Broken.

There are so many things being broken in this world. Commitments, realtionships, marriages, families. Which is not the way God intended it to be. Lately the "broken reality" has really just slapped me in the face. Too many kids are hurting themselves because they feel broken. Because they feel there's no end to the pain they are carrying. They're falling apart. And they're just kids. Some have endured more pain than some of us probably will in a life time. So you might be asking right about now, "where is God?" "why would He let this happen??" Honestly, I've asked myself the same question. But then I remember verses like Deuteronomy 31:6- Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. and Proverbs 3:5-6 which says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

We MUST trust God with every inch of our lives. If we push Him away and hide in sorrow, nothing is going to get better. If we push our friends and family away, we're making things worse. God gave us the people we have in our life, for a reason. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)

God never, ever, everrrr even THINKS about leaving our side or abandoning us. That's pretty incredible if you ask me. So with that being said, when we are going through trouble and hurt, we need to seek Christ even more diligently. I think whenever we encounter some kind of hardship, our automatic thinking is "where is God?" and we close ourselves in a box of loneliness. We just assume we're all alone now. Which obviously, as God has proclaimed several times before, is never true.

"Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they dissapear, and we fly away." - Psalm 90:10 

I love this verse. We are reminded that pain can not last forever. Because when we rely on Christ through our trouble and grow in our realationship with Him, we will spend eternity with Him in the one and only perfect, pain free place. Heaven. Our home.   

Release

Today I was holding my 3 month old cousin, Andrew. He was kind of fussy, and dropping his pacifier didn't make it any better. As I was trying to put it back in his mouth, I was having a difficult time because he had his little fists right by his lips, trying to find something to suck on. I was thinking, "If only he knew what was coming. If he could understand that if he moved his hands he would get what he wanted- his pacifier!"

And that's when I realized something. We all do this. Most of us hold this thing in front of us, not knowing that it's keeping us from the bigger picture. That we're blocking the road that God is trying to reach us from. We are upset, lonely, unsatisfied, just like a baby when they lose their pacifier. And if we would only LET GO, God could hand us exactly what we need!

If we released whatever sinful habit we're holding on to, (such as materialism, a broken past, a grudge against someone, drugs, alcohol, etc.) we could receive God's gift to us. Whatever that may be. He knows exactly what we need. It may not be what we want, but what is best for us. He sees our future and holds the 'map' to our lives. Only He knows where we will be in the next 10 years. Or even the next 10 minutes! He has a bigger and better plan for us, than anyone could ever dream or imagine.

We just need to release our hands so we can receive our pacifier.

Set Apart

My son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, - Proverbs 1:15

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:2

That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, - Philippians 2:15


Ever since I can remember, I've always wanted to 'fit in'. If my friends had a certain thing, I wanted it too. I mean, I didn't want to be left out! Most kids do this too. In fact, probably 99% of kids and teenagers do. They are always trying to get what everyone esle has, trying to live up to the latest trends and be like all their peers and friends.

Well you know what?
I am going to be that 1%.

I recently figured out that we aren't suppose to be like everyone else. We aren't suppose to fit in. We aren't suppose to follow the way of this world. God called us to be different. To be a light in this world of darkness. To not "go with the flow" or simply "do what everyone else is doing".

Is it easy? No. But God never said things would be easy. He said all things are possible through Him. (Phil. 4:13) Not easier.

And so it is, my latest mission. To set myself apart from the world. To not be 'normal'. To stand out. To be a light.

Because NORMAL IS NOT ENOUGH.