

2 Timothy 2:24(NLT) says, "A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people." Ahhh...that last part there especially hits me. Be patient with difficult people. See, I think that love comes in many different forms. It's not just hugging people or saying "I love you." It may be that, yes, but not necessarily. I think that God calls us to love people by countering what it is about them that we don't like. Everyone bugs me in some way, so I can love them by letting go of that irritation and countering it with kindness or patience or humility. For example: There is a girl I know named Olivia*. She tests me and tries my patience in just about every way imaginable. Our personalities are so completely polar opposite that every time we are in the same room we annoy each other. I think that the way God wants me to love her is by rising above that irritation. God wants me to have patience with Olivia rather than snapping at her or verbally fighting back. There's another, Amanda*, whose company I do not enjoy at all. Frankly, she creeps me out. We've all been there. Certain people just don't go well together, but that does NOT mean that I am not called to love them. I think that God has called me, not necessarily to seek out Amanda's company, but when I am around her to, rather than becoming annoyed and prideful, to put my feelings aside and be kind. And not fake kind, pretending to be sweet and then laughing about it later, but being genuinely kind for once. Romans 12:9-10 says(NLT), "Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." Here's another hard verse for me, because it's so very easy to pretend. I am an expert at it, in fact. But I'm not called to pretend, I'm called to show Christ's love, which was and is as far from pretend as it gets.

"How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!" Psalm 133:1(NLT). How wonderful and pleasant. God wants us to live together, not just tollerating each other's presence, but loving those around us as he loved and loves absolutely every individual on this planet. As I write this, there are 6,797,272,191 people in the world. That number will be different in a few seconds probably, but my point is this: God loves each of those six billion people alive right now. He also has loved all the people who have ever lived, I don't even have an idea of how many that would be. Basically, A LOT. God has a whole lotta love, considering that he gives each individual unconditional and complete love regardless of their race, home, or personality. How does God give that love to those people? Well first, I think he gives it through his grace and protection. He also gives it through the flowers and the sun and this beautiful world he has provided for us. But most importantly, God gives his love through others. If someone never had a friend or a family, would they feel love? Maybe from some animals or something, but they would not get the full extent of Christ's love if people in the world did not display it. Johnny Depp was quoted as saying, "The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants." That's sad, but in the world sometimes it seems like it. We must change that, and it can only be changed if we take the initiative and love the unlovable, just as dogs and babies do. We are the ones whom God has chosen to carry his love to the unlovable in this world. What a huge responsibility, but also, what an incredible priviledge.

According to 1 John 4:12, "No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us." Love. Such a common and simple word. Yet it holds so much weight, so much meaning. Loving each other is the way that we can show God to the world. How is it that I so easily forget to do that? I want to be someone who loves the world without inhibition. Not just the people who are like me, but everyone, because everyone in this world needs love, no matter who they are.

Although many make fun of it, I am a hardcore One Tree Hill fan. Although it could be called a soap opera, I will always stand by my opinion that the writers put together many profound and beautiful thoughts. One of my favorite quotes says, "Love. The day that you start thinking that love is overrated is the day that you're wrong. The only thing wrong with love and faith and belief is not having it." True that. Love is so very vital to the world. But how will the world get it if we don't show it? That's the thing that makes love so special, it can't be manufactured. It must be given. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son." So don't forget to give love to everyone, especially those who are hard to love, and when you do love, love like God does: love extravagantly.



*names are changed =]

Timing is Everything =]

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14

It's funny how God works. They say that hindsight is 20-20, and when it comes to the way God works, that's almost true. Even looking back, I can't always tell how God worked, but I can definitely tell that He was there. Whether I'm looking back several years, or just earlier in the morning, it's nearly impossible to miss God's unmistakable fingerprints on our lives.

Monday morning I woke up with a groan, tired and soooo not looking forward to class. Suddenly, I realized that I hadn't woken up to my alarm. I grabbed my phone, dreading the time that I feared it was. Yep. I had overslept. I yelled and leaped out of bed with speed that is only present at such a time. Fifteen minutes later, I had somehow managed to get ready for psych on time, and before I left my room I just stopped. I don't know why I thought to pray in that moment, but I did. I simply asked God to give me a better day than how it had started. And you know what? I had one of the best Mondays I have had in a while.

That night, as I lay in my bed waiting to fall asleep, I thought back over my day. I realized that it was certainly no coincidence that I had had a great day that monday. I had been tired, and c'mon-it's a monday! Who likes mondays!? No one, at least no one who also claims sanity. But, despite my strong dislike of mondays, I had a great day! I would be stupid not to credit this to God. How much better could life be if I remembered to invite God to be a part of everyday, not just the ones that start out badly? I think that Monday was God showing me how much better life is with Him.

So it was a great Monday, but what about the days that are just plain lame? They're bound to come, so how can I get through those? I can think of no better method than through my Creator. Isaiah 40:29-31 says, "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 be faint." There's my answer. God is the one who can take my sucky days and give me strength and vigor to face that day, and all the ones after it.

When I played Bible Bowl, Bill constantly told me, and other players, to play one game at a time. In the same way, football, basketball and other sports teams get in trouble when they look too far ahead to the "big game" and forget about the underdog. We all know that story. But it's hard to play one game at a time. It's difficult to focus on the here and now, what is going on today. It's so much easier to look past the struggles of today for that time that we "can't wait" for. While there is nothing wrong with looking ahead, planning, and preparing, we must not forget today and all the incredible opportunities God has placed before us today. Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." When we wait for the Lord's timing, that's when he can take our Mondays and turn them into good days, rather than just another day to get past.

I, like anyone, say "I can't wait for......" a lot. Usually it's just used as a common phrase used to show excitement, anticipation, etc., but I need to be careful to remember that God's timing is the absolute best in the world. All the planning and scheduling I can do cannot compare to God's perfect timing, and he doesn't even need a blackberry to keep it all straight! Earlier in Isaiah 40, verse 28 says, "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." God doesn't get tired, and we can't begin to understand everything that He does. Wow, why do I even try to keep my life straight?

When we wait on "the everlasting God," we allow for his perfect timing to take effect. When we give up our schedules and to-do lists, and ask God to make our day a success on his terms, we let Him work in our lives in incredible ways. As one who loves to make lists, asking God to make my day successful based on His plan for my life is quite a task. It doesn't mean that I don't do anything that day, rather, it means that I want God to work through me that day on His schedule. And when God has control of my day and I want to live that day on his terms, it is going to be a prosperous, fulfilling, and successful day. I may not get all my tasks done, but I might get to talk to an old friend. I might not get as much tv time, but I might get something meaningful written on here. Whatever it is, God can take my days and make them all awesome, if I can trust Him to make it what He wants it to be. Haven't you heard? He's the Creator of the earth! He alone can give me strength to face everyday, all the way to Sunday.

Isaiah 40:28-"Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening? God doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out."