"If monotony tries me, and I cannot stand drudgery; if stupid people fret me and the little ruffles set me on edge; if I make much of the trifles of life, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
-Amy Carmichael
Lord, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.-- My all-time favorite quote (and I'm big on quotes so that's saying a lot)
I'm faced with a challenge today... Acceptance. Would anyone care to agree that acceptance is one of the hardest challenges we face? Yet, I've been convicted about accepting some things in my life.
I need to learn to accept who I am. The Lord made every part of me. He made me (physically) the way he wanted me. He made me short, with brown hair, and brown eyes. I must learn to accept that I am not a tall, blue-eyed, blond. To not accept this is to say that God made a mistake. I wish I could get that through my own head.
I need to learn to accept the way my life is right now. Sometimes things are just hard. But that never changes that fact that God is still good. I must accept that He has a plan and that He hasn't forgotten me. He knows exactly where I am and what I need and what my family needs. He's always working out His purpose.
I need to learn to accept others. This is a hard one for me for some reason. I seem to have a tendency to want everyone to be like me... I mean, to have the same standards and convictions about things as I do and to care about the same things I do. I have got to learn to accept others where they are. We should never just simply accept sin, but we must allow people time to grow. I seem to always forget that I have not always been where I am now, spiritually. Nor have I attained some great perfection by any means. I can't get mad at people because they don't have the same standards about dress, music, dating, church attendance, or anything else. I didn't use to have these standards either.
It's all about accepting. That's why my prayer is that the Lord would give me peace to accept those things that I cannot change but at the same time the courage to change the things that I have to ability and responsibility to change. And of course, I'm gonna need wisdom to know the difference sometimes, between the things that I can and the things that I cannot change.
Hope this can help someone who maybe has a problem accepting things.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Just some good stuff:
"Why is it that we have more faith that the pieces of a puzzle made by a company in Taiwan will all fit together than we have that the pieces of our life that are presented to us by God will fit together? One person chooses to put like pieces together first, while another chooses to put the edges of the puzzle together first, but neither individual ever really doubts that the puzzle will somehow fit perfectly. The edges in and of themselves probably have little to do with the main image or idea of the puzzle, yet without it, the puzzle is incomplete. In fact, although these pieces appear to have little to do with the main idea or image, they are nonetheless as important to the puzzle's completion. In the beginning some pieces, even when they fit perfectly together, might not help you to understand what the puzzle is about; only in its completion can you appreciate the parts that at first seemed insignificant and pointless." - James Blanchard Cisneros
"Trust God or worry. Those are the two choices you have in every situation. Trust God and be at peace. Worry and experience stress. Your choices are that simple and you will make your life as peaceful or stressful as you choose to make it." James Blanchard Cisneros
"You find no difficulty in trusting the Lord with the management of the universe, and all the outward creation, and can your case be any more complex or difficult than these, that you need to be anxious or troubled about His management of you? Hannah Whitehall Smith
"Trust God or worry. Those are the two choices you have in every situation. Trust God and be at peace. Worry and experience stress. Your choices are that simple and you will make your life as peaceful or stressful as you choose to make it." James Blanchard Cisneros
"You find no difficulty in trusting the Lord with the management of the universe, and all the outward creation, and can your case be any more complex or difficult than these, that you need to be anxious or troubled about His management of you? Hannah Whitehall Smith
Occupying my mind
I remembered something else I wanted to talk about...
I was really worried about going to sleep last night because I knew my mind was going to want to wander to that person that I'm supposed to be trying to get out of my mind. I had told myself, and been told by others, that I have to MAKE myself not think of him. But I was worried that I would not be able to think of anything else. I didn't know how to make myself not think of something. So I read a Psalm right before bed and I read Psalm 105:4- Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
For some reason that jumped out at me. It was like the Lord said, "yeah, if you try to lay down and go to sleep and not think of him on your own, you won't be able to do it. You need me!" He showed me how to do it. He showed me that to keep my mind off of that guy, I have to keep my mind on Him... seek Him, seek His face. And I must have His strength. I can't do it alone.
I kept repeating that verse to myself until I fell asleep and I'm telling you the honest truth- I didn't think of that guy even once! And I honestly had a wonderful, peaceful night's sleep. Better than I've had in a long time. ( I usually toss and turn a lot)
It may sound cheesy but the Lord really did something great for me last night! I love Him!
I was really worried about going to sleep last night because I knew my mind was going to want to wander to that person that I'm supposed to be trying to get out of my mind. I had told myself, and been told by others, that I have to MAKE myself not think of him. But I was worried that I would not be able to think of anything else. I didn't know how to make myself not think of something. So I read a Psalm right before bed and I read Psalm 105:4- Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
For some reason that jumped out at me. It was like the Lord said, "yeah, if you try to lay down and go to sleep and not think of him on your own, you won't be able to do it. You need me!" He showed me how to do it. He showed me that to keep my mind off of that guy, I have to keep my mind on Him... seek Him, seek His face. And I must have His strength. I can't do it alone.
I kept repeating that verse to myself until I fell asleep and I'm telling you the honest truth- I didn't think of that guy even once! And I honestly had a wonderful, peaceful night's sleep. Better than I've had in a long time. ( I usually toss and turn a lot)
It may sound cheesy but the Lord really did something great for me last night! I love Him!
I surrender all!
That has been my song for the past 2 days.
I'm having a wonderful day! I'm really tired from work, it seemed to drag on and on today, but I have so much peace right now. Last night, I finally broke contact with someone who I've been needing to get away from for a while now. He's a good guy and I wish it didn't have to be this way but it does. It's not even really his fault... it's me. But nevertheless, it had to be done, for our own good. But ever since then, I have had such great peace. I had good devotions this morning and things are going good so far... granted- it's only been one day but still... :)
Here's a lesson I've had to learn more than once- If God tells you to get rid of something (or someone) in your life... DO IT! You will only be miserable until you do. You have to get rid of pride and stop worrying about what will happen and just give it to God. Easier said than done- believe me I know!
A girl in my dorm this past year did a devotion on something I will never forget. She called it the "Palms up life". She explained that when we live our life holding on to everything WE want, we live our life with closed fists. That's how you hold onto something. And if you picture someone with their fists clenched tight around something, you can imagine they would probably get tired and probably looks strained. That's how we get when we try to hold onto things that God may not want there. But if we live with our palms up (hands wide open and lifted up to God) He can take what He wants.... and also give what He wants, when He wants, when He knows it will be good for us. And that is such a more peaceful and stress-free way to live.
Ever since I heard that, every once in a while, when I feel like I'm trying to hold onto my life too much, I just literally turn my hands over and show my palms to God. Because even though I try to control everything and I want it my way a lot, deep down, I really do want what GOD wants for me. He has something so much better for me than I have planned! I know I sound all spiritual right now, but this is something that I struggle to remember. But hopefully I can help someone else to remember it.
Please read these quotes on Surrendering your life to God: Enjoy!
"Commit every particle of your being in all things, down to the smallest details of your life, eagerly and with perfect trust to the unfailing and most sure providence of God." Jean-Pierre de Caussade
"We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, "I give up, Lord; here's my life. I give you my world, the whole world." Bruce Larson
"What are you afraid of? Let God act. Abandon yourself to Him. You will suffer, but you will suffer with love, peace and consolation. You will fight, but you can carry off the victory, and God Himself, after having fought with you, will crown you with His own hand. You will weep, but your tears will be sweet, and God Himself will come with satisfaction to dry them. You will not be free any longer to give yourself up to your tyrannic passions, but you will sacrifice your liberty freely, and you will enter into a new liberty unknown to the world"Francois Fenelon
"The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you. To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else." Bernadette Devlin
"The will of God for your life is simply that you submit yourself to Him each day and say,
"Father, Your will for today is mine. Your pleasure for today is mine. Your work for today is mine. I trust You to be God. You lead me today and I will follow." Kay Arthur
"God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him." Jim Elliot
"What 'one thing', what person, what position, what passion immediately comes to mind when you hear this question? "What one thing would you say to God.. Oh Lord, I will give you anything, I will do anything for you, I will go anywhere, I will give away anything... but that?" The answer to that question is the 'one thing' you need to give to the Lord, more than anything else. Often, when we surrender such a deep sense of ownership to the Lord, He in his loving grace will allow us to have that 'one thing' again, with the caution to remember we are only stewards of that 'one thing.' Oftentimes, He, in his wisdom, does not allow us to have that 'one thing' back. It is a step of submission and obedience; and a risk that is vitally important for the sake of our spiritual growth."-Katherine Walden (This is SO true!)
"Give your life to God; he can do more with it than you can!" Dwight L. Moody
"Lord, whatever you want, wherever you want it, and whenever you want it, that's what I want." Richard Baxter
"If my life is surrendered to God, all is well. Let me not grab it back, as though it were in peril in His hand but would be safer in mine! " Elisabeth Elliot
"People who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks: 1. they are facing only one direction, 2. they can never turn back, and 3. they no longer have plans of their own." --A.W. Tozer
I hope that I can better learn to live this way!
I'm having a wonderful day! I'm really tired from work, it seemed to drag on and on today, but I have so much peace right now. Last night, I finally broke contact with someone who I've been needing to get away from for a while now. He's a good guy and I wish it didn't have to be this way but it does. It's not even really his fault... it's me. But nevertheless, it had to be done, for our own good. But ever since then, I have had such great peace. I had good devotions this morning and things are going good so far... granted- it's only been one day but still... :)
Here's a lesson I've had to learn more than once- If God tells you to get rid of something (or someone) in your life... DO IT! You will only be miserable until you do. You have to get rid of pride and stop worrying about what will happen and just give it to God. Easier said than done- believe me I know!
A girl in my dorm this past year did a devotion on something I will never forget. She called it the "Palms up life". She explained that when we live our life holding on to everything WE want, we live our life with closed fists. That's how you hold onto something. And if you picture someone with their fists clenched tight around something, you can imagine they would probably get tired and probably looks strained. That's how we get when we try to hold onto things that God may not want there. But if we live with our palms up (hands wide open and lifted up to God) He can take what He wants.... and also give what He wants, when He wants, when He knows it will be good for us. And that is such a more peaceful and stress-free way to live.
Ever since I heard that, every once in a while, when I feel like I'm trying to hold onto my life too much, I just literally turn my hands over and show my palms to God. Because even though I try to control everything and I want it my way a lot, deep down, I really do want what GOD wants for me. He has something so much better for me than I have planned! I know I sound all spiritual right now, but this is something that I struggle to remember. But hopefully I can help someone else to remember it.
Please read these quotes on Surrendering your life to God: Enjoy!
"Commit every particle of your being in all things, down to the smallest details of your life, eagerly and with perfect trust to the unfailing and most sure providence of God." Jean-Pierre de Caussade
"We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, "I give up, Lord; here's my life. I give you my world, the whole world." Bruce Larson
"What are you afraid of? Let God act. Abandon yourself to Him. You will suffer, but you will suffer with love, peace and consolation. You will fight, but you can carry off the victory, and God Himself, after having fought with you, will crown you with His own hand. You will weep, but your tears will be sweet, and God Himself will come with satisfaction to dry them. You will not be free any longer to give yourself up to your tyrannic passions, but you will sacrifice your liberty freely, and you will enter into a new liberty unknown to the world"Francois Fenelon
"The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you. To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else." Bernadette Devlin
"The will of God for your life is simply that you submit yourself to Him each day and say,
"Father, Your will for today is mine. Your pleasure for today is mine. Your work for today is mine. I trust You to be God. You lead me today and I will follow." Kay Arthur
"God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him." Jim Elliot
"What 'one thing', what person, what position, what passion immediately comes to mind when you hear this question? "What one thing would you say to God.. Oh Lord, I will give you anything, I will do anything for you, I will go anywhere, I will give away anything... but that?" The answer to that question is the 'one thing' you need to give to the Lord, more than anything else. Often, when we surrender such a deep sense of ownership to the Lord, He in his loving grace will allow us to have that 'one thing' again, with the caution to remember we are only stewards of that 'one thing.' Oftentimes, He, in his wisdom, does not allow us to have that 'one thing' back. It is a step of submission and obedience; and a risk that is vitally important for the sake of our spiritual growth."-Katherine Walden (This is SO true!)
"Give your life to God; he can do more with it than you can!" Dwight L. Moody
"Lord, whatever you want, wherever you want it, and whenever you want it, that's what I want." Richard Baxter
"If my life is surrendered to God, all is well. Let me not grab it back, as though it were in peril in His hand but would be safer in mine! " Elisabeth Elliot
"People who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks: 1. they are facing only one direction, 2. they can never turn back, and 3. they no longer have plans of their own." --A.W. Tozer
I hope that I can better learn to live this way!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Getting back where I need to be
"I've heard it said that a day of worry
Is rougher than a week of working hard
I've looked too long at what concerns me
Instead of just looking at who you are
I'm gonna start trusting in your timing
And trusting in your love
Cuz as long as my life is in your hands
I'm gonna be taken care of
No more lettin' the clouds of tomorrow
Steal the sunshine of today
No more living in fear and sorrow
For what hasn't come my way
No more lookin' for trouble to borrow
Gonna take what comes with faith
No more lettin' the clouds of tomorrow
Steal the sunshine of today
You tell me to cast my cares upon you
In everything I do I always see
That even before I ask you, Jesus
You know what I need
Cuz you care for me
There's so much that you've shown me lately
Reminding me again
It's an old, old truth that worry ends
Where trusting you begins"
Legacy 5
I've been praying and reading my Bible the past couple of days and I really feel like I know what I need to do... the first step anyways. I was begging the Lord to show me something and I ended up in Isaiah 58. (Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Bible... practically the whole thing is underlined.) This chapter is talking about the proper way to fast and then in verses 8-10 it explains how to hear from the Lord when you are praying about something and fasting. It says, basically, that you need to get rid of the things that are enslaving you and distracting you and keeping you from a right relationship with Him and then get the focus off of yourself and focus on helping others. Then it says in verse 11 that if we do this then the Lord will guide us continually. That was such a blessing to me. So now I know what I need to do. I have to get rid of the things in my life that are distracting me, as much as it's going to hurt and focus on helping other people. So that's what I'm going to do. Then, I'm praying that the Lord will be able to speak to me and guide me and show me what the next step in my life is.
Is rougher than a week of working hard
I've looked too long at what concerns me
Instead of just looking at who you are
I'm gonna start trusting in your timing
And trusting in your love
Cuz as long as my life is in your hands
I'm gonna be taken care of
No more lettin' the clouds of tomorrow
Steal the sunshine of today
No more living in fear and sorrow
For what hasn't come my way
No more lookin' for trouble to borrow
Gonna take what comes with faith
No more lettin' the clouds of tomorrow
Steal the sunshine of today
You tell me to cast my cares upon you
In everything I do I always see
That even before I ask you, Jesus
You know what I need
Cuz you care for me
There's so much that you've shown me lately
Reminding me again
It's an old, old truth that worry ends
Where trusting you begins"
Legacy 5
I've been praying and reading my Bible the past couple of days and I really feel like I know what I need to do... the first step anyways. I was begging the Lord to show me something and I ended up in Isaiah 58. (Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Bible... practically the whole thing is underlined.) This chapter is talking about the proper way to fast and then in verses 8-10 it explains how to hear from the Lord when you are praying about something and fasting. It says, basically, that you need to get rid of the things that are enslaving you and distracting you and keeping you from a right relationship with Him and then get the focus off of yourself and focus on helping others. Then it says in verse 11 that if we do this then the Lord will guide us continually. That was such a blessing to me. So now I know what I need to do. I have to get rid of the things in my life that are distracting me, as much as it's going to hurt and focus on helping other people. So that's what I'm going to do. Then, I'm praying that the Lord will be able to speak to me and guide me and show me what the next step in my life is.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Confusion!
"If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.” Amy Carmichael
I so desperately want to know what God's will is! I'm having a bit of a hard time right now discerning what God's will is. Here's my confession... I've been neglecting my Bible reading lately and my prayer life has been pretty shallow. Confessing that is not the hard part. How do I fix it? I seriously do not know how to get out of this rut! I'm just stuck! I want to read my Bible everyday and get something from it but I don't. I want to be a prayer warrior and reach God for people and have a clear communication line with God but it's not like that. What do I do?
I'm so confused about what the Lord wants for my life. I still don't know if being in the ministry is the what the Lord wants. I can't imagine any other life but then if you knew my spiritual life you would know that I'm probably not ministry material. I can't even be consistent with my Bible reading for a week straight and haven't led someone to the Lord in a long while.
There is also a person in my life right now that I'm not sure is supposed to be there but I'm not sure what to do about it. I like them being there.... a lot! But I don't know if it's good for me nor is it what God probably has for me. But then, for certain reasons, I start wondering if it is what He has for me. Why do I get like this. Why can't I just stay close to Him and leave my life in His hands. I don't have peace right now. I feel very lost and confused and it's making me miserable. I need the joy of the Lord back. Does anyone else ever feel this way?
I just want to know what God has for me. I want to be close enough to Him that he doesn't have to scream at me. I want to live my life so that a whisper is enough. It's something that I do truly desire and I'm going to work at. I'll keep you posted.
"There's a place
Of quiet comfort
I know there is Joy
Beyond what I can see
When I am weak
I run to the Savior
I know he in all his love
Will lead me
Lead me to the rock
That is higher than I
Lead me to the fountain
That never shall run dry
Lead me when my soul is faint
And I ask "Why"
Lead me, Lord, Lead On
When the path
Ahead is stormy
When the waves
That surround overwhelm
When your life
Keeps on tossing, rolling, turning
I know he, in all his strength
Will lift you high"
The Hooker Sisters
I so desperately want to know what God's will is! I'm having a bit of a hard time right now discerning what God's will is. Here's my confession... I've been neglecting my Bible reading lately and my prayer life has been pretty shallow. Confessing that is not the hard part. How do I fix it? I seriously do not know how to get out of this rut! I'm just stuck! I want to read my Bible everyday and get something from it but I don't. I want to be a prayer warrior and reach God for people and have a clear communication line with God but it's not like that. What do I do?
I'm so confused about what the Lord wants for my life. I still don't know if being in the ministry is the what the Lord wants. I can't imagine any other life but then if you knew my spiritual life you would know that I'm probably not ministry material. I can't even be consistent with my Bible reading for a week straight and haven't led someone to the Lord in a long while.
There is also a person in my life right now that I'm not sure is supposed to be there but I'm not sure what to do about it. I like them being there.... a lot! But I don't know if it's good for me nor is it what God probably has for me. But then, for certain reasons, I start wondering if it is what He has for me. Why do I get like this. Why can't I just stay close to Him and leave my life in His hands. I don't have peace right now. I feel very lost and confused and it's making me miserable. I need the joy of the Lord back. Does anyone else ever feel this way?
I just want to know what God has for me. I want to be close enough to Him that he doesn't have to scream at me. I want to live my life so that a whisper is enough. It's something that I do truly desire and I'm going to work at. I'll keep you posted.
"There's a place
Of quiet comfort
I know there is Joy
Beyond what I can see
When I am weak
I run to the Savior
I know he in all his love
Will lead me
Lead me to the rock
That is higher than I
Lead me to the fountain
That never shall run dry
Lead me when my soul is faint
And I ask "Why"
Lead me, Lord, Lead On
When the path
Ahead is stormy
When the waves
That surround overwhelm
When your life
Keeps on tossing, rolling, turning
I know he, in all his strength
Will lift you high"
The Hooker Sisters
Saturday, July 19, 2008
My quirks
My mom tagged me with this thing where I'm supposed to post 6 quirky things about myself. So here we go. Some of them might just be little known facts and not necessarily quirky but oh well...
1. I'm a big time movie quoter! lol- If it's a movie I liked I can quote just about the whole thing. (I have a pretty good memory like that) And me and my mom and brother and friends quote movies ALL the time, whenever it fits into a conversation. Sometimes I will do that with people who have no idea what I'm talking about and I get some really weird looks. I just tell them "It's from a movie..."
2. I have a genuine phobia of birds. Anything with feathers. When I was little, my brother was literally attacked by a rooster. Ever since then, they seriously scare me to death. I'm a grown woman now, and if you bring a bird anywhere near me, I will probably scream and run in the other direction. lol Ostriches are the devil! And turkeys are evil too.
3. My parents and brother and I are Andy Griffith addicts! We have dvds of that show and watch them over and over and over, and it's also something that we like to quote often. ("He's a nut!"- Barney Fife's words of Earnest T. Bass. And- "I said you could stay but not on the bed!"- What Otis says to the imaginary elephant in his cell on the episode 'Otis the Hot Rod'- One of my favorite episodes.)
4. I pick at my nails when I get nervous talking to someone and I shake really bad when I have to have a confrontation with someone. Oh! And I have a really hard time making eye contact with people unless I'm really comfortable with them. If I can make eye contact with you for longer than 2 seconds, you should feel special. We must be getting pretty close. lol
5. I have a hard time thinking of things to talk about with people unless I feel really close to them but I could sit down and write them a 10 page letter. I love to write.
6. I am a picky eater (although I'm getting better at trying new things... Thanks Amy and Josh!) and I don't eat Strawberries or cherries but I love just about anything strawberry or cherry flavored except ice cream. Weird I know. lol
Well, there ya go. Don't know who would care to read that but hey, now you know a little more about me. How much of that did you already know? :)
1. I'm a big time movie quoter! lol- If it's a movie I liked I can quote just about the whole thing. (I have a pretty good memory like that) And me and my mom and brother and friends quote movies ALL the time, whenever it fits into a conversation. Sometimes I will do that with people who have no idea what I'm talking about and I get some really weird looks. I just tell them "It's from a movie..."
2. I have a genuine phobia of birds. Anything with feathers. When I was little, my brother was literally attacked by a rooster. Ever since then, they seriously scare me to death. I'm a grown woman now, and if you bring a bird anywhere near me, I will probably scream and run in the other direction. lol Ostriches are the devil! And turkeys are evil too.
3. My parents and brother and I are Andy Griffith addicts! We have dvds of that show and watch them over and over and over, and it's also something that we like to quote often. ("He's a nut!"- Barney Fife's words of Earnest T. Bass. And- "I said you could stay but not on the bed!"- What Otis says to the imaginary elephant in his cell on the episode 'Otis the Hot Rod'- One of my favorite episodes.)
4. I pick at my nails when I get nervous talking to someone and I shake really bad when I have to have a confrontation with someone. Oh! And I have a really hard time making eye contact with people unless I'm really comfortable with them. If I can make eye contact with you for longer than 2 seconds, you should feel special. We must be getting pretty close. lol
5. I have a hard time thinking of things to talk about with people unless I feel really close to them but I could sit down and write them a 10 page letter. I love to write.
6. I am a picky eater (although I'm getting better at trying new things... Thanks Amy and Josh!) and I don't eat Strawberries or cherries but I love just about anything strawberry or cherry flavored except ice cream. Weird I know. lol
Well, there ya go. Don't know who would care to read that but hey, now you know a little more about me. How much of that did you already know? :)
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