God's ideal > Your ideal

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"Don't try to change your DNA to fit some kind of 'ideal'." -Clayton King

I'm guilty.  Maybe I don't know you, but I'm pretty sure you're probably guilty too.  You may ask "so what exactly are we guilty of?"...well let me tell you!

I think the quote that I posted at the beginning of this post sums up this topic perfectly:  "Don't try to change your DNA to fit some kind of 'ideal'."  

 

We, as humans, have this crazy ability to create in our minds this "person" that we believe we should become.  We build up in our minds this ideal lifestyle and ideal "person" that we strive to become.  

We try to change who we are to become someone we *think* is better.

We start flooding our minds with the thoughts of "If only...."

"If only I was more like this...."

"If only I was better at that...."

"If only I could do this...."

"If only...."

 ....and so starts the vicious cycle of "if only".

(so was I right yet in my prediction that you're guilty too?) 

We try so hard to change who we are that we end up trying to change our DNA just like the quote I mentioned earlier said.   

But here is where we draw the line.....

Have we forgotten that God created us the way we are for a purpose?  Have we forgotten that our DNA is OUR DNA because no one else on the planet is made to do what we were made to do?   Have we forgotten that God's "ideal" for us far exceeds our "ideal" for ourselves?

You were made with the very abilities, talents, and desires that God chose JUST FOR YOU.  To think that there is NO ONE else on the ENTIRE planet that has the EXACT same DNA as yourself is a crazy-mind-blowing thought!  Why do we so often find ourselves wanting to "cash in" our DNA for someone else then?!  

It all comes down to being content with who we are in the very skin we're in.  It takes us reminding ourselves that our very own DNA has a purpose.  We were built a certain way because of the plan God has on our life that is so unique only we can do it.  

It all comes in knowing that God has a plan for you and who He made you to be.

So let us stop trying to change our DNA in order to fit into these "ideals" that we come up with in our minds.  Let us rid those thoughts from our minds.  Let us instead fill our minds with reassurance that we are who we are FOR A PURPOSE! 

Do you believe that God created you with a "you-specific" DNA for a purpose intended solely for you?   

 
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

- Ephesians 2:10 -

"'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

- Jeremiah 29:11 - 

A Lesson in Mountain Climbing

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 "Walkin's easy when the road is flat, them danged 'ole hills will get you everytime,

Yeah, the Good Lord gave us mountains so we could learn how to climb."

- Lonestar "Mountains"

 

We've all done it.  We've all hiked a mountain.  Whether it be small or big, we've all conquered SOME sort of mountain.  

We've all felt our lungs burn and the struggle get stronger as the mountain gets steeper, as we climb and aim for the top that's so close but yet seems so far away.  

What we don't all do is take a moment to learn a lesson while we're climbing...

Hiking a mountain is a lot like walking through life.  You may struggle along the way but you have to keep your focus on what awaits you at the top.  Just when you get to the hard part and don't think you can go any further, you remember what's at the top and you press on. 

Just as a friend reaches down to take your hand and help you up the steep part of the mountain, so does Jesus.  Right when we get to the steepest part of the mountain...right when we think we can't hold on anymore...Jesus reaches down, grabs us by the hand and pulls us up.  What a cool image!  

Reaching the top of the mountain is a happy, joyous moment.  You stand there amazed at God's beauty that is in front of your eyes.  It's in that moment that you realize that no matter how hard the climb, the view at the top was worth it all.  Climbing that mountain builds stamina.  The next mountain you climb will be easier...as will as the next.  ALL because of that first mountain you climbed.  All because of your perseverance to overcome the obstacle of the mountain because you knew what awaited you at the top.

Turning around and walking away is easy but the learning comes from the climbing.

When you look at life like a mountain you need to see God as the "top of the mountain".  The goal.  Make God the ultimate goal.  The goal that never goes away.  The goal that is not a goal but rather a passion.  Give all you have to reach the "top of the mountain".  Want it with EVERYTHING you have - because it is your everything!

Push yourself.

Do not delay.

Do not give up.

Push forward.

Work hard.

CLIMB THAT MOUNTAIN.

God's waiting.  

Turning around on the mountain and walking away before reaching the top is NOT an option.

"I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while climbing it."  

-Andy Rooney 

Dirty Dishes

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Analogy time...ready, set, go!

If you wash a dish promptly after dirtying it you are able to easily restore it to its clean state fairly easily.  However, if you put that dish in the sink while it's still dirty and wait until "later" to clean it things aren't going to be as easy.  When you eventually go to clean the dish you are going to have to scrub through all the thick layers of gunk that have now solidified on the dish and the process is going to take twice as long as it would have if you had just washed the dish immediately after dirtying it.   

Moral of the story?  The longer you wait, the harder it is to get the dish clean.

In our lives we allow little things to creep in and "dirty us" (so to speak).  Over time these little things start to build up and grow into bigger things which are harder to get rid of and can eventually find a permanent home in our lives if we are not careful.  These "things" that come in and "dirty our dish" can come in so many ways and forms.  

For one example, say "Billy" starts experimenting with drugs.  If he doesn't "clean his dish" now while his new habit is new and fresh there is a possibility that that small habit could grow into a bigger and bigger habit.  A few years down the road and now maybe Billy has a drug addiction that he can't seem to shake.  The "gunk" has now solidified and Billy is finding it harder to "wash his dish" now.  
  
Are you starting to see the comparison here between our lives and gunky dirty dishes?

The longer we wait to be "cleaned" the more permanent the "gunk" gets in our lives.  Don't wait until tomorrow to "get clean" and rid yourself of the gunk...DO IT TODAY!  Do it while the gunk is still soft and temporary and before it makes a permanent home in your life!   

Ask yourself:  What is something that could be dirtying my dish, that if not cleaned soon will start to solidify and become permanent on "my dish" (which is your life!)?

Who do they see?

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When people look at you who do they see?

Let's pretend we're not ourselves for a moment....if you were someone else but were looking at the "you" that you are today what type of person would you see?  How would feel about the type of person that you were seeing?  Would it make you happy, proud, sad, or maybe even disgusted?

When other people look at us it is easy for them to tell what type of person we are just by looking at the activities we participate in, the friends we choose, and the conversations that we hold.  What we do in our lives is a direct reflection of the type of person we are or are becoming.  

So when people look at you what are they seeing?  (We're not talking stereotypical-stereotyping here...we're talking what your life shows.)

Honestly take a moment to think about this....exactly what type of person can you be justified as by the life you are living?

Are you proud of the person others are seeing when they look at your life?

Not grasping the concept?...Here's an example.  Do people see Jesus in you?  In order for someone to see Jesus in you it would have to be apparent that you were actively living in such a way that would be a resemblance to Jesus himself.  You would be living your life not for your sake but for the sake of others.  You would be loving the lost, guiding the needed, and in all things acknowledging Him. It would be SO apparent in your life.  

So what is apparent in your life RIGHT NOW that others see?

Go further than "who do they see?", ask yourself "who do I want them to see?" and then challenge yourself to make that change. 





  

 

Anti-Valentines Day

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Well here we are on a day devoted completely to love.  A day where millions of people across the nation are showing their loved ones just how much they love them.  Sadly though this isn't just an ordinary day...this is Valentines Day; a day that comes around once a year and people go "love crazy".  All of sudden people everywhere are telling the people in their lives what they mean to them and how much they love them.

If you noticed the title of this post you may be intrigued as to why I would be advocating an anti-valentines day approach to today.  Let me ask you this question:  Do you think showing our love for others is really best shown in a 24 hour time frame?

What if this phenomenon of letting people know how much they mean to you lasted more than just 24 hours?  What if it lasted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year?  What if we were to be loving people everyday and not just on "Valentines Day"?

Let's look at it from this angle......

When Christ died for you and me on the cross was it because He loved us THAT day?  Of course not!  It was because He loved us SO much EVERYDAY. His actions on the cross was His way of saying "I choose to make this sacrifice today because my love for you is eternal.".     

We need to love like Christ....which means everyday.  We need to not stock-pile our love for one day a year.  We need to show the people in our lives how much we love and care about them all throughout the year...not just on one man-made holiday.  

Now ask yourself this question:  Do the people in your life deserve JUST ONE special day where you tell them what they mean to you; that you love and care for them?

I would hope your answer to that question looks a lot like my answer of "of course not!"! 

So let's take a new outlook on this Valentines Day... 

Let's take this love-driven holiday and make it our day to start becoming actively aware of how we are showing the people in our lives what they mean to us and that we love them. 

Let us not get wrapped up in our worlds version of love, but rather remember the love of Christ. A love that knows no bounds.  A love that never ceases.  A love that continues both day and night.  An ever-constant love.  

Let's make everyday a "love-crazy" day.

Will you join me in making a conscious decision to extend our love to others and let them know what they mean to us not just today but everyday?    

Disguised Blessings

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What if blessing come through raindrops?

What if healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near?

What if the trials of this life are your mercies in disguise? 

-Laura Story "Blessings"

So you think its the end of the world.  You think whatever is going on in your life is a tragedy.  You think your life has been ruined.  You think things will never be the same.  You think....you think.....you think......

Stop thinking.

Why do you think what is going on in your life is meant to completely ruin you?  How do you know that it is not God's way of saying "I've got you....I'm here...JUST BE STILL"? 

What if the very struggles and circumstances in which you are living your life at this VERY MOMENT are the things that you are going to look back on later and see that God was working?  What if God is using this trial, this struggle, this frustration to bring awareness to His presence?  What if God is SAVING you from something that could have RUINED you?  What if this frustration is His way of delivering you a blessing?  

We're so quick to draw conclusions and assume the worst in our lives.  It's the realization that there is a bigger picture being drawn that we need to become aware of.  It's realizing that the way we see something might be completely different from the way God sees it and intends it. 

How are we to know how God intends a circumstance He places in our lives?  It's all about trusting Him and knowing that there IS a bigger picture unfolding and only upon looking back at the situation later will we ever begin to grasp an understanding.  

God can use our hurts, our frustrations, our difficult times to simply draw us closer to Him in order to move on to the blessings He has in store for us.  His blessings can come in all shapes, sizes, and ways, but we will never get to them if we're not trusting that what He has us going through is for a greater purpose.  

Take this moment in your life to be still in the circumstances that God has placed you in.  Know that He is near and that He is working behind the scenes preparing a plan for you and your life that is beyond your wildest dreams.  Trust Him with where you're at and know that the trials of this life can truly be His mercies in disguise.

This song by Laura Story says it perfectly:  Blessings 

"God's will is always more clear through the rear-view mirror than through the windshield."

    

 

Childlike Nature

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CHILDLIKE INNOCENCE.  CHILDLIKE FAITH.

The amount of things that you can learn from looking at the life of a child is INCREDIBLE.  Making new friends, reaching out to others, loving everyone, not holding back the way they feel, talking about Jesus like He's the man (because even at that young age they know He's the man!)....the lessons we can learn from looking at their little lives are endless!  

The faith that little children possess is incredible.  It is wholehearted, pure, and true to them.  They may only know the basic facts about God but they know it and believe every single ounce of it.  WHOLEHEARTEDLY.   

Usually as something ages it gets better or matures.  So, why as children transition to adults does their faith not mature by leaps and bounds but rather it becomes weaker and weaker?  Their thoughts and beliefs begin to be impacted and changed by the things they see, the experiences they have, and what society tells them.

A child is so innocent.  They live under incredible innocence because they have not yet been exposed to the things of this world and the things that essentially cause adolescents and adults to "rethink" their faith.  Why can't that childlike innocence remain in us?

Why as we grow older must we stray from the innocence of a child?  Why must we stray from our childlike faith?

A child does not waver in the trust that they know they will be provided for, they will be taken care of, and they will be loved. There is no questioning, worry or doubt. Why as we grow older are these the very things that we begin to worry the most about, to fret over and to doubt?  Have we forgotten that God is holding us?  He's there to provide, take care of and love us....ENDLESSLY.  So why has our faith diminished?  We're older - our ability to comprehend is bigger and better than ever!  You would think faith would not be an issue!  We need to re-grasp that childlike innocence...that childlike faith! (Read:  Matthew 18:3-4!)

 

I'm beginning to think being "childish" isn't necessarily a bad thing! 

We need to allow our hearts to beat as a child's heart, pumping our body with that simple, yet profound, innocence and faith. We need to know that we don't have to "grow up" like the world asks of us when it comes to our faith.  We simply must learn to rekindle that childlike innocence and faith that is somewhere inside of us just waiting to be found once again.  (Read:  2 Corinthians 4:16-18!)

   

A Seasonal Analogy

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So here's the analogy:  In the fall and winter a tree loses all its leaves and is left only with its scrawny looking, bark covered, branches.  In the spring these scrawny, bark covered, branches produce new leaves, leaving the once ugly tree beautiful again.  From there the tree flourishes and produces through the season until the winter comes again, where the cycle repeats.  

When trees lose everything from their branches and are stripped bare they don't dry up and die, but rather they prepare to emerge from the season and into the next season as a stronger tree.  Each time the seasons come to pass a tree gains strength.

We're like trees.

We go through seasons of life where God completely strips us of things that were once part of us.  God strips us to get us back to the core.  He get's us back to the core to prepare us for the next season.  To strengthen us.  To refresh us.  To renew us.  He strips away the old in order to make room for the new. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:17!)
 
Season by season God is constantly strengthening us.   

Sometimes it takes being stripped back to the core in order to grow into the kind of tree in the next season that God intends for you to be. 

At times it may take becoming weak to become stronger.  

But just a as a tree without a doubt produces leaves again in the spring, know that you can't stay bare forever. Know that you, too, will go through seasons.  Seasons of strength and seasons of weakness.  

So whether you're finding yourself bare like a tree in the dead of winter or full of life like a tree in the spring know that winter can't last forever and spring is just around the corner.  (Read 2 Corinthians 12:10!)

God is preparing you, no matter the season, for something BETTER.

Here's a song that serves as a wonderful reminder:  Beautiful Things

  

Wicked Inspired!

So here it is...blog post number one!  The first thing I should address is the title of this blog - Wicked Inspired.  There are no two words better suited to describe this blog at this very moment than "wicked inspired" because that is exactly what I am right now...wicked inspired!  I'm wicked inspired to start this blog and try my skills at blogging (this could be interesting)!  I've had this idea planted in my mind for a while in wanting to start a blog and I figured there is no time but the present, right?!  I'm so excited to see what the Lord has in store for all of this! 

I want to use this blog as a place to post what I'm learning in my walk with God.  What I picture that looking like is blog posts that are full of content from all areas of life that essentially revolve around one common factor...God. The SECOND part of what I want to include is posts from readers and friends of mine.  You can think of this as basically an online gathering spot of individuals wanting to share and express what God is showing, teaching, and laying upon their hearts through creatively written blog posts.  I cannot wait to begin this journey!  

As this new journey gets under way I am ready to see how the Lord moves and directs this project and how He develops it. The number one MOST IMPORTANT goal is to honor God through every aspect of this blog.  All for Him and for His glory!

...Will you join me on this journey? :)