Above All Else...

Our culture thrives on "following our hearts", "making our dreams come true", and just about anything else that gives way to pathos and making us "feel good."

The other day I was conversing with a few of my closest friends about emotions, dating, etc.

Opposed to the days we live in, the bible talks about our heart in a different light;

"Above all else, guard your heart, for from it flow the wellsprings of life." Proverbs 3:25

I came up with a cheesy way to remember what our heart tells us that lines us biblically.

When it pumps blood in and out, it makes the sound

Duh-Dumb! Duh-Dumb!

Sorry Disney, I love you dearly, but when it comes to matter of my heart, I am realizing it is an easy decision to do what "feels" right but is really a dumb decision. I am just going to remind myself that my best intensions are nothing compared to God's plans, and to guard my heart.

Blew My Mind

"Any fool can count the seeds in an apple.

Only God can count all the apples in one seed."

~Robert H. Schuyler

Just a Reminder

On whom we serve...

"The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;"

Psalm 27:1,4-5

flourish.

We all have them, we all deal with them. We all have felt that we're not good enough, that we look a certain way, that we're sub-par.

Honetly, I never realized most of my insecurities I had until people pointed them out to me.

Some of these include being overapologetic [Sorry! I'm working on it. ;) ], not being able to take a compliment, etc.

There is a cool book called 'His Princess' that is like a letter from Jesus to a princess. Keep reading guys, it can be applied to you too! There is an amazing entry that deal with insecurities.

It's Titled: My Princess, Walk in My Confidence

"I know the world whispers in your ear what you possess defines

who you are, and what you look like determines your worth.

This is a lie, my love.

The generations to come wil never remember you for the things you accumulate or the efforts you places in your appearance.

In fact, the harder you strive to collect more things and

perfect your image, the more insecure you will be about who

you are and why you are here.

I am in you and you are in Me.

I will give you all that you need. No go and walk through your

world in the confidence that I've uniquely equipped you with

all you need to impact the lives of those around you forever!

Love,

Your King and your Confidence."

"For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your caught from being caught." Proverbs 3:26

When we rely fully on the Lord, we can be secure in who we are in Him. What are your insecurities? How can the Lord change them and allow you to thrive?

Vision

Lately, I have heard a lot about vision.

• When I paint, my teacher asks me what my vision for the piece is.
• When I talk about graudating High School people ask me what the vision for my life is.
• I ask myself what the Holy Spirit's vision for me is almost everyday.

I was talking to a friend about them the other night. We were conversing about how we know what our calling in life is.

And I realized, I don't know if I'll ever fully know.

I know God has engrained things into my personality that I love, and I'm good at. And I think these are all used to His gain. But I don't know if there will ever be a big crescendo where I will suddenly KNOW what I'm supposed to do.

Proverbs 3:5-6 is an extremely popular verse.

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and He will direct your paths straight."

I think as long as we are trusting in the Lord, and constantly pursuing Him, we don't need to know every detail of the vision of our lives. For He will make our paths straight.

Jigsaw Puzzle

Tonight I went to a very dear couple's weddings. I have always been a total sap, and L-O-V-E weddings, wedding shoes, David Tutera, you name it. And as a girl (stereotypically), I have thought about my wedding since I was tiny. I blame it on Disney personally, they have these princesses who get marries engrained in our brains since birth....

Anyways, I went to a wedding tonight, and it was an absolute blessing. Weddings are cool. They're cooler when you know the people. But they are a blessing when you know the couple and their lives in Jesus Christ.

It was so with Timmy&Raelene, they have both been a part of my life and my growth in Christ Jesus. It was so cool because I saw them before, and now during their lives together, and I have seen how they fi

t together like a jigsaw puzzle. A divine jigsaw puzzle.

Sometimes when looking for "Mr Right" or "Mrs Right"

it's like a bunch of jigsaw puzzles laid ou. It's overwhelming, some are obviously not a fit for you, some look like they may be. The best way is to let God be the one who coordinates it all, because when He does, there is a grand picture. And things that seem overwhelming suddenly fit perfectly.

The key is patience.

"‎"The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him." Lamentations 3:25

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Russia

I have written before how I have been on several mission's trips. I may have the oppurtunity to go on another one this Summer. This blog is not merely to document how I feel, but also to (hopefully) be relatable to anyone who is contemplating something similar.

First, a quick recap. I have always had missions engrained in my heart. I used to want to be an English teacher missionary, I am still praying about this, but will probably go into the medical field, but I may still double major, so I can do both.

This mission trip is an oppurtunity to teah children English at a camp in the middle of the Russian forest. And that elates me. I would absolutely love the oppurtunity.

However, I am praying if it is the Lord's will. The last place I want to be is out of His will, especially when I am across the globe in a foreign country.

This is a personal blog, because I want people to know if I go, how the Lord worked, and if I stay, I want people to know how the Lord worked. Whether I stay and pray, or go and preach, Christ name will be proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

The thing I am most scared of, with this circumstance, as well in life; is thinking I can go in my own strength. It is human nature to want to prove ourselves, but I am learning to repress my nature that Christ may be shown. I do not want to do anything without Christ being in the midst of it. I know this is huge, and I will continually fall short, but it's a goal. =)

If you remember, please be praying for the team. That the children will have open hearts and minds, that everyone will have peace whether they go or stay, for the missionary couple (Laurin and Nura Harrison), and that ultimately Christ would be magnified.

Called of God

An encouraging excerpt from 'My Utmost for His Highest' for January 14th. Emphasis added.

"Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Isaish 6:8

God did not address the call to Isaiah; Isaiah overheard God saying, "Who will go for us?" The call of God is not for the special few, it is for everyone.

Whether or not I hear God's call depends upon my disposition. "Many are called but few are chosen." that is, few prove themselves the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ wherevy their disposition has been altered and their ears unstopped, and they hear the still small voice questioning all the time, "Who will go for us?"

It is not a qestion of God singling out a man and saying, "Now, you go." God did not lay a strong compulsion on Isaiah; Isaiah was in the presence of God and he overheard the call, and realized that there was nothing else for him but to say, in conscious freedom,

"Here am I, send me." Get out of your mind the idea of expecting God to come with compulsions and pleadings. When our Lord called disciples there was no irresistible compulsion from outside. The quiest passionate insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to men with every power wide awake. If we let the Spirit of God bring us face to face with Gd, we too shall her something akin to what Isaiah heard, the still small voice of God; and in perfect freedom will say, "Here am I; send me."

Book Of Eli

I have had a passion for missions since I was in the sixth grade, the Lord has given me the desires of my heart by allowing me to serve abroad on different continents proclaiming my Jesus.

At my church, a family has a meeting in their home the first Thursday of every month called 'Mission's Fellowship' where missionaries are invited to come and speak from around the world, and people with the same heart and mind are able to fellowship, exort, and encourage.
The last time I went on an 'official' mission's trip was two years ago, almost to the day. (I say official, because everyday of life I attempt to see as a mission's trip.) I began thinking of all the different people there are in the world, and how everyone has a different calling. I love Exodus 4 where the Lord commissions Moses to return to Egypt and proclaim the word. When Moses argues the Lord says,

"Who made man's mouth, who mande the deaf, the seeing, the mute, and the blind? Did not I? Now go." Exodus 4:11


Oof. I've said something along those lines before.
Recently, I saw the movie, 'The Book of Eli' about a sojourner who carries a Bible across a war-struck anarchaic, desolate territory. At the end of the movie, the audience finds a major hitch in Eli's plan (I can't give away the ending.) But it would have been a great excuse for him to not carry out his mission, or at least an argument to God.

So many times I make excuses about missions. Even though the desire of my heart is for people, so many times things get in the way. And in essence, I am quoting Moses, saying that I do not have the ability to speak well.

I am trying to be more like Eli, who accepts my problems, but trusts that the Lord will guide me and see me through.

Patience.

Pretty much one of the hardest things in the world to achieve.

"For you I wait all day long." Psalm 25:25