Just Like Rebekah

YOUR story

We all have role models; we want to be like someone. We all want to grow up (even if culture says we already are) to be the ideal person. When we find someone who we think embodies our ideal we scrutinize them. We notice their nuances and try to implement them in our own behavior. We start to talk like them, dress like them, and act like them.

It’s great to look up to people but the downfall comes when we actually try to be them. When we make decisions based on what they would do (or did) instead of the wise choice and forget that we are different. In trying to follow their footsteps, we lose ourselves.

When we try to rewrite someone else’s story over our own, we are rejecting who God made us to be. We lose sight of who we truly are and put on a mask of someone else. But we each are unique. God has a story planned for every one of His people; we just need to follow His lead. Francis Chan writes, “Be careful not to turn others’ lives into the mold for your own. Allow God to be as creative with you as He is with each of us.”

God has given us each unique gifts and we are called to use those gifts to His glory. If we happen to have similar gifts as someone else, we can ask them to be our mentor. But we need to be careful not to blindly follow in their footsteps. It’s easy to take a path that’s already been made but it takes faith to make your own. God wants us to trust Him, follow His lead, and allow Him to write a story as unique and original as ourselves. Sure, we can look to others for advice and ideas, and it’s easy to copy someone else, but only we can live our own story so why would we waste our time infringing the copyright of someone else‘s?

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ~1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Fingerprint Friday

 

Joshua took this while I was in Pittsburgh

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of god
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god

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I remember when we were little my brothers and I would catch fireflies on summer nights. We would put them in a jar, fill it with grass, cover the top with hole-poked tin foil and take them to bed with us. After being tucked in, we would stare at the jar and watch for the little flashes of light. Eventually, the blinks would get fewer and farther between and we would wake up to a stinky jar of bugs.

I think we’re like fireflies. Fireflies use their lights to communicate with each other. When they’re put in a jar, they have no one to communicate with and therefore stop emitting light. As Christians, we are called to be lights to the world. But sometimes the world distracts us. In other words, we get put in a jar and our lights go dim. When fireflies use their lights, they’re different from other bugs in that they don’t blend in with their surroundings. When they are not using their lights, they’re just like any other bug. In the same way, when we allow ourselves to become complacent about our faith, we start to look the same as everyone else around us.

When we become complacent and stuck in a jar, we lose our effectiveness. By blending in with the world, we basically tell God that He is not important enough for us to be uncomfortable. We have to avoid being put in a jar. We must keep our eyes out for potential circumstances that will squelch our lights and our faith; whether they be idols that distract us, compromising situations or careless conversations. We have to constantly be on the alert, for Satan desires nothing more than for our lights to be extinguished. So….what’s putting you in a jar?

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."  ~Matthew 5:14-16

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of god
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god

In honor of Cupcakes for Life day, today's Fingerprint Friday is a collection of baby pictures.

Veronica

Me and Grandma and Grandpa

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A Book, Bingo, and a Blanket

Almost two years ago, I was reading The Cross and the Switchblade. In the story, David Wilkerson gives the shoes off of his feet to a homeless man. When I read that, I felt that God wanted me to go to Atlanta right then and give a homeless man a blanket. When I went to tell Daddy, he said I had three problems.

1. I didn’t have a way to get to Atlanta
2. I didn’t have a blanket
3. I didn’t have a homeless guy

A few weeks later, I was invited to dance at a luncheon for senior citizens. At the luncheon, we played Bingo and I happened to win, of all things, a blanket (problem #2 solved). I knew that this was the blanket I was supposed to give to the homeless man. Now all I needed was someone to give it to. So I put the blanket in the car and waited for an opportunity.

Last school year, we started going to Atlanta regularly (problem #1 solved) and I kept my eyes out for the guy. I saw many homeless men but none seemed to be the right one.

On Wednesday, we stopped at McDonald’s before we headed home. As Mommy was unlocking the car a man came to the window and asked for money to get on MARTA. She asked him how much it cost and gave him $2.00. She also asked him if he wanted anything to eat. He said he only wanted a #3 (which is a quarter pounder). We went through the drive-through to get the food and he was waiting for us at the end. We gave him the food and the blanket, asked his name, said we would be praying for him, and went home. And that’s how God used a book, bingo and a blanket to make His name great.

Things I'm learning: Insecurity

Remember when I was putting myself down in order to not be “proud?” Well, during that time, I started looking around and comparing myself to other people. Eventually, I became insecure and began to feel terrible about myself. Through my insecurity, God led me to realize that I needed to surrender an area to Him. After I surrendered, God gave me freedom and joy in the place of my self-consciousness as well as a glimpse of just how big He really is.

Insecurity is the opposite of over-confidence yet it stems from the same sin---trusting in yourself. When we are insecure, we are fearful because we personally do not have control over everything. As a result, we take the burden upon ourselves to make everything work.

When we try to take things into our own hands, we put God in a box. We tell Him that we don’t trust Him enough to direct our life. We squeeze God down to something smaller than us and, in a sense, place ourselves before Him. Because we trust in our own strength, we become discouraged. According to Oswald Chambers, “Discouragement is disenchanted self-love.”

When we are insecure or self-conscious, our relationship with God suffers. We end up fighting God because we alternate between trusting Him and trusting ourselves. Our times of introspection and insecurity show us what is most important to us--what we’re afraid of losing most.

When we hit times of insecurity, God is often trying to tell us that we need to give something up and surrender it to Him. Oswald Chambers says,

“Self-consciousness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of the life in God, and self-consciousness continually produces wrestling…Anything that disturbs rest in Him must be cured at once, and it is not cured be being ignored but by coming to Jesus Christ. If we come to Him and ask Him to produce Christ-consciousness, He will always do it until we learn to abide in Him.”

It’s during these times that God pries our fingers off of what we think is ours and says ‘give it to me’. And we can choose continue to wrestle or to give it to him and rest in peace that He has it under control.

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. ~1 Peter 5:7

TobyMac

Last Sunday we went to a TobyMac (my favorite) concert. It was a blast. Here's a link to one of his music videos if you want to check it out (the embedding was disabled).

Happy Birthday Boo!!!

My littlest brother turns 12 today. He's getting so big. Jonathan is our energy ball, he keeps us going. Tonight he's celebrating his birthday with the marching band that he plays for (he plays cymbals). I love you Boo.

Happy 16th Caleb!!

On Tuesday my big-little brother turned 16. He has grown into a handsome and Godly young man who I am proud to be related to. Caleb, I love how far you've come; from dropping 17 seconds to get your AAA  to exploring animation. I love you!!!! PS-thanks for letting me embarrass you. :-D

Laminin

This is one of my favorite speakers and my favorite sermon of his. He's actually starting a church in Atlanta if you want to come check it out.