Lost Opportunities

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this, so I decided to write about it. It's a shame that we're SO worried about the actions of what other people would do, so we refrain to act on something. What am I talking about? People hesitate to give money to the homeless because they think they will immediately will go buy drugs or alcohol. People don't give rides to people who are walking on the side of the rode because they're afraid that they would hurt them. Allow me to say that yes SOME people will do that, BUT not all people are bad. I could walk into a store and at the same time of me minding my own business, someone could come up and hurt me. Regardless of the situation, people will make their own choices. You can't do anything to prevent the actions of others, but you are responsible for your actions. One of my favorite quotes is by Anne Frank who was a victim of the holocaust. She wrote, "Inspite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart." Take that how you may, but to me someone that lived through the Holocaust and was able to say that...that speaks volumes. I understand that there are bad people in the world that will take advantage of people's kindness. Not all people are bad though. Not all people will take advantage. I believe whole heartedly that there are some people out there need help. And a lot of the people on the street statistically are our veterans. This whole point in me writing this is to say don't stop being kind or doing things for others because you have the fear that something bad will happen. This world is continuing to get worse, and I understand that. You have to be careful and take precaution and use good judgement.  But If God leads you to do something, do it. Don't miss out on an opportunity, God will protect you. I mean what if that was you on the street? You'd want someone to help you.  Have we really lost so much hope in humanity to not show an act of kindness? I'm not saying go pick up the next person you see on the road, but if you feel led to do it, by all means do it. That is a opportunity to witness to someone, and who knows you might be blessed too. The greatest blessings someone will ever get is by doing something for someone else. 

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people..." Galatians 6:10 

My God will come through, always.

This passage in the picture has been on my mind all night. This woman literally gave all she had to survive, and she gave it away. For me, that would have been extremely difficult especially if it was all I had to get me through to the next day. What made her able to do that though, was through faith. She had faith that God would provide for her. In difficult times, we start to wonder how we're going to just make it to tomorrow. In those times, look to the one who created you and knitted you in the womb. If you're like me and you're a worry wart, I got the perfect scripture for you. He tells us in Matthew 6:34,"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I have this taped on my bed, because I need the constant reminder that God will take care of everything that I feel is something to worry about. Tonight at church I felt God remind me how blessed I am, and I heard him tell me things that I need to change. The offering came around him and this passage in the picture popped up in my head. I put all of the cash on me I had in the offering.  I was thinking to myself, "but God what if I need it?" Then I thought of this woman who gave everything. I often forget to realize the "stories" in the Bible aren't just stories. They're real events that happened. She had faith that God would provide. And I know that He did. The pastor said something that I will never forget as I was having second thoughts,"if it's hard to give when you have little, it's going to be even harder to give when you have a lot." I know that some struggle, but whatever you feel like God tells you to, don't second guess it. He will always provide when He has asked you to do something. He won't leave you hanging.

Have faith. 

White As Snow

If you're reading this, I need you to know that I do not expect everyone to agree with me on this topic. We were all made very differently as individuals, saying that we all have different beliefs and perspectives. If you have anything negative to say, please keep it to yourself. As I said before I understand that not everyone will agree,and I respect that. I don't expect everyone to believe the same way I do. I was very hesitant to write this but God continued to place it on my heart,and so here I am. Allow me to begin by saying: I love murders, I love people who commit adultery, I love burglars, I love people who are homosexual, I love people who lie, I love rapist, and etc. Whoah. Not what you were suspecting I suppose? Why? How could I love people who do such horrible things? They should be thrown into the pit of hell right? Excuse me. Jesus loved those people. And He teaches me everyday to love people like that. For those who pick and chose what to agree with in the Bible and need the reminder: EVERY sin in the Bible is the same in the eyes of God. Who are you and I  to condemn someone because of their sin? As Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees who wanted to stone the woman for committed adultery, "...Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw the first stone.." John 8:7 (ESV).  Do I love their actions? No. Why do I love those people? Because God didn't just pick and choose people to love. He loves everyone. Paul was an apostle in the Bible, but before he was an apostle he was known as "Saul". Saul killed many many people, but God still used him. God can use anyone. Sin is something that can be overcome by Christ, and only through Him alone. How I'm wired, I like to see past what people do. I like to figure out why they are the way they are, and why they do the things they do. I am NOT saying I agree with their actions, and I am NOT saying that is okay for you to go out and do those things because God will forgive you later. Life is too short to spend life living in sin. "What shall we say then? Are we to continue to sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin live in it?" Romans 6:1 (ESV) My whole purpose in writing this was covering the fact that how can we,who also sin everyday, determine someone else's fate? If we profess to be Christians, who are supposed to be filled with Christ's love, how can we just go up to people and tell someone that they're going to hell? or instead of trying to understand people, we just point out all the wrongs people do? Why do we tear down instead of lift up? Why do we just instantly judge instead of get to know people? Where's the love in that? I'm not saying to sugar coat. Who would want to follow Jesus,if that's what they see Jesus as? That's not Jesus. You wonder why non-Christians only see the things they don't like in the Bible, but that's the very same thing people do to people who aren't Christians. It's one thing to hold people accountable, but you can't expect someone who doesn't have Jesus in their heart to act like they do. I'm not justifying their actions,nor am I saying that's okay to 'just let it slide.' If we just simply show love instead of hate,you'll get a lot further with people. "Be imitators of God, the
refore, as dearly loved children and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1 (ESV) You never truly know the heart of people. On the day the we meet God, God sees us who accepted Jesus in our hearts. He doesn't see the sin that we committed He sees the blood of Jesus who made us white as snow.

Happy Heart.

It's so hard to see the light in the midst of a storm. All the pain and sadness takes over and you feel so alone. And sometimes you think to yourself, "but God I'm a good person! why me??" God doesn't want you to be sad, and He definitely didn't intend for that either. Stop saying"why me?" and answer God with "Let Your will be done." Even good people have to go through trials. I know you saw the "have to" and I say that because no one has the perfect life. Jesus went through obstacles in life, He overcame those. You can too. Life isn't always going to rainbows and butterflies. Life is a very precious and beautiful thing God has given us. You can turn a bad day into a good day, that is if you choose to. The Bible tells us that our life is very short. "Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." Psalm 144:4  My Momma always told me that every second I spend sad, that's a second of happiness I'll never get back. She's so right. In the short amount of time I've been on earth I had realized I've spent so much time being upset about things I can't change. I can't change how people treat me, no matter how hard I try to be kind to them. I can't change what happens when things don't always go my way. I'll tell you what I can change. I can change my heart towards the people who wrong me, and love harder! Just because people aren't always kind doesn't mean I'm going to stop being kind. That shows what's really going on in your heart. I can change my attitude and realize that things may not be going my way for a reason. God's ways are not always our ways and sometimes I need that reality check. There's so many more things that I can not change,but there is always always a solution, and it's not that the other person needs to change. Stop trying to point your fingers at someone else, your problem isn't someone else. It's something inside of you, that you have to let God fix. Ask God for a change of heart. God wants us to be happy. You can have that,let him into your heart. I'm not saying that don't ever be sad, because everyone gets sad. It's okay to be sad, and to cry. There's a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3). Also, don't be afraid to cry, it doesn't make you weak. The strongest man I know cried, and that man's name is JESUS. It doesn't make you any less of a man. What I'm trying to get across is that the best way to find love and happiness is to find God. He will meet you in the middle of your mess and storm. Are you happy?

What are you advertising?

Don't throw your pearls to pigs. Don't complain about guys being completely inappropriate when that's the kind of guys you're luring in. It's a guy's responsibility to respect you, but also give him something to respect. Modest is hottest. What you're wearing is your bill board. What are you advertising?

We're all family.

This post is kind of a rant but also something that needs to be said. In my sociology class we of course are studying  about society. We were watching a movie about social classes. I just about wanted to jump out of my seat. I was getting so angry. Why? Well people were literally not associating with people because of their social class!! And because they didn't dress the same way, or even because they didn't live in the same neighborhood. The sad thing about this, is that it's true to a certain extent, and these were real people from a high school. And it angered me so greatly. To think that someone wouldn't talk or hang out with me because of how I dressed or because my parents didn't make as much as their parents did?? I wanted to jump out of my seat and scream,"THERE IS MORE TO A PERSON THAN WHAT THEY HAVE!!!!" Why am I posting this? Because people need to take the time to actually get to know people. Judging someone by their appearance is something we do unconsciously. I will admit I'm guilty of this. We need to take that extra mile and actually get to know someone before we make a judgement of them because our assumption can be so so wrong. If life was like the show "The Voice" life would be so different. One of the many great things about God is that He looks at our hearts, not our appearance. "But the LORD said to Samuel,'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appreance,but the LORD looks on the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7 ESC. God doesn't judge us by what we wear or how we look. And God already thinks that were beautiful and amazing, inside and out. We were all made in God's image, and He doesn't make anything ugly and He definitely doesn't make mistakes. One of my favorite quotes is,"If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies, how very different our ideals of beauty would be." And it's so true!! All of these materiatic things that we feel like we HAVE to have, they will fade! You can't keep them forever! And besides why would you want to hang out with someone just because you think they're pretty? If you take the time to really get to know someone and step out of your comfort zone, you'll really see how beautiful people are. You may not find their appreance all that attractive at first, but by the time you get done talking to them and seeing them for them, you could fall in love with who they are. So my challenge is for you to step out of your comfort zone and get to know a stranger, someone you wouldn't really talk to. You might just find out that the person you probably would never have talked to could become someone very close to you. Ultimately at the end of the day, we're all fighting the same battle and living day by day. Regardless of what social class we're in. No one is better than the other, and you're not "too good" to talk to someone. We are ALL God's children. 

Trusting Jesus in a Broken World

Life can take you in a million different directions. Sometimes life gets so chaotic  it makes you want to pull your hair out and scream "I QUIT!" -how I felt this week. Life gets so frustrating, and I will admit I hit rock bottom. I was in the WORST mood and my attitude was so sour. I started to become so bitter. Whoa. Ok hold up. That is definitely not how I, a daughter of Christ should be. I have SO much to be thankful for. YALL Jesus died for me, and YOU! Regardless of what's wrecking my world, I ALWAYS have a reason to smile. No matter my situation, or yours Jesus had it ten times worse and more. Life may seem hard, but don't let it make you lose sight of what's most important. And sometimes we have to hit rock bottom for God to lift our heads and redirect to us back to Him. Sometimes it takes that awful obstacle in life. Don't ever think you go through rough patches in life for no reason. I'm thankful for hard times and struggles. Why? Because I am who I am today. God molded me into who I am, and He still is! Of course I don't enjoy going through rough times, but thank God that He's there helping me through them! You have to trust that God knows what He's doing. God can calm any storm you're facing. I understand that's easy for me to say because I have no idea what you're going through and maybe I wouldn't say that if I was in your shoes. Well, I don't have to hear your story to tell you that God can help you through it."I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16.33

 Jesus loves you so much and He wants to be there for you. He wants to help you through this broken world. He can help you. He's knocking on our hearts for us to let Him in.  My question to you is will you open the door and let Him into your heart or shut Him out?