Junk

A few weeks ago my friends came over to my house for a sleep over.  When one of them walked in to my room, she made the comment, "It's so small."  I knew that her comment had not been made to offend, and quite honestly it didn't offend me.  However I looked around my room with a different perspective than normal.  Is it really that small, or Is it just too full of stuff? 

How much stuff do I have in my room that I don't use?  My family has a storage compartment full of things that we don't use (afterall, it's in storage for a reason).  Why are messy rooms such a problem?  We can't park our cars in our garage because it's full of equipment.

I was amazed at the multitude of results when I searched for messy rooms on Google.

 

It's almost as if we think that by filling our houses and our cars and our lives up with stuff, we'll be happy.  We'll be full.  Honestly, this can go beyond the material things.  It can be activities.  How often are we busy?  How frequently are we on the go?  It can also be through relationships.  Family is important, but it will never fulfill you completely. Boyfriends and girlfriends are in the same category.   What about your job, your eating habits, or even your church?  

 

There are certain things that you do need to live. You have to work to make a living.  You have to eat to live.  Going to church is important, and is a great source of spiritual nourishment, christian fellowship, and worship time.  However, when we aren't making time for God because of work, when we eat because we're depressed, and when we are just going  to church to say that we went, then we're still trying to fill ourselves up with the wrong thing.

How do you fill yourself up?  What is the right thing?  Or rather, is there a right thing?  I believe that there is.  I believe that when you depend on Christ, He will fill you up.  I'm not saying that it is wrong to be busy, work, go to church, or have a house full of stuff, but I do think that it is wrong to try fill yourself up on the world.  God eagerly pursues you, and wants to fulfill you.  All you have to do is let Him do so.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

 

 Written in Reckless Abandonment para Jesucristo, Thanks for Reading!

Overwhelmed

Lately it occurred to me that I should start blogging again.  I don't know how often these will occur, but right now, I just need a break.

My senior year of high school has now started.  My summer was filled with work at a boy scout camp as a lifeguard. (Yes, I am a girl who worked at a boy scout camp.)  This was very enjoyable for me, but that isn't what I really want to tell you about right now.

Right now, I'm am feeling overwhelmed.  Last Tuesday I stayed up late doing homework.  Wednesday I woke up with a cold.  I'm not quite back up to 100% yet. 

As I came in the door after getting home from weights and conditioning today, I felt a surge of grief as my mom told me that my friend in Mexico had her visa application turned down by the U.S. embassy because she was too much of a "risk."  From their standpoint, I understand.  She doesn't have any communication with her biological family, and her adoptive family hasn't officially adopted her because her biological family won't let them!  From a technical standpoint, and on paper, she doesn't have anything that would keep her from overstaying her visa in the U.S.

From the standpoint of her friend she has a loving family and many friends in Mexico that she would go back to.  She would not deliberately try to do anything illegal, because that would defy God, and I know that she has made her purpose to honor God.

When I checked my e-mail, there was an e-mail from the same friend's mom.  Discussing prayer requests for their family, because they recently suffered the death of one of their little boys.  This is the same boy who is in my picture for this blog.  He died from complications to a necessary heart surgery.  Read more about that here.

Are you beginning to understand my feeling of being overwhelmed?  I feel like no matter what I do, it's going to suck(or have a vacuuming effect, if you prefer that terminology) , because I'm so overcome by grief for this little boy.  I miss everyone in Mexico, and sometimes it feels as if my heart will break because it hurts so bad.  I also see the purpose behind days such as these.  These are the days that I go through prayerfully.  These are the days that I come home, with eyes full of tears, and study my Bible while listening to praise music.  These are the days that I feel the Lord sustaining me.  These are the days that I have to remember the Lord. 

These are the days that I remember the Lord.  These are the days that enable to more fully enjoy and appreciate the good days.  These are the days that help me keep an eternal perspective, remembering that God is with me through it all, and, in the end, I'll see all of my friends who are followers of Christ again, for a much longer time than I could ever see them in this world.

Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Psalm 54:4

One Chance

This will be my last blog post during the season of lent.  Blogging three times a week has been fun, but I'm ready to cut it back a little bit.  Just to let any readers know, although I said I'm going to blog on Fridays starting next week, I realized that I will be unable to do so.  Therefore, I will take next week off from the blogging world.  My next blog will be posted on April 12th. I hope you all don't mind too much.

I have noticed that there is a new slang term on the internet, "YOLO."  I'm relatively bad about keeping up on the most recent slang, so I had to ask around to find out what it meant.  I found that it means, "You only live once."

Many people use this simple phrase as an excuse to party, and do really crazy things.  I, on the other hand, like to thing of it with another perspective.  I'm only given one life.  I've only got one chance to prove that I belong to God.  If I don't do it right the first time, then it's over.  It's done.

Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

Ecclesiastes 1:4

No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.

Ecclesiastes

1:11

As much as I would like to dream that someday everyone is going to remember me when I die, I know that it is not true.  In fact, I don't want my family and friends to be stuck on what I did.  I want them to go about their lives, because they only have one chance to live.

You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Ecclesiastes 11:9

What is the point of it all:

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 

Thanks to Kayla for this picture:

'Little" Miracles

Lately I have noticed that some things in my life have been miraculous.  For example, one little thing was a cell phone.  If you don't know me, then I should probably tell you that I do not have a cell phone.  I would have to pay for one myself to have one.  My schoolwork keeps me busy enough during the school year that I do not have time for a job, so I do not have money to pay for credit for a cell phone.  As I told you on Monday, my college visit had been cancelled due to bad weather.  This means that I could reschedule it for Friday, but my parents needed me to have a cell phone so that in case something happened, I could call them.

Just as I decided that I wasn't going to be able to go to on the college visit, my friend called.  I had been taking care of her pets while she was on vacation, and she wanted to know if  her pets had been good.  She also wanted to know if I wanted to borrow her dad's cell phone, which would allow me to schedule the visit! :)

The other example that I have is a little boy named Daniel.  He was born missing the left-ventricle of his heart.  Most children that are born with this defect have to have a series of three surgeries before they can even leave the hospital.  Most of them can not walk, play, jump, and live a normal life until they have these surgeries.  Dani has been doing, and continues to do these things on a daily basis!  He is literally a living, breathing miracle.  Now, as he has gotten older and his adoptive family has begun to seek the medical attention he will need, they have done a few different tests.  In these tests they have discovered that his internal organs are not in the normal places.

The other thing you should know about Dani is he has many other heart/lung defects besides missing his left ventricle.  In the most recent test, they discovered an amazing miracle.  Dani should need to have three surgeries to be "healed."  These tests have revealed that Dani's other defects act as two of the surgeries!  He only needs one surgery!  Praise God!

I titled this little blog "Little" Miracles, but this doesn't seem so little!  Why did I call title this blog this way?  Well, God can do things that are immeasurably greater than this!  He can do things that I can't even fathom!  I think about everything that I can imagine, and God's Word tells me that He can do even more than that!  What a powerful God that we serve!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21

Indiana

I just came in from shoveling snow off of the driveway.  This fact wouldn't bother me, except that I wasn't supposed to be home today.  I was supposed to be visiting a college, because it's my Spring break and this was going to be a great opportunity to view campus life and not miss school.  Instead we decided that the weather was too icky and we were going to stay home.  I still can't wrap my head around the fact that it's my Spring break,(the first one I've had in three years) and it snowed. 

Right now you're probably thinking: Why in the world has it been three years since she has had a Spring Break??  Well, you see, this is my first year in public school since seventh grade.  I was home schooled in eighth, ninth, and tenth grade.  I was home schooled because I was living in Mexico with my family as missionaries and my parents still wanted me to get a good education. Plus, when I went down, I only knew a little bit of Spanish.  When I was home schooled, I didn't have snow days(I was in Mexico, so I really didn't have snow!), I didn't have thanksgiving break (my parents would let me have that Thursday off, but Thanksgiving is an American holiday), I didn't have a summer break (if people would come for a one week mission trip I would do half days and then I could work with them on whatever project they were trying to complete.  If  I needed more curriculum then I had to wait for someone to come from the U.S. with the books, because things are likely to get lost in the Mexican postal system), and I didn't have a spring break(The season of Spring doesn't exist.  Mexico has a wet season and a dry season due to the mountainous terrain and the latitude in which it is located.)  All of that being said, I did have breaks.  I would work ahead in my curriculum, doing double the work for about a week and then I would go on mission trips. (Learn more about the mission trips I would go on here) 

 

Now I'm in Indiana.  How did I wind up here again?  To be honest, I don't know.  It's freezing cold in the winter, and apparently freezing cold in Spring as well.  I guess the question I should ask myself isn't, "How did I end up here?"  The question I should ask myself is, "What am I going to do while I'm here?"  "How am I going to make a difference?"  "Am I going to love everyone, not just my friends?" "Are my actions holy?" "Do my actions look like everybody else's actions?"


The thing is, just because I'm no longer living in a different country doesn't make me less of a missionary.  I still want to change the world for the better.  Being in public school gives me a great opportunity to be different.  By not allowing the world to change me, I can be a witness.  When it all comes down to it though, I do have to let God transform me.  If I can't, or won't, let God change me, I am not a very effective witness.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

Just a note for your information:
The reason I am blogging three times a week is to spend the extra time I  have because I am giving up movies/video/television for lent.  In case you're unaware, this is the last week of lent.  I do not plan to continue blogging so often. However, I will continue to blog once a week on Fridays.

Here is a photo simply for your viewing pleasure :) 

 

Messy Bessy

Sorry I missed Wednesday's blog. How did your challenge from Monday go? Did you do a few simple tasks as favors?

My mom and dad recently gave me a book that I loved as a little girl.  Whenever we went to the library, that was the book that I wanted to check out. I don't know if it was the cute limericks, or the colorful pictures, but I loved it when my mom read Messy Bessey.  Basically in this story, the little girl had a very messy room with toys in her dresser, clothes on her floor, gum on the ceiling and jam on the door.  (okay, so the jam was actually on the window, but this way it rhymes.)  She has to clean her room and at the end her room is beautiful, just like her.

At the same time my parents gave me Messy Bessey, they also got me Kisses From Katie.  I have not read this book, but from what I have heard it is a true story about a girl who goes on a mission trip her senior year, and, upon returning, realizes that she has to go back.  After she graduates she does just that and lives there as a missionary.

As I think about my parents getting me both of these books I can't help but think about how my thought processes, emotions, and spiritual life have changed since I was a young child.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 

I Corinthians 13:11 

 Just as we grow older and mature physically and mentally, we should grow and mature spiritually as well.  If a child is malnourished, people become concerned.  If someone stops eating, and is starving themselves, people intervene.  Why do we not become concerned if our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ aren't eating?  What if they're malnourished?  The Bible tells us that it is spiritual food, so that we do not experience "spiritual malnutrition," or "stunted growth."

Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:13-14

Did you know that when children are underfed and malnourished at a young age they do not know how to eat?  My theory on this is that they have always felt hungry (never satisfied) so they are not aware that they are hungry and that they need to eat.  If you don't read God's Word on a regular basis you probably don't miss it because you've never received the proper "nutrients."  At the beginning, you may have to force yourself to read God's Word, but as you become accustomed to it, you'll find that when you miss a Bible reading, you fill unfulfilled.

(it's now 11:53 and I should probably get this posted before it's Saturday)

Challenge

I'm going to challenge you this week.  Every single day perform a separate Random Act of Kindness.  Wash dishes when it's not your turn.  Help pick up someone's books when they drop them.  Help someone do their homework.  It doesn't have to be a hard task, just perform one task each day.  You'll probably even find that you enjoy doing them.

You may just start a ripple.