How Are You? What’s Going On?

“How are you?” “What’s going on?” Those are both two very simple questions, but yet they hold so much meaning and can impact someone forever. Although they are very simple and easy questions to ask, we don’t ask them enough. Why is that? Maybe it’s because we don’t want to invade their personal space or we don’t know if we can handle what they may tell us. So we let them go, continue doing what they’re doing, and assume they’re okay. As someone who has been the one who was asked a form of these questions in one of my darkest moments, I needed nothing more than to be asked. Being asked that question gave me someone to open up to and someone to express what I was and had been dealing with that very few people knew about. I was depressed, stressed, confused, lost, hurting, lonely and just needed someone. Regardless of any reasons why not to ask, there are so many more important reasons why you should ask. Whether it’s because you don’t want to get involved, don’t want to invade their personal space, don’t agree with certain things they do or decisions they make, don’t want to hurt their feelings, don’t think they will respond, or anything else, they need that so much more than you realize. When no one asks it makes you feel like no one cares; there is nothing lonelier than feeling like no one cares when you are in a dark place. If I would not have been asked, who knows what would have happened or how much darker that dark place would’ve gotten. I thank the Lord all the time that that person asked because at the time, no one else was. Never fail to ask because it is so much more than a question.

Your Weakest Is Your Strongest

It may sound crazy, but those moments that make you feel so weak, that make you feel so small, are some of your strongest moments. In those "weak" moments, you have faced and dealt with so much. You are so much stronger than you realize or give yourself credit for. The strength you have to endure what you have and make it through past events, makes you stronger than 10,000 men. Never forget the strength God gave you. Never forget the strength you have used to get you through the hard times. Never forget the strength you used to get up when it seemed hardest, smile when you thought you forgot how to, talk to people when you just wanted to be alone, and keep going. The strongest people are those who tell themselves they are weak. I am currently that person right now as I type this. Life has literally been one big ball of mess recently and it has taken a toll on me, but it also shown me just how strong I am. Weakness makes you stronger because it causes you to fight when you feel like you have nothing left. Weakness is one of the greatest strengths because it pushes and motivates you. Next time you tell yourself that you're weak or those voices come back into your head, remember that you're actually strong and that you can do it. Never give up because the feeling when you finally make it and get to that finish line is the best feeling ever. You are strong, not weak!


A song that has been really helping me through my current storm is "You Say" by Lauren Daigle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8WK9HmF53w

Galatians 6:9

As I was doing my devotion the other day, I came across Galatians 6:9 which says "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." This verse hit me hard. So often we fail to do what God wants because we are too lazy or seem to find an excuse of why we can't do it and we put it off. Two of the most simple things that I struggle with are doing my devotion daily and praying 3 times a day; I find myself saying "I'll do it later" a lot, but later never comes. I know that doing these 2 things will ultimately determine not only my attitude throughout the day, but how the day will go. On days that I have done these things, I have noticed that my day is a lot less frustrating and goes a lot smoothly; on days that I have not done these things, I seem to have a more irritated attitude and it seems like everything that could go wrong goes wrong. There is a sole purpose for why we are supposed to do the things God asks us to; these things not only make our relationship with Him flourish, but they also provide us with what we need each day to overcome daily obstacles and battles. Doing good will result in reaping what you harvest. If you don't know what reap means, Merriam-Webster says this:

1       a        (1) : to cut with a sickle, scythe, or reaping machine

                   (2) : to clear of a crop by reaping

         b        :to gather by reaping : HARVEST

2       : OBTAIN, WIN

Reaping means to obtain and win. In doing good we will reap a harvest, which means that if we do the good for God, we will receive a good harvest; the good harvest might not necessarily be what you're expecting, but the good harvest that we receive will be what will truly fulfill us. 

Do the good that God has called you to do and reap the harvest that He has planned for you! 

Seasons

We are always going through some kind of season, whether that’s a season of growth, a season of lessons, a season of difficult situations, a season of happiness, a season of flourishing, whatever the season is, we’re all going through some kind of season. Right now, I’m going through a season of growth where I’m learning how to 100% lean on God and trust in a Him. It is a very scary season because I have no idea what direction to go in, where to go next, what to do, I am the most confused I’ve ever been and at a complete standstill; the beauty of it all is I still have God. Regardless, of what has happened, He is still here. I believe God gives us seasons like this to grow us and bring us closer to Him. One of my favorite quotes is by Rick Warren and it says, “The deepest level of worship is praising God inspite of pain, trusting Him during a trial, surrenderingwhile suffering, and loving Him when He seems distant.” Throughout everything that I’m facing right now, I am not facing it alone and God has a purpose for it all. As scary of a season this is, I am so looking forward to what God is going to do in my life through this and how He is going to mold me!

The Greatest Love Story of All Time

With today being the day of love, I felt it only necessary to blog about the greatest love story of all time. How amazing it is to know that there is someone who knew you before you were even formed, put so much thought into every detail of you, going as far as each hair on your head, and sacrificed the only son He had so that you wouldn't have to sacrifice; what a love story that is. No one has anything on the love that our God has for us. He loves you at your worst moments and you at your best moments. He loves you through every failure and mistake, and through every triumph and success. He loves your vulnerable moments when you are open to Him. He loves you regardless of what anyone says about you. God does not hate a single person He created, otherwise He would have not created said person. God loves you if you're a part of the LGBTQ community, if you don't go to church, if you cuss, if you're a single mother, if you have been turned away from a church due to your lifestyle or the fact that your clothes aren't nice enough, or if you are what "Christians" look down upon; God loves the people in those categories just as much as He loves the person who leads worship, is a pastor, serves in the church, goes to church every Sunday, reads their Bible all the time, and is constantly praying. God has no gray area on His love for people; He loves all people. He didn't send His Son to die an unbearable death on a cross for people He didn't want it for; He sent His Son to die an unbearable death on a cross for you and me and everyone who has ever been on this Earth or will be on this Earth. That to me is the greatest love story to exist.

John 19 is where you can find this love story in the Bible. The link below will take you to John 19 in an online Bible:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19&version=NIV

God Gives Us Amazing Days To Prepare Us For The Bad Days From Satan

Do you ever have those great days that are followed by life punching you directly in the face? You have a great weekend and then on Monday your car breaks down, or you go to a weekend-long conference that was beyond amazing and then on Monday everything seems to go wrong? I think things like this happen to everyone. It just happened to me last week; we had a youth event at church that was beyond amazing and God really moved and did some cool things. My Friday and Saturday were beyond amazing, but come Sunday after church, Satan was trying to knock me down as hard as he could. Sunday sucked and was beyond a struggle, but at the end of the day God had given me two amazing days before which prepared me for Sunday. Satan wanted me to get mad and be angry and forget about all God did in the past two days, but it didn't work in his favor. If it wouldn't have been for Friday and Saturday, I don't know what kind of wreck I would have been on Sunday. God is good and has the most perfect timing and I was reminded of that on Sunday. Satan is going to try to tear you down, especially after you have been built up by God, but God is good and gives us strength and hope for days that feel like the worst and longest days. The days following the really good ones where God really did something awesome, where God refreshed and renewed you, those are the days when Satan will fight extremely hard to make you who you were before, to make it seem like nothing even happened during those days. When Satan comes at you on the days following those great days, remind him what happened during those days prior and remind him who you serve. Remind him that he can fight as much as he wants to, but you're on the side that has already won. Don't let Satan ruin something God gave you. The day may be difficult, but another day is coming and that day will be better.

Waiting

You know what sucks? Waiting. Waiting sucks, especially when you are impatient. The even suckier part is that anything of actual importance, you probably had to spend some time waiting for. Whether it was waiting to find out if you got the job, waiting to find out if that couple who came to look at your house on the market wants to buy it, waiting to find the "one", waiting for the baby to be born, waiting for your relative to come home from deployment, the list goes on; the point is, we are most likely always waiting for something; it is even harder when it is something of importance, but it is also worth so much more. Have you ever stopped during the waiting process and thought about all of the different reasons why you are in the waiting process? Maybe you are being prepared for what is to come. Maybe you are being molded into the person you need to be for what is to come. Maybe you are being strengthened for what is to come. Maybe you are not yet ready for what is to come, or maybe it is not ready for you. "Why is it taking so long?" "Why am I having to wait?" "Why can't I have it now? I'm ready." We have all asked these questions probably every time we are having to wait on something. Why rush something that was meant to be waited for? If we never had to wait we would never experience discipline, growth, responsibility, and patience in the way we do when waiting. There could be dire reasons why you are waiting. Take car accidents for example. Everytime you are stuck waiting in traffic from a wreck, say thank you; if you would have left your house a little earlier that day, that could have been you. All to often we take for granted waiting and how much of a blessing it is. Stop, slow down, and embrace the waiting process.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
“Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.“ Philippians 4:6
“David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.” 2 Samuel 5:4-5