This Season

Y’ALL this book I’m reading stepped on every single one of my toes-yes even the pinky toe. A lot of people give the advice,”God won’t give you more than you can handle.” I have even told people that. Well that is not true. God does give us more than we can handle. Look at the whole book of Job. God literally allowed everything to happen to that man except death. (If you haven’t read about Job, I highly suggest reading it)God allows things in our lives to lead us closer. Not because he doesn’t love us but because it brings us back to him. He loves us so that he will allow you to go through things that give you no choice but to look to him. In this same book I’m reading and a sermon I listened to recently gave me the same message. (I guess God wanted me to hear it twice, I’m not mad about it.) He will allow us to get in situations without giving us all the details. In the book of exodus there was a story about God leading people to the promise land. BUT (plot twist, cue suspense music-) he didn’t lead them the short route, he lead them the long way. God apparently likes backroads too. He knew that if they would’ve gone the shorter way, they would’ve faced battle and backed out. On the detour, they were too deep in where they were to back out. But, they have to fully rely on God to provide. Those seasons of life are so necessary. In those moments God is preparing your heart. If your heart isn’t ready, what is supposed to a blessing in your life can seem like a curse. He allows seasons in our life where we have to go day by day relying on him just to get through a full 24hours. Some of my favorite things I heard listening to the sermon was “ God things have never been worse, and God says ‘yeah but spiritually you’ve never been better.’” “God I’ve never been in this much pain”, and God says,”yeah but you’ve never been in this much prayer.” All of that to say, God WILL give you more than you can handle. Not because he’s trying to hurt you, but He needs you go through certain things in life so you rely on Him and because where he’s taking you in life, he needs your heart to be in the right place. If you’re in that season right now (because same), this is not permanent. This season is temporary. The anxiety, the pain, the frustration, all of it. But, change your attitude. How long you stay in this season, is up to you. The ones on the way to the promise land didn’t have to stay in the desert for 40 years. You don’t have to stay in this season forever but how you manage the time you’re in this season is up to you. Ask God to change your heart, and embrace this season. He loves us and saves us from ourselves.( I’m no bible scholar and I’m still learning along the way. )

I don’t want to be called a “Christian”

I don’t want to be called a “Christian.” I feel like people use that so loosely. They throw it around like a lot of words that have so much meaning behind them, like the words,”love” and “hate.”  I know a lot of people in my life who want nothing to do with God because of how other people have portrayed God out to be. That affects their life eternally. Being a follower of God changes how you see everything in life. By no means do you live a perfect life but it changes you from the inside out. I pray that God shows me how he sees his people. I pray he teaches me how to love like he does. I pray he that he helps me serve the people who have hurt me and changes my heart. I want to show the world his kindness through my life. I’m reading this book right now and it talks about how God sees us naked- he sees all of our sins, and us for who are. He hears all of our thoughts and he knows what’s on our heart- all the ugly parts and he still loves us anyway. It says,” if we were together right now, I’d turn to you, with tears of true understanding, and whisper, ‘who told you you were naked? Who told you that you are anything less than a most glorious creation of the Almighty God? ‘Who spoke words over you and about you that stripped you bare and broke your heart?’” You see Adam and Eve didn’t know they were naked until they were deceived by the devil. And the devil will speak lies over you and make you believe and things about yourself that aren’t true. And the book talks about how you think these negative thoughts about yourself, and people who are also broken, will speak those things to you and you believe them. And some of these people are people who claim to be Christians. I know in my life I’ve been one of those people and I will continue to mess up. I pray that God works on me and that he helps me be more careful with my words and actions. I pray that to those I’ve hurt and didn’t show Jesus that they forgive me . People who follow Jesus are just as broken as people who don’t. But the difference is that Jesus gives us hope. I pray that I’m able to give others the same tenderness that he’s shown me. To help others see the difference. I want to be a light in this world for him. I don’t believe that I was put on this earth for me but for others. Even though that I’m in school to pursue my dream to be a dental hygienist, that is not the calling on my life. My calling is to love others and show them God’s love. We live in a cruel, sin-filled world. Full of hatred in all forms. We’re called to be different. We’re called to stand out and remind this world of Jesus. Even if I have everything I want but I don’t have Jesus, I have nothing. I don’t want to be just someone that says I’m a Christian. I want to be a true follower.