Just around the Corner

"For Today and it's Blessings, I owe the World an Attitude of Gratitude." -Unknown

Looking back at the events of today, I can see its ups and downs, Its high points and low points, Places where I did good and places where I could've done better.

If I look back at the past week, I can see the same.

If I look back at the past year, I can see the same.

If I stand on my tip-toes, squint my eyes, and look really hard down the 21 years of my life, I can see the same.

These ups and downs, highs and lows, good days and bad, mold and shape us into the people we are today and the people that we will become tomorrow.

Most of us can remember the days of sunshine that present us with the brightest outlook on life and the confidence to conquer whoever and whatever steps in front of us. The days that give us the faith to believe. The days that inspire us to be more. The days we are strong.The days we believe in ourselves and believe in our dreams. The days we feel secure.

Most of us can also testify, firsthand, to the days of shadow that cloud our judgement and fill our hearts with overwhelming doubt. The days where we feel isolated. The days we feel we are not important enough to be seen or valued enough to be heard. The days we fear hope. The days we lose our inspiration. The days we bleed.The days we search for security.

It's in these days that we forget. It's in these days that we lose our grip instead of holding tight. It's in these days that we become like the Israelites when they came to Red Sea. They had forgotten the Seven Plagues that reeked havoc on the Egyptians and cost them dearly, leaving the Israelites untouched. Despite the fact that they were guided by a mysterious pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of blazing fire by night, they forgot. When they were stuck between the Red Sea and the enclosing Egyptians, they did not believe, they forgot! They had witnessed several miracles with their own eyes of God's favor and saving hand, and yet, they panicked! They cried out to God and to Moses saying, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (Ex.13:11-12)

The nerve!

Moses relied to them, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Ex. 13:13-14)

Isn't that beautiful? "The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still." This is the answer to our searching days of shadow. Just be still. Don't mourn the days that used to be and don't search for better days to come. Just be still. Your deliverance is just around the corner. If you are too busy searching for the security and answers your heart longs for, you may just miss it.

"For Today and it's Blessings, I owe the World an Attitude of Gratitude." Each day is a priceless gift regardless of the weather.

Convenient? I think not.

Something I learned about my culture when I moved and ventured off to different countries was that we, as Americans, LOVE convenience.

When I was in Germany, my friend Rebecca would ride her bike every morning to a bakery to buy us fresh baguettes for breakfast. Some would still be warm on the lucky days. She could've drove to the bakery, bought enough for the week, and used that time to sleep in or do "more productive" things. But no, the combination of the exercise, outdoor beauty, and fresh-out-of-the-oven bread outweighed any more convenient alternative. I loved this about Europe. Coffee is served in ceramic mugs and your dinner is never cut short with an early check. They understand and value a coffee and tea break or a long drawn-out meal. To them, these are never to be rushed.

Right here in Cumming, there are two Starbucks on exit 13 off GA 400. I imagine the reasoning behind this is so the people on the east side have one and the people on the west side have one. They are maybe half a mile away from each other. But this way, nobody has to deal with the inconvenience of driving over the highway. There are mattress stores, nail salons, Walmarts, and tire shops EVERYWHERE! We have drive through coffee, food, dry cleaning, and even mini-marts so we can keep our cars and routines running. Everything is based upon the convenience of our constantly moving busy schedules.

We (being a good majority of teens and adults) are approaching our relationships with this same convenient mindset.

Some are looking for convenience.

-Someone with money, benefits, or advantages. Someone who will make them feel better, increase their popularity, or get them closer to their goal. Some are just looking to get laid and will take anyone who will fill that gap in their lives or satisfy an uncontrollable hunger.

While others are so desperate and lacking that they have made themselves convenient.

-This is most common in our young girls.

I cannot count how many one-sided conversations I've listened to where a girl friend is dealing with so much garbage because she's "so in love", or "doesn't want to hurt him", or (my favorite) "can't live without him because I don't know who I am without him."

Basically, the majority of our young women today view themselves as garbage bins without realizing it. Have you taken a look recently or even gotten a whiff of what your garbage bin smells and looks like? If you haven't, go outside and do it right now. Open it up, look inside, and inhale. That is what your heart will look and smell like, if doesn't already. And it's not any one's fault but yours.

I believe that God places people in our lives who are to love, care, and protect our hearts. Some of us our fortunate and blessed to have them, and some of us are forced to fend for ourselves. Regardless of your past, your situation, or your heart's loneliness, you ultimately are the one responsible for the care and upkeep of your heart. You cannot blame every heartbreak on the other side because you made yourself convenient. You did not convey to the other side that you are the treasure that was Wonderfully Made and is Fiercely LOVED by your Creator. You conveyed that you were just a garbage bin, made to bear emotional, physical, and/or verbal garbage.

This is not YOU. This is not what you were created for. You are not an assembly line product of standard issue. Time, Care, and Precision went into creating you. You are HIS unique creation and art. One of its kind, never to be duplicated. You would never allow someone to dump crap on a Monet, Degas, or Michael Angelo piece, but yet you would let them dump it on you when you are a piece made by the God of the Universe.

Ladies, it is time that you realize your value. Its time that you take ownership and responsibility for your heart's present state.

You can do this by securing your hearts as we would a Michael Angelo. Allow people close enough to examine it and take in its beauty, but not close enough to dump on it. Once the boundaries are set and security in place, its time to restore. Clean out any garbage or residue that's sticking around your heart by immersing yourself in the truth of God's Word. Pick up a book to help you get started. Anything by Joyce Meyer or Beth Moore is bound to change your life. Being that they are Women who have take a ride around the block and found their way back to Christ, they know what you're going through and how to get you through it. And once you're secure and all cleaned up, it's just about the maintenance. Frequent spiritual check ins, dusting, and wipe downs of your heart will ensure that it never goes back to looking the way it used to.

I want you to take ownership of heart and realize the incredible beauty that you are. Stop listening and accepting the lies that have tortured you day in and day out.

You are fearfully wonderfully made!

Do not be afraid for am with you! Don't be frightened, for I am your God! I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my saving right hand! Isaiah 41:10

Love Revolution

I promised myself when I started this blog that if ever I didn't have something of value or substance to write, that I wouldn't. Im finding too many blogs detailing people's diet plans, workout routines, and whiner diaries. Instead of getting their words out in a way that would benefit and bless others, people are speaking out to get noticed or make you feel guilty about the peanut butter mnm's you just ate. All this to say it's been way too long since I've blogged.

(And Yes, I do have a bowl of peanut butter mnm's right here in front of me and they are DIVINE!)