I am writing this entry in honor of Jason, my brother. Jason is my little brother, although I use the term "little" very loosely as he is taller and stronger than I am. Jason leaves tomorrow to finish his tour of duty in Iraq. Jason is a part of the 82nd Airborne division of the United States Army. He is stationed at an SUJ and does different missions each day.
People ask me how I feel about war now that my brother is in Iraq. My feelings have never changed. I don't think anyone likes war. Why would you? However, I support the troops and more than anything I support my brother and the decision he made to join the Army. Jason is not your typical 22 year-old. Jason is mature and smart and driven. He made the choice to join the Army after much prayer and consideration and he has done an excellent job.
Jason is so much fun to be around. He has a great sense of humor and gives awesome hugs. He always knows when I need a hug. The difficult part about Jason being in the Army is not that he is in Iraq. The most difficult part for me is that he is absent. I can honestly say that Jason is one of my closest friends and without him, there is just something missing. Mom and dad's house just seems a little too quiet at times on Sundays and funny movies are missing something when I don't have Jason to laugh alongside.
However, Jason being gone has helped me change for the better. For the past few years I have used Jason as my wall to hide behind. He has been my safety net. If I ever needed someone to go along with me to an event, he was there. I didn't need to step out of my box or out of my comfort zone because he was always there for me to stand beside or hide behind. When Jason left I found myself a little lost. It took some time before I began to feel empowered as my own person and felt like I could stand on my own. I know...a 27 year-old hiding behind her 22 year-old brother sounds a little lame. Fortunately, Jason has always encouraged me. He encouraged me to step out and enjoy life more and more. He is out of the country working his tail off and I am going to live each day to the fullest knowing that he wants me to be happy and strong.
So, thank you Jason. Thank you for your strength, encouragement, humor, love, life and hugs. Continue striving to keep the Lord first in your life. Make Him the center and know that He is in control. Know that you are in my prayers and my love for you is never-ending. Keep doing your job and follow your heart. Live a life filled with passion and commitment. I'll be awaiting your return. I love you.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
New Shoes
New shoes. New shoes make me happy. Now, I'm not a shopaholic. I actually don't like shopping. However, I like new shoes. The shine. The way they sit on display just begging to be worn. "Try me, I'd add a little drama to a drab outfit," say the 4-inch stilettos. "How about me?" say the black ballet flats, "I'm a classic." The boots, the pumps, the pointy toes, the heels with strappy ankles. New shoes. I may only buy one pair every six months or so, but I love the way they look. The heel hasn't been worn down, the label inside is clean and perfect, no blemishes, just waiting to mold to my feet. Good shoes do that you know. Quality shoes mold to your feet as you wear them. You don't have to massage your feet every time you sit down.
I recently bought a new pair of shoes. They are red, peep toes with a 3-inch stiletto heel. Classic look with just a touch of pizazz. I started thinking how I felt trying on new shoes. They need to be a perfect fit. They can't rub wrong and if they're heels, they need to accentuate my calves just so. This got me thinking about God. When I put on new shoes or clothes recently purchased I feel refreshed, clean, new. Sometimes you even replace old items with the new. This led to my thoughts on 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22 - 24, and Ezekiel 36:26 - 27.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, it anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
Ephesians 4:22 - 24
" You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
Ezekiel 36:26 - 27
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
They all speak about being new. I made some big mistakes in my life. I've had the "blisters" to prove it. I have lived before with a "heart of stone." I was in a relationship in which I thought it was okay for him to treat me poorly, to put me down in front of his friends, to make me resent my parents' caring. He was a bad pair of shoes. However, instead of getting rid of him, I bought band-aids for the blisters. Cover them up. Hide the damage. Limp on. In your mind you think, "I made this purchase and now I'm stuck with it." NO YOU ARE NOT!!! God makes all things new! God's Spirit moves inside you, urges you to find better, trust Him, put off your old self, renew the attitude of your mind.
You, my dear friend, are created to be like God. God will bandage the blisters, but not so you can shove your feet back into the same old shoes, but in order for you to step proudly into that new pair. You are a new creation. I am a new creation. Wearing white on my wedding day? You bet I am! Because I am a new creation. The old has gone.
Maybe you are still stuck in the old. Maybe your blisters are fresh. Maybe they are just beginning. Perhaps they are already calloused. No matter where you are, God is there too. Loving, caring, crafting a perfect pair of shoes for you so that you may walk in His will and not that of your own or someone else's choosing. I'm not going to lie. There is cost involved, but they joy far outweighs the cost. Trust your path to His craftsmanship. Allow your feet of clay to be molded in His image. Smell the new leather, give yourself the OK and put on the new shoes. Stand tall, walk with strength, run and do not grow weary, traverse the path with Him.
Shoes grow old, go out of style, or simply get worn out. God never does. God will never give out on you. When you become a new creation you, like new shoes, become a magnet. People want to know what makes you special above the rest. You can proudly tell your story and how God can make anyone a new creation. NEVER settle for less than God's best. Satan is a deceiver, but God can shine His Truth into your life. He did it for me. He brought me out of bondage. He healed my blisters and made me a new creation.
I recently bought a new pair of shoes. They are red, peep toes with a 3-inch stiletto heel. Classic look with just a touch of pizazz. I started thinking how I felt trying on new shoes. They need to be a perfect fit. They can't rub wrong and if they're heels, they need to accentuate my calves just so. This got me thinking about God. When I put on new shoes or clothes recently purchased I feel refreshed, clean, new. Sometimes you even replace old items with the new. This led to my thoughts on 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22 - 24, and Ezekiel 36:26 - 27.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, it anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
Ephesians 4:22 - 24
" You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
Ezekiel 36:26 - 27
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
They all speak about being new. I made some big mistakes in my life. I've had the "blisters" to prove it. I have lived before with a "heart of stone." I was in a relationship in which I thought it was okay for him to treat me poorly, to put me down in front of his friends, to make me resent my parents' caring. He was a bad pair of shoes. However, instead of getting rid of him, I bought band-aids for the blisters. Cover them up. Hide the damage. Limp on. In your mind you think, "I made this purchase and now I'm stuck with it." NO YOU ARE NOT!!! God makes all things new! God's Spirit moves inside you, urges you to find better, trust Him, put off your old self, renew the attitude of your mind.
You, my dear friend, are created to be like God. God will bandage the blisters, but not so you can shove your feet back into the same old shoes, but in order for you to step proudly into that new pair. You are a new creation. I am a new creation. Wearing white on my wedding day? You bet I am! Because I am a new creation. The old has gone.
Maybe you are still stuck in the old. Maybe your blisters are fresh. Maybe they are just beginning. Perhaps they are already calloused. No matter where you are, God is there too. Loving, caring, crafting a perfect pair of shoes for you so that you may walk in His will and not that of your own or someone else's choosing. I'm not going to lie. There is cost involved, but they joy far outweighs the cost. Trust your path to His craftsmanship. Allow your feet of clay to be molded in His image. Smell the new leather, give yourself the OK and put on the new shoes. Stand tall, walk with strength, run and do not grow weary, traverse the path with Him.
Shoes grow old, go out of style, or simply get worn out. God never does. God will never give out on you. When you become a new creation you, like new shoes, become a magnet. People want to know what makes you special above the rest. You can proudly tell your story and how God can make anyone a new creation. NEVER settle for less than God's best. Satan is a deceiver, but God can shine His Truth into your life. He did it for me. He brought me out of bondage. He healed my blisters and made me a new creation.
Friday, February 6, 2009
On the Move
Moving. Change. Two words that a year ago would have set fear in my heart and trembling in my knees. Yet, through the grace of God both of those words have a different light for me today. As it says in Romans 12:12, "Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful."
"Be glad for all God is planning for you." That is a tall order when you have no idea what His plans will entail. So you ask, "God, what are you planning for me?" He may respond, or He may respond with one word, "trust." I am learning a new way to trust. When someone has been dealt some of the cards of life that build mistrust, it can be difficult to trust again. I trust my close friends. I trust my family. I trust my coworkers. But I'm still learning to trust myself. To trust that decisions I make are following God's plan and not just my own. If you have ever made poor decisions that you know were directly out of God's plan, it may take some time to trust yourself again. Trust your competence. Trust your abilities. MOVE with God and trust in Him.
I'm moving. Literally and figuratively. I am moving this month just a few miles north of where I live now, but a move is a move. It involves cost, time, and some backaches. The same is true when we move in our spiritual lives. There is cost and time involved and when we don't move the way we know we should, there are backaches.
I am moving into a one-bedroom apartment. I will be living alone for the first time. I am quite excited. I am decorating and hanging art and painting and making the space truly my own. That is what God has been doing in my heart too. My heart should be like my one-bedroom apartment for God. Although you can have visitors, it is perfectly suited for one. The One. The I AM. He desires to decorate my spirit with His love and colors that only He can make visible to me. Once those things are visible to me they then become visible to others as God shines His handiwork through my life and actions. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "It is not you but your radiance." How true that is. However, I have tweaked it some for a better purpose, "It is not you but HIS radiance."
How is God moving in your life right now? Are you in a time of transition? Do you feel unsettled? Be still my friend. God is planning great things for you. "Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful." (Romans 12:12b) God is moving all around and He desires to have a great part of your life. Don't settle for blank walls and bleak surroundings when God can paint your life full of His colors and grace.
Being on the move can be a wonderful experience.
"Be glad for all God is planning for you." That is a tall order when you have no idea what His plans will entail. So you ask, "God, what are you planning for me?" He may respond, or He may respond with one word, "trust." I am learning a new way to trust. When someone has been dealt some of the cards of life that build mistrust, it can be difficult to trust again. I trust my close friends. I trust my family. I trust my coworkers. But I'm still learning to trust myself. To trust that decisions I make are following God's plan and not just my own. If you have ever made poor decisions that you know were directly out of God's plan, it may take some time to trust yourself again. Trust your competence. Trust your abilities. MOVE with God and trust in Him.
I'm moving. Literally and figuratively. I am moving this month just a few miles north of where I live now, but a move is a move. It involves cost, time, and some backaches. The same is true when we move in our spiritual lives. There is cost and time involved and when we don't move the way we know we should, there are backaches.
I am moving into a one-bedroom apartment. I will be living alone for the first time. I am quite excited. I am decorating and hanging art and painting and making the space truly my own. That is what God has been doing in my heart too. My heart should be like my one-bedroom apartment for God. Although you can have visitors, it is perfectly suited for one. The One. The I AM. He desires to decorate my spirit with His love and colors that only He can make visible to me. Once those things are visible to me they then become visible to others as God shines His handiwork through my life and actions. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "It is not you but your radiance." How true that is. However, I have tweaked it some for a better purpose, "It is not you but HIS radiance."
How is God moving in your life right now? Are you in a time of transition? Do you feel unsettled? Be still my friend. God is planning great things for you. "Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful." (Romans 12:12b) God is moving all around and He desires to have a great part of your life. Don't settle for blank walls and bleak surroundings when God can paint your life full of His colors and grace.
Being on the move can be a wonderful experience.
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