The Two Roads to Love

The Two Roads to Love

By: Tiffney Wilson 

Written On: August 9th, 2015

Have you ever thought about love 

as a road? A Road that every couple

take even before they meet. Their 

end, though, is each other.

They might not see it at 1st or will

put it on hold for a little awhile. The 

map might not make sense. They could 

be totally doing the opposite of the other

person. Yet, God can open their heart 

at the right time. 

One person could be, doing something

big. The other person could be doing 

something small. Then their purpose 

in life flips on them. It flips on them to 

get a better understanding of the other

person. 

They can see the road coming together.

They can see how it can work. Yes, there 

are some things that they both have to 

work on. They have to pick up things

on the way. 

Things that will make a marriage work.

Things like understanding, how to talk,

love of God, and patience. They have to 

know who they are before they can care 

for someone else. 

The road to Love is a two way street. When

those two people get to love, then it becomes

a one way street towards God. Drive the road

slowly and carefully. Don't be scared to stop

and ask for directions on the way if needed. 

The End. 

Obedience Flows from the Love for Christ

            15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. - John 14:15-24 (NIV)

              It is Amazing how these verses uses the words orphans, love, and advocate all in the same "story". It is also strange how the words "peace" and "to not be troubled" are in there too. We are so messed up that we need an advocate to help us get through life. we need someone to speak up for us because we don't have a voice or the right words to say. Sometimes, even we don't have the words to say at all but yet we have someone who will speak for us. Because of that, we can have peace and not be scared of things. Think of the children who can't speak for themselves. It might cost us something to speak up for them but didn't it cost Jesus a lot more when He spoke up for us. Take that small chance. 

             I writing and wording it like I am because I have seen and been through both sides. I am an adopted Child of God and I couldn't be more grateful. That doesn't give me the right to sit around and be scared of saying and standing up for what I believe in or what I believe should be changed even if it is just a little bit. Seeing all kinds of children in all kinds of situations is not easy. I don't understand and never will why some people will just walk on by without noticing them. It might cost you money, a job, or even a change in life depending on how you do it but isn't it worth giving back what Jesus gave to us. 

              I feel like, at times, that I spoke up for the children or tried and I just got turned away. To be honest, I am scared for those children now because I don't know what their lives are going to be like since I'm not around them anymore. I can trust God that He will take care of them and keep them in His Hands. Just know that, at times and in this world, when you try to speak up for the voiceless, the chances are no one will hear what you have to say or will ever take the time to understand it. 

             If we have enough passion for the things or people we love, then we will be obedient to Christ and follow Him where He wants us to go. This world will not and can't stop us if we are really passionate about someone or something. God gave us that passion for a reason and He is going to keep it alive by helping us by however He can. If we Love Christ like we say we do, then that passion will never get old and will we keep going after it. No one can change the passions that God has given a person. 

           Like for me, I will always be speaking up for children because that was my life and I am grateful for that. I had people speaking up for me when I couldn't find the words to speak. God might lead me in different ways and on different paths for seasons of my life but no matter what I will always be speaking for children or at least trying with what I have and know. That is how I can be obedient by the Love for Christ. 

Challenge: How can you be obedient with the Love for Christ?

            

Jesus, Our One True Friend

    " 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other."- John 15:12-17 (NIV)

         As I read these verses, I see a pattern in them. God wants us to love others. There is no greater love then laying down your life for a friend. That is where Christians usually stop but if you keep going there is a stronger message. It is about who we are in Christ. We are no longer servants but His friends. Only if we chose to love others, though, because love comes from Christ. We know that "Love" is our Master's business so we have no excuse to not be doing it. Don't get me wrong. No one is perfect but Christ. I know we mess up a lot but there is something about acting it out then just saying you know it. 
           A friend lets another friend know what he has learned or going on in their life. A friend puts another friend's dream before anything else, even if it is harder and they need to remind themselves a lot on why the dream is happening. They let the other friend know everything about them. As mean as it may sound, we choose our friends like Jesus chose us. He knew He could trust us with His Plan about loving other people. He is a friend that will give us what we ask for if it is the best and safest for us. He, also, watches out for us. 
           In a way, Jesus knew that we would stand beside Him through anything or that is His and our Hope at least. Do you have an earthly friend or friends that loves you no matter what you are like or are going through or will do in the future? We are need to have friends like that in our lives. God made us to be relational people and that is one way we can be relational.  
            

My 4th Year in Arkansas

         I can't believe that I am going on my 4th year in Arkansas. Not only am I going on that year, it might be my last year. I don't know what to expect in this coming year. I am going into it without a job and without a plan. This past year, through, as been a big blessing in so many ways. Probably one of the best years that I've had in Arkansas. I've seen dreams come true and have learned a lot and grew a lot in Christ. Here is a summery of what my past year was like in Arkansas.
         I've been through three big Bible studies that have changed my life and my way of thinking. One by Beth Moore called "Breaking Free" and another one called "Breathe". The most important things that those two studies have taught me is that I'm beautiful to God when I let go of things and that I need to rest more then I do. I need a Sabbath and that can be any day, not just a Sunday. It could even be a hour or minutes. I just got done with another Bible study called "Discovery Mosaic" where I learn about the church I'm going to. It was interesting and made me love my church even more.
        I have changed church services and hang out with some more people then usual. I have been going to the Saturday night service at 5:00 a lot more. It is good for me because I can be by myself and just think through things. I have been hanging out with the women's ministry more then the singles' ministry. I feel like I can grow more with older and wiser women. I have learned a lot since going to those Bible studies. I have also felt like the people/friends I come in contact with are more my "type" and we have more in common then when I first came here. I feel like I can relate a lot more to them and it is easier to talk to them because of that. It seems like God has put people in my life for certain seasons and this past year I could really tell that.
        I've finished my first year being on anxiety meds. but I'm not going to go into that but it was changed my life a lot. I feel more controlled with everything. I have had a lot of different challenges at work and a lot of different children that have challenged me in a lot of ways. Some tough and some not so tough but really seeing that change in them in a short period of time. I have learned through my job that I am a special person to Christ and that I should be grateful for what I do have in life because not everyone as the things I do. I've just feel like I've became more grateful and more aware of other people.
         This past year has given me the hope for changing and spending more time with other people in the coming year. Getting to know the people that I've wanted to know for years and some new people along with those. My relationship with God has changed to a closer one with the understanding of what love really means along with peace and trust. I have learned to be happy for my friends and pray for them instead of thinking just about me and what I can get out of things. I think I have become more relational this past year more then anything, which is a big step for me. Still trying to work on talking though. :) I know my past job also helped me to see that having ones that you love in your life real means a lot or it should.
           It broke my heart to see those children that can't really love or know how to love but yet we do and sometimes take it for granted. Some points of views that have changed this year are: my views on marriage (more deeper views), friendships, how I am living, why I am here, and what it means for your dreams to come true in real life. Those all sound very deep but it is true. Just this past month I saw what it meant to spend time with old friends and keep up with them. I went on a summer vacation with my college girlfriends and it was a good time. It was good knowing that no matter where I am in life, they are right there with me going through the same things. Even though, we didn't talk much about those things, we knew in a way that there were some things that were bothering us all.
            I have also learned how to prayer more meaningful. By that, I mean for other people like friends then just myself. It is a lot of fun and a challenge in a way when you pray for your friends and other people because then you want to see how they are doing so you ask them and that keeps you connected. It is kind of like you are giving a gift to your friends. You are forgetting about the situations you are in and worrying or praying for them.
            I don't know where this 4th year in Arkansas is going to take me. I have a lot of dreams to fulfill and I'm scared because they are different. I'm planning on stopping the child care way for a bit and going back to college for an OT degree. While doing that, I plan on working somewhere in retail or an office job. Then there are other personal things that I'm going to be working on along with that but I still have a good feeling about this year. Yeah, Arkansas is the home of Wal-Mart but it is also one of the places I love and not just because of that. I have grown some much as a person here. I couldn't think of anywhere else that I would rather do that.
            I would honestly hate to leave this place but if it came to it I would. I think I would be back though sometime. It is full of culture because of Wal-Mart yet it is a very loving place for the outdoors with all its trails and outdoor activities. It is a good place for a single girl like myself to get some new and different experiences but yet be close to home too. It is funny how a place that you saw on the bottom of a water bottle in high school and never thought you would step foot in, yet God had other plans. I will never for get that feeling. Sometimes when you look back, it is funny what thing got you to that place and what made you really stay there ( 1 Cor. 7:17- MSG)
           I better stop or I will continue to go deeper about what it means to live in Arkansas and then people would want to move here. Ok, maybe not but I better not take that chance because I like the small town feeling of a big city.

The Toddler that Stayed for 3 Months

         I know I need a better name for this entry but that is the way I can remember what this entry is about since I cannot type the toddler's name in it at all. This little boy was a miracle to watch while I was working at my job. He brought laughter and joy into my life and each and every day that I was there. He started out not being able to do anything but with a lot of OT, he was a normal toddler by the time that I left. Not a baby anymore.
         Now to tell you how he was when he came to the my job. He would not stop crying at all, he would not sleep, he would choke almost every time that he ate anything, whole food or baby food, and he couldn't move around. He also had some problems with his middle area and he would look one way while using the other hand to do something else. Those two things weren't lined up like they should have been for his age. He also had his 1st birthday there and that was only a day or 2 after he came to us.
         He is really a miracle baby though. He has changed so much in the 3 months that I had him. He turned out to be the most adorable, cutest toddler of all times. He got to where he could move his eyes and arms in the right direction at the same time, which helped him learn to crawl like a normal toddler. I got to see his first crawl and then the more he got the hang of it, the faster he was at it. We got him on some thicker for his drinks so he wouldn't choke while drinking and we got a hang of what foods he could and couldn't have. He really didn't like the thicker, though, because he wouldn't drink very much of anything.
         The very reason I loved him so much was because we got him to laugh by the time that I left. His laugh was the hardest, cutest laugh in the whole world. Sometimes he would laugh for no reason or we couldn't tell what he was laughing at. He had a huge smile when he was laughing and a strange sound to go along with it. He was a real snuggle but especially after nap time. He didn't get straight up from it. He wanted to cuddle with us at first and wake up slowly. He was also the jealous type but I think the staff made him that way because he was the main one in the nursery while all of his friends were going in and out. He stayed the longest out of all his friends.
         The staff kept kidding that we could put him in charge of the nursery because he has been there that long. A little bit before I left, we were trying to get him to walk because he is about that old. We would always kid with him about walking and he did take a few small steps but then he would sit down and want to crawl again. It kind of made him mad when we were try to get him to walk. He just didn't like it at all. This child is the child that I missed the most from my last group of children. He was just so sweet and happy all the time once we got him well.
          I also remember that he had a bulged out belly when he first came and that was what most of his appointments were about plus his eating. His belly got a little bit smaller as the days went on but it always looked like a bulged belly, even if it was a little one. I think his body was just out of shape. It was like skinny arms and legs but here was the big head and belly. He was cute though. We also barely saw him because that poor child had a dr. appointment or two a day. If it was two appointments, it was a visit and then an appointment of some sort. It seemed like he was always gone but yet he was there when we needed him the most.
           This toddler was another one of my child that I saw a big change in while working at my old job and another one that I will never forget. He has a story from there and it is a life changing one. I just hope and pray that wherever he goes that he will be taken care of really good and gently.

Being at Peace

         Being a peace with where God has me is nothing like I ever felt before. I have spent the past few days at my parents' house and it was totally peaceful there. I have been through a lot of things these past few weeks but any way I look at those things, those things are good for me. I am just getting stronger because of those things and getting to know the real me and what my purpose is here on this earth.
         I tend to stress out a lot about things especially when they are not the way I have planned them but as the days go on I am seeing that maybe God does have a way better then I do for me. Maybe God's way is the best way. I know and believe I am getting a million of prayers from out around me because of things that have happened and I am thankful for that. I can feel the peace from those prayers. I have had the time to look back and why the recent things have happened in my life and been able to talk to people about those things. Both of those things have helped big time.
         To me, at this moment in my life, being at peace means a lot of different things. It means that you can spend days out in the country with your family and not having to worry about getting back for a job on time. You can spend however many days you want there. It means spending time with your parents after someone you all loved passed away because you know people are meant to go away from this earth. It means that you take time for the small things in life because you never know what is going to happen the next day or even year. Right now, I could care less about having a job as long as I have family and friends that can take care of me and that I can support right back.
          Being at peace means sitting in a swimming pool at night and watching the fire flies come up from out of the ground at a certain time. Being at peace means being able to sit on the back porch and listen and watch the rainstorm come down in the cool of the weather. Being at peace is know that a friend of yours is living their dream even when you are not right at the moment. Being at peace means you have hope and can see that hope in your life.  Being at peace is knowing that a loved one that as passed away is in a better place now.
          Being at peace can mean a lot of things but I know at this moment in my life, I have never felt it more then I do now. It is hard to explain at times but it is a good feeling. My mind seems empty in a good way and I just feel more free then I have ever been before. I can lay down at night and go to sleep without thinking anything. I can pay attention to what matters most and that is the people around me. Being at peace means that as far as you can see and hope into the future, that things might take time but they will happen like your heart desires.
          I can tell you, for sure, that what I am going through in the past, now and have a feeling that I will be going through, I didn't ask for but God knew what was best for me to grow. The more that I live my life the more I see it unfold and that gives me peace. Seeing what I am seeing now also give me the courage to pray for the things I want to happen but only if it will bring God glory and that is what I pray too. God has shown me so much this far in my life and I can only think of what more He can show me. I think one thing that I learned from the events that have happened in the past few weeks in my life right now is that a ministry does not need to be in your career. It is a blessing if it can be in a career but a ministry is something that you love and are willing to do for the glory of God, not for money.
          You can live a life of ministry while working at a job where the pay means nothing. It is kind of like having a human job (aka career) and then a spiritual job (aka working for God). I was trying to fit both into one and when you do that, it can stress you out big time. Trying to please the people around you plus God is not an easy thing to do.
         My question to myself and you can ask yourself this too is: Do I have a career and then do I have time and the energy to do something for God outside of my career? Now don't get me wrong you can glorify God at your work but that is not the only place you can give Him the glory so don't let your career take all of your energy away.
         

Why do I Journal/Blog?

         My grandma went to be with the Lord last night at around midnight. She is now talking and singing with her Father in Heaven. There is no more pain for her and she can hear and talk again. She is in the "Garden of Eden" looking at and planting the flowers and listening to the birds. I'm handling pretty well for now because I am at my parents' house. I did cry hard Friday night when I first heard she had only so long to live.
        I went up to KC to see her yesterday for the last night and she was sleeping peacefully. My aunt had put an old tape player by her ear with soft Christian music playing. She loved her music too. My aunt was there just being with my grandma (her mom). We probably spent about a hour and a half at the nursing home and then we went out to eat lunch together. Before I left, I rubbed her hair and told her that "I loved her". I didn't cry when I did that either which was another big surprise and answer to prayer but of course I was up at 3:00 am in the morning reading verse after verse from the Bible that she had and that I got. I also spent the trip up there writing out a chapter of the Bible that was from church a week before. I just felt like I had the Lord's comfort in all of this and I will see it is really surprising.
        I have had a lot of losses here recently but God knew the Timing so I kind of see now why things happened the way they did. I'm resting and taking time to be with family which is needed big time. It seems like my mission right now is just being around family and friends. It is hard when you lose a father like person not even a year ago because in some ways you are still trying to get over that. It will be a year this November. Then you lose your job 2 weeks before. Then your grandma passes away. What's next is what you wonder? I really couldn't have guessed that everything that has happened has happened like it did. It is all in God's Timing and He knew that.
       Then again I have a couple of things I can be thankful for like getting a new niece and spending time with my nephews and nieces. A friend's dream is coming true a little at a time and a big step just happened two weeks ago. I got to see my college girlfriends and catch up with them after like 2 years of not seeing most of them. I don't know where my life is going right now but I'm okay with that. My grandma would of wanted me to take time with family and the Lord and just rest for awhile. That is what I am doing right now. She would want me to celebrate the hard times and I am by resting.
       There are somethings that I would remember that my grandma left behind. The main thing was she was a strong and quite women of God. She devoted her life to the church and people. She loved people and would talk non-stop. She also loved God's Creation, mainly flowers and birds. She would spend most of her time outside in the garden. She loved her grandkids and her great grandkids. She was always there for us. Those on the big things that I will remember about my grandma. There are some little things that I will remember and hope to carry on with my future family and now if I can.
         I already underline the words that mean the most to me in the cards that I send. I got that from her. I need to start putting verses in them like she did. I loved how she gave each grand child a Christmas ornament or even when we got a gift it would always have a verse somewhere on it or in it even. Then you might be wondering why I like blogging or where I get it from. I love doing it and writing down all my memories or important events in my life and I get that from my grandma too. She has a lot of journals that she left behind that I am hoping to get if no one else wants them. She also took a lot of notes during sermons like I do. That will probably be the one material thing that I hang on to and make sure I do because that is how I express myself the best. My future husband will just have to get use to that some day because it does mean something more to me.
           I will feel strange without my grandma or any of my grandparents around. I'm only 27 years old and my grandparents all went to be with the Lord. If that doesn't make a girl strong, I don't know what does. I know I was blessed even having grandparents growing up but when I think about it, "I think has this all really happened. I'm only 27 years old that seems a little to young to lose all of your grandparents." I know it really isn't when you consider how many kids are in my family but that is what it seems like. Grandma is happy now and that is all that truly matters and I know for sure that she is with the Lord so that, of course, helps a lot.
          There was or is no question "is she going to be with the Lord when she passes?" She lived a life where you knew for sure that she would be going with the Lord when she passed away. One thing, if I learned anything from her when she lived, is that that is how I should be living my life. Loving other people and God and forget about me. Taking into consideration what other people are feeling and help them out.
           She was a GREAT example of what it meant to having God shine His Light through a person. I wanna live like that.