Consider it JOY

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – James 1:1-4

 

Talk about a week of trials. This last week has been one of the more difficult weeks I have experienced. So many battles to fight. Tough decisions to make. Heart-breaking conversations. At the end of this week, as I reflect on all that happened, my heart is at a strange place. It is heavy because of the pain and of the long road it knows is ahead. But at the same time it is joyous. Because when I look back at this last round of warfare, I realize how much time I spent calling upon the name of the Lord.

 Nothing induces an amazing prayer life like difficulty does.

 Sometimes it is hard to keep a joyful mentality when it comes to the difficulties we face in life. But we just need to change our perspective. Trials aren’t an indication of failure. Trials are the training ground for our spiritual well being.

 Imagine you are prepping for a triathlon, or something equally intense. You know what is expected of you. You know the level of difficulty is far beyond anything you have experienced.

How do you train?
Do you sit at home and eat bon-bons and watch movies about training?
Do you watch other people train and hope to be as good as them one day?
Do you pamper and baby your body?
No. You literally get up everyday and beat your body into submission.
You push yourself. You go beyond your limits. You allow yourself to feel pain. Because if muscle isn’t tearing, then it isn’t rebuilding stronger than before.
If you want to run well, then you have to train well.

Why? Because training puts your body to the test. It produces perseverance. And when perseverance finishes its work, training will have made your body perfect and complete.

Sound familiar?

We live in a fallen world. It’s not a matter of if there will be trials; it’s a matter of when. Thankfully the Lord is gracious enough to give our trials meaning and to allow us to be strengthened by them.  That is why James says “Consider it pure joy.”

Be joyful - because the alternative is to be upset; and we all know that doesn’t help anything.

Be joyful - because your faith is being put to the test.
Be joyful - because you are being made ready for battle
Be joyful - because when perseverance has finished its work, you will be made perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Be joyful because adversity usually, not always, but usually means you are doing something right for the Kingdom. The devil doesn’t sabotage himself or those doing his bidding. If you are feeling particularly attacked, look at your life.

If God is working through you, the devil will try to work against you.

Just take joy in the fact that God has chosen to use you!

The greatest people I know face the biggest trials.

But what the devil uses to distract them, God uses to strengthen them.

 So here we are at another choice.

Do we crumble at the sign of trials or do we choose to see them for what they are and rise above?

 RISE ABOVE! CHOOSE JOY!

Christ get’s the victory when you do!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you want to be well?

Do you want to be well?
 
This was the first question Jesus asked the lame man at the pool of Bethesda.
It seems like an odd question. Of course this man would want to be well. He had been an invalid for 38 years.  The only logical explanation would be that he desired healing. But still, Jesus chose to ask. So there had to be validity as to why.
 
When I look at my own life and the daily choices I make, I can see how being well is very much a choice. What do I put in my body? What do I allow to fill my mind? How hard to I push myself? What kind of people do I surround myself with?
 
Most of the time, what I put into something determines what I get out of it.
If I want to lose weight, I count calories, I control my portion size, I cut out unnecessary junk. If I want to be stronger I exercise, I lift weights, I push myself.
If I want to be at peace, I meditate on what is true, excellent, praiseworthy. If I want to have a clear mind purposed on Christ, I don’t allow myself to watch meaningless shows on TV.  If I want my spirit to be uplifted, I surround myself with positive people. The Lord has given us strong minds and strong wills. And most of all, he has given us choice.
 
Choice is a powerful weapon.
 
It is so easy to surrender responsibility. To say, “If God wants this to happen, it will happen.” But THAT can be such a cop-out. Don’t you think that Jesus wanted the lame man to be healed and whole? Yet, he still asked him. 
 
I cannot get upset with God for where I am at in life. Yes, there are some things that are out of my control. But there are a LOT more things that are in my control. If I choose to spend every day alone in my room watching TV, and then cry because I have no friends and no purpose, whose fault it that?
 
I have had a great many friends who come to me for advice, whether about a guy or a life decision. I can do everything in my power to lead them in the right direction.  I can tell them everything the Bible has to say about picking a marriage partner, I can read them story after story and pray fervently with them and for them. I can lead them straight to the water. But ultimately I cannot swallow for them. They have to choose to drink.
 
It is the same way with life. Christ has our ultimate BEST in mind. He speaks to us. He puts people in our lives that can point us in the right direction. We have an entire book of instruction that He graciously left for us. But unless we utilize these gifts, we will not see wellness in our lives.
 
When Jesus asked the question, the lame man responded with, “I have no one to help me into the pool.”  Jesus didn’t bend over, pick him up and carry him into the pool. He said, “Take up your mat and walk.” He immediately put responsibility into the lame man’s hands. YES, Jesus was the reason he could walk. In that moment, Jesus healed him. Jesus gave him the ability to walk, but it was up to the lame man to do it.
 
Everything is a choice, right down to our attitudes.
When you are feeling frustrated in the midst of your circumstance, stop right where you are and figure out how you got there. What decisions did you make to lead you there? And then use the powerful, God-given weapon of choice to overcome those circumstances. Pray for strength as an aid to continually walk in the right direction. Be obedient. God will lead you out of the muck and the mire. But you have to listen and be obedient to His call.
 
If your circumstances are actually out of your control, then use the weapon of choice to change your attitude. Choose to be content. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
 
There is so much freedom in recognizing the responsibility we have.
Be activated by this truth.
 
Take up your mat and walk.

Why Do We Return?

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. Proverbs 26:11


Why do we do it? Why do we return to the things that hurt us; the things that so evidently bring disease and sickness to our souls.


Why do we try the same things over and over expecting a different outcome? Albert Einstein called this behavior insane. It is insanity to think that things we’ll be different this time around. But many have convinced themselves otherwise.


Don’t get me wrong, I have just as much hope as the next person (maybe more). I will always believe in the possibility of change and growth in people. I will always hope and pray for the best in those I love. But I will not pretend that I am the only one capable of bringing it out of them. I will not convince myself that they are lost without me.


I learned the hard way that you cannot be someone’s savior. As much as I wanted to be the one who brought out the good I couldn’t be. For some reason I was toxic to the person I was trying to help. Instead of pulling him up, I held his hand as we weighed each other down and plummeted. I prayed over him, cried over him, and racked my brain about ways to make things better. I tried SO hard to lift him up, but my arms weren’t strong enough.


But I loved him, so I stayed. And when he finally let me go, I realized how weak I had become by holding onto him.


It’s a tricky thing, bearing someone’s burdens. You are trying so hard to drag them out of the desert; you don’t even realize you yourself are quickly becoming thirsty and drained of strength. But when you finally stop to take a breath, and no one offers to carry you for a while, you see the situation for what it is.


It’s not hard to recognize when something/someone is bad for you. I think anyone in a toxic relationship is at least aware of the toxicity to some degree. And even if you are playing the fool and pretending not to notice, I am sure those closest to you have pointed out their concerns in one way or another.


When we finally take our hands off of our eyes and our fingers out of our ears, some of us find the strength to walk away. Something happens that turns us upside down and in that moment we make the right choice. In that moment we see things clearly. We are confident and strong in our decision. But then the time passes and the decision sets in. Nostalgia hits and our minds flood with the FEW good memories of our relationship. And because of those few things, we return.


I tell you now, from someone who has experienced this, it is a vicious cycle.


You return hoping for better. And because he lost you for a while, he pretends to have changed. For a little while you are convinced that things are different. But eventually things return to how they used to be. People get lazy, guards get let down, and you are squashed back under the weight of an unnecessary burden.


It is not yours to bear.


Ladies, we were not created to lead men. We can be a strong support system and continually point them to truth. We can walk beside them and help them stand, but we cannot carry them on our shoulders.


No man worthy of spending the rest of your life with would allow you to do so.


We were created as whole people; men and women alike. If the man you love is not complete, you need to understand that you cannot complete him. Don’t lose half of yourself trying to be the other half he needs.


Too many times we fall in love with someone’s potential, with who they could be; but are you ok with spending forever waiting for them to become it?


Married women, obviously this is a different battle. No, you should not leave him, but you cannot try to fulfill him either. His fulfillment has to come from Christ or you will squeeze the life out of each other. Pray and pray again. Call out the best in him. Challenge him to rise, but understand you cannot get him there on your own.


Single women; be brave enough to walk away and strong enough to stay away. Remember that nothing can change him like Jesus can. Be fervent in prayer for him, but mentally, physically and emotionally let him go. Things will not get better if you stay in the picture. In the same way he is distracting you, you are distracting him. You have to bow out and let God take it from there.


Remember that you are a glorious creation. You were made with a purpose. You have your own battles to fight and your own destiny to fulfill. Do not become distracted.


The right one will be whole.
And when he comes along so will a peace that cannot be explained.
Wait for him.

Me and my Caleb.

Ramblings about pride and forgiveness

What if we could admit failure? What if we could all admit that in one way or another, we were in the wrong? What if today we could practice humility? What if today we could practice forgiveness? What if we could look into our hearts and own up to the fact that we are no where near, nor have we ever been anywhere near perfect? What if we could accept the fact that that is ok? Would life look differently if we didn’t try to wear the mask of perfection? Would we have more love in our life? Would we have less hate? If we let go of the things we are holding onto would we feel scared? Or would we feel free? Do you ever wonder why you are still holding onto something? Does holding onto a grudge give you meaning and purpose? Or is it just a way of saving face? Do we hold grudges because we think that we are entitled to? Do we deserve an apology? Is this whole thing about what someone owes us? Don’t we owe everything to God? Doesn’t he pardon us day after day, mistake after mistake? If so, what if we lived like him.


Forgiveness is the struggle of many, especially Christians; which is sad, because we receive it every single day of our lives. “Yes, I’ll have some of that Lord! Thank you for your sacrifice” we say to the Lord, to whom we owe our entire lives, then our brother approaches us, who owes us a couple of pennies and we say, “NO, I won’t give it away. Your sins against me have cost way too much. HIS grace is sufficient for me, but my grace is not sufficient for you.” Sometimes we even say this to ourselves. That doesn’t sound right at all does it? So why do we continue to hold onto things? Is it our perfection complex?


For me, I am trying to be ok with the fact that I am not perfect. I have huge pride issues in my life which makes it very difficult for me to admit failure. Even saying I have pride issues is hard. But it’s true. And I have realized that when I am honest with myself and others, I feel lighter. It’s like this burden of supposed perfection is lifted and I can move and walk again. It’s actually amazing. But it’s not easy. Every time I get close to admitting something about myself or my past, I find myself re-wording things and changing them to sound more like the Brittany I want to be and less like the Brittany I am. I try to create this infallible, perfect persona. I literally stress out about the fact that people might see my mistakes. As a people pleaser, I will tell people what they want to hear and I have realized that it makes me a liar. I have lied to hide truths. I have misled people to believe that I am something I am not. And I want to be done doing that. It’s a process, but I know it will be worth it.

I have seen first hand what pride can do and no amount of saving face is worth that cost.

Pride separates families. Pride destroys your character. Pride hurts the people you care about most. Pride can find anything good and ruin it. Pride steals from you. Pride becomes a habit. Pride gets stuck in your head. Ultimately, pride makes a mess only humility can clean up.

And that’s where it starts. We must come humbly before the Lord. We must come humbly before our brothers and sisters. We must forgive even when we aren’t asked to. Some people may never realize their mistakes. Or maybe their pride keeps them from repenting. But in the end, when you stand before the Lord, you will only have one person to answer for… yourself. You will be held accountable for your mistakes, not others. So make things right. Look at those things in your hands, the things you feel entitled to hold onto. Lay them down at the feet of Jesus. Look at the burdens on your back, the things you haven’t forgiven yourself for. Take them off. Lay them at the feet of Jesus. They are his. He bought and paid for them on the cross. As I head a pastor say once, “Stop stealing from Jesus.” Lay your pride down; He is the only one with the right to wear it. Lay your stones down; he is the only one with the right to throw them. Lay your burdens down; he is the only one with the right to carry them.



Find freedom in letting go.

Innocence

These lyrics popped in my head today. 

I remember being up at The Joshua Wilderness Institute, sitting around the fireplace, listening to Brent Lamb sing one of the many songs he wrote. 

That year was one of the most difficult years for me. I went to Joshua with everything in place. When I got home, literally everything in my life had changed. There was nothing I could do. I had no control. Everything was out of my reach. All I could do was trust. 

One of the most beautiful things in my life came out of all that change. She is pictured below. 

She is a picture of innocence. Something so new, so beautiful, so untouched. 

These lyrics always reminded me of the beauty of innocence. So I paired them with Journey Grace for this picture. 

Victorious Living

A couple days ago, during my daily Facebook perusal, I noticed a status that got me thinking.
A friend of mine, who had been experiencing some difficulties in life posted, “Well, things just went from bad to worse. Life hates me.” I know what she was feeling; I have felt that way in the past. Sometimes it really does feel like getting ahead is impossible. But for some reason, something about that statement didn’t rest well with me. The problem with that statement is that it took all responsibility off of her and placed it on something that isn’t tangible.
Instead of looking at her life and seeing where she may have caused things to go wrong, she found solace in placing the blame elsewhere.
The danger in doing that is that we make ourselves victims.
And if we live as victims we miss out on victory.
We all do it. I think at one point or another we all have played the victim. The question is why? Why do we choose victim living over victorious living?
When you play the victim you immediately become your own worst enemy. You let go of all control and place it in the hands of things like life. Why? Because it’s easier to blame things on life than to take responsibility.
But, no matter how much you want to blame things on life, you know deep down that life has nothing to do with your situation. You are where you are today because of choices you have made. And when you leave the control in life’s hands, you find yourself stuck. If you are expecting life to get you somewhere, well good luck. Life isn’t able to do that. If you live like you have no options and no choices, then you will probably end up out of options and out of choices. Who wants that? We need to make a change. If we change our attitudes, we can change our actions. And if we change our actions, I am willing to bet we will see our circumstances change as well. But we can’t do this by letting life happen to us. We have to put on our armor and fight back.

We need to follow Christ’s example. He was born into a world that was destined to reject him. But what did he do? He overcame that world. WWJD right? What Would Jesus Do? John 16:33, that’s what! His life here was anything but easy. Life isn’t meant to be. We will always go through things because we live in a fallen world. That is why our lives are talked about as battles. Life is a fight. And unless we live this life as over comers, we will always be the one laying on the floor with stars spinning above our head at the end of each round. The bible says that in all things we are more than conquerors. Why? Because of Christ’s love alone. That is all we need to prevail.

So when your circumstances are daunting, and the world around you looks bleak, remember two things: 1) The creator of this world loves you with an unconditional love that will never disappear. 2) The creator’s son, Jesus, loves you so much that he went to the cross in your place. That and that alone is all we need.

Does that mean life won’t be tough? No.
Bit even when our choices aren’t at fault for why life is the way it is, we are still called to be like Christ! Christ lived to be victorious. So we should follow His lead.
Stop following yourself in a circle of frustration. Stop playing the pity game. (If you haven’t noticed, it doesn’t get you anywhere)

Look at life through different eyes.
Change your perspective, change your life.
And, as one of my favorite pastors says, “Have some words of victory in your mouth!”
Proclaim the goodness of the Lord and you will see it!

P.S. the friend with the status has chosen to change the way she looks at life. She is now keeping a journal of all the things she is thankful for. She is following Christ’s lead and working to overcome!


John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Revelation 3:19-22
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Romans 8: 37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Journey to the top.

You’re standing at the foot of the mountain.

Staring straight up at what seems never ending.

It didn’t look so tall from afar, but now that you are right up next to it, you begin to grasp the vertical mileage.

Thinking of climbing that mountain is exciting, but there is a small part of you that is already feeling defeated.

What kind of difficulties am I going to come across?

How long until I will reach the top?

Will I ever reach it?

What if I am not the climber I think I am? What if I end up hurting myself?

I can’t go to the top if I am wounded.

Maybe I shouldn’t even try.

God … if you love me… just place me on top.

How many of you have been in this place? How many have stared up at the mountains in your lives and just wished you could blink and be at the top? I know I have. Sometimes life gets overwhelming. Sometimes it seems like there isn’t enough time in the world for all of the things I want to do before I die. I have often wished that God would just lean over the mountain, swoop me up in His big God hands and place me on the top. But I think I know why he hasn’t.

Have you ever been to a party where everyone knows each other but you? It’s like showing up on the last day of camp. Everyone has experienced something together; everyone has this sense of comradery. Everyone has something to celebrate, except you.

Imagine being on top of that mountain with all of the people who just finished climbing. You’re standing there perfectly clean and dry while sweat is rolling down their cheeks. They are breathing heavy; their bodies are all scraped up and bruised. Each of those bruises is a story they get to tell. Each of those scrapes is a story you missed out on. Everyone is talking about their journey up the mountain. They are laughing together and crying together. And all you can do is stand there and listen because you don’t understand.

The view looks completely different to them. They don’t just see a valley below; they see the depths from which they climbed. They don’t just see hillsides; they see the moments they thought they would never make it. They aren’t just on a mountain top; they are standing on a place of victory. They’ve learned something about themselves. They’ve seen what they are made of. And as excited as you are to be on the mountain top… your heart aches because you know you will never be able to appreciate it the way that they can. Why? Because you don’t understand its value.

Sometimes you have to start at the bottom in order to appreciate the top.

There are things to be learned along the way. And no part of the journey can be left out.

You say you want something so bad, how dedicated are you? You want to be high and lifted up, but are you first capable of being humble?

f you can see your destiny waiting for you at the top of the mountain, then I suggest you start climbing. The Lord knows what you want; He wants to see if you are willing. He wants to see your faithfulness.

He is with you every step of the way. And He is waiting for you now. Stop getting distracted by your thoughts. Stop letting the enemy fill your mind with all of the possible ways you could fail. Focus on what God can and will do with you. The sooner you set out on your climb, the sooner you will reach the top.

It's Never Too Late

Sometimes you feel like you have completely missed it.

You jump on a train hoping and praying its the right one, but when you get to your destination its not at all what you thought it would be.

So you begin looking for things to fulfill you and satisfy the itch you started out with.

But like always, all of these things end up leaving you even emptier than before.

You look in the mirror and see a washed up version of yourself.

Then you take a look back and wonder where you went wrong.

"Where along the way did I lose belief in myself?"

At one time you had vision.

At one time, you knew exactly who you were.

If you think hard enough you will remember exactly when it happened.

You will remember the time when you were at your best.

And then you'll see where it all went wrong.

At some point along the way, the voice of man became louder than the voice of God.

Sometimes as humans we get so caught up in what the world says we are supposed to be doing, that we stop hearing God.

We become so distracted by the "timeline" of everyone else, that we miss our own way.

But whoever said we're all supposed to be carbon copies of each other?

We each have a calling.

Everyone in this world has a purpose.

But you can't live out yours if you are so wrapped up in living out everyone else's.

Thankfully we have a very patient Father.

He knows that the enemy has spent his existence trying to confuse us and alter our path.

He knows that as humans we will spend many years wandering around in the desert before stepping into our persona.

But He also knows that His plans for us are irrevocable.

And He has waited patiently for you to come to this realization.

So take a step back, take a deep breath, and remember who you are.

Because its never too late to jump back in.

Remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Remember that the Lord has plans to prosper you. To give you a future and a hope.

And Remember that He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion.

If His plan for you scares you or is hard to explain to others, that is a good indication that you are in the right place. :)

"Its going to be wild, it's going to be great, it's going to be full of Him."

Wild Flowers

"Once the shepherd stooped and touched the flowers gently with his fingers, then said to Much-Afraid with a smile, 'Humble yourself, and you will find that Love is spreading a carpet of flowers beneath your feet.'

Much-Afraid looked at him earnestly. 'I have often wondered about the wild flowers,' she said. 'It does seem strange that the unnumbered multitudes should bloom in the wild places of the earth where perhaps nobody ever sees them and the goats and the cattle can walk over them and crush them to death. They have so much beauty and sweetness to give and no one on whom to lavish it, nor who will even appreciate it.'

The look the Shepherd turned on her was very beautiful. 'Nothing my Father and I have made is ever wasted,' he said quietly, 'and the little wild flowers have a wonderful lesson to teach. They offer themselves so sweetly and confidently and willingly, even if it seems that there is no one to appreciate them. Just as though they sang a joyous little song to themselves, that it is so happy to love, even though one is not loved in return.'

'I must tell you a great truth, Much-Afraid, which only a few understand. All the fairest beauties in the human soul, its greatest victories, and its most splendid achievements are always those which no one else knows anything about, or can dimly guess at. Every inner response of the human heart to love and every conquest over self-love is a new flower on the tree of Love.'

'Many a quiet, ordinary, and hidden life, unknown to the world, is a veritable garden in which love's flowers and fruits have come to such perfection that it is a place of delight where the King of Love himself walks and rejoices with his friends.'

'Some of my servants have indeed won great visible victories and are rightly loved and reverenced by other men, but always their greatest victories are like the wild flowers, those which no one knows about. Learn this lesson now, down here in the valley, Much-Afraid, and when you get to the steep places of the mountains it will comfort you.'"

-Hinds Feet on High Places , Hannah Hurnard, pg 47-48

This is one of my favorite excerpts from "Hinds' Feet on High Places"

I felt it would be helpful for almost any woman to read.

I believe one of the most difficult things for us to do is to love without the promise of something in return. When we love, it seems as if we take every vulnerability within us and lay it on the table. We put up walls to protect ourselves but even when we think we are guarding ourselves, we have expectations. Whether those expectations are visible for all to see, or whether we are hiding them in the deepest crevice of our soul, they exist. And in this life, those expectations are seldom met.

It is easy to slip into self pity when our expectations fail us, mostly because we are taught in our fallen state that we are deserving. We are taught that the world owes us something.

But the important thing to remember is that we do not love to be loved. We love because we are commanded to. We love when we are wronged. We love when we are humiliated. We love when the world puts us up on a cross and crucifies us. Why? Because Christ did it first.

I have so many beautiful friends who have so much to offer the world.

And maybe the right person hasn't noticed. Maybe it feels like they never will.

But I encourage you all to continue being beautiful from the inside out.

Do not change for the world. Remain the wild flowers that you are.

Because even when no one else appreciates you, your father in heaven does.

You are the reason he smiles. And nothing the world has to offer can ever compare to that.

Hope

There is something inside all of us that awakens our soul every morning.

Something that gives us a reason to keep going.

I have realized that every morning I awake hoping for something.

And even when the day passes and what I hoped for never happened,

I fall back asleep dreaming for tomorrow.

And in the morning, I awake again with a renewed sense of hope.

Something about the changing of days gives us inspiration.

Another chance. Another moment. Another day to keep us going.

Even after months and months of unfulfilled expectations, we continue to hope.

Sometimes we see our desires fulfilled and sometimes they never come to fruition.

Sometimes we want to give up. But mostly we want to keep going.

Because we believe in something bigger than ourselves.

We know that life is not about our desires being fulfilled.

And it is this knowledge that helps us to rejoice even during storms of disappointments.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.

The Lord answers with yes and the Lord answers with no.

It is His privilege to do so. The Lord does not owe us anything.

Yet He alone knows what will satisfy our souls.

So when our hope is in the Lord, even during the “no”s, even when He takes away, our hope remains.

Sometimes it takes a while for us to find it. Sometimes we want to pretend it isn't there.

But nevertheless, it is within us.

Christ in me, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus' blood an righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly trust in Jesus's name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,

all other ground is sinking sand.

All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,

I rest on His unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale,

my anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,

Support me in the whelming flood.

When all around my soul gives way,

he then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh may I then in Him be found.

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

Perception

This is a video I made during my 2nd year of college.
It's titled "Perception" and it deals with all of the appearance issues women face.

I wanted to make a video that shows a woman struggling with these issues.
Then I wanted to show her literally running away from all of the lies that the world has told her.

I know so many of us struggle with this, myself included.
I hope you girls enjoy this and that it meets you right where you are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pSdESBYOW0

Boxes or Swirls

One of my favorite things about being in an airplane thousands of feet in the air, is looking out the window. I have always been intrigued by the way things look from up above.

I love to see the "big picture" it reminds me of how small I am.

It also reminds me of how things can appear so differently, depending on your perspective.

About a month ago, I was flying back from Wisconsin.

I was looking out the window as we flew over a city.

I noticed that we as humans put everything in perfectly shaped patches and squares.

Everything is measured so accurately with lines and expected patterns. The freeways and the streets all intersect at foreseeable times. Even the grass fields are purposely cut off at designated areas. Everything is controlled with the human mindset of parallel lines and boxes.

And then we flew over a river... something humans had no control over.

Its pattern was wild and unpredictable. There were beautiful swirls and squiggles.

There was no rhyme or reason to any of it.

With all of the human tools and reasoning in the world, the pattern of that river will never make logical sense to us.

As I was comparing our workmanship to Gods, I realized this was a picture He had been painting for me.

We as humans have spent our lives trying to put Him into boxes of our understanding and reasoning.

Why? Because we are more comfortable with Him there.

We squeeze Him into places He isn't meant to fit into and then wonder why our relationship with Him is dull and lifeless.

We long for Him to romance us with beauty and mystery... but then we get scared because we can't wrap our minds around it.

And so we try to find reasons and answers for everything.

We shove Him into spaces He will simply never fit.

And little by little, we create a world without mountains and rivers.

And although the flatland is boring, we prefer it because it makes sense to us.

Because we can draw lines around it and live in the comfort of our circles and squares.

Seeing this was a huge reminder to me that the Lord desires more for us.

That is why He takes us to places we don't understand.

Sometimes it requires patience on our end.

Sometimes getting us there is the most confusing part.

We don't understand the twists and the turns of His plan.

In our realm of understanding we go from point A to point B.

But God is not confined by our numbers and our systematic thinking.

And we wouldn't be ready for what He has for us if we walked in straight lines.

Every corner we turn is preparing us for something.

He works outside the realm of our understanding to grow our faith and to teach us to trust.

Because His ways are not our ways.

He wants to take us to the unfathomable, intangible places and show us the splendor of His glory.

The only problem is... we are afraid.

So we have to ask ourselves this question ... what is scarier?

Following God outside the realm of my understanding.

Or following a God who fits inside a box that I created.

I think we all know the answer to that one.

Lets be bold. Lets follow Him into the unknown.

It may seem risky... but that is where our faith comes in.

Boxes or swirls. What will you chose?

Because you ARE beautiful.

God put you on my heart today … so strong… that he woke me from my sleep.

I feel it would be wrong not to write to you. 

I want to let you know first off, that I am not writing out of judgment. I am writing out of love. 
Love because you are my sisters in Christ. You are my friends, the ones I am running the race with. 
And I would not be justified in any form of judgment since I was in the same place myself, a few years ago.

You are beautiful. You are a treasure. You are good. You are lovely, none can compare. 
You have the heart of a warrior, the mind of a dreamer, and the spirit of a child. 
You are our Savior’s beloved. He calls you His beloved. You are HIS. 
He sees you differently than you see yourself.
He does not see your failures or your flaws. He knows your weaknesses, but he does not use them against you or allow them to keep Him from loving you. 
His love isn’t filtered by what you do and don’t do. It is unconditional. It is unchanging. It is never ending.
And even when you are done loving Him, He is not done loving you. 

Ladies, there is nothing we can do to remove ourselves from His love.
But there are things we can do to remove ourselves from His best. 

Nothing hurts me more than to watch people walk away from His best.
For some reason, we choose momentary satisfaction even if that means eternal disappointment.

I know you are dealing with pain. I know you have been hurt by false teachers. I know the words people have always spoken over you, echo inside of your mind. I know you are afraid of becoming what they always said you would become. I know you are afraid of disappointing. I know you are afraid of not being good enough. I know you are disappointed in yourself.

I also know all of these fears and disappointments make it easier and easier for you to give up and lose sight of what you know is true. 

But I encourage you to take every one of these fears and thoughts and disappointments captive. 

I encourage you to give them to God and let them go.

Do NOT allow them to shape your decisions and choices any longer. Do not let them have the victory.
The Lord is you shepherd. 

He wants to bear the burdens that are trying to cripple you.
These same burdens have been following you ever since you can remember. They are heavy and they are trying to slow you down. WHY? Because the enemy knows what you are capable of, he knows the good you are supposed to do. And He will do whatever he can to distract you and slow you down. He wants to keep you from reaching the high places. He wants to take every alter you have ever built, everything you have learned along the way and shove it in your face. He wants to make you forget.

He puts every possible thing in your way to distract you.
And as much as it pains me to say this…right now… you are enabling him. 
You aren’t fighting like you used to. Something has caused you to lay down your armor. 
You are on the front lines of battle where you are most susceptible to injury… but you don’t have your shield or your weapon.  

You need to guard yourself. You need to protect the beauty and the purity of your heart and of your future.

You do not know what a day can bring. You do not know where you will be tomorrow.

If you are awakening intimacy with someone who is not yours, knowing that you cannot fulfill this intimacy, I urge you to stop. 

Because the choices you make now affect your tomorrow. 

You could be hurting someone you love, or are going to love, very deeply with the decisions you make today. 

If you truly love each other… you will guard each other. You will protect each other’s purity. 
The best way you can show your love for one another right now, is not to be physical. The best way you can show your love is to be strong for one another. 

In a world where innocence is a massive struggle to hang on to, please CLING to yours. Do not let it slip away so easy. You have a God-given right to remain pure. It is YOURS. Even if it has been taken before, God is the re-builder and replenisher. Do not allow yourself to be convinced that you are beyond repair. 

If you have lost your innocence, lift your hands to God, repent, rebuke the enemy, and demand that purity back. Claim it. God makes things new. Thats what He does. And in Christ, YOU ARE A NEW CREATION. 

Please do not awake love until it can be fulfilled. 

Quit flirting with danger.

It is fun I know. But there is only pleasure in sin for a season. And after the season of pleasure… comes the season of regret. 

You are way too beautiful of a treasure to get trampled under foot. 
So I ask you to PLEASE rethink some of the things you have allowed in your life. 
Know your worth. Know your beauty. It is something to be kept safe and pure. 
It is a gift you get to give away all at once. Not piece by piece. 

I love you so much. 
I will be the accountability you need... if you'll let me. 
 

I am praying for you. 

-Brittany 

A prayer from a selfish sinner

Father I am sorry.

I have been selfish.

I have made this life about me and not about you.

And I have blamed you for the things I have allowed to go wrong in my life.

I pretended that you didn’t care because it gave me someone else to point the finger at besides myself.

I know you are good, yet I convinced myself that goodness could be withheld.

I looked at my life and saw all of the things I didn’t like…all of the things that sin has provoked in my life and I blamed it all on you.

I allowed myself to believe you caused me pain. I allowed myself to believe that your gifts are not good and perfect.

I know this is wrong.

I know every good and perfect gift is from you.

I also know that even when I suffer… that is a gift.

Because sorrow and suffering reap joy and peace.

I may sow tears now but because of this I will reap joyful shouting.

I know that trial and tribulation produce in me wisdom and understanding that will not and cannot be gained anywhere else.

I know that it is not your will for us to be in pain, but you will allow it because you know it helps us to grow.

You love me and you allow me to call you Abba.

Because of your goodness and love I don’t have to face an eternity of sorrow.

And though sorrow may last for the night joy WILL come in the morning.

You have given me a gift that cannot be tainted. You have given me the promise of your love forever.

Help me to focus on what is important.

To remember that those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.

Trust is a beautiful thing. I don’t want to doubt you again.

I trust in your unfailing love.  

 

Adored by God

A friend of mine was talking about a guy she was slightly interested in. She was explaining their relationship and how this guy went from pursuing her to asking her for advice about another girl.  As I listened to her talk I could hear the frustration in her voice. This was not at all the type of guy that she wanted to be with. His morals didn't match hers, his choices were obviously immature and there was no consistency in his affection. But regardless, he gave her attention and made her feel desirable, so her interest remained. 

As we talked, I could see how much it bothered her that he brought another girl into the picture. This guy, who wasn't even close to the type of guy she dreams about, was hurting her and she was enabling him to. 

I couldn't understand it. This girl was beautiful, talented, smart, funny. A hopeless romantic who's heart has been kept safe and protected. She had spent 19 years growing into the type of woman the bible urges men to find. She was carrying around the most amazing gift that was intended to be given fully to the one who God had reserved for her, but she was beginning to break off pieces and hand them to all of the impostors along the way. 

I thought to myself, "This is crazy! Doesn't she know that God has something so much better He wants to give her." 

And God whispered in my ear "No she does not."

This girl didn't see herself as special to God. She believed in His goodness, and she believed in His blessings, she just didn't believe that His goodness and blessings were for her.

Her perception of her heavenly father had been distorted by her earthly one. 

Her earthly father was good, but he gave all of his love and affection to her two older sisters; and when it came to her, there was never anything left to give. 

She had been found wanting her entire life. 

Her expectations were never met. So she decided not to expect anymore. 

And finally, this carried over to her relationship with God.

I once heard a pastor say,

 "How we view God has everything to do with how we respond to him." 

So many of us have a distorted view of who God really is. 

Many times our view of him is affected by prominent relationships in our lives. And more time than not, that view is a negative one. 

But the inconsistent nature of humans should never be thrust upon the unchanging nature of God. 

How we look in the eyes of other humans is nothing like how we look in the eyes of Christ. 

He is a God of love who came to give us abundant life.  He does not desire to withhold good things from us. On the contrary, He desires to bless us. 

The Lord is our shepherd We SHALL NOT WANT.

The Lord is our shepherd, He does not leave us wanting.
The Lord is our God and our care taker. He watches over us and supplies all of our needs.
The Lord is our father and the lover of our soul. He delights in helping us. He longs to bless us.

We have no ranking in the eyes of the Lord our God. He does not see us as the youngest. He does not see us as a number on a list. He simply sees us as His child.

There is no line we have to wait in. Our God is not confound by titles, numbers, or time. He is a good God that blesses us far beyond what we deserve.

And the sooner we can change our perception of Him, the sooner we can experience the amazingly abundant life He came to offer. 

I want you all to know that God adores you. He sees you differently than anyone else sees you. He sees you differently than you see yourself. 

Believe in His promises. Believe that His blessings are for you. 

It will change the way you think. It will change the way you dream. 

Pursuing Holiness

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy;

without holiness no one will see the Lord. 

Hebrews 12:14

Wow. Has anyone ever really contemplated the second half of that verse. 

Without holiness NO ONE will see the Lord.  

We are given a huge responsibility here. Holiness is not just about winning favor with the Lord. 

Holiness is about helping others to see Him. 

We look around at our nation and the surrounding godless countries. We wonder why everything looks like it is on a one way train to hell. It is in our movies. It is in our music. It is in our relationships, it is in our government. It is in everything.

Everywhere we look people are lost.  And we can't figure out where to place this blame?

We even go so far as to blame God. 

Well I have a very sad truth. A truth that brings tears to my eyes and a sickness to my stomach.

A truth that sends chills down my spine as I sit here and write this to you. A truth that convicts me to my core. 

We are the culprit. We are the ones to blame. And we can continue to point our finger at God. We can even continue to point our finger at the devil. But until we realize that we are responsible, we will live in a desperately lost godless world. 

I am not saying the enemy plays no part in this. He is definitely a confuser, a deceiver, and a tempter. And he deserves a good amount of the blame. 

But one of the easiest ways for us to forfeit all responsibility is to blame everything on the enemy. And if we forfeit all responsibility then we live as if their are no consequences. 

We have been made holy by Christ Jesus. And we are, therefore, called to be holy on a daily basis. Holiness should be something we desire. 

"If there is not, then, at least a yearning in our hearts to live a holy life pleasing to God, we need to seriously question whether our faith in Christ is genuine.... True salvation brings with is a desire to be made holy. When God saves us through Christ, He not only saves us from the penalty of sin, but also from its dominion."

Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness

Holiness is not a condition of salvation because we are not saved by works. But it should be a byproduct. As children on the King, we should be grieving over the sin in our lives, not trying to justify it. 

My problem is justifying the little things. The movies, the innuendoes, the jokes, the language, the humor. There are so many little things we allow into our life that are in all actuality disgusting.  

We fill our heads with mindless garbage and then we wonder why we don't have the influence we would like to have. We want revival for our generation. We want change. But we are no different then the people we are trying to save. And we wonder why God wont use us. 

"Holiness is necessary for effective service to God....' If a man cleanses himself from ignoble purposes, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.' (2 Timothy 2:21). Holiness and usefulness are linked together. We cannot bring our service to God in an unclean vessel."  

Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness

This doesn't mean that we have to be perfect for God to use us. We all know that is impossible. We are flawed human beings.  And on our own we are desperately wicked. But "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2. Cor 5:21). Our righteousness is not our own. To live a holy life we have to surrender ourselves daily to God's righteousness. We have to understand that strength begins with Him. The moment we think righteousness is our own, is the moment we become overwhelmed by the calling on our life. Living with that mentality will cause us to stumble in our salvation. It will cause us to despise ourselves instead of the wickedness that lives within us. It will cause us to give up.

We need not live with that kind of burden. 

"You, if you diligently pursue holiness, must often flee to the Rock of your salvation. You flee there, not to be saved again, but to confirm in your heart that you are saved through His righteousness alone. You begin to identify with Paul when he said; 'Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst' (1 Timothy 1:15). It is at this point that Christ's holy life lived on your behalf becomes so important to you." 

Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness 

We need to recognize the sin in our life, realize our need for His righteousness and begin to live lives that are holy and pleasing to the Father. 

We need to stop settling for moral mediocrity and call sin what it is. Our hearts are wicked and they will justify, rationalize and excuse our actions. We need to ask our Father to search our hearts and  make us aware of our iniquity so that we can turn from it. 

We need to realize that Satan is the accuser and he will spend forever trying to discourage us in our sin. He will make us believe the battle isn't worth the fight. 

But let us remember why this battle rages. There are hearts and souls on the line. There are people who need to see the image of Christ in us. And they will not see it, if we do not strive for it. Holiness is not a request. Holiness is a demand.

 "Be Holy because I am holy." 

(1 Peter 1:16)