Giving Everything

Isn’t it amazing how much God loves us? I mean, he  sent his son to die for us - and no matter what we do, no matter how ugly we can be sometimes, he loves us despite everything. Not only that, but he gives us small reminders of his love every single day. I was given a huge reminder just recently and I would like to tell this story.

I love music - a lot, I practically live and breathe it. I take piano and voice lessons and I’m constantly either singing, playing, or listening to music. I’m home schooled but the reason I have been able to take both piano and voice lessons is because my family is enrolled in this program where we get publicly funded for some school. This year, however, they cut it down so that they only pay for one fine arts per student. When I found out about this, I was pretty shook up. I knew that meant I would have to quit either piano or voice lessons. And as spoiled as this sounds; I didn’t want to give up either one. So I practically got on my knees and begged Mom to some how, some way, even if it meant not eating, come up with money to pay for my voice lessons. Unfortunately, she decided that eating is more important than my voice lessons (we agree to disagree on this subject) and sat me down to talk. My parents decided to pay for a certain amount monthly for my lessons, leaving me a big chunk to come up with. I have a job working at a kitchen store and if I worked regular hours, having enough money wouldn’t be a problem. But since the Christmas rush ended, I only get asked to come in when whoever was supposed to work then can’t. I haven’t been called in since April and most of the money I have is going to be used to pay for driver’s ed. next month.

I needed another solution.

Mom’s ideas:

1) Ask the grandparents to pledge some money each month.

Pros: If they each only gave $20 a month I would have enough.

Cons: I hate asking for money, I’m not sure how much I could count on that money coming in, and I would feel bad to ask them for money...coming back to hating asking for money.

2) See if I could work one day a week at the kitchen store.

Pros: I would get to work and get more than enough money to pay for my lessons.

Cons: I would hate asking for that, it probably wouldn’t work well for them, and I might not get paid when I need to.

After this talk, I was pretty discouraged. That night I felt like it wasn’t possible and I would have to give up something I love to do. I cried and prayed for about an hour before I went to bed. I told God that I had given up finding a solution on my own and that it probably was not possible doing it my way but through him, all things are possible. I let go of everything and I gave it to Jesus and let him fill me with his peace. I stopped worrying about it, knowing that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I had to stop taking voice lessons. I still wanted it and hoped for it, but I thanked God that he knows what he’s doing.

A few days later, Mom got an email from my voice teacher saying that she needed to hire someone to clean up after a class she taught to little kids and asked if I would do it. This solved everything! I just kinda stood there in shock. A realization came over me, I wrote it down in my journal that night: “Jesus loves me so much that not only did he die for me, he gave me something so small in comparison by letting me continue to do something I love, to remind me of how big he is and how big his love is for me.”

The moral of the story is: Jesus loves us so much and we should give everything, all of ourselves to him, and thank him for everything, even the bad things, because he knows what he’s doing. We might not like some of his plans at first, but they always turn out for our good.

Summer wear

                 Swimsuits. It's summer, and they are all over the place. Or not. They hardly cover anything at all, just the sparest amounts of skin, and even girls who are conscious of modesty can fall into this trap. The swimsuits being sold just aren't modest - so even if we go for the most modest out there, they just don't meet our standards. Our standards shouldn't be any lower just because we're getting in the water. Beyond that, the "modest" swimsuits that are sold just aren't cute.  But I needed a new swimsuit recently, and I won't settle for immodest suits. So I figured I might as well share my findings. For me, swimsuits have to be just modest as street clothes.  That means my fingertips can't touch skin when they are hanging at my sides, and when I fix my thumb between my collar bones, the neckline can't go below my pinky finger if my hand is flat.  To find this, I actually went to a site Malea suggested: limericki.com. Limericki is a site that prides itself on the modesty of their swimsuits, and the suits are cute, too. They have one pieces as well as tankinis, and they sell bottoms as well, boy shorts, hipsters, and skirts. However, I prefer board shorts, I went to Amazon.com for these. Board shorts come in many lengths, so you can wear them to your comfort level. This summer, let's start a new trend and bring modest swimsuits back in style; for good. Don't go with the crowd; get the crowd to follow you.

Why Not?

    The other day I mentioned to someone how I disapprove of teenagers dating. The reply to this was: “You’re just saying that because you’re jealous.” Even though it was said in jest, I was a little taken aback by this answer because the person who said it isn’t in a relationship (that I know of) and should know me well enough to know my views on this matter. Anyway, the conversation ended there and I didn’t get the opportunity to give my opinion. But it really got me to think about why I don’t approve of teenage dating. If you’re a teenager in a relationship right now, it would be very easy to get back on facebook and not take another look at this blog. Before you do that, however, I encourage you to keep reading (I encourage you to keep reading even if you’re not in a relationship) I’m not writing this post to accuse you of doing wrong or convince you not to date, I’m just trying to express my views and hopefully give another side to think about. Now, back to my reasons why. When I first started pondering this, I thought of how it would be super easy for me to be jealous if I wanted to. I mean, most of my friends either have boyfriends or won’t call it that but pretty much have a boyfriend. It would make sense for me to feel left out.
         That thought then, gave way to what I would reply if the subject ever came up again. One of the first reasons that I have is that it’s just a waste of time. How many couples that start dating when they’re fifteen actually get married when they grow up? Not that many. Most teen relationships end within a couple of weeks. The argument to this would be that the point of dating is not to find a spouse. If that is the case, then what is the point? To have fun? Well in my opinion, teen relationships aren’t fun. Sure, there are a few moments of fun and the idea of having a boyfriend (or girlfriend) can be exciting. But since teen relationships are almost destined to end, it’ll only end in heartbreak. The last few days of the relationship will be spent wondering if you should break up or whether or not your boyfriend/girlfriend will break up with you and then when the end finally happens, the result is tragic. Why is this the case? Because with each romantic relationship you’re giving part of your heart away. I don’t know about you, but I want to save my whole heart for one person; the person God wants me to marry. I don’t want to get married and live with any regrets about what I did during the time that I could have been single and waiting for my Prince Charming. I love the way Heather from becomingahopefulromantic.blogspot.com puts it in her blog post “My Fall Will be for You”. Basically, what she says is that if we don’t protect our hearts, we’re going to “fall in love” with so many boys that won’t bother to catch us when we fall. Besides Jesus, there is only one person who will catch me when I fall and never let me go. I want my fall to be for him and only him.

“Well,” you say, “what if my sixteen-year-old boyfriend is the person God wants me to marry and we stay together for the rest of our lives?” Personally, I only want to fall for my “one” when the time is right. Even if I was dating someone now who was the “one”, it’s not like we could get married now. Sure, we could be together for years, but by doing that, we could miss out on opportunities that could have changed our lives if only we had taken them and not been so focused on being together. I only plan on entering a relationship when I know that it’s God’s timing... Not just when I want it so much that I’ve convinced myself that it is his timing but when I know. If what my future husband and l will have is meant to be, then I can wait  for it to become.

What good can come out of dating so young? I was honestly trying to come up with something good that could come out of it but failed. Just something to think about.

Read Heather’s blog post “My Fall Will be for You” at: http://becomingahopefulromantic.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-fall-will-be-for-you.html

It is well worth the read.

Dealing with Change

Change. This is a word I don’t think anyone wants to hear unless it involves clothes. Why does this seem to be the case? Because change is scary. Deathly frightening. Change usually includes doing something outside of one’s comfort zone, leaving something that is familiar and comfortable. Sara and I are going to have change thrown in our faces at the end of this week. The kind of change that is really, really hard; Sara will be moving.

When I was little, moving was something new and exciting. But now that I’m older, it is something I dread. One of my biggest fears is that I’ll have to move somewhere far away; so far that I will have to give up everything that I Iove to do, say goodbye to all of my friends and never see them again. Sara will be moving to South Africa for over three years. By the time she gets back, we’ll be all grown up and very different. Though knowing that she’s coming back makes things easier, it is still so hard. Dealing with change is probably one of the hardest things to do. It would be so much easier to shut my mind to it an pretend like I don’t care. I do care, however, and ignoring emotions rather than dealing with them is very unhealthy. One thing that I do to deal with change is to talk to God about what’s bothering me, why I am not embracing the change. I even try to thank God for the change... because I know that somehow, someday I will look back on it and see that whatever I didn’t want to happen at the time ended up being the best thing that happened to me. Or it ended up making me a better person anyway.

Another thing I do is talk to other people about it. It is very important to have people in your life who you can talk to about almost anything. I have a few such people in my life like my mom and two really close friends. I am so thankful for these people.

A couple of my favorite verses in the Bible are my favorites because they helped me through some change or other. Whenever I’m having a rough time, I reread those verses or think about them if I have them memorized. One of my favorites in Joshua 1:9 which says: “This is my command: be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” This applies to just about everything in life. No matter what happens, remember to be strong and courageous - God didn’t just “highly recommend” it he commanded it. In whatever you do, wherever you go, remember that he is with you. Jesus is all we need.

Where ARE You God???

     In reality, He's right next to you.  But it's so hard to feel that; something, you can hardly tell He's there at all.  Why can't He always show Himself, why does He feel so distant, so uncaring?  I know that's nowhere near a Sunday school question, but it's certainly an honest one; and I know I'm not the only one asking it.
     Maybe, in connection to that question, you also ask 'what am I doing wrong?' or 'what do I have to do, Lord, to feel Your love again?'.  I do that too.  Thanks be to the Lord that He provides us this answer, in His word, and is just waiting for us to read and obey Him.  In James 4:7-10, it says:

⁷ So give yourselves completely to God. Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you.⁸ Come near to God, and God will come near to you. You sinners, clean sin out of your lives. You who are trying to follow God and the world at the same time, make your thinking pure.⁹ Be sad, cry, and weep! Change your laughter into crying and your joy into sadness. ¹⁰Humble yourself in the Lord's presence, and he will honor you.

     I don't accept the Message translation as an actual translation of God's Word, but it's helpful to read it beside the Bible passage, so I'll put it here.

^7-10So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud 'no' to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet 'yes' to God and He'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

     Why is it so hard to humble ourselves before God?  Perhaps for the same reason it's hard to humble ourselves before anyone - we don't want to give up our pride.  Similarly, we don't let God come near us because we are so intent on hiding but still keeping our sin.  A few months ago, I did a Beth Moore study(Beth Moore: Breaking Free) with my mom, and I think Mrs. Moore phrased these actions really well.  She said that it's as if we're begging God to take away our hurt, our sin, our hate, our guilt, and at the same time, we're holding it behind our back, clutching it to ourself, and refusing to really let God take it.  We don't want to give it up to Him, so the first thing we need to ask Him is to help us 'change our want to'.  

     We relish in our sin because it gives us physical, temporary satisfaction.  Whatever it is: porn, stealing, or even something as seemingly small as lying, we grab ahold of it and don't give it up to God; and He won't force it from us.  To be truly free, we have to be willing to sacrifice temporary pleasures, and then we can find eternal life, love, pleasure, happiness, and freedom in God, in Jesus' sacrifice.  

    In order to have God come to us, we need to go to Him.  That requires 1) giving yourself to God, 2) standing against the devil, 3) cleaning the sin our of your life and making yourself pure for God, with the help of God, because no sin is too great for Him to clean, if you really give it up to Him, 4) crying out to God, mourning for the wrongs you have done, and 5) humbling yourself before God, giving everything up to Him.  

     'God's peace consist[s] of an absolute resignation to His will' (Dr. Petti Wagner, Murdered Heiress... Living Witness, page 154).  When we submit ourself to God and His ultimate, all knowing plan, we will find peace.  And joy.  And every other good thing.  God loves us and wants to be near to us, but how badly do we want to be near to Him?

Starstruck

Have you ever gone outside on a clear summer night, lain down on the grass or on your porch, and just looked at the stars?  This is one of my favorite things to do.  Outside in the clear air (I lived in a relatively remote spot, on four acres of land), looking up at the brilliant stars, and, sometimes, the Milky Way, I feel so close to God.  And yet, so small.  The stars up in the night sky looking down where I lay remind me of how beautiful God is, and they show me that I’m not the center of the universe, I’m tiny compared to the world God has created and compared to Him.

            I also love looking at the Hubble photographs.  The beauty of the galaxies simply astounds me.  Sometimes, I’ll imagine myself up in the night sky, holding Jesus’ hand, and He’s showing me the galaxies; when I picture that, I about start crying for joy.  Our Lord created those things for us, because He could.  For us, He wanted to.  Imagine that!  God, so big, who was able to create the millions of galaxies, did it for us, because He loves us that much.

            Another of my favorite songs is ‘Light Up the Sky’ by the Afters.  The chorus reads

You light light light up the sky, You light up the sky to show me You are with me.  I I I can’t deny, no I can’t deny that You are right here with me.  You open my eyes so I can see You all around me.  You light light light up the sky, you light up the sky to show me you are with me.

             

Whenever you’re feeling down, look at the stars, and remember just how big God’s love is for you.  God, who created the stars, and dresses the lilies of the field, know the number of hairs on your head and loves you for who you are.

I'm giving my life to the only One who makes the moon reflect the sun.

Every starry night, that was His design.

I'm giving my life to the only Son, who was and is and yet to come

Let the praises ring, 'cause He is everything

'Cause He is everything

Cranberry Muffin Recipe

One thing that I really enjoy is baking. I love to make cookies, muffins, cake, brownies - anything easy and delicious! Today I am going to share one of my favorite recipes. It's for extra yummy cranberry muffins. Muffins can be a great breakfast and snack food, no matter what kind. Normally I would make these with the left-over cranberry sauce from thanksgiving but they taste great any time of year.


Before making, make sure you have all of the necessary ingredients. 

Ingredients needed:
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Oil
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup (about 1/2 can) Whole Cranberry Sauce

Directions:
Preheat  oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
Beat together eggs, oil, milk, and cranberries in another bowl.
Poor wet ingredients into the well made by the dry ingredients and stir until moistened.
Batter will be  lumpy.
Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 of the way full.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. (check at 18 minutes)
EAT!