This is more of a remembering entry for me about my baptism weekend so I can look back and remember all the good things that went on. Just in case I need it in my life. :) I was pretty nervous up til the day of, which means I was nervous all the week before. It was a beautiful weekend for a baptism, so beautiful that I could not stay inside my apartment today (day after) at all.
Saturday Day: My parents and little brother came down around noon and we spent the day at my big brother's house so I got to play and hold my nieces and nephews for most of the day until I had to go to the church at 4:30. I jumped with them on the tempoline some and played a card game with my littlest nephew. I also got to hold and see my littlest niece smile a lot at me.
Then 4:30 came and I had to go to church. I met people in the worship center and then went into the prayer room and up the stairs and got ready to be baptized. Then when I got ready the worship team prayed over me and I did cry a little because just having the spotlight makes me anxious especially even at important times like this. Then before I knew it, it was done and over with. Well, the water part at least. I, of course, stayed for church along with my family. The sermon was about "What's God up to when we are suffering?" The songs that we sung were: The Lion and the Lamb, It is Well with my Soul, Cornerstone, and Great Are You, Lord.
When church was over, we went out to eat at "Flying Fish". Of course, after we got done eating the parents and little brother had to leave. Before we left to go eat, I got to see and talked to some of my friends that I invited to come. Got to talk to one friend outside, with the sunset behind us, on the church ground (which mean the world to both of us, aka God means the world) and only the two of us. It means a lot to because we haven't been able to do that for a long time. It felt like old times again. Just thanked my friend for coming, even though they were a little late, and they went on to hang out with other people.
Sunday Day: I slept in late because I was tried from everything that went on the day before and my emotions got the best of me and made me tried too. Got up at around 8:30. I waited for another friend of mine to get done serving at church and then we went out for coffee afterwards at a new place on the Bentonville square. We spent about a hour and a half talking there.
Then we spilt our ways and went to do other things. I came home needing to fold my clothes but instead I wanted to be outside on another beautiful almost 70 degree weather day. I got my Bible and Bible study and went to the park and just set out in God's Creation and study my Bible lesson for this week. The funny thing was that it was on how to get Godly Wisdom when needed most and I know I have a bad time with remembering to ask for it everyday so it was a good and deep reminder. I thought it was an especially good reminder after giving my life over to Him again and the day right after that.
I also took a few pictures of me being outside and just the outside to remember the day. They turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. I look pretty confident in the selfie I took of me. Then, of course, I had to go back to my apartment and hit reality again. I had supper and got ready for the night and work week to start again. Overall, I had a baptism weekend that I will love to remember for the rest of my life. I need to compare the two baptisms some other time on here because they were different, for real.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Remembering My Grandma
I don't know why this memory is hitting me so hard right now and it all started last night while I was laying in bed trying to go to sleep. I haven't wrote a lot of entries about how I felt about my grandma passing away this past August because honestly I didn't know what to write or how to put it into words plus I was busy. I was looking and starting a new job during that time plus I just got let go at my other job so things were just really busy at the time. Now that I look back on the moments I had with her, there are things I remember and love.
The one memory out of a lot of memories that I had with her but the only one at the nursing home that I had with her would be during one visit when we went out on the back porch and talked. I, of course, remember all those times I went a visited her in the memory loss unit of the home but that was hard to start with. There was one time we went to the back porch because she loved nature so much. It could be flowers, birds, and really anything. You could see a difference when she was in that small apartment room of her and stuck there, then going outside on the porch with us when we were there.
I remember that day where I could tell she was getting bad at remembering things and things wouldn't last long. She kept asking questions to figure things out and I think she barely remember who I was. There was still that smile on her face because her daughter was there visiting and she was outdoors near flowers and birds. If I remember right too, I want to say it was Spring but it might have been Fall but either way there were birds singing in the background. I remember exactly where each of us was sitting or near the spots we were sitting.
My mom (her daughter) and my grandma was sitting beside each other and the chairs were facing the doors but were backed up behind the railing of the porch. I was sitting on the side or a little off to the corner across from them on a chair. My mom was talking about how she should help grandma plant some flowers in those flower boxes on the railing and to see if she could get permission from the staff at the home to do that. That memory stuck with me for some reason and maybe it is because that is how the women in my family have been raised.
We have either been taught to love children or the outdoors or both in the simplest of ways. It isn't just something that someone gets into the habit of or at least that is how I think of it. It is something that is really past down from generation to generation. My mom is all about the flowers, birds, helping the environment, gardening, and anything else you can think of that has to do with the outdoors. All of my grandparents were like that. They might have showed it in different ways but in their own way they loved being outdoors. I am just thankful I got that habit passed down.
Just another thing that has been past down to me that I know for sure is my degree and dream. I want to be a homemaker and I love anything to do with Family and Consumer Sciences just like my other grandma (dad's mom). Who I am is really because of my family and I wouldn't be who I am today without them. I remember as a little child, how I took things for granted and complained about work. When I say work I mean working in the garden or getting up at 3:00 in the morning to go fishing or work on an unfinished house, which I had to do 2 times in my life. Now I wouldn't trade those times for anything and would love to do more of those things more.
All these thoughts are just thoughts to show that I am growing up and seeing what was and is important in life. I was a fool not to see these things before it was all too late on some things. Don't take life for granted because you are not in charge of it and you have no idea when it will end for anyone.
The one memory out of a lot of memories that I had with her but the only one at the nursing home that I had with her would be during one visit when we went out on the back porch and talked. I, of course, remember all those times I went a visited her in the memory loss unit of the home but that was hard to start with. There was one time we went to the back porch because she loved nature so much. It could be flowers, birds, and really anything. You could see a difference when she was in that small apartment room of her and stuck there, then going outside on the porch with us when we were there.
I remember that day where I could tell she was getting bad at remembering things and things wouldn't last long. She kept asking questions to figure things out and I think she barely remember who I was. There was still that smile on her face because her daughter was there visiting and she was outdoors near flowers and birds. If I remember right too, I want to say it was Spring but it might have been Fall but either way there were birds singing in the background. I remember exactly where each of us was sitting or near the spots we were sitting.
My mom (her daughter) and my grandma was sitting beside each other and the chairs were facing the doors but were backed up behind the railing of the porch. I was sitting on the side or a little off to the corner across from them on a chair. My mom was talking about how she should help grandma plant some flowers in those flower boxes on the railing and to see if she could get permission from the staff at the home to do that. That memory stuck with me for some reason and maybe it is because that is how the women in my family have been raised.
We have either been taught to love children or the outdoors or both in the simplest of ways. It isn't just something that someone gets into the habit of or at least that is how I think of it. It is something that is really past down from generation to generation. My mom is all about the flowers, birds, helping the environment, gardening, and anything else you can think of that has to do with the outdoors. All of my grandparents were like that. They might have showed it in different ways but in their own way they loved being outdoors. I am just thankful I got that habit passed down.
Just another thing that has been past down to me that I know for sure is my degree and dream. I want to be a homemaker and I love anything to do with Family and Consumer Sciences just like my other grandma (dad's mom). Who I am is really because of my family and I wouldn't be who I am today without them. I remember as a little child, how I took things for granted and complained about work. When I say work I mean working in the garden or getting up at 3:00 in the morning to go fishing or work on an unfinished house, which I had to do 2 times in my life. Now I wouldn't trade those times for anything and would love to do more of those things more.
All these thoughts are just thoughts to show that I am growing up and seeing what was and is important in life. I was a fool not to see these things before it was all too late on some things. Don't take life for granted because you are not in charge of it and you have no idea when it will end for anyone.
Friday, February 26, 2016
My "Suffering" Testimony
If you have been keeping up with my blog, just a little bit, you will know that my church has been on the topic of suffering for this past month and it is a good topic because the way they teach it is: God is there with you through the suffering and here are the different ways He is with you and good reasons why. It has made me thinking about the kinds of sufferings that I see around me and little and big sufferings that I have been through myself. I mean we live in a world of sin and suffering whether we like to admit it or not. I love that one night during the sermon there was a baby crying in the service and sirens going off outside and it was only a couple reminders of the different suffering in the world.
I am making a big choice tomorrow night at church and I just thought I needed to share my "suffering" testimony if that is what you can call it. It kind of explains why I am doing what I am doing. I will say that in a strange way my "suffering" testimony started when I moved to AR but that is understandable for me. It is the first time that I had been so far away from my family and without their help for a long time. I had to make almost every choice on my own and it also doesn't help when you move to a place for a certain reason but that is a whole other story that won't be told on here.
I will admit that the first full year here in AR was probably my worst. There is nothing like trying to fit in with a group of people that you have nothing in common with. There is also nothing like moving to a place where don't know anyone at all. I was trying to fit in to this business group of people and they were nothing like me at all. They all talk smart and serious and then here is me who hangs around kids all day for my job. Slowly, I felt like God was pulling me in another direction but it was hard for me to let go and trust Him.
There were nights that I would get into my car after hanging out with that group and just start crying and yelling at God because I had no idea what was going on. I had no idea what the feeling that I was feeling was. This was all new to me and hard. I had no one around me to talk about it with because everyone else had been year for quite a few years before me. Then I notice that God started to bring people into my life that just moved here or moved here not to long ago and things got better. I started to relate to a lot more people and not only were those people new too, they also had close to the same interests as me and for that I was grateful.
That was how my first year in AR went and then I had seasons of suffering and non suffering here and there as the years went on up til now. I lost my jobs a couple of times and had to learn new things there and go through them again, which is never easy. Then, while in AR, I lost the last two of my grandparents and a grandpa like friend to me. Not only did I lose them, I had to watch them go through sickness and hurt. I regret still to this day not seeing them as often as I should have. With those things going on, I knew my parents were hurting too and I couldn't be there for them because my jobs were taking up so much of my time and energy.
Then there was this one job that I went through suffering every single day when I was working there because of where I worked. I worked with abused children and it doesn't get anymore suffering then that. When you see those children like I did and know why they are like that you just want to hurt someone so bad and sometimes they are so smart and cute that you just wonder why someone would do that to their child. I tried to hold it together for the longest time but it finally got to me and to where I wasn't being supported or encouraged that I had to quit. It was just so hard seeing those children so behind developmentally and hearing cuss words come out of their mouths and seeing how they could defend themselves and throw fits because they had to to keep safe.
Then seeing the babies, the newborns, at a shelter because their parent was on drugs with them and just things like that were horrible. Just seeing them not trusting any human bring because of what was done to them. There were some children that came in so dirty and head full of lice. Some so much that we had to cut their hair short to get rid of them. I still shake when I think of them. That job right there gave me a whole new meaning of suffering and of what love really is. I think a lot of time we take those 2 things for granted and think they are little things that will never happen to us but we are so wrong. Why do you think God gave to this earth to save us?
Looking into the eyes of those children even night while rocking or patting them to bed, made me see God more and more. Holding them while they were throwing their fits, while they were hitting me across the face, cussing me out, biting and pinching me, and even kicking me made me think of us and God a lot. Is that really how we treat God sometimes? Like that is the question that would cross my mind a lot while working there. Yet, still, He puts up with us and cared enough to die on the cross for our sins. There was a lot of soul searching that came with that job and I think that is where all of this started.
Something else that really gets me is that no one else really seemed to see the children or the situations like that. It just seemed like they saw the children as children and didn't care. They seemed to be too busy with other things that they didn't care about the children like they really should have. I know it isn't a perfect world and other things need to be done but still they could have make it look like their top thing on their "list" especially the little ones that couldn't defend for themselves. The little ones that needed a voice to speak up for them and yet that was all I was doing.
Sorry, kind of got on my soapbox there for a bit but so far I think that is my biggest suffering story of my life. Now don't get me wrong. I also suffer from Anxiety, another kind of suffering, and have for most of my life and I finally got a handle on that here in AR and got it under control but nothing compares to the children. As you can see, suffering comes in a lot of different ways, both big and small. Each of us has a different way of handling each suffering but there is one things to remember: "It isn't God that gives us the suffering, it is the world. It is, though, God that gets us through the suffering and makes us better then ever before. It is Him that turns rocks into diamonds and ashes into beauty."
I am making a big choice tomorrow night at church and I just thought I needed to share my "suffering" testimony if that is what you can call it. It kind of explains why I am doing what I am doing. I will say that in a strange way my "suffering" testimony started when I moved to AR but that is understandable for me. It is the first time that I had been so far away from my family and without their help for a long time. I had to make almost every choice on my own and it also doesn't help when you move to a place for a certain reason but that is a whole other story that won't be told on here.
I will admit that the first full year here in AR was probably my worst. There is nothing like trying to fit in with a group of people that you have nothing in common with. There is also nothing like moving to a place where don't know anyone at all. I was trying to fit in to this business group of people and they were nothing like me at all. They all talk smart and serious and then here is me who hangs around kids all day for my job. Slowly, I felt like God was pulling me in another direction but it was hard for me to let go and trust Him.
There were nights that I would get into my car after hanging out with that group and just start crying and yelling at God because I had no idea what was going on. I had no idea what the feeling that I was feeling was. This was all new to me and hard. I had no one around me to talk about it with because everyone else had been year for quite a few years before me. Then I notice that God started to bring people into my life that just moved here or moved here not to long ago and things got better. I started to relate to a lot more people and not only were those people new too, they also had close to the same interests as me and for that I was grateful.
That was how my first year in AR went and then I had seasons of suffering and non suffering here and there as the years went on up til now. I lost my jobs a couple of times and had to learn new things there and go through them again, which is never easy. Then, while in AR, I lost the last two of my grandparents and a grandpa like friend to me. Not only did I lose them, I had to watch them go through sickness and hurt. I regret still to this day not seeing them as often as I should have. With those things going on, I knew my parents were hurting too and I couldn't be there for them because my jobs were taking up so much of my time and energy.
Then there was this one job that I went through suffering every single day when I was working there because of where I worked. I worked with abused children and it doesn't get anymore suffering then that. When you see those children like I did and know why they are like that you just want to hurt someone so bad and sometimes they are so smart and cute that you just wonder why someone would do that to their child. I tried to hold it together for the longest time but it finally got to me and to where I wasn't being supported or encouraged that I had to quit. It was just so hard seeing those children so behind developmentally and hearing cuss words come out of their mouths and seeing how they could defend themselves and throw fits because they had to to keep safe.
Then seeing the babies, the newborns, at a shelter because their parent was on drugs with them and just things like that were horrible. Just seeing them not trusting any human bring because of what was done to them. There were some children that came in so dirty and head full of lice. Some so much that we had to cut their hair short to get rid of them. I still shake when I think of them. That job right there gave me a whole new meaning of suffering and of what love really is. I think a lot of time we take those 2 things for granted and think they are little things that will never happen to us but we are so wrong. Why do you think God gave to this earth to save us?
Looking into the eyes of those children even night while rocking or patting them to bed, made me see God more and more. Holding them while they were throwing their fits, while they were hitting me across the face, cussing me out, biting and pinching me, and even kicking me made me think of us and God a lot. Is that really how we treat God sometimes? Like that is the question that would cross my mind a lot while working there. Yet, still, He puts up with us and cared enough to die on the cross for our sins. There was a lot of soul searching that came with that job and I think that is where all of this started.
Something else that really gets me is that no one else really seemed to see the children or the situations like that. It just seemed like they saw the children as children and didn't care. They seemed to be too busy with other things that they didn't care about the children like they really should have. I know it isn't a perfect world and other things need to be done but still they could have make it look like their top thing on their "list" especially the little ones that couldn't defend for themselves. The little ones that needed a voice to speak up for them and yet that was all I was doing.
Sorry, kind of got on my soapbox there for a bit but so far I think that is my biggest suffering story of my life. Now don't get me wrong. I also suffer from Anxiety, another kind of suffering, and have for most of my life and I finally got a handle on that here in AR and got it under control but nothing compares to the children. As you can see, suffering comes in a lot of different ways, both big and small. Each of us has a different way of handling each suffering but there is one things to remember: "It isn't God that gives us the suffering, it is the world. It is, though, God that gets us through the suffering and makes us better then ever before. It is Him that turns rocks into diamonds and ashes into beauty."
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Understand But Then I Don't Understand
Have you ever been in a situation that lasted year after year and you understand why you have to go through it but don't understand why things are going the way they are? I'm in the middle of one like that right now. I understand that what is going on is good but why can't I do something about it. It is so hard to deal with it and it will get you down and tried but if you care enough you have to stick with it.
You don't know what or how to feel? You want to talk and tell but you don't want to mess things up. You would hold onto everything you have with your life and you have been through too much to let the things go. To take that chance and risk. I don't want to say that I am the only one trying under the things going on but I feel like I am. I want to be happy but it is so hard when you feel like you are not been seen different then any other person.
That is the part you don't understand. Time and time again you have been there in the moments for a person and then you ask for something from them but then they are too busy to do it. I understand that they want to get higher up in the world but just for once can they see who is right beside them. Yeah, I'm sure they see their family and friends but yet there more people that care for them. It would be nice if every once in awhile they would do something for that person that feels left out even if it is something as simple as writing them an email without having them write first or even saying hey when they see them.
It is like I use up all the strength that I have some times to get the courage to go up and talk to them but yet it does no good. I see no difference. I ask myself am I really making a difference in their life but holding on to dear life or is it just making it worse. Yes, I have gotten better at letting go and not being so demanding or annoying like I was at the start but it is just too much to ask to have some friendly responses back. I get so upset at times and so drained out of energy after going up to them. Some days it does take everything I have and I feel like I get nothing in return.
I know that is not what friendship/relationships are about. You are suppose to like/love the other person no matter how they treat you but at the same time there needs to be better feedback more then just likes and emails back. There needs to be time taken out of whatever they are doing or thinking or talking about to at least say hey. Like I said at the start of this entry, I understand what the whole thing is about and how important it is but sometimes they need to open up their eyes and see what is right in front of them.
They might be blaming the person and saying that they are hiding, when really it is them that have no idea what is right in front of them. It can be plain as day or simple as day and they see won't see what is happening or should be happening. I don't want to give up and I'm not going to. I'm going to keep fighting until I know for sure what is going on or what the other person is thinking but til then I will just be sleepy everyday of my life.
I also know that it might be one of God's Ways and Things that He is holding off until a certain time and that is fine but that doesn't give any excuse for not thinking it is hard. Even waiting on God's prefect timing is hard at times. I would rather not understand it and let it be a surprise by God but yet again it is so hard to wait. Plus let's just say when I got into what is going on, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I knew every second was going to be focused on something else besides me but I'm still not giving up because I am the determined and stubborn type. Just sayin'.
That is the end of my rant. Sorry about that. I finally had something to write about that had strong feelings behind it so I did. Girls, don't think of yourself as anyone less if people don't pay attention to you. If they want to focus on something else let them and go live your life like it should be lived. I will admit, I have done that and it didn't turn out good at all. It really got me down but now I don't care and I usually laugh it off but there are times like now it gets to me and I have to get over it in my own special way.
You don't know what or how to feel? You want to talk and tell but you don't want to mess things up. You would hold onto everything you have with your life and you have been through too much to let the things go. To take that chance and risk. I don't want to say that I am the only one trying under the things going on but I feel like I am. I want to be happy but it is so hard when you feel like you are not been seen different then any other person.
That is the part you don't understand. Time and time again you have been there in the moments for a person and then you ask for something from them but then they are too busy to do it. I understand that they want to get higher up in the world but just for once can they see who is right beside them. Yeah, I'm sure they see their family and friends but yet there more people that care for them. It would be nice if every once in awhile they would do something for that person that feels left out even if it is something as simple as writing them an email without having them write first or even saying hey when they see them.
It is like I use up all the strength that I have some times to get the courage to go up and talk to them but yet it does no good. I see no difference. I ask myself am I really making a difference in their life but holding on to dear life or is it just making it worse. Yes, I have gotten better at letting go and not being so demanding or annoying like I was at the start but it is just too much to ask to have some friendly responses back. I get so upset at times and so drained out of energy after going up to them. Some days it does take everything I have and I feel like I get nothing in return.
I know that is not what friendship/relationships are about. You are suppose to like/love the other person no matter how they treat you but at the same time there needs to be better feedback more then just likes and emails back. There needs to be time taken out of whatever they are doing or thinking or talking about to at least say hey. Like I said at the start of this entry, I understand what the whole thing is about and how important it is but sometimes they need to open up their eyes and see what is right in front of them.
They might be blaming the person and saying that they are hiding, when really it is them that have no idea what is right in front of them. It can be plain as day or simple as day and they see won't see what is happening or should be happening. I don't want to give up and I'm not going to. I'm going to keep fighting until I know for sure what is going on or what the other person is thinking but til then I will just be sleepy everyday of my life.
I also know that it might be one of God's Ways and Things that He is holding off until a certain time and that is fine but that doesn't give any excuse for not thinking it is hard. Even waiting on God's prefect timing is hard at times. I would rather not understand it and let it be a surprise by God but yet again it is so hard to wait. Plus let's just say when I got into what is going on, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I knew every second was going to be focused on something else besides me but I'm still not giving up because I am the determined and stubborn type. Just sayin'.
That is the end of my rant. Sorry about that. I finally had something to write about that had strong feelings behind it so I did. Girls, don't think of yourself as anyone less if people don't pay attention to you. If they want to focus on something else let them and go live your life like it should be lived. I will admit, I have done that and it didn't turn out good at all. It really got me down but now I don't care and I usually laugh it off but there are times like now it gets to me and I have to get over it in my own special way.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Stay With God
This is the way that I have learned this exact verse but I found another way that I really love it and I will explain way in this entry:
"Wait for the Lord;
be strong and takeHEART
and wait for the Lord."-Psalms 27:14 (NIV)
. Don’t quit.
"Wait for the Lord;
be strong and takeHEART
and wait for the Lord."-Psalms 27:14 (NIV)
This is the verse and way that I like this verse:
"Stay with God!
TakeHEART. Don’t quit.
I’ll say it again:
Stay with God.-Psalms 27:14 (MSG)
There are some differences to these verses even though they mean the same thing. To me, one version is nicer then the other. I know that is funny to say and think about but when you are, maybe, leading someone to Christ, you might need a version like that and more self explanation. For me, The Message version is great at doing that.
Let's start with the first sentences. "Wait for the Lord" and "Stay with God!" "Wait for the Lord" is a command, which I know we need at times but it sounds like you should just wait on the Lord and not do anything. It sounds like God might strike you down with things that you need but He isn't that kind of God. Where "Stay with God" is more of the comforting type of wording. It also sounds like God is right beside you through everything that you are going through to get where He wants you to be. You are not doing it by yourself.
The 2nd sentences are: "be strong and take heart" and "Take heart. Don't quit". I liked the "be strong and take heart" because it is telling you to be strong in the times of need while you are waiting God. "Take heart" also means be confidence and don't give up while waiting on God. I know that "take heart" is in both of the versions so it is important because of what it means.
I also like what the Message version says, "Don't quit". I love that encouragement especially with "Stay with God". It is kind of like, "be strong". It is about having confidence. It is saying, "stay with God and don't quit what you are doing because as long as you stay with God things will turn out the way He has planned them for you and nothing could be better then that." We might not know what those things are while we are on this earth but we always know that there is a reward for us in Heaven that we are going towards and that we are promised. That is another reason that we shouldn't quit and be strong in the mean time.
These verse has always been one of my favorites because it has always gotten me through the hard times and even not so hard times. I mean this verse could be used for the good and the bad. For the good because you don't want it to stop and you are with God no matter what is happening in life and we need the same thought process when we are in the bad times. God is with us through those times and He will get us through them, we just have to stay with God and there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
I will say too, though, that the word "stay" is a lot nicer during a hard time, then the word "wait" is. If I was told to "wait" during a hard time, I would bounce back at the person telling me to do that but if I was told to "stay" then my response would be different and I would say, "I'll try". The second version is just more comforting to me and I like to be comforted when I'm having a hard time or really any time at all. If I need a reminder, then I need it or would whether have it nice and comforting. I will admit, though, there are times that I need a "slap in the face" kind of words and verses. It depends on how stubborn I am in the situation.
Just remember: "Stay with God and do not quit, no matter what you are going through. He is always there comforting and helping you."
Stay with God.-Psalms 27:14 (MSG)
There are some differences to these verses even though they mean the same thing. To me, one version is nicer then the other. I know that is funny to say and think about but when you are, maybe, leading someone to Christ, you might need a version like that and more self explanation. For me, The Message version is great at doing that.
Let's start with the first sentences. "Wait for the Lord" and "Stay with God!" "Wait for the Lord" is a command, which I know we need at times but it sounds like you should just wait on the Lord and not do anything. It sounds like God might strike you down with things that you need but He isn't that kind of God. Where "Stay with God" is more of the comforting type of wording. It also sounds like God is right beside you through everything that you are going through to get where He wants you to be. You are not doing it by yourself.
The 2nd sentences are: "be strong and take heart" and "Take heart. Don't quit". I liked the "be strong and take heart" because it is telling you to be strong in the times of need while you are waiting God. "Take heart" also means be confidence and don't give up while waiting on God. I know that "take heart" is in both of the versions so it is important because of what it means.
I also like what the Message version says, "Don't quit". I love that encouragement especially with "Stay with God". It is kind of like, "be strong". It is about having confidence. It is saying, "stay with God and don't quit what you are doing because as long as you stay with God things will turn out the way He has planned them for you and nothing could be better then that." We might not know what those things are while we are on this earth but we always know that there is a reward for us in Heaven that we are going towards and that we are promised. That is another reason that we shouldn't quit and be strong in the mean time.
These verse has always been one of my favorites because it has always gotten me through the hard times and even not so hard times. I mean this verse could be used for the good and the bad. For the good because you don't want it to stop and you are with God no matter what is happening in life and we need the same thought process when we are in the bad times. God is with us through those times and He will get us through them, we just have to stay with God and there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
I will say too, though, that the word "stay" is a lot nicer during a hard time, then the word "wait" is. If I was told to "wait" during a hard time, I would bounce back at the person telling me to do that but if I was told to "stay" then my response would be different and I would say, "I'll try". The second version is just more comforting to me and I like to be comforted when I'm having a hard time or really any time at all. If I need a reminder, then I need it or would whether have it nice and comforting. I will admit, though, there are times that I need a "slap in the face" kind of words and verses. It depends on how stubborn I am in the situation.
Just remember: "Stay with God and do not quit, no matter what you are going through. He is always there comforting and helping you."
Saturday, February 20, 2016
What is Strength from God?
"How did you get your strengths? God created you with them. You are, "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). Then He allows life experiences to develop your strengths ever more."-Holley Gerth
"A strength is a personal characteristic that can be used on behalf of God in service to others. Usually they're present throughout our lives but can be enhanced through experience or training. Strengths are part of who we are while skills are more about what we do."-Holley Gerth
"Jesus is the source of our strengths and He's also the one who enables us to live in them each day."-Holley Gerth
"God is out greatest strength-and the One who enables us to live out all the other strengths He's places within us."-Holley Gerth
Sorry there is only four quotes from Holley Gerth in this entry. I just wanted to get it out of my draft box because I have so many drafts in there to write. I needed to get rid of one easy one and this one was it.
"A strength is a personal characteristic that can be used on behalf of God in service to others. Usually they're present throughout our lives but can be enhanced through experience or training. Strengths are part of who we are while skills are more about what we do."-Holley Gerth
"Jesus is the source of our strengths and He's also the one who enables us to live in them each day."-Holley Gerth
"God is out greatest strength-and the One who enables us to live out all the other strengths He's places within us."-Holley Gerth
Sorry there is only four quotes from Holley Gerth in this entry. I just wanted to get it out of my draft box because I have so many drafts in there to write. I needed to get rid of one easy one and this one was it.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Please Listen to My Heart-A Poem
Please Listen to my Heart
Daddy, there are times that I can't
find the words to speak. There are
times I just don't understand. There
are times that I struggle and suffer
but yet You are listening.
The things that I care about and worry
about are the things that need to be said
in my heart. I don't know how to put them
into words that shows my feelings. My
deep desires will be found in my heart too.
Please listen to my heart.
The closer I grow with you and allow You
in my life. The more my heart does the talking.
Those people and things that my heart is
talking about also mean a lot to me and I
really care about them. The more talking
my heart does, the more I truly give over to
You.
When I want you to listen to my heart it's
because I know I can't say the words that
does justice. It is something I don't want
to take lightly. You are the God that we
are suppose to take everything to, even
the hardest things. Please listen to my heart.
By: Tiffney Wilson (Feb. 2016)
I really do miss writing poems off and on but the strange thing is I write them when I feel them. Isn't that what poems really are? I haven't felt them a lot lately. Maybe, in a good way, I could do some poems on suffering since my church is doing a 8 week sermon on that topic. We'll see.
Daddy, there are times that I can't
find the words to speak. There are
times I just don't understand. There
are times that I struggle and suffer
but yet You are listening.
The things that I care about and worry
about are the things that need to be said
in my heart. I don't know how to put them
into words that shows my feelings. My
deep desires will be found in my heart too.
Please listen to my heart.
The closer I grow with you and allow You
in my life. The more my heart does the talking.
Those people and things that my heart is
talking about also mean a lot to me and I
really care about them. The more talking
my heart does, the more I truly give over to
You.
When I want you to listen to my heart it's
because I know I can't say the words that
does justice. It is something I don't want
to take lightly. You are the God that we
are suppose to take everything to, even
the hardest things. Please listen to my heart.
By: Tiffney Wilson (Feb. 2016)
I really do miss writing poems off and on but the strange thing is I write them when I feel them. Isn't that what poems really are? I haven't felt them a lot lately. Maybe, in a good way, I could do some poems on suffering since my church is doing a 8 week sermon on that topic. We'll see.
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