A Lesson Learned From Art Class

I made a mistake!  Oh no!  And it's too late to fix it, what should I do?

I was loving how everything was turning out on my paper.  In art class the other day we all got to play around with watercolors. The flower I was painting was slowly taking shape as I added on each layer.  An idea came to my head.  My flower needed outer petals.  I dipped my brush into the red and mixed it with some white until I had the perfect shade of pink.  Without much thought I placed my brush on the paper and painted more petals.  

Let's just say the picture I had in my head is not what happened on the paper in front of me.  I tried to make it work.  I added more paint and  then I tried to get rid of the extra paint.  Nothing worked, I messed up. 

Refusing to just push aside this piece as a mistake and try again I took out my pens and attempted to save my work.  I blended the pink colors into a background wash and added pen to make the flower stand out.  It worked! 

The painting didn't end up how I had originally planned it to turn out, but overall, I love how this piece turned out.  I couldn't resist adding a simple quote with hand lettering!

My art teacher even came over and commented on my work.  But the first words that came out of my mouth as she looked at my piece was; "This was a mistake."

She quickly told me that it was not a mistake, nothing in art is a mistake.  It may not have turned out how I wanted it to turn out, but it wasn't a mistake.  She pointed out how I was able to use my creative mind to solve the problem and still create a beautiful piece of art.  She also said if I keep trying to get the desired effect I will only get better as I practice.

Encouraged, I went on to play some more with my watercolors.  I painted more flowers and landscapes remembering to keep in mind that as I explore with art I'm not messing up or making mistakes, I'm making art.

As I reflect on the dilemma I had with my flower painting, I can't help but see a life lesson to learn from this experience.  So often in my life I find myself in situations that are similar to my messed up piece of art.   

My life is like the painting on the paper in front of me.  As each day goes by a new layer is added to the painting.   I make choices for my life each day.  I have dreams and hopes.  I have an idea in my head of what I want the painting to look like whens it's done.  

But, let's face it, things happen and my life takes an unexpected turn.  Maybe it's a season of pain, or heartbreak.  Maybe it's a prolonged season of waiting.   Hard times come and I start to wonder what happened to the beautiful picture?  It was turning out just how I wanted it to, but now...  The brush suddenly slips, the paints spill on the canvas, the beautiful painting is no longer perfect, it's messed up.  I made a mistake.

What my teacher told me about my artwork is true of my life as well.  There is no such thing as a mistake.  Maybe my life isn't turning out how I want it to turn out, but I must never allow myself to forget Who holds the brush.

God is the painter, I am a the painting.  God doesn't make mistakes.  When God has me go through hard seasons in life I can trust that He knows what He is doing.  Even if the painting looks like one big mess right now, I'll just keep trusting God.  I know that in time God will turn it into something beautiful.

Change is Coming

Change is in the air.  As we near the first day of Fall I can't help but find myself getting excited! There is a huge grin on my face as I wave goodbye to summer - scorching hot heat, unbearable, not-so-fun, impossible-to-enjoy heat, and, yep, more heat. Maybe I'm exaggerating just a bit.  Truly, I had a wonderful summer, but I'm so thankful for change.  I'm thankful for cooler days, for routine, and for pumpkin spice Latte's.  That's the real reason right there, mmm, pumpkin spice, need I say more.

With the season of Fall fast approaching (the first day of fall is this Thursday!), the season when we celebrate change, I can't help but look back over the year and see all the change in my life as well. I am not the same person I was back when I first started this blog.  So much has changed. I have improved in many of the skills I'm passionate about (Photography, Sewing...), and I have pursued many new interests (Hand Lettering, Water color..),  but most importantly I have grown to have  a closer and dearer relationship with my Heavenly Father.

Keeping with the subject of change,  you may have noticed that I  changed my blog design.  It is my hope and plan to post more frequently.  I know that this has always been my aim with this blog but I'm going to really try this time. One thing I would like to share more of on this blog is my photography.  Another thing I would like to start posting about is my new found love and obsession with Hand Lettering.  If you want to see some of my Hand Lettering, I post most of my art on my Instagram account (@UniquelyHis4ever).

I'm looking forward to the change that is to come, but I'm especially looking forward to having my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season!  I hope you enjoy your last few days of summer.  I've already said my goodbye's to summer, I'm ready for Fall!

A Beautiful Hymn

"Come thou fount of every blessing, 

Tune my heart to sing thy Grace..."

Such beautiful words found in such a beautiful hymn. Tune my heart to sing thy grace. But a few days ago as my family was singing this hymn I asked myself, what does that mean, to have our hearts tuned?

I remember years ago when we had a piano tuner come to our house to tune our piano. He had to open up our piano and pull all of the strings until the piano sounded like it was supposed to. It took a few hours but once he was finished our piano sounded better than before. The music was pleasing to the ear because all the notes were tuned perfectly.

Just like the piano, our hearts need to be tuned. And who tunes our heart? God is the great heart tuner. Sometimes it's a long process, and sometimes the pulling of our heart strings may cause pain. But we cannot make music pleasing to God on our own accord. Our life song is just noise until we allow God to come inside and change us. 

Once we allow God to enter in and give him the okay to have his way in our life then He will get to work on tuning our hearts. In His perfect timing He makes our lives into a beautiful arrangement of his Grace.

Lord Jesus, make my life into a song that is pleasing to you. Lord, I want to live a life that brings glory and honor to your name.

Investing in the Lives of Others

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." Ruth 1:16

I want to share with you all my most recent purchase. For the longest time I have been seeing so many post on Instagram about a new type of Bible. It's called a Journaling Bible and it's a special type of Bible that has extra room on each page for notes, or art, or whatever you are inspired to create in the blank space. I've been having a lot of fun learning new hand lettering and calligraphy techniques and the idea of using this new pastime to help you study God's Word seemed like such a wonderful idea.



Last week I finally bought myself this beautiful Journaling Bible. I love with the vintage cover! All my siblings agreed that it fits me perfectly. I can't wait to express myself creatively in the pages of this Bible. Already I have been able to create my first hand lettering art in the pages my Journaling Bible (as you can see in the pictures below).

This past week God has been teaching me a lot about what I, as a Christian girl, can do each day to bless those around me. God has put on my heart the need each day to take the time to invest more in the lives of each of my siblings. I'm really close to my sister and I have decided to start a weekly Bible study with her. The book of Ruth kept coming to mind and I knew God wanted us to go through this book together. Today we read the first chapter of Ruth. We had such a blessed time together.



I wanted to make this time together very special for my sister so I made a quick trip to Starbucks (my sister LOVES Starbucks) and got us a special treat to sip on while we dug into God's Word together.

I actually pre-read the first chapter of Ruth and wrote down in a notebook questions for her to answer to help us draw out the chapter. I also taught her one of my favorite ways to study the bible; The SOAP method:

S: Scripture (choose a verse that spoke to you in the passage you read)

O: Observation (What is that verse saying, what's the context around that verse)

A: Application (How can you apply this verse to your life, what can you learn from this verse)

P: Prayer (Ask God to help you to apply what you learned to your life)



Each day I see how God has blessed me in so many ways. I have such a wonderful family and I am so thankful for my sister. I'm so excited to see what God is going to teach us as we continue to spend time with Him each week.

Lastly, I want to encourage you to take the time each day to invest in the lives of those around you. God has put certain people in our lives for a reason. Are we actively seeking to help those people grow in their walk with God, or are we just around them to have fun? Who has God put in your life who needs that extra word of encouragement each day? How can your example bless those around you?

Lord, help me to bring You glory in all I do. Show me how I can invest in the lives of others. I want to make the best use of the time, Lord. I want to point others to You in all I do.

What ways have you invested in others? Has anyone ever taken the time to invest in your life? Are you currently in any Bible studies?

Where is Your Happy Place?

What makes you happy? Is it having the newest gadgets out on the market? Or maybe it's having the perfect wardrobe? It could also be your wonderful friends and family.

But though these things make us happy, can they off us the true lasting sense of fulfillment and contentment that we all long for? I'm afraid they can't. All this world has to offer is a fleeting happiness. Seeking after the things of this world will always leave us feeling empty and wanting more.

Since the world has nothing to offer us then, where does true happiness come from? It can only come from God. He offers it to us freely. We can have this happiness by spending time each day in Gods word and in prayer. As you spend more and more time with God each day He will fill you with His indescribable joy and peace.

So, where is your happy place? It is in chasing after the things of this world? Or is it in having a heart completely captivated by the loving God we serve?

He is waiting for you. Don't forsake the most important thing you could ever do in life. Meet with Jesus everyday. Make Him your happy place.

Is you true happiness found in Jesus? What are some things that make you happy?

The Blessings of Being Single on Valentine's Day

Being a single girl on Valentine's Day is tough. We want to ignore this holiday until we find that special someone to spend it with. Everywhere we go we are reminded of this day that celebrates love.  From ads that pop up while your online, friends who are in a relationships, or even just walking through the Valentine's Day aisle at the grocery store full of gushy Valentine's candy. It's as if everywhere we go we are constantly reminded of the love that we as singles are 'missing out' on.

Valentine's Day has never really had much meaning to me. When I was little it was a fun day when you get to give candy to your friends, but receiving candy was the best part. Valentines Day has also been a day to have fun with my girlfriends who are also single. I dream about the day when I will have that special someone to buy me flowers and make me feel loved. Then, when my dreams finally come true, this will be a holiday I will always look forward to.

If your single this Valentine's Day, I challenge you to have a different perspective. Too often we fall into the world's way of thinking that if were just in a relationship we'd be happy. If we could just find our 'happily ever after' all would be well. But the truth is, we would still be unhappy and discontent even if we had this.

When our happiness depends on the things of this world we will never be satisfied. The happiness we get from the world is fleeting and only leaves us desiring more. True happiness and contentment can only be found in having a relationship with God.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

With this in mind, as we think about Valentine's Day, don't feel sorry for yourself for being single. In fact, Valentine's Day for us single girls should be an extra-special day. We, unlike women in a relationship, can give ourselves wholly to God on this day. Our king, who loves us more than any man ever could, sent His own Son to die that we might live. He longs for us to spend time with Him that He might shower down upon us His love.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

One of my favorite aspects about Valentine's Day that I dream about is receiving love letters from the one I love. Even though we may have to wait for the Lord's timing in writing our love story, we don't have to miss out on receiving love letters on this special day, because our King has written to us the most beautiful love letter. God's Word is often times viewed as a handbook that is full of the dos and don'ts of this life. But God's Word is so much more to us. In the Bible we find God's promises and His declaration of His love for us.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' 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.” Romans 8:35-39

God's love letters to us is not just for Valentine's day, but for everyday in our lives.

So, this Valentine's Day, we can rejoice in being single because we already have the best love story we could ask with a God whose love for us is never ending. Our love story with God is the 'happily ever after' our hearts have always longed for.

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." Jeremiah 31:3

This Valentine's Day, spend it with the one who loves you with an everlasting love - God. His love can never be compared to any earthly love.

As I end, I just have to say how ironic it is that Valentine's Day this year is on a Sunday. How perfect that we get to spend this day in the house of God, worshiping Him and learning more about His great love for us.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Being Faithful with the Little Things

I have a longing in my heart to do great things for God.  Each night I pray for God to use me and to show me where He wants me to serve.

I have this idea in my head that to serve God I need to be doing something other than just the everyday tasks of life that can often become boring and feel so very unimportant at times.

But God's been teaching me something.  I've prayed for God to show me a place where I can serve and be used by Him but no doors have opened.  Because of this I too often find myself with an attitude that does not find joy in serving God because I can't serve Him in the big ways that I desire too.

But my perspective is changing.  I'm still praying for God's guidance in my life and God has been teaching me that I need to serve Him always.  No matter how simple or silly the little things may seem I need to serve Him in those areas of my life as well.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters," Colossians 3:23

"His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." Matthew 25:21

How can I ever hope to do great things for God and to be able to serve God in great ways if I never take the time to give glory to God in the little things of life.  If I truly want to be used by God to do great things first I need to honor Him with how I serve Him now with the little things.

Then on that day when I get to see God face to face, He will bestow upon me the words my heart longs to hear,  "Well done my good and faithful servant."

My Prayer Board

Two things have been on my mind these past few days.  The fact that we are constantly in spiritual warfare, and what God has given us as our main weapon to fight against this kind of warfare 

Thinking back to last Sunday's sermon, which was on prayer, I was convicted of the power of prayer and important role it plays in our spiritual walk with God.

When I think of prayer a certain movie comes to mind.  Last October I went with my Mom and sister to see "War Room". If you haven't seen this movie, it is a very powerful, convicting movie about prayer that I believe all Christians should watch. I was encouraged and inspired by this wonderful movie.  click here see the War Room Trailer .

If you asked me what the one area in my walk with the Lord that I struggle with, without any hesitation, I would say my prayer life.  I pray everyday but I never feel like I'm focused or really pouring out my heart to the Lord when I pray.  I do it often as if I'm doing it just to check it off of my list of things to do for the day.  I have a prayer journal and whenever I write my prayers down it helps me to stay focused as I'm talking to my Lord but I don't always have the time to write down all my prayers.

After watching War Room I wanted to find a place to make into my 'War Room'.  I wanted a special room set aside for prayer where I could pin prayer requests and Bible verses on the wall. Unfortunately I could not find a place in our house that isn't already being used for something.  We don't have a large house and all our rooms have a purpose.  I was thinking of clearing some space in my closet but my closet is already packed full with too much stuff.   

When one way doesn't work though, you'll find another way, you just have to be a little more creative in your thinking.  As if out of nowhere, an idea came to me!  Since I didn't have an actual room to devote to prayer I needed something else that would help keep me focused as I pray.   I created what I call my 'Prayer Board'.  It has a list of prayer requests to remind me of what to pray for and some inspiration and guidelines for prayer.  I also ripped out a notepad from an old address book I don't use and added it to the board to write down daily prayer request and things I'm thankful for each day.

The clipboard I used was found at a thrift store (where I pretty much find most of my stuff). You can find them at Wal-Mart though.  I see this style clip board whenever I am browsing through the 'office supplies' aisle.   

On the inside of the clip board I decided to make a place where you can write down prayers that have been answered.  I also struggle with memorizing Bible verses so I stuffed some index cards (I use index cards for everything, they're so useful) into the pocket and each week I can write down a Bible verse to study and pray about.

This took me no time at all to put together.  I love being creative and organizing so I really enjoyed making this board. You can personalize it any way you want.  Now when  I pray I can grab my prayer board and everything I need is right in front of me to help me stay focused on Who I'm praying to. Another plus with this board is it will work great for traveling.  My family goes camping a lot in the summer.  When you find a nice quiet place in a beautiful valley or while taking in a majestic mountain view, there's no better time to pour out your heart to the Lord in prayer.  

With my new 'Prayer Board' I'm looking forward to growing closer to God in my prayer life.  Prayer is our strongest weapon  against the enemy and just like all weapons, we have to learn how to use prayer.  Only by  devoting a certain amount of time each day to prayer will we begin to reap the benefits and effectually fight off the enemy.  

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2

Focusing on the Year Ahead

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96: 1-3

It feels like 2015 was just yesterday, oh wait, it was. 

Once again, the year seemed to have flown by. I can't believe that we are now in 2016 and 2015 is the past. Looking back on 2015 I can confidently say it was a good year. I had ups and downs, good times and bad times.  Many of my dreams come true, but many of my dreams still remain just dreams.  It was a year of new friendships and painfully watching old friendships fade.  A year full of laughter and tears.  But through it all God has always been by my side.  That is why I can say 2015 was a good year, and I know that each lesson I learned in 2015 was to bring me closer to Him.

Briefly taking a look back over the past year I would like to share with you a few of my highlights:

• In March my mom, my brother, my sister, and I went on a road trip to visit our relatives in Illinois. It seems so long ago that we all piled into my brother's car and drove, drove, and drove until we finally reached my aunt's place in Illinois. We had a wonderful visit and made many new memories.

• In the spring my family worked at a Christian living history camp called Rock-N-Water. I learned so much and made so many wonderful friends during the two months we worked at Rock-N-Water. I'm looking forward to working there again in 2016 (this year).

• My biggest accomplishment of 2015 was making my Astrid Cosplay (you can find information about my cosplay on my cosplay page - My Cosplays). I took my sewing skills to a new level. Cosplaying Astrid has long been a dream of mine and it's truly an amazing feeling to make a dream of yours come true. I hope to make many more cosplays this year.

• In November I turned 20. To me that is a big deal because I'm no longer a teenager. On that day I created a list of goals for my 20th year. (you can find the list here - Twenty and Blessed)

Looking back I am also reminded of the many sad and difficult times I faced in 2015.

• Saying goodbye to my best friend as she left to go to college in Texas was difficult for me. I'm thankful that I can still communicate with her but it's hard not to be see her as much as I used to.

• Watching my brother enter the Coastguard only to come home with a medical discharge was a trial for my whole family. Seeing someone you love so disappointed wasn't easy. We prayed that God would heal him and I'm still trying to understand why God sent him back home.  But we take comfort in knowing that God's plans are always the best.

• Continually doing my best to trust in God and be content is always a constant struggle for me. I want to find my purpose in life but each day I have to learn to surrender myself to God and trust in Him for my future. 

I know that many of the struggles I faced in 2015 I will also face in 2016. But I know that just like God was with me in 2015, He will not leave me in 2016.

But enough about 2015 - I have decided to focus not on the past but on the year ahead. I can't wait to see what lessons God will teach me this year and what new skills I will be able to learn.

If I were to come up with a list of resolutions for the new year, it would sound a lot like the list I made on my 20th birthday. I have thought hard about it and have decided upon three main things I hope that this year brings:

1. To learn how to sew a dress without a pattern and and how to make my own pattern (this skill will be so helpful in making cosplays)

2. Become a better sister and daughter. God has made it clear to me that my place of service is to my family. I want to be kind and loving to my siblings and respectful to my parents.

3. To grow closer to God. I want to reach a point in my walk with God where nothing else matters. I want to 'fall in love' with God.

I'm looking ahead with a hopeful heart, thankful for the year that is past, and ready for the year to come.

Happy New Year!

Mary's Song

I don't know why but, whenever Christmas times comes I am always so fascinated by the songs that are written in Mary's perspective.  Songs like "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant and "You're Here" by Francesca Battistelli.

I think the reason that Mary's story has always seemed so fascinating to me is because she was just a girl.  She was probably not even twenty.  Maybe sixteen or seventeen.  She was most likely facing struggles similar to the struggles I face.  She was nobody special but she had found favor in God's eye's and she was to become the mother of His Son.  

I love learning about the women in the Bible because I find myself relating myself to them.  I believe that we can learn a lot from Mary.  

I can't imagine what would have been going through Mary's mind when the angel came to her and told her that she would bear God's Son.  The Bible tells us her response: 

"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; Let it be done to me according to your word." Luke 1:38

I am amazed at how willing Mary was for the Lord to use her.  She humbly accepted God's plan for her, even in knowing that it might change her life forever.  Following God would cause her a good deal of pain and embarrassment but nothing mattered because she knew that the Lord's will for her was the best.

Her faith and trust in God is an inspiration to me. I want to be like her. I know that God most likely won't appear to me the way He did to Mary but I know that God has great plans for me. With a humble heart, like Mary, I want to give up all my plans and hopes to God. I want to come before God with a heart willing to serve and ready for God to use me. Even when it doesn't make sense I know God's plan for me is the best.

And Mary's story doesn't stop there.  Luke 1:46 - 55 is just beautiful!  I often will read through this part of the Christmas story and never really take to heart this part of Mary's story.   

Along with a servant's heart Mary has a heart bursting with thankfulness and praise to God. I can only imagine how hard it would have been for Mary to follow God as she, a virgin, became pregnant with God's Son. Many of her family and friends probably shamed her. Joseph even planned to divorce her quietly until the Lord intervened.  Yet through all this Mary had a heart full of thankfulness.  Her words never once show resentment for what God was doing to her but instead she praised God for His goodness to her.

"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savoir, for he has looked on the Humble estate of His servant, for behold from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is His name and His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation." Luke 1:46-50

I want to know her secret.  When I get overcome with life and the many struggles that are a part of life thanking God is the last thing on my mind.  But thanking God should be my response for everything.  Everyday when I rise and when I go to sleep I can thank God for His goodness to me. There is always something to be thankful for if you search your heart long enough.   

There is a beautiful song that has truly captured the essence of Mary's story and Mary's song.  It's called "Be Born in Me" sung by Francesca Battistelli.  This song is actually what has inspired me to write this post. 

I have found that I can listen to this song over and over again (I actually have listened to it over and over again as I wrote this post) and the words inspire and speak to me every time.  

    

I was thinking about the phrase 'be born in me'.   It doesn't only apply to just Mary.  Though in physical terms it perfectly describes Mary, it can apply to us spiritually. Because of Christmas, when God sent His Son into the world to save us, He gave us something special -  Jesus living in us. 

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20

Because of what Christ did we really are not that different than Mary.  This Christmas I want Jesus to be "Born in Me".  I want my life to be an example of God's love.  Just like it was obvious to those around Mary that she was carrying God's Son, I want my love for Jesus to be obvious as well. When the world sees me and my life I want them to see Jesus who is in me. 

So what about you?  Does Mary's story inspire you as it inspires me?  I hope that this Christmas season you find the true Joy that can only be found in Jesus living in your heart.  He will come and fill your life with love. 

God has great plans for you and me if you are willing, like Mary, to humble yourself and with a thankful heart place your future in God's hands.  Be ready to be amazed at how God will use you!

Thanksgiving Blessings

I find it kinda ironic how the day after Thanksgiving we have Black Friday. Thanksgiving is a day to focus on our many blessings and having good times with friends and family.  It's just silly how the day after we celebrate being thankful we are once again out the door early the next morning buying more stuff and trying to find the best deal.

My family used to have a Thanksgiving tradition to help us remember of what we were thankful for throughout the year.  We put a decorative box on the table and throughout the year we would write down something we were thankful for and put it in the box.  On Thanksgiving we would open the box and read all of the slips of paper that said what we were thankful for.  

Sadly, we no longer do this tradition and often times I wish we still did.  As we have grown older we have grown out of many of our traditions.  When I have my own family someday I can't wait to bring back this tradition and start many new traditions.  

Just recently I have been trying to focus more on being thankful and having a heart that is content.  Last year I had four jars on my desk that I decorated and slips of paper to fill out and put in my jars.  I had one jar for prayer requests, a thankful jar, a jar for good times,  and a jar for Bible verses.  Sadly, this year I'm not doing my jars again.  I still have them I just wasn't motivated to do them this year.

One thing I love to do is journaling.  I have too many journals, to be honest, and I just keep buying more because I love them so much.  Just recently I have started writing in a special journal. I call it my Thankful Journal. Each night I try to write down at least three things that I'm thankful for to help me keep my focus on God and His goodness to me.  I can usually think of about five things to write down.

This year I'm most thankful for my family and friends. I usually say this every year but this year I'm especially thankful for my family because I'm learning that even when my friends grow distant or move away and I don't see them as often as I used to I will always have my family.  

I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving with friends and family.

With Thanksgiving past it is now officially okay to listen to Christmas music and decorate for the holidays. Only four more weeks until Christmas!  

My Bible Study ~ The Book of Job

It feels like it's been awhile since I last said anything on this blog. I'm just really busy (I always am it seems).  I don't have the time to just sit down and write something because when I do I realize there is something more important I need to do.  But, however busy our lives get, one thing that is very important to me is having my personal quiet time with God in the morning.  

More often than not my mornings start right off being busy and I can't always find the time to read God's word. Sometimes all I can do is set aside 5 minutes to read a psalms or proverbs.  

In spring I decided to do my own study of the book of Job.  Just last week I finally finished reading through Job. I chose to study Job because it has always been one of the books in the Bible that I find hard to understand.

My approach to studying Job was to read one chapter and then in my notebook I would take each verse and rewrite it in a condensed way (I learned this method at a Bible study I took years ago and we called it "Think and Shrink").  I also read a study guide to go along with my reading in Job. Lastly I wrote out a summary and application for each chapter of the book of Job.  I found this method of studying to be very helpful and was able to actually pull out a lot of truths to the book of Job.  I want to share with you some of what I learned...

In the first part of Job (chapter 1-2) the text is pretty straight forward.  What really stuck out to me is the fact that Satan could not harm Job without God's permission.  It's a comfort to know that God is on our side and Satan can't harm us.  If we are God's children, Satan has no power over us.

The second part of Job (Chapters 3-37)  the writing becomes more of prophecy format and...well, it's lot harder to understand.  Job doesn't know why these things are happening while his friends, who think they know why Job is suffering, plead with him to repent of his sin.  

I tried to imagine this in a more modern day situation.  If I had a friend and all of a sudden she lost everything despite the fact that she is a strong believer in God and didn't do anything to deserve what happened to her. If all I did was tell her that she messed up somehow and she needed to repent I would not be a very good friend.  Yet, that is exactly what Job's friends were doing.  

Jobs friends are a good example of how not to comfort a friend who's hurting.  What Job really needed, and what those around us who are suffering really need, is not someone to criticize them and tell them what they have done wrong, but someone to be a shoulder to cry on.  Someone who knows to be silent and to just be there for their friend.  When we criticize and try to tell our friends what they did wrong it puts us in a judgmental frame of mind and it is very selfish because we end up thinking we are far better than 'that' friend who is suffering.

I hate to admit it, but often times I get caught up in this mindset. When  I have friends who are struggling I feel like I have the answer and I can help them by telling them what to do.  I'm slowly learning that at times it's best to be quiet and bite my tongue instead of always have to share my opinions and advice.  

In Chapters 38-41 when God finally speaks to Job I noted that God never does tell Job why he suffered. Sometimes we aren't always given a reason either when we suffer.  The whole point that God was getting across to Job was that He was God and that was enough. God is always greater than our trials and hardships.

Finally, the last part of Job (chapter 42) when Jobs suffering finally comes to an end and God richly blesses by restoring all of his fortunes and more.  In the long run Job ended up better off after his suffering.

I learned that we can trust God when we go through trials and sufferings knowing that He is growing us to be closer to Him. It says in Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."  

Lastly, I just want to share with you my favorite chapters in Job;  I love Job chapter 28 because it talks about mining the earth for its precious metals and how none can compare to wisdom. I love it because it reminded me of the gold rush and I love the gold rush in particular because of an awesome living history camp I work at in the spring.  I also like Job 41 when God talks about the Leviathan because I believe the Leviathan was a dragon/dinosaur and that there were dinosaurs in Job's time.  The Leviathan truly does sound like an amazing creature and was fascinating to read about. 

I can now say that I understand Job a lot better than before, and I'm looking forward to the next book I shall decide to study.    

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

A Poem and a Song

You know how some people have just always known what it is they want to do with their life?   They don't have to think twice about what it is that God is calling them to do.  Often times I wish it was that way with my life.

Since I graduated high school (a little over one year ago) I have not taken any college classes.  I don't feel pressured to take any classes. The main reason I haven't is because the local college doesn't offer any classes that catch my interest.  I've never had a clear idea of what it is that I want to do in life, that is, other than my dreams of being a wife and mother someday. To be honest I'm happy being home and not taking any college classes (who wants more school, right?).

I'm at a point in my life where I just don't know what I want to do with my life. Opportunities to serve come and go and I feel so blessed by each opportunity I get to serve God.  But I feel like I'm still waiting for the next big thing to happen in my life.  I don't know when or what it is that God has in store for me, but for now I'm learning to be content while I'm waiting. 

I think a lot about the future.  I get frustrated because I want it to be clear to me which path I am to take. Learning to be patient and to put your trust completely in God is hard.  If I could see my future and what it is that God has planned for me, trusting Him would be easy.  It's hard to trust God without knowing.  But I guess that's what faith is (Hebrews 11:1).  I'm slowly learning to trust God even when His will for me is not clear.

A few weeks ago when I was feeling inspired I wrote a poem.  As I said earlier, I don't write poems that often and when I do, I don't pay any attention to the rules of poetry.  I know I should be rhyming words and stuff but I honestly would rather just write what comes to my mind and call it a poem (hey, it works for me!). Anyway, here's the poem I wrote:

I keep asking why? Why?

Why does this keep happening to me?

Why am I not where I want to be?

I keep asking when? When?

When will I understand Your plan for my life?

When will my dreams come true?

I keep asking how? How?

How can I make any sense out of this?

How will it all come together in the end?

I keep asking and asking,

You keep listening and listening,

Then I hear Your voice.

You keep saying trust. Trust.

Trust in My plan for your life.

Trust that I know what I'm doing.

You keep saying wait. Wait.

Wait and it will soon make sense.

Wait patiently and you will be rewarded.

And so I say yes.  Yes.

Yes, Your plan is what's best for me.

Yes, I will trust you and wait patiently.

I also love music and I usually can always find a song to go with whatever I'm facing in life.  Right now "The Waiting" by Jamie Grace is a song that I can really relate to.  

What will it look like?

What will it be like?

When my world turns out like you planned.

When will I get there? Feels like I'm nowhere.

My dreams are like dust in my hair.

But I, I know.

That this is the waiting.

I anxiously wait.

'Cause I hold on to love that will never let go.

And in these times that my patience is tested,

Won't you remind me that I'm not home?

Here in the waiting.

The waiting. The waiting.

All of the questions, secret confessions,

Lord, You'll make sense of it all.

And I know it's hard,

So I'm letting go of these thoughts that are taking control.

That this is the waiting.

I anxiously wait.

I hold on to love that will never let go.

And in these times when my patience is tested,

Won't you remind me that I'm not alone?

Here in the waiting. The waiting. The waiting.

Oh, and I, I know. I, I, know. This is the waiting.

Oo, the waiting.

And in these times that my patience is tested,

You are the love that will never let go.

Here in the waiting.

The waiting.

So I'll be here waiting, waiting, waiting,

Believing You'll never let go.

The Last Fruit of the Spirit

Well, what do you know! We have finally made it to the last Fruit of the Spirit - self-control. This fruit is no less important than all the others. It is so important that we are constantly working on cultivating each of the nine fruits in our lives (I believe there's nine...yes, I just sang it in my head.  My mom had a song for the Fruit of the Spirit as well).  

Back to self-control.  If you were to ask me what self-control is my mind would instantly think back to when my siblings and I were little. We would often get rowdy and we could never keep our hands to ourselves.  Mom would say: "Show me what self-control looks like." We would fold our hands together (like you do when your praying) and place them in our lap.  It forced us to have to resist the temptation to be loud and out-of-control.  And that's basically what self-control is - not giving into temptation. It's having the will power to be able to say no.

Self-control not only deals with physical temptations but all types of temptations. Temptations relating to food, thoughts, money, relationships and so on.  Talking about temptation I have to share with you my favorite verse about temptation.  1 Corinthians 10:13 is such a comforting verse when you are dealing with temptation.  "No temptation  has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."  

We are all tempted.  Lots of times it feels like there is a battle going on inside my head.  My desires battle against what I know is the right thing to do.  If you want to know something about me I've always been really self-disciplined.  It's built into my personality.  I set my mind to do something and it gets done (well, most of the time at least).  But I'm still just like everyone else.  I make bad choices and give into my desires only to end up feeling horrible for letting temptation win.  

We all struggle with learning how to have self-control. Good news is there is a remedy. There is something that we can do to help us learn to have self-control in our lives.  When temptations come we need to be prepared with truth.  Have verses memorized to remind you to keep your eye's focused on God.  A good one when you are dealing with your thoughts is Philippians 4:8 
"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."   

1 Corinthians 10:31 is a good verse to have on hand when you are trying to determine whether to say 'yes' to something or if you should say 'no.'  
"Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God."  
If it glorifies God. go for it! If it doesn't. you might want to rethink it.

The more you say 'no' to your sinful desires the easier it will be for you to have self-control.  
With God's help each day, you can learn to say 'no' to temptation and you will grow in your walk with God.  

Sadly, this brings me to the end of my writings on the Fruit of the Spirit.   I've learned so much (and I hope you have too).  Most of my inspiration for my writing came from A Young Women's Walk with God by Elizabeth George.  I read this book for my morning devotions and I enjoyed it very much. If you ever get the chance it's a great read. 

Oh, and one more thing.  So now that I'm all done with writing about the Fruit of the Spirit I got a t-shirt to help me remember all that I've learned.  

My dad bought this shirt for me a few days ago, but I haven't worn it yet because I wanted to wait until I finished my last post on the Fruit of the Spirit.  I love new shirts and prefer to wear them a soon as possible...but I was able to show self-control and not wear my t-shirt right away (Ha! Victory!).  I'm so happy now because I can finally wear my new shirt!