Sometimes I think that we can have the wrong idea of leadership. Have you ever participated in a group project or activity? When I was fifteen years old, I joined the youth worship band at my church. Band was my favorite night of the week. But being involved with a group of about eight individuals, it didn’t take me long to realize that we all can lead a group without even realizing that we’re doing it. I call this: being an “attitude leader.” In our band, we had one person who was designated the “leader” of the group and organized our meetings. Because I was not that leader, I assumed I was not responsible for leading any aspect of the group. Yet, slowly I began to notice how each of us were leading in our own way. If one of us was in a bad mood and shared negative input, immediately everyone else would get negative. If one of us was worried about a performance, it was like a ripple effect that caused everyone else to start worrying. Whether we realized it or not, we were all being leaders. My mother has always taught me that our attitude has an effect on those around us. And whether she meant to or not, she was teaching me a new concept of leadership. If we think that leadership is only for those who have the title of “leader” then we have the wrong idea of leadership. Everyone can be a leader, because everyone has the opportunity to shape the attitudes of those around them by their own attitude. Although I first started to learn this in a small gym around a few musical instruments, I see that this concept of leadership plays out in every group, and especially in our work environments. When you clock-in at work, whether or not you have the title of “manager” or “leader,” you are given the opportunity to lead your co-workers in a positive way. Maybe someone on your team—or even a customer—is having a rough day. Do your best to cheer them up, serve them, and make them smile. Maybe something about the day doesn’t go as planned and it can be tempting to get frustrated and express negativity. Instead, pause and consider how your negative attitude could affect the entire team and the customers you are serving. Bring out the positives of every situation, even when it’s not always easy. If you don't have a job yet, consider how you're leading at home, or at school, or in your group of friends. Maybe you're even in a worship team and you need to recognize that your attitude needs a little bit of shaping up. Is your attitude worthy of being followed? If a co-worker, friend, or family member were to pick up the attitude you are displaying, would they be more positive or more negative? A great way to keep our attitude one that is worthy of being followed is to constantly give thanks. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 instructs us to, “give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Even when a situation is less than ideal, make it your goal to point out what you are grateful for anyway. I’ve learned that while you may not get results right away, if you keep being positive no matter what, eventually others will follow your lead. Are you leading with a good attitude today? To the one who thinks they've run too far...
If you watch little kids with their parents long enough, you'll notice that most of them like to run away and be chased. I remember the story my mom told me of a time when my twin and I were just little and she brought us out to the yard, I ran one way and Kenzie ran the other way. Hence my mom got a fence for our yard. Little kids love to run and be chased, just watch any group of kids playing "tag, you're it!" And if you watch a little kid run from their parents, you'll probably notice them turn around just to see if their parent is following. Their parent of course pursues them and catches them. They never run too far that their parent doesn't follow after them. Sometimes as adults we can run a little bit like children too, can't we? Surely you must know what I mean as you lower your head just a little bit thinking about how far you've run. Maybe you've run into sin and got so far into it that you couldn't find your way out so you just kept running. Maybe you've run away from God's plan for you and ended up in a bad situation caused by thinking you had a better plan. It's funny how we can think that, isn't it? Or maybe you got hurt so deeply that you ran away from any close relationships and pushed everyone away...including God. I know I've done all those things before. Let me remind you of a little story about a man named Jonah. And I say "remind you" because I'm sure you've heard the story before. The disobedient prophet who ran from God's calling and ended up in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights? Yep, that's the one. You see, God called Jonah to a task that he wasn't exactly happy about or brimming with excitement to accomplish. God called Jonah to preach His message to the people of Nineveh. A people that Jonah couldn't stand, a people that had bullied Jonah's people, and a people that were very wicked in the sight of God. So what did Jonah do instead of following God's call? He went for a boat ride. He ran. He went running from God and God's calling on his life. Can you relate? I know I can, cause I've done that too. Gone running from God thinking that I knew better, when I really didn't know anything at all. But did God let him go? Did God just let him run and stop pursuing him? Did God say, "Well, he's gone too far this time"? No...not once. God not only pursued him, but He set up a rescue plan for him via the whale express. And in the bottom of the ocean, in the stinky, dark belly of a whale, God met Jonah there with His mercy and His love and His redemption. You can never run too far that God won't pursue you and find you there. Not only that, but God picked Jonah back up and sent him on his way. He didn't count Jonah out because he'd run. In His mercy He gave Jonah chance number two. Like He always does so graciously for us. Friend, I don't know why or how or where you've run from God. I don't know what place you're at right now in the dark. Maybe you're not even sure how to make your way back to God. Let me assure you...God is already coming after you and He's right there, ready for you to fall on Him and come home. Like a patient Father, He pursues us when we run. He never, ever gives up on us. There is no place too dark or too high or too far for His love to stop reaching. Praise Him for that. Wherever your running has brought you, dear one, won't you turn around right now where you're at? Turn around and lift your head. You're going to find that He stuck with you all along. Fall on Him and come home. This past week I had the privilege of speaking at a local women's event called Refresh which is part of The Connection. I had a wonderful time meeting the ladies at this event and sharing my heart and message. My speech was recorded and although the video quality is pretty low (and yes, the video turns sideways as well, haha), I uploaded it to YouTube because I believe this message is one that could encourage many of you. I wanted to share it here today and remind you what changing the world really looks like. I'd love to hear what you think. Happy Monday <3 Hi friends! Today I am welcoming Olivia White to my little space on the internet so she can share a little piece of her world with all of you. I'd love for you to read and then leave a comment, welcoming Olivia today. At the beginning of sixth grade, I walked into a new church with new people–around five hundred new people. Compared to my small church from elementary school, it felt as if I’d been plucked out of my peaceful pond and dropped into a raging sea. With all this pressure added to the general difficulties of transitioning to middle school life, I was sinking from the start. Every week I saw dozens of teens who appeared to be blissfully ignorant of reality, safe and secure in their own little Christian bubbles of happiness and perfection, hanging out together on a regular basis. And me? I was an outsider, a misfit, a quirk in the system. I was the kid with mentally ill siblings. I was the kid who disliked volleyball and dodgeball and every kind of athletic activity. I was the kid who didn’t get invited to see the newest movie or come over to hang out, because nobody thought about the new girl. Between anxiety, depression, and the overwhelming weight of loneliness, I struggled with just being alive. I couldn’t chase the elusive concept of happiness or claim any reason for existence. Life felt meaningless, desperate, empty. Somehow, though, the struggle I faced was worthwhile. Those days and weeks and months were crucial as I grew to truly know God, to find my strength and hope and purpose in Him. If it weren’t for the pain I went through, I never would have learned the beauty of His love. God Loves Misfits The Samaritan adulteress. Tax collectors. Lepers. Gentiles. These are the ones that were despised, detested by His society; and yet Jesus reached out to them in compassion. He saw beyond their labels and offered them the solution to their real disease: He cleansed their sin. He guided them into His fold and made them a part of His flock. Even when I am rejected by friends, family, and society itself, I will never be rejected by God. No condescending glances, no footsteps passing me by, no voice telling me I am unworthy can ever undo what Christ has done. He calls to us, knows us, and makes us His own. And no one--no one--can take that away from us. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27-28 Rejection Cuts Deep Rejection is one of the deepest cuts to a young person’s soul. It says we don’t measure up. It questions our worth. It leaves us lonely and longing for love and acceptance, while doubting anyone cares. Jesus is the solace for our weary souls. He isn’t merely a salve for our immediate emotional pain, but rather, He reaches our questioning hearts with the deepest answers, offering us the strongest solution to the pain we feel. Instead of patching up the leaks, He gives us a whole new foundation. He rebuilds us, joining together each broken piece with His own strength. We don’t have to measure up to the world’s standards. We don’t have to play the silly games and compare ourselves with others, desperately trying to be the most beautiful, the most witty, the most smart, the most loved. God’s desire for us is simple: Hear His voice. Know Him and be known. Follow Him with all your heart. This is the key to true peace and joy. It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way We know the promise of Jesus, and we eagerly await His return. But the hope of heaven doesn’t take away the sting of loneliness here on earth. We want to meet Jesus in the here and now. We want to truly see Him, to feel His embrace. We were made to be in direct fellowship with God. Even though His Spirit is within us, strengthening us and encouraging us, there is still a sense of waiting, a longing for something more. That “something more” is the culmination of all of God’s work throughout history. It’s when all the death and darkness of this world is put away and everything will be made new. When the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will personally wipe away every tear. Here on this cursed earth, life will always be scarred by sin and its side effects. We will face rejection and betrayal. We will be ignored and let down. The tears don’t just disappear–not yet, anyway. Still, we must believe and remember He will never leave us or forsake us. He isn’t physically present with us, but He sees every tear. He felt that pain for us. He loves us the same, and His promises remain true. He is always with us, fighting for us, watching over us. And through Him, we hold onto hope. God’s Opinion Matters We belong to the Good Shepherd. Apart from Him, outside of His flock, there is no hope, no life, no future. Only by His blood can we find our identity in Him. “And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:31-34 Ultimately, God’s acceptance is the only opinion that matters. He is the one who holds the key to the kingdom of eternal peace and joy, a kingdom whose citizenship is based on faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and a wholehearted devotion to Him. So we press on in the midst of our oceans. We journey through unfamiliar waters and turbulent seas with His Word as our guide, His promises our light. We trust in Him even as we fight against the pain and we long for Him even as we struggle to see His goodness. We remember all that He has done for us and hope in all that He will do. No matter how hard it gets, He is always with us. His acceptance is the only one that should matter to us, and it’s the one we will always have as His children. Rest in that comfort today. Rest in His love, His understanding, His grace. Even when the world rejects you, you are always welcome in His arms. Olivia Morgan White is a high school junior and a college freshman. In addition to writing regularly for The Rebelution, she dabbles in various genres, especially realistic fiction. You can find more of her writing at oliviamorganwhite.com or follow her on instagram @livimuffin_11 I have never liked uncertainty. Uncertainty stresses me out and makes me anxious. When I feel anxious I worry. I’m like the queen of worry. Worry causes me to overthink and that causes me to jump to conclusions about every single worst case scenario possibility in the world. (You feel me?) But sometimes the funny thing is that all those things I worry so much about? Everything I get anxious over? Half of it doesn’t even happen. And if it does happen? It’s really not as bad as I thought it would be. And if it is as bad as I thought it would be? It doesn't last forever. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about this verse in Philippians 4:6-7 that says: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” How many times do I pray about something and say that I “give it to God” and then keep on worrying about it? Or how many times do I feel anxious over something that I can’t even control anyway? Friends, when we pray about something and then continue to worry about it, we inadvertently doubt the ability of God. God is God and we are not. He is in control and we are not. He knows exactly what He is doing and we don’t. There has never been anyone that you can trust more than God. He is always trustworthy, always faithful. He has never failed you or me before. But yeah, I completely understand how difficult it is to actually let go, stop worrying, stop focusing on the anxiety, and just let God handle it. Anxiety is a powerful thing that can't always be easily controlled. Even so, here are two things that have helped me do this better: I have always believed that anxiety is a spiritual attack. The way it makes it harder to breathe or the way I get so stressed out I don’t think I can do normal tasks. Something that has helped me is every time worry starts knocking on my door, or anxiety starts to pound on my chest, I pause. In that pause I simply pray, “I trust You, Lord,” and I keep focusing on the task in front of me. Does it work right away? Does the anxiety disappear instantly? Absolutely not. But if I pause and pray that simple prayer--I trust You, Lord—every time the anxiety starts up, then I am slowly conquering the devil’s tactic to keep me from trusting. The second thing that helps me trust the Lord instead of focusing on my anxiety is when I remember. I remember the faithfulness of the Lord in the past. When we focus our thoughts on how God has been faithful and trustworthy to us in the past, it reminds us that no matter what we are facing in the future, He’s going to be faithful and trustworthy for that too. Keep your heart focused on Him, friend. Don’t be anxious for anything. Let His peace rule in your heart. He is forever faithful. *Photo taken from http://www.icanonlyimagine.com/videosphotos* I’ve been listening to I Can Only Imagine for years.
It was the hit song that took radio by storm. This song was topping charts on Christian and secular radio stations since its release. When I first heard that there was going to be a movie based off the story of this song, I was instantly intrigued. I had been a MercyMe fan for awhile and I was curious as to how good this movie might be. The movie blew away all expectations and left me in tears and with a full heart. I only cry on movies that are really good and that touch my heart deeply, so when I walked out of the theater with wet eyes, I knew I needed time to process all that this movie taught. And it really did teach so much. Here’s just a glimpse… Forgiveness is always an option. Sometimes we can look at certain sins and think, “Oh, that’s too bad. That’s unforgivable.” Or we can feel hurt deep in our hearts and wonder if forgiveness could ever actually happen. The true story of Bart Millard and his dad showed us on a big screen that forgiveness is always an option. An easy option? Of course not. But it’s worth it. Each of us has sinned. Each of us has hurt others. Each of us has broken God’s law and each of us has needed His forgiveness. If we want to live a little bit more like Jesus, we must offer the forgiveness that was offered to us. God is in the business of redemption. Nothing is too damaged that He can’t repair it. No one is too far gone. There is no broken piece of your life that He can’t redeem. Redemption takes the broken pieces and makes them a whole brand new beautiful. The process is anything but easy and it may be painful at times. But it’s so worth it in the end. Give Him the broken pieces. As we saw in Bart’s story, God took all those broken pieces and He turned them into something that only He could. Someday we will not remember our pain, standing in His presence. I Can Only Imagine, the song, speaks of what it could possibly be like to finally be in the presence of the God of the universe. Truly, it is only something that we can imagine. As I look back over ashes of my own broken dreams, and wounds from painful memories, I contemplate this thought. We all have those wounded, broken places in us. But can you just imagine what it will be like to be in His presence? The pain will no longer be there. For He has promised that there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. He makes everything new. All you have to do is ask Him to be a part of your life so you can spend that eternity with Him someday. Whatever you are going through today, it’s not going to last forever. Hold onto that. Pain is inevitable in this world. But you don’t have to stay there. You can step into your bright, new future. And someday we'll be with Him forever. Truly…we can only imagine how wonderful that will be. I'm sure you're a little bit curious or puzzled by the heading of this blog post and I wouldn't blame you. #LivBelWriMo. What on earth? Well, don't fear because I have a very good explanation to offer you! Have you ever tried to craft a 50,000 word novel in November as a part of NaNoWriMo? (National Novel Writing Month.) Last year I participated in NaNo for my first year and made it halfway, to 25,000 words. I blame this entirely on the fact that my computer died halfway through the month. Regardless, it was rough for me spending so much time writing a novel when I'm not necessarily dedicated to fiction. I love fiction and hope to publish it someday, but for now non-fiction is my genre of choice. I contemplated whether or not I would do NaNo again this year in November. Would I attempt such a massive task once again? I questioned if I even wanted to dedicate so much to a novel when I really needed to get a new devotional written. Not to mention, this November is going to be super busy for me. I really didn't have the time. So I talked to my dear friend Livy. If you are familiar with Livy and I, we run our own writing coaching business for young writers called, Cheerleader Sessions. Livy said that she also was having a crazy November and didn't think that she could get 50,000 words done that month. She simply tossed out the idea: "What if we ran our own 50,000 word writing challenge in October?" So that, my friends, is what we have done. LivBelWriMo is our very own, Livy and Bella Writing Month for the 31 days of October! Our goal is to lead young writers with us in crafting 50,000 words books during the next month. But not just novels. Livy plans to lead the fiction team in crafting 50,000 word novels and I plan to lead the non-fiction team in crafting 50,000 word devotionals/memoirs/anything that falls under the non-fiction category. Do you want to join us? We'd love to have you. Really, we would. The more the merrier! And if you already planned to do NaNo in November, we would still love for you to try for both. Practice in October with us and be well prepared for your November NaNo challenge. 50,000 words is a lot, we know. So we don't plan to leave you on your own. Both Livy and I will be sharing our writing journeys on social media and posting encouragement for you writers throughout the month. We'll primarily be posting on our Instagram page, @cheerleadersessions, so be sure to follow us there. Feel free to share your writing journey on social media too, using the hashtag: #LivBelWriMo. Are you up for the challenge? Let's do this, writers! Let's tackle those 50,000 words. It's October 1st! Jump on board with us now! Will you be joining #LivBelWriMo? If you have any questions, feel free to join the discussion below. I love organizing things. Organization is just part of my personality and I thrive on making sure things run smoothly and in proper order. Since fall is usually a busy season of life with everyone moving back into the normal swing of things after a fun summer, I wanted to offer you some organization tips I have that will help you keep your schedule more orderly this fall. Ready? Keep a planner. I love planners. They're critical in assisting you with keeping things on your schedule organized, so that you don't forget certain things. Most people nowadays keep track of things on their phone, and if that works better for you, that's great. For me personally, I prefer to have a planner that I can hold and write in and carry with me if I need to. Use your planner to keep track of deadlines, special appointments, or exciting upcoming events. Work on your schedule ahead of time. Yes, life happens, and yes, things don't always go according to schedule. But having a tentative schedule to follow is priceless in keeping things organized. Choose a day of the week where you can plan what the rest of your week is going to look like. I love doing this on Mondays, so when Monday comes around I scribble notes in my planner and make lists of my weekly goals. I also tend to schedule which goals I can complete on which days, which prevents me from procrastinating. And that leads me into... Don't procrastinate! Sometimes procrastination just seems easier. Especially if you're busy or tired and you just don't feel like getting stuff done. Sometimes a big bowl of popcorn and Netflix sounds much more appealing than working on that project due next week. From experience, procrastination only leads to more stress and anxiety when you have to rush at the last minute to get everything done. Be wise with your time and plan accordingly to get things done in advance. Save yourself the stress. Have an accountability partner. Do you have a lot in your schedule? Goals and projects that you need to get done? What happens if you keep a schedule full of all your deadlines and projects, but you're still struggling to get it all done on time? Get an accountability partner. Find yourself a friend who can encourage you weekly in your goals and schedule and help you stay on target. Give God your schedule. We can make our plans, but the Lord directs them. (Proverbs 16:9) If we are becoming so caught up in our own little worlds and schedules, that we miss out on the divine appointments that God sends our way, then we're not trusting Him with our schedules. Be open to interruptions. I know none of us enjoy being interrupted when we're working on something. But keep your heart open to the "interruptions" God will send into your day. Embrace them as His divine appointments and be willing to serve Him, even if it means putting aside your own goals or plans. Do you have any organizational tips to share with us? What things help you stay most organized?
To the one who wants to give up...
Maybe today has just been a little more difficult than you would've hoped for. And maybe you're not really sure how to keep going on in this world that can feel so harsh at times. Maybe giving up feels a whole lot easier right now than pushing forward. There are so many demands that you face every day. So much on your plate that you're not sure how to juggle all of it at once. You've faced defeat after defeat in your pursuit of your dreams and you wonder if any of it is even worth it anymore. Giving up may feel easy at the time, but giving up is certainly not what God has called you to do. And in moments like this you can either choose to give up or believe that God truly shows His greatest strength in your greatest weakness. I can't promise that your breakthrough will come immediately. Thomas Edison made over 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at creating the lightbulb before his invention worked. You may face 10, 100, or more than 1,000 defeats before you finally get the victory you've been praying and working for. But I'm asking you to believe with me in every defeat...with my God I can scale any wall. (Psalm 18:29) With your God you can tackle whatever it is that has got you pushed to the ground right now. For in His strength, He doesn't tell you that you can just do some things. In His strength He tells you that you can do ALL things. So keep believing. Keep pressing on. Stand your ground against the attacks of discouragement. Don't ever back down from what God has called you to. Your victory is coming if you keep fighting with Him. But you can't give up. Not now. Not today. Not ever. Keep fighting, brave warrior. This weekend is officially the start of fall. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened exactly, but as I sadly wave goodbye to my favorite season of the year, I look ahead to this new season: fall. The stores are already stocking every product you could possibly imagine in pumpkin spice and breaking out the orange and yellow decor. My sister has never been happier to go to Starbucks and indulge in their pumpkin spice lattes. Fall is a beautiful season, and I don't want to miss it this year. How about you? Well, don't fear because I have compiled a short list of a few ways that you can get the most out of your fall this year! Ready? Let's check them out... 1. Go to a fall festival. I really hope your town has one because these are fun. And if they don't, you're always welcome to come to mine. I can't guarantee that you'll be able to say much when I'm talking your ear off, but that's besides the point. Fall festivals could be things like a pumpkin festival or an apple festival--anything fall related! Invite some friends and have fun with it. 2. Do a nighttime corn maze. I did this a couple years ago with some friends and we went in while the sun was setting but we stayed for awhile even after the sun had gone down. It was so much fun. My one suggestion would be to not try to take shortcuts through the corn in the dark because you can walk head first into giant spiders. I know from personal experience. 3. Pick your own pumpkin. Go to a pumpkin farm or somewhere that has pumpkins and pick out your own! Then have fun bringing it home and decorating it with your family. We usually enjoy painting Bible verses on ours or crosses. 4. Try a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks (or other fall related drink). You should try it just once for the fun of it being fall. Even if you're not a pumpkin spice fan (raises hand). Just try it. 5. Have a fall photoshoot. This is one I'm most excited about simply because I love photography. I'm so excited for the leaves to begin changing colors so we can go out and take cute pictures. Grab a sibling, parent, or friend and go driving around looking for the best trees and places to take photos. Dress up in cute fall clothes if you feel up to it and have fun! 6. Challenge your friends to a fall memory challenge. Fall can be a hard time to keep up with Scripture memorization as things usually get busy with back to school or other activities. Challenge your friends (and yourself!) to keep up with your Scripture memorization by hosting a fall memory challenge. Maybe after your group memorizes your verses, then you could take that trip to the corn maze to celebrate! ;) 7. Keep a thanksgiving journal. Fall reminds us of Thanksgiving coming up and as it approaches, why don't you prepare by keeping a thanksgiving journal full of all the things you are thankful for each day? This will prepare your heart for this special holiday coming up and remind you of how much you have to be grateful for. How are you going to celebrate fall? Do you have any fun activities you like to do?
"You're too young to do that." It's the words every child and teenager hates to hear. We don't like to think that we're too young to do anything. But sometimes...sometimes we say those words to ourselves, don't we? I'm too young to do this or that. I'm too young to pursue the dreams God has given me. I'm too young to make a difference for Jesus. I'm too young... We think we need to wait until we're older, until we have more life experience, or we're more mature. We think that serving Jesus and making a difference for Him magically begins to happen when you reach a certain age or experience. But what if that wasn't true? Because here's the thing...it's not true. And here are four reasons why. Four reasons why you are never too young to make a difference for the glory of Jesus Christ. 1. God has used young people all throughout history. Have you read the stories of David, Mary, Jeremiah, Timothy, or Daniel? And that's only scratching the surface of all the amazing young people God used to do His work throughout the Bible. As a young person, David defeated a giant in the Name of the Lord. Mary gave birth to the very son of God as a teenager. Jeremiah was called as a prophet of God while he was still young. Timothy served God's church. Daniel stood firm for his God and faced the lion's den. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is found in Jeremiah 1:4-10 when Jeremiah is first called to be a prophet for God. Instead of falling on his knees in the presence of God and rejoicing in his calling, he did what so many of us do....he started with the excuses. He said he could not speak, because he was too young. What did God tell him? Do not say that. God has used young people throughout history to make a difference, and He can and will continue to do so. 2. God doesn't care about your age, as much as He cares about how willing you are to serve Him now. God doesn't say, "Well, when you turn 21 or 25, then I'll start using you for My kingdom. Until then, just try to stay out of trouble." He doesn't say, "I can't use you right now because you're too young and no one will take you seriously." Nope. Not once does He say that. Because the truth is that God doesn't care about your age. God is concerned with how willing you are to live for Him. Is your heart fixed on Him? Are you committed to Him no matter what? Are you willing to give up your own comforts and successes to make a difference for His Name? Those questions matter so much more to Him than how old you are. 3. God shows His perfect strength in our weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us that His grace is all we need and that in every single one of our weaknesses, His strength is made perfect. If you think that your age is a weakness working against you, you're wrong. If you're serving Jesus and making a difference for Him, He delights in using your weaknesses for His glory. There is nothing that He can't use. 4. You aren't promised a certain number of days or years. None of us actually know how much time we have here on this earth. What if you don't make it to that certain age or number you're waiting for? What if you only make it to 16 or 18 or 21? We don't know. Maybe all we have is today. Did we make it count for Him? For truly, when we come to His throne someday He's not going to ask us about our age. He's going to ask us how we served Him. And I don't know about you, but I want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Every little girl dreams of a “happily ever after.” Maybe her dream is a knight in shining armor who comes to rescue her. Maybe it’s a dream she works hard for that comes true. Maybe it’s living with as many kittens as possible someday. (Just my childhood dream? Well, then.) After all, who doesn’t want a happy ever after? All the Disney movies portray it. Cinderella got the prince. Rapunzel got to escape her evil “mother” and find her true parents. On and on I could go. If happy ever after’s exist in Disney and Hallmark, why can’t they exist in our lives too? We’ve planned them out since we were little girls. By such and such a date we’ll have this done and by here and then our happy ever after will have started, we convince ourselves. But real life doesn’t always unfold like a Hallmark, does it? So what then? What happens when life doesn’t turn out how you thought? What happens when life feels more like an “unhappily ever after”? I don’t have all the answers for this and I can’t explain exactly why your life has taken the turns it has. But I do believe that it all comes down to this: Do you believe that God is good? Do you believe that when the Bible repeats over and over of the goodness of God, that it’s true? I’m not saying easy. I’m saying good. “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” (Psalm 145:9) You see, when life doesn’t go how you or I plan, we don’t have to pretend we’re happy. We don’t have to paste on a smile and yell “plot twist!” We don’t have to pretend that things are going just how we wanted all along. Sometimes life hurts and it’s okay to not be okay. But in all of the “not okay,” we have to believe that even there He is good. We have to believe that God is the God of even the “not okay’s.” And that He stands with us through it, working to stitch every piece of our broken hearts back together. And here’s the most important truth of all: God is good, and He is good to me. “I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me.” (Psalm 13:6 NIV) God isn’t just good to my parents or to my friends or to the people I read about in the news. God isn’t just good to the people I see succeeding. God isn’t just good to the people living the dreams and plans I had for myself that crumbled. God is good to me. Right here, right now, no matter what I’m walking through at this moment. Can you speak that over yourself right now? God is good to me all the time. Believing this truth may not change your circumstances. Believing this truth may not take away the ache in your soul or all the broken parts of your heart. But believing this truth will change your perspective. For truly, you can walk through anything if you believe that everything in your life He is using for His glory and your good. He is always, always good. And most importantly, I believe He is good to me. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28 I have a confession. Sometimes I care too much about what people think of me. Sometimes I can be too much of a people-pleaser. There. I admitted it. Can you relate? Sometimes I want people to like me so much, that my desire to please them becomes exhausting. I call people-pleasing a prison because when we try so hard to earn another's acceptance, we are living behind a cage of what others think of us. It's a prison that we don't even realize we've walked into. Maybe we dress a certain way so that we fit in with all the other popular girls at school or church. Maybe we become quiet about certain things around certain people so they don't think we're "odd." Maybe we go certain places with some people that we would never normally go because all we want is to have a group to belong with. Or maybe we hide pieces of ourselves with certain groups because we just want them to like us. All of those things become exhausting. And here's why: Living for the approval of others is not what we were created for, so people-pleasing will always drain us of more than we have. That is when the prison doors close and we're stuck there, not really sure how to make it out or not. Well, if I talk about this or that they'll think I'm weird. Well, if I tell them I don't want to do that they'll stop hanging out with me. Well, if I didn't dress like them I wouldn't belong with them. On and on we reason with ourselves, trying to come up with good excuses for why we should stay trapped in a prison when the door is not locked. Listen close so you're sure to get this, friend: If you allow the approval of others to control your behavior, and ultimately your life, you will miss out on the life God has for you. If you're living for the approval of the world and other people, then you cannot be living for the approval of God, because He is so different from the world. Living for God will make you stand out from others and it'll even make some people hate you (John 15:18). You can't be both. You can't be a people-pleaser and a God-pleaser. Galatians 1:10 says this: "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." This is hard, isn't it? It's hard to admit that we've become prisoners to people-pleasing. It's hard to admit that we can care too much about what others think of us...too much that we sometimes compromise the approval of God to gain the approval of people. Friend, people's opinions change faster than the wind changes direction. You can't keep up. You were made to please God, to live a life that honors Him and brings a smile to His face. He is the One who will never change and His opinion of you and love for you will never, ever change. So who cares what the others think? If you're living for Him and you're pleasing Him, you're doing what matters most. Keep your chin up. Start being genuine and being you. Make decisions that are hard and that stand you apart from the crowd, so that you can honor Him. Step out of that prison you've been living in as you try so hard to keep up with the others to gain their approval. Stop living as a people-pleaser prisoner. He has so much more for you. Come on. Let's step into freedom and be God-pleaser daughters and sons. To the one facing a broken friendship: Sometimes it can be so hard to look back and see how much has changed in a week, a month, a year. It can be hard to look back and see how close you were to someone--all of the laughter, the memories, the moments. Friendship is such a beautiful gift God has given us. A gift that brings joy where there is sadness. A gift that brings smiles where there are tears. A gift that brings understanding where there is confusion. Friends are some of His most special blessings. But what about when a friendship becomes broken? What about when hurts fester into wounds that take longer to heal than you ever imagined? What about when harsh words put distance where there was once closeness? What then? Just as with every relationship we are given, friendship can be hard. It can be messy. It can be painful. I know we wish it wasn't. I know right now as you stare at the broken friendship in your life that you wish things had turned out differently. Maybe you regret some things or maybe you're still stinging from what was done to you. Or maybe a little of both, because if we're honest none of us are perfect. And it is so, so easy to hurt each other when we're both imperfect. I wish I could cup your chin in my hands this morning as you look at the broken pieces of the friendships you've lost and reassure you of this important truth: You're worth more than what has happened and God is still in the business of making broken things beautiful. I don't know what His plans are for you and this broken friendship that still keeps you awake at night with tears in your eyes. I don't know how He plans to restore what has left an ache in your heart. But I do believe that He will. He doesn't remove something from your life, unless He intends to fill you with something better. Perhaps He wants to fill you with more of Himself. Perhaps He wants to bring beautiful new beginnings into your life. Or maybe He does want to repair all the broken pieces breaking your heart. But even if He doesn't, you must still remember that you are so loved. One broken friendship can't change that. You are loved more than you could ever dare to imagine or dream. And you're going to be okay. To the one who is afraid to start: Starting something new is never easy. New beginnings can be more difficult sometimes than we ever imagined. Maybe it's a new job or a new relationship or a new hobby or a new project. Maybe it's a new goal or a new vision. Whatever it is, taking that first step to start is always the hardest, isn't it? For you never really know what lies ahead of the starting line. If you're feeling stuck today and not sure if you have the courage to start whatever is new for you, hold onto this...every new beginning God directs you into, He is going to use in your life in some way. Maybe you'll start and things will turn out great. Or maybe you'll start and fail and feel all sorts of broken. And that's okay too. God uses even the broken beginnings for His ultimate purpose. Yes, new beginnings can be hard and scary. Starting something new can feel almost impossible. Because the past would love you to think that it is so much better. But never, ever believe that all your good days are behind you. If you have the courage to follow God into the start of something new, you will come to realize that His best for you is still to come. So be brave. Be bold. Step into your new beginning. He has it for you, right here, today. And maybe the most important thing you'll learn of all...every moment can be the start of a new beginning. And every new beginning can be the chance for God to make you more and more like Him. Embrace the courage to start. Whatever your "start" is today and whatever new beginning it symbolizes. Just simply...start. |
Archives
October 2019
Categories |