TWO-ZERO-ONE-THREE. {2013}

Two-Zero-One-Three. {2013}

…it’s been a year of laughter

…it’s been a year of tears

…it’s been a year of letting go

…it’s been a year of letting Him in.

In just one year, my life went from a feeling of hopelessness to an abounding sense of joy.

…Friendships were created. Lifelong friendships, that is.

            …My cousin came back to the Lord.

            …My family found an incredible church that mended our hearts from being broken.

            …Relationships within extended family were restored. 

            …Girls on my floor began to ask tough questions and we had the ability to
                       find some answers through the TRUTH in the Bible.

            …My family became the closest it has ever been.

The key to this year: F O R G I V E N E S S . . .

“Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many."

[Hebrews 12:14-15, NLT]

Forgiveness restores peace, uneasiness, bitterness, and love. Forgiveness renounces resentment. Forgiveness makes you that much more like Jesus; the prince of peace came so that we may LIVE in peace and be saved of our sins.

The key to next year: W A L K I N G   I N   F A I T H F U L N E S S

 … living a life of submission to the most high God…living a life of prayer…living a life in constant pursuit of the One who provides.

“Seek the Lord while you can find him.
    Call on him now while he is near.
Let the wicked change their ways
    and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
    Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.”

[Isaiah 55:6-7]

So what’s my list? Oh, the 2014 New Year’s Resolutions… Well, this year, I only have one.

LET HIM IN. Less of me…more of Him.

This season.

...So I sat there and began to think about hope; how each one of us is a loved being who has been given a special name, how blessings are revealed through disguises, and how we have the ability to experience the romance of the most high God. Our forgotten sins have been forgiven because He first appeared to us, born to die to save the lives of people who love Him: 

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to
them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great 
joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been
born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you.
You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the
angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests (Luke 2:10-14, NIV). 

The fact that Jesus came to Earth as being fully God, yet fully human, created hope for humanity. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:1, NLT). Jesus is the Word. Jesus was the Word. Jesus is known as the prince of peace. God himself took the form of a baby to bring peace upon the nations. He was a sinless human who was born to die who made a way for us to live a life of freedom. Christ came as a baby in a very humble way, lived a life in the way we are to live our lives, and died to save the sins of all mankind. God, the creator of the universe gave us the prince of peace so we may live in peace. This sort of peace that God gave us has the ability to shut up the enemy. This sort of peace is perfect. 

This Christmas season, I am reminded that if the Lord can overcome the world, he can certainly overcome any obstacle that may cross my path. If the savior of the universe can overcome death itself, he can certainly rid of my worries. If the God of all that is good sent his son to live a perfect life, surely I can live a life of faithfulness. If we are chasing after Jesus with constant pursuit, we are running away from the enemy. It is our job as believers in Christ to live out the plan he has set before us.  We are to love God and to love other people in a way that builds the Kingdom. This season, I am praying that I may live out the calling the Lord has upon my life. From this day forward, I am just going to obey. To obey is to listen and to follow. To obey is to trust. To obey is to love my Father in heaven more than anything in and beyond this earth...so that's what I am going to do. 

Every piece.

"God does not want cookie cutter lovers with no heart and soul. He wants you. Every piece of you-every flaw. So run to him. Take your cultural relevance with you, because you'll need it... God will use you in any condition. All you have to do is run." - Jayson Schmidt

 Lord, I'm running.
Take each piece of my heart.
 If anything within me does not please you,
 Reveal to me a way to change.

 The evil one is just so tempting.
Sometimes his ways just sound so good.
But he does not want me for the right reasons. 
He wants me for everything that is not of my Savior.

You want every piece of me.
My flaws.
My insecurities.
My love.
You see it all.
You deserve it all.

Sometimes the pieces feel jumbled.
Confused.
Tested.
Broken.
But then I turn to your Word.

At your feet, my world changes.
Everything looks brighter.
I can't run from the creator of heart.
I can't run from the lover of my life.
I cannot hide.
I can only run to you.

How precious are the thoughts you think of me.
 I cannot even count them.
 Take these pieces. The broken. The confused. The tested..
And mend them into something beautiful.
 Draw me closer.

 Lord, I'm running.
 Rid me of my cookie-cutter attitude.
 Piece me back together.
Take my heart and soul and make them yours.

Simple Faith.

It’s simple.

It really is.

Jesus died for you and made you His.

We are all sons and daughters,

But what does that really mean?

Each one is a temple of the Holy Spirit,

Ravished and loved by He who is perfect.

There is such a hype.

There is such an urge for popularity.

That feeling of being worthy by acts.

What about the media?

That’s not so simple.

It’s now about the post.

The amount of likes.

The inconveniences of each day that make you a better person.

It’s those service opportunities that will make for a great post.

A great picture, even.

It is an affirmation of love, without seeking the ultimate romancer.

I am so guilty of this.

So beyond guilty of seeking validation.

Guilt is not so simple.

Perfection is simple.

Holy is simple.

The man, born of a virgin birth who took on the sins of humanity is simple.

To walk in the light of He who is simple

Is to walk in faithfulness.

To embrace the romance of the most beautiful love story.

The devil, he is not simple.

Those lies you are told; they are not simple.

They mess with your mind and make you think…

That you are not worth love, acceptance, and beauty.

The image in the mirror is not what your maker sees…

He sees a follower, a servant, just staring at the beauty of the King.

But just think about a world that treated the Lord as simple.

Living each day at a time with the knowledge that we are Christ

And that just resting in glory is all we need.

To walk in faithfulness.

To live a life that is simple.

Simple Christianity.

Imagine if simple becomes your life…

Your heartbeat...

Your world…

So simple. So true.

Faithfulness is He who created YOU.

I am SO excited to let you all know that I will be spending this SPRING BREAK in HAITI! I, along with 18 others from GCU will be spreading the love of Christ to those who so desperately need it. We will mainly be working in an orphanage and doing other tasks to love on the people and share the Gospel. I am asking for prayer and support through this entire process!! I created this blog to write about the entire journey, as well as collect donations for support. Thank you all so much for your generosity! Wow, God is so very good and I cannot wait to share His incredible LOVE with the people of Haiti! "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." - John 14:18 #journeytoHaiti2014