Light & Life

What I love most about my morning quiet time, is the stillness I feel when I'm in the Lord's presence. Trust me, it doesn't happen as often as I wish. My thoughts sometimes drown out any words that the Holy Spirit is trying to speak. But there is a moment when I allow my spirit to quiet and there I can hear His still, small voice.

This mornings devotions were about Light and Life. It says in John 1:4 "Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men."
When we have Christ living in us, we become the light in a dark world. For most people, the light is so obvious. Yet for others, it dims more and more everyday. So what does it take to keep that light brighter, and stronger?

Sometimes when Christ shines through us, those that are walking in the darkness become uncomfortable when they are around us. We become that mirror that shows them how far off the path they have strayed. I've seen this time and time again. Don't be surprised if you are rejected and resisted on this earth. Christ was too when He was here on earth, and from His own people. We will be rejected and resisted. Never see that as a bad thing. It is a wonderful that God chooses you to express Himself through. Allow the Spirit to guide you and lead you through all life's twists and turns.

The exciting part of it all is that when people encounter you, they encounter Christ within you. Please take every opportunity to give what you have to the hurting. Don't waste a minute keeping Christ to yourself.

Make that your goal, to continue to be the Light in your home, your school, your work place, and wherever you go.

As long as the Lord is living within you, you will never lose your ground. Stay close to Him. Let Him be your Light, when all other lights go out.

When you don't feel like you deserve love..

I trust you all had a great week! Times are changing! Leaves are turning colors. Flips flops and swimsuits are being turned in for boots, and backpacks. It's a time for great harvest! The Lord seems to remind me of His sovereignty in times like theses. I am not one to like change. I don't even like it when the leaves change. It's a feeling of watching a part of my life be placed behind me, and a new season up ahead. It's a time to adjust and learn to adapt to different circumstances. Don't get me wrong, I love new beginnings. I do.

The Lord, in all His majesty drops little gifts in our laps everyday. Today, He did that for me. I learned that it doesn't matter what you've done or haven't...nothing can separate you from God's love. But also, His love is NOT conditional to our performance. Maybe you think that to have someones love you have to earn it, or have to do something to deserve it. I'm here to tell you that with ANY human being, you will find that sometimes love is conditional. But I'll tell ya, His love, oh man....there is nothing like it. And you don't have to earn it. You don't have to do the right thing, never screw up, or fail in order to be seen worthy in His eyes. His love is there. And not only is it there, but He beckons you to come to Him. He whispers sweetly in your ear. If anything, THAT is the love you don't deserve, and yet...He gives it freely. Amazing.

So next time, when someone doesn't show love to you, don't think it isn't because you don't deserve it. Remember, you are to die for.

And that is something to praise Him for!

Be Blessed my dear one.

As you watch, don't forget, He did that for YOU!

I Hope You Dance

Happy Wednesday! Let this bless your heart, as it did mine..

I'll Praise You in the Storm

As I thought about what it meant to praise Him in the storm...I thought about actual storms. I thought about natural disasters. Hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, floods. Natural disasters. No one causes those horrible storms. No one wished these monstrosities to happen. They just do.

Even more that I got from praising Him in the storm...is what we do in the middle of the storm. I have the choice to complain that there is too much rain, that the lightening scares me, that there is a hole in my umbrella, or that rain gets in my boots. I can choose to find no hope the middle of a disaster. But then, I am reminded of the old quote from my all time favorite movie, Lord of the Rings. Frodo, having been entrusted with this ring, the ring that all of evil is searching for, and at any point Frodo could lose his life. His fate, laid in the hands of the Ring. He is sitting in the Mines of Moria, and he confides in Gandalf. "I wish the Ring had never come to me, I wish none of this had happened.". Gandalf, in his calm demeanor, looked at Frodo and said, "So do those who live to see such times, but it is not for them to decide. All we can decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

We all have a choice. God sometimes takes away the sins but never heals the sickness. I think about the man that was nailed to the cross next to the Savior of the World. Did Christ raise that man from the dead? Did He get him down from that cross? No, because sometimes we have to go through death to find life. It is always a painful process, but in the end..we are rewarded.

So in the storms of this life. Praise HIM.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass..it's learning to dance in the rain." <3

I love you.
Your sister in Christ,
T

The butterfly and the buffalo

I was given a great illustration on the difference between men and women. I want to share this with you.

Coming from Gary Smalley's book, For Better or for Best.

"The best example I can think of to illustrate these differences is to compare the butterfly to the buffalo. The butterfly has a keen sensitivity. It is sensitive even to the slightest breeze. It flutters above the ground where it can get a panoramic awareness of its surroundings. It notices the beauty of even the tiniest flowers. Because of its sensitivity, it is constantly aware of all the changes going on around it and is able to react to the slightest variation in its environment. Thus, the butterfly reacts with swiftness toward anything that might hurt it. If a tiny pebble were taped to its wing, the butterfly would be severely injured and eventually die.

The buffalo is another story. It is rough and calloused. It doesn't react to a breeze. It's not even affected by a thirty-mile-an-hour wind. It just goes right on doing whatever it was doing. It's not aware of the smallest of flowers, nor does it appear to be sensitive to slight changes in its environment. Tape a pebble to the buffalo's back and he probably won't even feel it.

The buffalo isn't "rotten to the core" just because he goes around stepping on pretty flowers. In fact, the buffalo's toughness is a tremendous asset. His strength, when harnessed, can pull a plow that four grown men can't pull."

What a great picture of men and women. Men may tend to "plow" through circumstances, while women "feel" life and their surroundings with much more sensitivity. That pebble on the butterfly's wing can be a sarcastic comment, a sharp criticism, or even an indifferent attitude. Whatever it may be, it can hurt her deeply or even crush her. While for him, he doesn't even notice what he has done.

I'm not implying that men are just cruel, and hurtful. And woe is women. What I am saying is that we need to understand our differences. That men are strong, and a woman needs that. She can't always come to a situation with logic. And men need the sensitivity of a woman, because without it, they will always "plow" through life.

Ladies, see men for who they are in Christ. They are born to be leaders, warriors, and kings. Learn to strengthen and encourage that part of who God has created them to be. They so desperately need respect from us.

Men, (if you are reading this) don't see the sensitivity of women as a weakness. Because it is not. Learn to open your heart more. Be gentle, and loving toward us women. Be patient and kind. We were created to be a husband's help-meet. To support and to respect. But we also have a longing for love.

Let me close with one final word. Ladies, don't EVER change. You were created to be a butterfly. Don't harden your hearts to the cruelness of this world. You are meant to be sensitive, caring, and loving. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And men, please stay strong. You keep us safe, you protect us. Being a buffalo isn't a bad thing. God created us different, but He loves us all the same.

Do you trust me?

"Do you trust me?"

That 5 letter word hits me every time. Do you sometimes feel like all you can see is only a few miles in front of you? Do you ever feel like you are blind in the desert? When we tell someone that we trust them, I don't think we really understand what we are saying.

The definition of trust is: "Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something."

"Do you trust me?"

I have come across this phrase for many many years. From friends, parents, significant others, and more. But I'm not talking about that. I have come across that 4 word phrase by God more than any other person or thing. It means SO much more when He asks me, "Do you trust me?"

Do I truly trust the Lord? Do I trust that He will never leave me? That He will lead my by still waters? I don't know what the future holds, or why lies ahead. And it is easy to say that we do, but when our actions don't line up, it shows what is in our hearts.

Watch this video, and then ask yourself, "Do I really trust God?"

I'll tell you, I do.

He wants to take you by the hand, He wants you to hold on so tightly. He will never let you go.

A Lily Among the Thorns..

"Like a lily among the thorns, so is my darling among the maidens" Song of Solomon 2:2

As I sit and think of how to start this post, I am bombarded by thoughts of a friend I know who is going through a pretty rough time right now. She isn't the first girl that has questioned why she ever gave her heart away to someone she thought truly would cherish it. Have you ever felt that way? I know I have.

The world has taught us, that in this culture, to find true love, its through the giving of ones heart. To settle for less than God's best and pursue many relationships to find, "The One". We live in a world that has and continues to destroy everything that is princesslike and feminine within our being. Girls are bombarded by movies, music, and magazines that tear our dreams of someone to cherish, love, and admire the princess that we see in ourselves. Girls are realizing that the ones that are easy, laid back, and don't care much about their purity, the ones that put themselves out there for any guy to grab, get the attention that we all long for. So we begin to compromise. And before we know it, we get exactly what those girls get, a hollow, one dimensional life. But is it really worth it?

I have felt that way. I've come to that cross road so many times in my life. Feeling pulled into the direction that the girls in my youth group were going. I saw the results that the girls got. I wanted that. Praise the Lord, I had a discerning spirit, and choose the higher road. It was never, ever an easy thing to do. To choose to be a lily white princess for my King, and my future husband, than to follow the crowd around me.

Where are you at in life? Have you felt as if you have compromised who you are for the shallow, and hollow life of the girls in your life. Throwing your heart to guys who will never appreciate it to begin with? If so, you aren't alone.

Leslie Ludy puts it so well in her book, Authentic Beauty:

"My childhood longing to be loved and cherished by a tender knight that I could follow to the ends of the earth was placed in my heart by Him. Jesus Christ alone can fulfill that desperate longing."

So many of us think we know Christ. I mean, really know Him. We mention Him in conversation, we visit Him in church, we read the bible every once in a while to get to know Him better, and maybe even declare that He is number 1 in our life. But there is a huge difference between saying you know Jesus Christ and actually experiencing Him as YOUR true Prince.

I challenge you to stop looking at the world's version of love, and acceptance. And tune your ears to the sound of your Prince, beckoning you near to Him. Listen to His sweet whisper. Feel His heart beat. And there you will find love, acceptance and everything more and beautiful.

We are all on this set-apart road, running to our Prince. Never give up, and never look back at the past mistakes you have made. Allow the Spirit of the Lord to heal you of past hurt, and disappointment. Look into His loving eyes and let Him be your Prince, your Knight in shining armor. You will NEVER regret it.

I'm praying for you, my friend, my sister.