Four little letters.
L - O - V - E.
Thousands of applications.
Friends. Family. Romance. Activities. Pets. Foods. Beverages. Colors. Clothes.
Love you (insert family member or friend). I love golf. I love my cat. I love ice cream. I love diet coke. I love blue. I love hoodies. Etc.
Can those four little letters really apply to all of those areas?
In the English language, yes. But in other languages... love is so much... more.
God's love - agape - is unconditional, self-sacrificing love.
In an effort to get my faith moving forward again, I've started a new bible study on God's love ("He Is My Life"). I'm five days in (a week, book-wise), and I really like it. This first week has simply focused on how God's love is so significantly different from the human love that is so prevalent in our culture today. God's love, in us, results in pure joy (John 15:10-11). He longs for a relationship with us... he wants to be our best friend... he wants to fill us with his love so that we may joyfully fill others.
Over the next 9 weeks, as I study and learn more about God's love, it is my goal and sincere hope that I will come to love others more... not because it is easy, but because it is what God calls us to do.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Like a Child
This past winter I was part of a Beth Moore bible study (Stepping Up - A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent) with some girls at GV. Needless to say, school took over my life as has happened far too often, and I didn't finish the study. I cracked it open again tonight and remembered just how great it was. I left off at Psalm 131...
1 LORD, my heart is not proud; I don't look down on others. I don't do great things and I can't do miracles.
2 But I am calm and quiet, like a baby with its mother. I am at peace, like a baby with its mother.
3 People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord now and forever.
(NCV)
The study focused on pride and the idea of being a child at rest. A couple of things really stuck out to me. First of all, pride is a huge issue. Aside from people finding arrogance annoying, pride builds walls, not only in relationships with other people, but in your relationship with God. Thinking you know it all or have it all figured out is a problem that I have come to know all to well in the past few months. This life is rough; we cannot do it alone. We were not designed to do it alone. We need community and we need God. Pride gets in the way of relationships that allow us to flourish. The other thing that really stuck out to me was the idea of being a child at rest. Children rest in their mothers arms. There is an unexplainable comfort that comes with the parent//child relationship. The soul is quiet in a child at rest. Scripture shows time and again that we are God's cherished children. Just as a 3 year old needs their mom for everything, God is all we need. After a long hard day, we can rest knowing that God is in control. Questions may be unanswered and there may still be battles to fight, but we may rest in the arms of God.
Lord, Give me faith like a child.
(Matthew 18:1-4)
1 LORD, my heart is not proud; I don't look down on others. I don't do great things and I can't do miracles.
2 But I am calm and quiet, like a baby with its mother. I am at peace, like a baby with its mother.
3 People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord now and forever.
(NCV)
The study focused on pride and the idea of being a child at rest. A couple of things really stuck out to me. First of all, pride is a huge issue. Aside from people finding arrogance annoying, pride builds walls, not only in relationships with other people, but in your relationship with God. Thinking you know it all or have it all figured out is a problem that I have come to know all to well in the past few months. This life is rough; we cannot do it alone. We were not designed to do it alone. We need community and we need God. Pride gets in the way of relationships that allow us to flourish. The other thing that really stuck out to me was the idea of being a child at rest. Children rest in their mothers arms. There is an unexplainable comfort that comes with the parent//child relationship. The soul is quiet in a child at rest. Scripture shows time and again that we are God's cherished children. Just as a 3 year old needs their mom for everything, God is all we need. After a long hard day, we can rest knowing that God is in control. Questions may be unanswered and there may still be battles to fight, but we may rest in the arms of God.
Lord, Give me faith like a child.
(Matthew 18:1-4)
Monday, June 14, 2010
Time Flies...
Wow. Time flies when you're having fun! It has been almost two weeks and a lot has been happening!
Things that have happened: babysitting, work, sleepover with Katelyn (involving 3 trips to Meijer, open house prep for her brother and tennis at 10pm), Festival of the Arts, Cartel concert, sleepover with Liz, more work, more babysitting, a relaxing day with Kelsey, Sarah Anne and the Nemmers boys, the McGannon wedding, and a sleepover with some awesome girls.
Basically, this is a short little update to say that life is good. I love my friends. I love my family. I love the people I'm surrounded by in life. God is good :)
Countdown to being back at GV = 60 days!
Things that have happened: babysitting, work, sleepover with Katelyn (involving 3 trips to Meijer, open house prep for her brother and tennis at 10pm), Festival of the Arts, Cartel concert, sleepover with Liz, more work, more babysitting, a relaxing day with Kelsey, Sarah Anne and the Nemmers boys, the McGannon wedding, and a sleepover with some awesome girls.
Basically, this is a short little update to say that life is good. I love my friends. I love my family. I love the people I'm surrounded by in life. God is good :)
Countdown to being back at GV = 60 days!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
What It's All About
Why is it so easy to get completely, totally, utterly wrapped up in life?
I find myself consumed with thoughts about work, about friends, about school, about the future... but my thoughts don't naturally turn to God very often. Why?! He knows everything - Future? God knows. Drama? God knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. It just doesn't seem to want to stick in my head... well, it sticks in my head just fine. My heart on the other hand? My heart is clinging to every little bit of control I can possibly have in life. So dumb.
Talking to a good friend last night, we both have the same issue - our priorities are so messed up - time with God is not at the top of the list... it isn't what is coming first in life. I want God to be the first place I turn to in any and every situation. Because in the long run, having a solid foundation in Christ is what it's all about.
My goal for the summer - dig into God's Word. Get to know Him. Spend time with Him. Allow Him to become my best friend. Build up little by little. Nothing great is accomplished over night. It will take time. I just need to commit.
And also, after years of refusing to read it just because everyone else was... I started Captivating. So far, I like it. More on that later, I'm sure.
Now I leave you with this... part of a song that I love, and that fits with this post perfectly.
Someday she'll understand the meaning of it all
He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens,
As close as a heartbeat or a song on her lips.
Someday she'll trust Him and learn how to see Him.
Someday He'll call her and she will come running,
and fall in His arms, and the tears will fall down and she'll pray,
"I want to fall in love with You."
--Jars of Clay "Love Song for a Savior"--
I find myself consumed with thoughts about work, about friends, about school, about the future... but my thoughts don't naturally turn to God very often. Why?! He knows everything - Future? God knows. Drama? God knows. He knows. He knows. He knows. It just doesn't seem to want to stick in my head... well, it sticks in my head just fine. My heart on the other hand? My heart is clinging to every little bit of control I can possibly have in life. So dumb.
Talking to a good friend last night, we both have the same issue - our priorities are so messed up - time with God is not at the top of the list... it isn't what is coming first in life. I want God to be the first place I turn to in any and every situation. Because in the long run, having a solid foundation in Christ is what it's all about.
My goal for the summer - dig into God's Word. Get to know Him. Spend time with Him. Allow Him to become my best friend. Build up little by little. Nothing great is accomplished over night. It will take time. I just need to commit.
And also, after years of refusing to read it just because everyone else was... I started Captivating. So far, I like it. More on that later, I'm sure.
Now I leave you with this... part of a song that I love, and that fits with this post perfectly.
Someday she'll understand the meaning of it all
He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens,
As close as a heartbeat or a song on her lips.
Someday she'll trust Him and learn how to see Him.
Someday He'll call her and she will come running,
and fall in His arms, and the tears will fall down and she'll pray,
"I want to fall in love with You."
--Jars of Clay "Love Song for a Savior"--
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Here Goes Nothing...
Where to begin?
Well... I've always toyed with the idea of starting a blog. I read people's blogs all the time. Blogs are a glimpse into life, and I think life is so interesting... who people care about, what they think about and spend their time on, where they go, why they do the things they do... interesting stuff. So yes, I like blogs. Starting my own? Well, it's summer... and I'm bored. Where this will go? Who knows. But I do know it will be an outlet. Sometimes it will be serious. Sometimes it will be goofy. Sometimes it will probably be pretty pointless. But no matter what it is, it will be me. (Another reason? I want to be able to "follow" my friends who are blogging from literally all over the world, and rather than bookmarking all of their pages... this is easier :))
So... summer.
It has been a whirlwind so far. Finals ended. I did well. I kept my scholarship (thanks, God). I moved home. My brother got married. I have a sister now, which is awesome. However, it's super weird that my brother will, after 20 years, never again be right across the hall from me. As I said to him at the end of the semester, "Why do we have to grow up?" It's just... weird. But I'm adjusting. Life changes. But change is good. And I'm excited to see what the future holds. Anyways, after the wedding, I got all 4 wisdom teeth removed. I was out of it for like, 4 days (and I developed an obsession for The OC... I need to find Season 2 on DVD). Then, I went back to work at Target after being on academic leave for 8 months. I thought it was going to be dreadful, but it really isn't. I work with nice people. It's easy work. Heck, I live in Michigan and I have a job... which is more than 14% of our state can say, so I'm thankful. On top of working at Target, I babysit one afternoon a week... 3 of the cutest kids ever. It's fun, easy, and pays well. Gotta love it. And of course, I've been hanging out with friends, and in doing so, putting a lot of miles on my car (but at 207,000 she's still going strong). What is lacking this summer? Community. I miss GV. I miss literally being surrounded by awesome Christian friends. I miss living with Katelyn. I miss having my best friends within a 2 mile radius at any given moment. I love summer, but I love the school year too...
Welp, it's late. And in an attempt to maintain a somewhat normal sleeping schedule this summer, bedtime is calling. Hopefully, I'll be writing again soon :)
Adios.
Well... I've always toyed with the idea of starting a blog. I read people's blogs all the time. Blogs are a glimpse into life, and I think life is so interesting... who people care about, what they think about and spend their time on, where they go, why they do the things they do... interesting stuff. So yes, I like blogs. Starting my own? Well, it's summer... and I'm bored. Where this will go? Who knows. But I do know it will be an outlet. Sometimes it will be serious. Sometimes it will be goofy. Sometimes it will probably be pretty pointless. But no matter what it is, it will be me. (Another reason? I want to be able to "follow" my friends who are blogging from literally all over the world, and rather than bookmarking all of their pages... this is easier :))
So... summer.
It has been a whirlwind so far. Finals ended. I did well. I kept my scholarship (thanks, God). I moved home. My brother got married. I have a sister now, which is awesome. However, it's super weird that my brother will, after 20 years, never again be right across the hall from me. As I said to him at the end of the semester, "Why do we have to grow up?" It's just... weird. But I'm adjusting. Life changes. But change is good. And I'm excited to see what the future holds. Anyways, after the wedding, I got all 4 wisdom teeth removed. I was out of it for like, 4 days (and I developed an obsession for The OC... I need to find Season 2 on DVD). Then, I went back to work at Target after being on academic leave for 8 months. I thought it was going to be dreadful, but it really isn't. I work with nice people. It's easy work. Heck, I live in Michigan and I have a job... which is more than 14% of our state can say, so I'm thankful. On top of working at Target, I babysit one afternoon a week... 3 of the cutest kids ever. It's fun, easy, and pays well. Gotta love it. And of course, I've been hanging out with friends, and in doing so, putting a lot of miles on my car (but at 207,000 she's still going strong). What is lacking this summer? Community. I miss GV. I miss literally being surrounded by awesome Christian friends. I miss living with Katelyn. I miss having my best friends within a 2 mile radius at any given moment. I love summer, but I love the school year too...
Welp, it's late. And in an attempt to maintain a somewhat normal sleeping schedule this summer, bedtime is calling. Hopefully, I'll be writing again soon :)
Adios.
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