You Were Not Designed for You

The world focuses so much on making it about you. Social media encourages you to post about YOU. Mass media pushes things to make YOU happier with things that you really don't need. For girls and guys a like, the push to be fit and extremely good looking is high.

I've recently studied a bit about Eve. The Bible never describes her physical beauty. I'm sure she was beyond gorgeous. But, that is not what is important about Eve. I'm glad we don't know how beautiful she was. If we did we would probably be constantly striving to live up to her beauty. When we get caught up with the physical aspect of things, we start missing the point.
What sent me over the edge to start writing about this subject was a sign in the bathroom on the 3rd floor of the classroom center. It was a beautifully handwritten note taped right by the mirror. It had words highlighted. The word, “YOU” was highlighted twice. Altogether the note said “you," 9 times. I’m not bashing on the word “you.” There’s nothing wrong with the word. But in the context of the note, it was all centered around… “You.” As well as how beautiful and wonderful you are. It was a nice thought, and I don’t want to take away from that the fact that maybe someone drew some encouragement from it. But, if you want to believe that the world revolves around you, then walk away and don’t read the rest of this post.

Social media is cool because I get to see picture of cute kids, and hear about exciting events like engagement, weddings, funny stories, etc. from my friends and family spread out throughout the states and countries. That PART of Facebook and other sites is fine. But then, we begin to fall into this trap. Feeling sad and want people to help boost your mood? Complain and watch the people flood your newsfeed with encouragement and “I believe in you, statements." Feeling ugly and want people to tell you, you’re beautiful? Post a picture on Facebook, and people will jump on it to be a good friend and tell you how stunning you are.
Trust me, I’ve fallen into these pits. Usually because I’m throwing a pity party. I’ve had countless struggles with my vanity and sad self longing for attention from others to temporarily help me out of a sad or “I feel ugly” mood. So, I am not writing out of judgement, but rather, out of realization of what’s really going on.
Sharing our lives with each other is one thing, but making life revolve around YOU, is another.

We are designed by God, for God. Some may be repulsed by this, because they don’t understand. Here’s a part of what is not understood:

The Gospel.

We (beginning with Adam and Eve) sinned. We call that the fall. Life is no longer perfect. The punishment for sin is death. Separation from God. After death, this means we live in hell. Literally. There is no way that WE can change this. There is nothing WE can do to somehow get out of this punishment. But God had a plan. He loved us, his creation, so he sent his only Son. Jesus lived on earth like you and me. Except for, not like you and me because he never sinned. But he still experienced life. He experienced temptation, long and exhausting nights, and frustrating people. (and so much more.) But, he did not give in to temptation, and those long and exhausting nights were productive in bring people to God, and guess what? He loved those frustrating people. He was honest with them. He told them about their sin, and how they could be free from it. And then, he died. He was the sacrifice for our sins. His death, took away ours. When Christ calls us to follow after him, we no longer have to worry about death and separation from God. We can be redeemed and forgiven of our sin.

That’s the Gospel.

With the Gospel comes the Great Commission. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

This is a call, a command to step outside of ourselves and reach out to others and share with them the hope that is within us. (1 Peter 3:15) Life is so much more than just being about you. Life is about living for the glory of God. It's about sharing the gospel in everything you do. No that doesn't mean telling the story of the gospel 24/7. It means that your actions should alert others to what you believe, in a loving manner. It means that as your actions show your love for Christ, people may ask you, "why?" and you should be able to answer them. It also means that you should look for opportunities to share your faith in conversations. It seems like an intimidating task. While some people may be closed off to listening to you, others will be open and you never know what seeds you may plant. Build relationships, share Christ. All for the glory of God.

Soli Deo Gloria

What Now?

Sometimes we are called to a different path than we are currently on. Sometimes that calling is hard because it asks you to step away from something you know and have planned out, into an area where you have to search for the next step. It's almost like walking in the dark.

At the beginning of the summer, I expressed a few doubts about whether I should continue pursuing my career in music therapy. However, I brushed them off and figured that it was summer getting in my head. By fall I'd be pumped and ready to dive back into the music world.
However, it was not the case. God used some people to encourage me in rethinking my career choices, and I clearly felt that he was leading me somewhere else.

Why?
Honestly, it all comes down to God's calling in my life. I know that some of my friends will not understand this. Hear me out, please. I realized that my degree was becoming very self-centered. I want more ministry opportunities, be it in my church or other places. I was having to focus so much on myself just to get through the semesters that I struggled to be able to reach out to others. I was so stressed that I spent the last 3 weeks of last semester practically in tears the whole time. Do I really want to spend the next 3 years like that? There is nothing wrong with the career I was pursuing and God can use people in mighty ways through it. But for me, I know he wants me somewhere else. Sometimes we have to take our eyes off of something that is good, because God has something else willed for us. 

What now?
 Well, I didn't know for a while. Like I mentioned earlier, it was like walking in the dark sometimes. But the more I thought about it the more I decided I definitely want to keep my music as a hobby and worship tool. I wanted to go undeclared and finish up some other classes, but after a talk with an adviser, it was decided it would be better to choose a degree and try it out for a semester. It will be easy to change if I don't like it, and it won't hurt my career. I am excited to explore the opportunities in Communication Studies - Speech Performance this fall.

Sometimes I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing. But that's okay, because God has it in his hands and I trust him to lead me where I should go.

Dear Professors

Professors. You know, those people that we students stand around in the hallway and gripe about. Those people who don't usually get payed enough for the amount of effort they put into their class.

Dear Professors,
This is a thank you and an apology. Thank you for devoting your life to furthering the education of young adults. Especially because a lot of the time we fail to actually act like adults. This is an apology for when you're called names I wouldn't want to repeat. This is an apology that some of us have failed to leave the high school childish attitudes behind us. This is an apology for those of us who fail to handle things maturely.
Thank you for using your time, often late into the night to grade our tests that we complain about studying for. Thank you for the extra credit we so often take for granted.
This is an apology for expecting you to be perfect. For forgetting that you're just as human as we are. For forgetting that very often you too have families who need your time and attention. For begging for mercy when we're too lazy to do the work, much less even attend your class and then start falling behind and then bashing you when you mess something up.
Thank you for putting up with us. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your time. Thank you for supporting us when we're raising money for an organization. And to those of you who take the time to know what is going on with us students outside of your class, we appreciate you.

Sincerely,
    One student

P.S. Disclaimer, this may step on some toes. That said, I cannot speak for every student. But this is to let you know that at least one student does care. 

This is Not the End

Sometimes when life is going great we create a picture in our mind of that moment. And no matter how bad things get, we hold on to that idea of the perfect situation we once had. Even when we're hurting, we cling to that hope of things returning back to the state they once were.

But then, there comes that day. That day when the hope, the mental picture of how life used to be and once could be again, is destroyed. You suddenly realize, there's no going back. You can only move forward. And while some things may be restored as once before, in your situation that is not what is meant to be.

To quote Kid President, "And it hurt man!"

Life can hurt. 

But guess what?

It doesn't end there. 

Yes, life hurts. Sometimes we wonder why things happen to us. But as C.S. Lewis said so wisely:

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be." 

It's easy to get caught up with the wondering. But in the end, we have to remember that God is so much bigger than any hurt. He cares about us more than anyone else on this earth can. But He also uses these times in our lives to stretch and grow us.

  He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
  He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
  Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
              Psalm 147:3-5

Are You Listening?

I love meeting new people. Making new friends. It is a wonderful thing. Every person has their own unique qualities, quirks, and those little things they do that get on your nerves.

The best part about meeting new people is hearing their story. Why they are where they are at that point in time.

I think one of the most beautiful things on earth is when someone you may not even know well, shares their story. I find that as people share with me, we can usually find a struggle or joyous time in common. I remember at one point in the semester after hearing about someone's journey in life, I walked away feeling enriched.

The more people I meet, the more I learn. Ever since you were born, you've been learning from other people. Your parents, your siblings, your relatives, your friends, your teachers and more. Every person you come in contact with you are learning from. Whether it's just learning a fact about that particular person, you learned something!

I was browsing through Pinterest earlier and ran across this quote:

After reading it, I instantly knew how guilty I am of this.

This makes me sad.

Why?

Two reasons. One of them is selfish. The other is because I have been selfish.

1. Because I would not want to be treated that way.
2. Because I know I have have been selfish so often by letting my own thoughts crowd out the listening space in my brain. (If there is such a thing.)

 Think about how you reply in conversations. Just think for a minute.

Okay, done thinking?

I don't know about you, but most of the replies that come out of my mouth are somehow based about the things I want to talk about, rather than actually being based on the conversation. 

I wonder how many things I have missed learning by not listening.

Guys, gals, ladies and gentlemen. Or, more simply put: y'all. Let's start listening. When we start listening, our replies will be made with understanding.

And to end on a lighter note.. TALKING PEANUTS! (Watch the following video to understand)

Save it for Later

"If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come." -C.S. Lewis

Today was not the first time I read this quote. It's actually one of those quotes that makes me cringe and wish I hadn't read it. I wish I could ignore how true it is. And how much it needs to apply to my life.

I procrastinate and get myself in tight/anxious corners, because of it. You probably know those times I'm talking about. The day where your stomach is in a knot because you have a performance or something due the next day and you have procrastinated getting ready for so long that you're trying to cram everything in. Every happy thought is taken over by, "YOU FAILURE! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS!" And you're trying to work so hard that it's hard to work.

You get it. You've probably been there.

At this point, I could have you sitting here and reading about how you should do your your assignments (or whatever you should be doing) as soon as you can and not procrastinate. Blah, blah, blah. We've all heard it, and it will not benefit for you to see it written here. Plus, it would make me a hypocrite.

There's more to it, though, than just procrastinating on things like assignments. I can think of several things during the last semester that I procrastinated on that I really wish I hadn't. But more than anything, I regret procrastinating on reading my Bible. The above quote really summarizes how I excused not having time in the Word each day. It seemed like I never had enough time. Surely there would come a day where I was less busy, tired and such. Then I would focus on the Word.

Or more likely, hang out with friends.

I know that God is not judging me for not spending time in the Word every single day. It's about quality, not quantity. But my quantity lacks greatly. Even now, on the break from school, I find myself "too busy."

Do I have this all sorted out and fixed? Absolutely not.

Just remember, "favorable conditions never come."

I hope that whatever this quote applies to in your life, you will take into consideration. How would you like to change your situation? When will you change it? Why are you changing it?

Go. For. It.

Steadfast Love

The past couple of days I've been thinking about the phrase "steadfast love." 

I was challenged to memorize one Bible verse per week recently. I haven't done so well at the one per week part, but I have done some memorization. The first verse that I memorized was Hosea 10:12:

"Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love;

Break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you."

After taking more than one week to memorize that, I decided to begin memorizing Psalm 51, verse by verse. It has been one of my favorite passages for quite some time, so why not have it down by heart? As I began to look at the first verse, I realized it contained the same phrase, "steadfast love."

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; 

according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions." 

What does it mean to have someone's steadfast love? 

Well, this is what Merriam-Webster dictionary defines steadfast as: 

1 a : firmly fixed in place : immovable
b : not subject to change

Our world is full of people and things that constantly change, which is the opposite of steadfast! 

But while everything is changing, we long for something steadfast. We run to things in this world that we think will be steadfast, only to be disappointed. Our friends will not always be there, our jobs may not be reliable, and when we find this all to be true, we are left empty and dissatisfied. 

That is when we discover the One who is steadfast. He never changes, He never leaves, He is forever. He is God. God's love for us is steadfast. There will be times when we mess up so big, that our friends may want to turn their backs on us. And we may be deserving of that. But even so, God's love does not change. 

Never once, do we ever walk alone: