I realize the difficulty of my "New Years Resolution," and I realize that it is impossible to be perfect at, but it is what God has laid on my heart, and I am super pumped about it.
Throughout the year of 2011 I am going to focus on being joyful. I'm going to learn how to be joyful in every season of life. My prerogative? How will people know I'm different, how will people know I have the answer if my life doesn't reflect the love, joy, peace, mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm gonna be honest, I'm sick-and-tired of being normal, of fitting into the crowd, of being just like everyone else. I'm not like everyone else--and I don't mean my strangely-spunky, outgoing, crazy personality, obviously. I mean if I can be joyful in the times of tears, frustration, anger, heartache, loss and pain, I feel like the people God has put in my life for me to reach will actually SEE, literally, a difference in me. I'm going to aim to be PECULIAR in 2011.
First of all, before I dig into the depth of this concept, which by the way I am super excited about because God revealed it to me in the most perfect moment, I need to ask for accountability from everyone i know/that knows me. I have a problem.. it's a minor, but rather odd issue to have. You see, I pick the mascara off of my eyelashes like it's my job! I have absolutely no idea why, and I have no idea where this strange and terrible habit came from. But it is mine, and it continually annoys me, but I don't stop! It's so wierd. If you haven't seen me do this, then we don't hang out enough, or maybe I'm subconsciously trying to impress you? Who knows, i doubt that's the case but it could be. But anyway-- here's the deal! I went to the "Bodies" exhibit in San Antonio, TX (also known as my favorite state) this past August and one of the few-i mean very few- things I remember from the exhibit is that eyelashes only last for 150 days! Wierd, eh? Well this is my second, and less important but still important, "New Years Resolution". Starting January 1, I will not, and cannot pick my mascara off of my eyelashes for 150 days! (This "fast" will be ending promptly on May 30, 2011 @ 12:00 midnight! Hopefully I will quit for good during this "fast", and rid myself of this horrid habit! At least, that IS the goal!) And I need everyone to help me stop now! (Haha, this sounds so dramatic!) So if you see my fingers on my eyelashes or black specks under my eyes, yell at me, please! I welcome the criticism!
But back to what really matters! I'm going tell you extensively how the Lord laid this on my heart through scripture. I'm going to use different scriptures throughout the Bible to "prove" or back-up other scriptures. But first! Lord, I pray that my chicken scratch, and my notes, and this blog that is complete non-sense, through your Holy Spirit will be eloquently stated, and beautifully accentuated by your Spirit in the heart of my beloved friend who is reading this. It is only by Your grace Father, that my disconnected-thoughts can be useful in bringing your child guidance, understanding and peace today. Amen.
"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
2 Corinthians 3:3 NIV
Wow! This verse surprised me! The Lord uses us, His children, as letters. Our stories, or lives are "written" by the Lord, the greatest author and potter the world has ever seen, and the same Creator of the universe. And our lives, as "letters", are read to the world, and our interaction with the people in our lives is the effect of our "letters" being written on their hearts. Who we are, and what makes us who we are, is daily being written on the tablets of the hearts of the people we interact with. I know that my attitude does not always reflect that of the Lord. I know that when I have a lot of important tests coming up and Christmas just around the corner, and a work party to prepare that my attitude is less than joyful which in turn effects my interactions with people and the intimacy between our connection.
"I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free."
Psalms 119:32
In the seasons of life that involve the stress of tests, homework, work, relationships and holidays we CAN and NEED to cling to the Lord. We can run to Him and seek rest and refuge in His commands--in His Word. Peace and comfort are dealt our way because of the vast love the Lord has for us. A love that we cannot hinder. There is nothing we can do to lessen the immensity of the love God has for us.
"As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times, that fall unexpectedly upon them."
Ecclesiastes 9:12
The Lord did not promise us an easy, always positive and happy life. Jesus, a perfect and blameless human being, had sufferings. He never sinned and could not have pleased His Father, our Father, anymore, yet Jesus too was persecuted, mocked and beaten to death. But we know that the Lord promised us a way out, which ultimately was bought for us by the blood of Jesus, of the trials in 2 Peter 1:3-5. Why are we so surprised? Why can't we learn to take each season of life with joy. If for no other reason to be a light or a fog horn to the people around us.
"But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be over-joyed when His glory is revealed."
1 Peter 4:13
We are called to be joyful in our suffering! We are called to see what is beyond the pain of the cross, the beauty and love that lies there waiting, encouraging us!
"Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves with the same attitude..."
1 Peter 4:1
Lord let this be our prayer today! That we can take suffering joyfully with the attitude Your son had at the cross. With complete humility and love, thinking only of being obedient to the Lord our God and His overwhelming love for His children.
I had a surreal experience with this, this past Saturday night. It was actually only an hour or two after the Lord revealed this "New Years Resolution" to me. I was at my Uncle Tim's house for Stuc's after the guys has their "smoker" in downtown Appleton. Oh, and just to preface, during this whole vacation I cannot explain to you how many times I was asked who my boyfriend is, or who I'm dating by person after person, only for me to reply, "no one Uncle Glenn, I promise, you will be the third to meet him right after Dad and Nate." I found it quite comical actually. But anyway, back at Uncle Tim's. I was sitting with a couple of my aunts and mother and somehow the topic of my (non-existent)relationship came back up, again. But with a bunch of women around I think I shared a bit more of my frustration in the area, but ultimately expressed that I truly believe the Lord has a beautiful and crazy love story for me. I have no idea when it's going to happen, but I do know that someday it will and I daily have to surrender my emotions to Him in order to fully trust His plan in that area of my life. The topic changed and nothing out of the ordinary happened in our friendly banter throughout the rest of the night. However, the next morning, I got a call from my Aunt Molly who was going to come shopping with us PJH/NPH women. But as I was talking to her she said to me, "Whitney, I want you to know how refreshing it is to be around you. And I want you to know how much you inspire me." I don't think I've ever received such a compliment. But more so I don't think I've ever realized the depth of what the Lord can do when we really are transparent, and when we give up our right to have our 'picture-perfect-plan' and we trust Him fully!
I was watching Letters to God the other day, it's a new Christian film, and I was on the edge of my seat and on the verge of tears the whole movie! ... Until about half way in when I couldn't take it anymore and i sobbed like a baby for the rest of the movie. Letters to God is about an 8-year-old boy, Tyler, who was diagnosed with a severe type of brain cancer. The movie starts as he just finished an intense round of radiation and is hoping to go to school today. But Tyler obviously isn't an ordinary kid, nor an ordinary dying-cancer patient. He writes letters to God everyday, if not more than once a day, which is how he prays. But instead of stashing the letters somewhere in a big chest, he mails them-literally. And every time, the envelope with a single forty-four cent stamp says "To: God" "From" Tyler." Later in the movie we, as an audience, realize the letters were his letters to God, yes, but he hoped the letters fell in the hands of the person whom God knew desperately needed to hear what he was praying for that day-- whomever that may be. The plot line continues about how he goes back to school and how this little boy had the strongest faith, he loved the Lord with everything inside of Him and had complete faith in Him.
As the movie journeys with Tyler I saw the depth of his faith, as an 8-year-old, dying child. But most importantly the joy in Tyler's heart, and the joy he showed to everyone around him was what blessed other people. And the joy and love he showed was what encouraged the people God placed in His life for him to minister to, and the peace he had was what comforted those who loved Tyler the most. As cheesy as this sounds, I couldn't stop crying because this movie was confirmation of what the Lord had been showing me recently. How the Lord had been prodding me to change my attitude into the attitude that Christ had when He was suffering, 1 Peter 4:1.
And I'm going to be completely honest with you, you being whomever is reading this, I've been fasting tv/movies for the entire month of November. "Well wait," your mind questions, "but you said you just watched this movie recently?" That is 100% correct. Over Thanksgiving break I was home and my Mom was kinda sad because I had been studying for four or five hours and she wanted to hang out with me and spend time with me, which is normal of parents and their college aged children that they don't get to see very often. So I stopped studying for a bit to talk with her and just hang out for a couple minutes before hitting the books hard, again. Well for some reason I couldn't peel myself away from my Mom and as she asked me if I would watch the first 10 minutes with her I had a really hard time saying no. So I didn't. Does that mean I broke that portion of my fast, I would say technically yes, and Ecclesiastes 5:5 is pretty blunt about not fulfilling vows we make to the Lord, but I do ultimately believe we serve a just God. So anyway, amidst my disobedience of my own vow to the Lord, he used this corny, cheesy movie(one might even consider it a sin, in the midst of abstinence from 'XYZ') to confirm his voice in my life.
Pretty cool, huh? In the midst of my disobedience the Lord used my disobedience/sin to confirm his place in my life. I thought that was so amazing, and it just really proves how loving our Abba, Father, God is.
"... the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:5-7
When I learned this verse in kids church when I was maybe 9, It started at "Do not be anxious..." and ended with "...present your requests to God." In all honesty, I think I missed the most important part. I love that before the Apostle Paul asks and pleads with us to bring our desires and anxieties before the Lord he says, "The Lord is near." Just in case we forgot, which I know I do. "The Lord is near." It sends shivers through my spine that the creator of Heaven and Earth is near, to me. And what happens when we do submit our anxieties to the Lord? "A peace will guard your heart and your mind." How powerful! I don't even have the right to worry or be anxious in times of suffering. I don't have the right to be anything but joyful, because when I submit my anxieties to Him, He gives my heart and my mind a peace which transcends all understanding.
we are marked with His image
but we are scarred with indifference
maybe now we should listen
to hear the cry of God's children
"Human" by Natalie Grant
:)
1 Timothy 1:12
