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?