Unashamedly Blemished

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As I stood in the mirror putting my make-up on I dabbed at a little red blotch on my face with a nice glob of foundation.  Heaven forbid anyone see that little red spot.  As I made my attempts at hiding this ugly little imperfection that had decided to camp-out on my face I made a realization.

Us girls, embarrassed to let the world see our imperfections, dab the make-up on.  Covering up all the things we're ashamed or embarrassed to let the world see.

In the same way that we cover up our blemishes with make-up we cover up things in our lives.  Things that we are embarrassed or ashamed for others to know about or see.  Things that *we* think will make us less of a person in the eyes of others.  

We try to mask our imperfections and hide pieces of our lives.

It's like we're playing a game of hide-and-seek with the world.  One minute we're out in the open and the next we're off hiding somewhere.  

We walk around with these masks on trying to make the world believe that we have it all together, that we are without a flaw, and that we're something we're not. Life isn't really a masquerade ball though, is it?!


I'm blemished.  I'm imperfect.  And so are you.


Here we stand in our imperfect lives trying to hide all the little details we don't like or don't think
"look good".  What a slam that must be to a God who oh so thoughtfully and uniquely hand-crafted each and everyone one of us!  A God who created us in His own image.  A God who knit us together in our mothers womb. A God who so fearfully and wonderfully breathed the very breath of life into each of us.  

Here we stand as unique individuals crafted for a unique purpose and instead we're opting to hide from the world the very things that make us unique and perfect in the eyes of God!

The good news?  Though we ourselves are imperfect, we serve a perfect God.

I stand here in my imperfections and I choose to be unashamedly blemished.  

Will you join me in removing the masks that we hide our lives behind and instead embrace our imperfections?

" For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mothers womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well."

~ Psalm 139:13-14 ~

Stuck in the wrong gear

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A few posts ago I talked about my adventures in learning to drive a stick-shift, which you can read about by clicking HERE.  Reflecting upon that adventure brought me to the memory of another learning step in the process which...you guessed it...paints the picture of another analogy to share.  So here it goes....

As my confidence started to evolve in driving my manual-transmissioned vehicle I figured I would have no problem taking a 45 minute, out of town drive to get to where I needed to be. After all, driving was how I was learning the ways of shifting, right?!  

About 15 minutes down the street I found myself at a stop sign stalled-out....not once, not twice, not three times, maybe four, maybe five...who knows....I lost count.  A man from the car behind me got out and walked up to my window and asked "Is everything all right?" I quickly responded saying "I'm just trying to get this whole standard thing down!"  I thanked him and he was on his way back to his car where he sat until I FINALLY drove away from the stop sign....after a few more stalled attempts of course.  

A few minutes down the road I realized what my problem at the stop sign had been.  I kept putting my car into third gear instead of first gear (which you would have thought I would have been smart enough to realize).  First gear is where you start, not third, silly me!

Moral of the story?  

If we're going after the same thing over and over again and keep "stalling" maybe our problem lies in what "gear" in.  Maybe we're in the wrong gear.  Maybe we're in our gear and not the gear God needs us in.  We need to throw our life back into neutral and realign as we shift into the correct gear and give it another shot.  

It's only once we're in the right gear that we are going to be able to succeed at what we're trying to do - just as it is with driving a manual-transmissioned vehicle.  

As I sat at that stop sign trying to drive in what I thought was the right gear I continuously found only failed attempts.  Though I kept telling myself "You can do this, you'll be fine just....go!" the hopes of leaving that stop sign we're very small.  However, once that car was in the right gear I took off with ease and was on my way down the road!  

If we are continuously experiencing failures and continuously stalling it might be time to say "Clearly my way isn't working.  God I want to try your way."  

It's time to get OUT of our own gear and INTO God's gear!

    

Huddle-Time!

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Maybe I don't know a lot about football - all they do is tackle each other and fight over an egg shaped ball anyways, right? - but I do know that they like to "huddle" a lot.  

Football players gather in a huddle to plan out their next move and to create a strategy to win the game.  When they're in this huddle they get themselves psyched up for the next play about to happen.  Sometimes this huddle happens simply because the players need a pep-talk...maybe the game isn't going so great and they need a word of encouragement to pull them through and get them back on track.  

When the players are done having their "huddle-time" they break off from the huddle and go back out to the playing field re-focused and ready to make some winning moves, all thanks to the pep-talk from the huddle.  The huddle isn't where the game is won but simply where the focus to win comes from. 

You can learn from this idea if you think of football players as Christians and "huddle-time" as church-time.  As Christians, when we go to church that's our "huddle-time" and the broken, lost world is clearly our playing field.  Church shouldn't be what Christians "do", it's where we should be going to get our "pep-talk", to be rejuvenated, to get re-focused and to get psyched up for the game!  The game is all about ministering and spreading the Gospel to a broken world!  

You can't win the game inside the huddle but you can win the game out on the field when you apply what you learned inside the huddle. 

Church should be that time to re-focus on the game and to get ready to jump back out on the field.  Church should be that time to come together as a team and to prepare our game-plan for the field.  Church-time is huddle-time.  COME ON TEAM, LET'S DO THIS!

"Church isn't the game, it's the huddle."  

Confessions of a control freak...

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Here you have it:  Confessions of a control freak. 
 
Maybe this doesn't come as news to any of you but I've come to realize that I'm a control freak.  I tend to have this need to take-over and have control over certain things.  I tend to like to be the one in charge.  (Miss Bossy pants when I was 4, why would it be any different now?)

Besides realizing (or maybe it's more like finally admitting) that I'm a control freak I've come to see and realize that with God that doesn't really work.  He doesn't exactly "roll that way".  Know what I'm sayin'?  

I guess you could say God's a control freak Himself...and His control freakness ways overrule any of those tendencies I may possess.   
He's boss.
He rules.
He's in control...not me. 
ALL.  THE.  TIME.

I can have control over what I eat for breakfast, or what I wear for the day, but I CAN'T be a control freak when it comes to my life and my relationship with Christ.  I can try to manipulate and state the way things should be in my life but at the end of the day God has final say. There is simply no room for my control freakness ways in my relationship with Christ.  It's not ever "I" because it's always "Him"!  

Realizing that there's no room for me to be in control can be a daunting thought, but when I look at who's in control I realize that I'm okay with handing over my control freakness for once....

....I realize that maybe sometimes it's better to let someone else have a turn.  And who better to let have a turn than God with your very life!  I say it's worth the forfeit of being in control because He knows what He's doing.  HIS ways are higher.  HIS ways are better.

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are you ways my ways.' 

declares the Lord . 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'"

~Isaiah 55:8-9

 

The predicament of shifting.

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A year ago I found myself in quite the predicament.  I found myself one day as the proud owner of a brand new car.  A vehicle with a manual transmission to be exact.  The problem?  I couldn't drive a stick-shift.  (See the predicament?)

So there I was with a vehicle that was all mine and that I was so excited and blessed to have....except I couldn't drive it.  

As I sat in the drivers seat and sputtered through many failed attempts at moving my vehicle forward even a few feet I often began reconsidering my decision to buy such a vehicle.  I mean, how many times can you really stall before you want to give up?! Once I got rolling I had no problem...it was simply the starting to move part that was hard! But with much determination I finally succeeded in getting my car out of the driveway.  Realizing the only way to really get a grip on this whole shifting-while-driving thing was to ACTUALLY drive on the road. So I made the crazy decision to perfect the art of clutching, shifting, and actually getting somewhere by taking this vehicle and hitting the road.  For some reason I thought the humiliation and embarrassment of stalling at stop signs and in public places would motivate me to learn faster!

The journey on the road began...and much to my surprise...it wasn't a complete fail!  I actually began grasping this whole stick-shift thing!

I realized quickly that sitting around listening to people tell you how to drive a stick-shift and thinking about how to drive a stick-shift wouldn't get you anywhere. (Big shout out to those that offered up their time...and safety...to attempt teaching me!) The learning happened through each stall, each successful gear-shift, and each drive on the road. 

Reflecting upon this today I realized that life is a lot like a manual-transmissioned vehicle.

We sit there with all these hopes of getting out of first gear and actually going somewhere.  However, we get so frustrated about the struggles that come our way when we try to leave "first gear" that we end up just sitting in the driveway thinking about life "out on the road".  

We let these little set-backs HOLD US BACK instead of HELPING US to move forward.  The frustration from being stuck in one gear keeps us from getting to the next gear.  

What we don't realize is that these moments of "stalling" in life are moments that are teaching us how to move forward!  

If we're just sitting in the driveway complaining that we can't "drive" we are definitely NOT going to be getting ANYWHERE.  Jump back behind that wheel and give it another shot!  When you stall, turn the key in the ignition and give it another go!  Don't stop moving forward just because of one little set-back.  Before you know it shifting gears will be as easy as buttering toast (weird analogy?  Yes.)

Oh, and for those of you that were wondering...I kept my manual-transmissioned vehicle and I have learned to embrace the adventures of driving it ;-)

T.G.I.F

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T.G.I.F...Yes we're all thankful that it's Friday as we look forward to the weekend ahead of us.
But I don't want to waste my time here talking about how wonderful Friday is and how wonderful the weekend will be (though I too am thankful for it).  

Let's talk about T.G.I.F in another way.... Today God Is First.

Since the accronym T.G.I.F is so versatile why not enjoy two of its meanings on this very Friday afternoon?! 

Let's take a moment today to consciously make the decision to put God first.  In every aspect of our day and the week ahead of us allow us to make this choice.  Let us not lose sight of our decision as we face the hustle and bustle of weekend plans.  Allow us to remember that God goes first.  

Above everything else that goes on throughout the rest of your Friday remember that God is first.  Remember that He goes before a struggle you may be having today as well as a joyous praise worthy moment that you may encounter.  

Let's take a moment to set aside our day and say "God, this has to be about you.  You take priority.  You're first."

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness..."

~Matthew 6:33 

Random Kindness

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I think we often take for granted the immense impact of a random act of kindness.  An act of kindness that may seem so small to us could essentially impact someone in a HUGE way.  You never know just how much your actions are impacting those around you...even complete strangers.

That random act of kindness could look like a million different things...

A random act of kindness could be a....
...random note sent to someone
...smile to a stranger
...phone call to an old friend
...word of encouragement
...helping hand
...a dollar spared 

The possibilities are endless!  

A random act of kindness is not restricted by any factor.  Young or old, child or adult, male or female it makes no difference!  Kindness can be expressed and shared with ANYONE - in fact you don't even need to speak the same language as someone to share a random act of kindness!  There are no boundaries when it comes to who we can share kindness with.

Kindness is something that we should be handing out like candy on Halloween!  Fist-Fulls of kindness.  Kindness in abundance.

It's all about being generous and blessing others.  It's about showing random acts of God's love.  Whether that be with someone you know well or someone you don't know at all.  

You never know how your small act of kindness can touch someones day, uplift them, put a smile on their face, touch their hearts, or better yet start a chain reaction.  

Displaying kindness is giving people a touch of God's love.  By blessing others with your kindness you are truly blessing yourself.  

I'm seeking a life that pours out kindness to others.  Will you join me?

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, 

gentleness, and patience."

~Colossians 3:12 

Have you been the recipient of a random act of kindness lately?  If so, leave a comment and state how it impacted you!


 

Guest Post: Crockpot Christians

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Wicked excited to introduce to you the very first "guest post" (which is hopefully the first of many)! Enjoy!
 

Do you use a crock-pot?  Have you ever forgotten to turn it on?  

You can put in all the ingredients (beef, carrots, onions, potatoes, etc.) for a wonderful meal to slow cook all day.  You anticipate coming home to a scrumptious smelling house - only to find out that you forgot to turn the crock-pot on......

Like Christians, you can put in all "the ingredients", the church, the Bible, the weekly prayer meetings and you can anticipate a wonderful "home coming" when your days here on earth are done.  BUT - not until you turn up the heat!

What you are made of and all you have are "raw ingredients".  USE THEM.  GO SOMEWHERE in your relationship with Christ.  GO where you've never gone before....DO something He has called you to do. DO something you have never done before because you were afraid.

Read:  
Matthew 25:14-30 
Ephesians 2:10 

    

God = Our GPS

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Being someone who has a tendency to get lost take an adventure getting to new places you can believe that I am grateful for the invention of a little device called the GPS.

A GPS is great...you punch in your desired destination, fasten your seatbelt, put the car in drive and off you go.  As the voice of your GPS guides you through each turn and down each road you find yourself worry-free as you have full confidence that your GPS will deliver you right to your destination.  In fact, should you by chance take a wrong turn you even hear that little GPS-voice saying "redirecting"...and before you know it a new route to your same destination is developed.

Turning off course doesn't destroy your chances of ever arriving at your destination...yes it may make your trip a little longer BUT eventually you will arrive at your destination.

Getting completely lost is a lot harder with a GPS on board.

If you think about it...God is a lot like a GPS.  Directing and guiding us from our current destination to His planned destination for us.  He knows where we are at all times and knows how to get us to where we need to be.  The day we were born our "route" was developed and ever since then every little off-course turn that we have taken has resulted in a "re-direction".  When we make a "wrong turn" in life God simply says "uh-oh, redirecting!" and guides us back on our way to His destination for us.

What if we put as much faith in God's direction as we do in the directions our GPS spits out?  

When I flip on my GPS I have complete confidence that it's directions will lead me to where I need to be.  Though I tread through unknown territory I am worry-free because I know I have my GPS to count on.

In life God needs that same kind of faith from you and from me.  We're going to go through "unknown territory" in life and we need to know that there is no need to worry because God's got our back.  We can count on Him.  He knows the roads of life better than any other.

We must learn to allow Him to direct our steps and guide us.  He knows the best route to your destination.  Gosh, he designed your destination - let Him drive!  Sit back and enjoy the ride!

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you."

Psalm 32:8

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 

in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6