Chew On This...

Over the last 6 or 7 months I have found that my circle of friends has expanded like whoa.  That means a lot.  And I found myself thinking quite often, "What are these people in my life for?  What are they here to show me?  To teach me?  What am I supposed to be learning from them, about myself or the world around me?"  Then, it struck me this morning how absolutely self-centered my thinking has been.  These people might not be in my life for me.  I might be in their life to show them something.  Maybe they aren't here to help  and grow me, maybe I was put in their path to help and grow them.  Then I became sad and started thinking about how many opportunities I may have missed to invest in others just because I was so wrapped up in what they were possibly doing for me.

How radically different would the world be if we stopped thinking about only ourselves?

The kingdom wasn't created for us, we were created for the kingdom.

Thankful Doesn't Even Begin To Cover It...

Thanksgiving is the day when most Americans will gather together with family and friends and ruminate on all the blessings they are thankful for.  Laying here in bed this morning, I began to do just that.  While I am in awe of the new blessings the Lord gives me each and every day, the holidays make me even more aware of them and I begin to count them.  It seems though, no matter what kind of year I've had, I am always overwhelmed by the goodness and grace of my Savior.  This year, the past two really, has been no exception.

In scripture it says, in Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  The Lord has faithfully proven this to me on more than one occasion over the last two years.  I've dealt with abuse, depression, divorce, unemployment, financial crises, moral missteps, death, and numerous family issues.  Some might look at that list and wonder how anyone could see any goodness in that.  Some might look at that list and pity me.  It's true that I have experienced enough heartache to make even Annie stop singing about tomorrow, but I have also experienced so much love and personal growth.  I am so filled with joy when I think of all the goodness I've experienced in the midst of these trials that my heart is bursting at the seams.  I want to shout from the rooftops how great my God is and how much I love Him!  I think I'm beginning to understand why David wrote the Psalms.

Through all the bad, I've renewed friendships, created new ones, and learned how important they are.  If you are reading this, and you know who you are, I want you to know that God used your fellowship to help me through some of the darkest hours of my life.  I am thankful for each of you, and praise God for allowing me to know each of you, however long we may have together.  Out of unemployment, I was given not only a job that I love, but a godly employer and co-workers that feel more like family.  I don't think I ever fully appreciated being employed until I wasn't anymore, and now being given such a wonderful job that I love and wonderful co-workers, I can say that this area of my life is one that I am truly excited about every day.  I love the work I do and I can't wait to see what God is going to do with it.  In my financial crises, I've been shown what God can do with less, and to be content with less.  More than that, to rejoice in having less.  I've learned how to manage my finances wisely, with biblical principals.  Through death and family trials I have learned to love and value the (sometimes messy) relationships I have with them.  I've grown closer to them, I can't even begin to calculate how valuable that is and I wouldn't trade them for the world.  I'm especially thankful today that my brother, who wasn't able to be with us for the holidays last year, will be here today.  He is alive, healthy, happy, and free from his chains.  I can't praise God enough for that.

There are so many more blessings I could list, but I'll end with my greatest and that's this: through everything, I have learned to lean on God and trust him fully with my life.  He has faithfully proven to me over and over that he is good, that he loves me (and you too, more than we can fathom), that he will never leave me, that he will never fail me.  It's not always easy to lay my burdens at his feet, but when I finally do my Savior comes through in ways I never imagined possible.  My greatest blessing is knowing my Heavenly Father, the personal relationship I have with him, and being able to share that with you.

I hope your holiday is filled with warmth, love and fellowship with those dearest to you.

Confessions

Don't worry...this isn't the post where I tell you that my chick on the side said she's got one on the way.  That's coming next week.  J/K, J/K...I hope you guys know the song, otherwise, this got awkward really fast.  If I were a super hero, I think my super power would be creating awkward situations.  Then, my arch enemy would just get so uncomfortable they would leave.  Non-violent, no bloodshed, no messy spiderwebs to clean up...just incredibly uncomfortable to watch.  Alright, we got off topic way fast.  I told you guys a few weeks ago that I would write something worth reading soon, so here it is!

What am I confessing, you ask?  Are you ready for this?  It's gonna get uncomfortable (guess I wasn't too far off topic).  I am confessing my faith in Jesus Christ.  I'm a Christian.  I love my Jesus, and I can't get enough of him. I would hope so dearly that this is clear by my actions and the example I set, but it needs to be said aloud.  I have long believed that the very best way to share God's love and His promises for us is through actions.  Being the hands and feet of Jesus.  And I still do believe that, but I have come to realize that God's word needs to come in to the equation too.  Actions may speak louder, but words carry so much weight.

I've always shied away from conversations about my faith for many reasons.  I'm not a scholar or a theologist.  I don't know the Bible inside and out.  I'm always scared that someone will want to debate me, and I am terrible at debating.  I also worry that I may unintentionally present the Lord as unholy, or say the wrong thing and cause someone else to stumble.  Mainly, because I don't have all the answers.  I've realized though, no person on Earth has all the answers.  No one is perfect.  It's impossible.  That's why I believe, because I'm not perfect.  You don't have to be perfect to accept Jesus, that is what is so simple and so hard to understand sometimes.  You don't change for Jesus, Jesus changes you.  We don't live for God, we live with God.  I want to share my faith because I have been blessed beyond measure, and I want everyone to be able to experience that.  I want to share my source of hope, joy, love, peace, and patience.  I've been selfish for too long.

I Found It!

Something else to cross off my 12 By 2012 list...I found a church to call home!  I am so joyful about this...I can't stop smiling.  Bonus: They need help in their Early Childhood Ministry, particularly pre-K...my fave age group.  God is so good!