Patience (259)

“And even though God may not always change your situation, He will change you in your situation, so that you will have peace where there seems no peace. You will experience joy where you didn’t think you could have joy. You will know power where you thought there was no power, and patience when you didn’t think you could be patient.”- Tony Evans

Patience. This has never been my strongest quality. I never liked to wait in line, wait for supper, wait for other people…I’ve never liked waiting. Which is sort of ironic because my blog is entitled “Blessings in Waiting”. I typically like everything to be done right the first time, and to be done as soon as possible. The Lord has continued to bring multiple people in my life to help me work on patience. I’m sure He has many more in store for me too; however sometimes God doesn’t teach me patience through other people. Sometimes He teaches patience with a more direct approach.

I tend to be a slow learner so sometimes God has to hit me over the head with His truths for me to catch on. It really just boils down to trusting God to follow through on His promises. Through the waiting He strips everything else away. While we’re waiting, He makes sure that we have no other choice but to rely on Him. He takes away the comfort and the ‘fluff’ of life and replaces it with situations that teach us that He is the only one that can change lives and give peace. Without the times that try our patience we would never learn to trust Him for our everything.

Today’s Blessings:

The hard times that take us out of our comfort zones and teach us to rely on Him.

Christy

The Lilies of the Field (222)

I spent this evening outside with my momma. We were getting rid of some of the weeds on our property. I was driving the work vehicle. While mom was spraying I saw a patch of wild daisies. I am such a sucker for flowers. I understand that cut flowers are not practical. Buying them is a complete waste of money. They last for a week or two and then they’re dead. It’s much more practical to buy an actual plant, but there is just something I love about cut flowers. I could not resist the urge to pick them! I mean, come on, they’re free, so when they die, I wont be out anything!! So I grabbed handfuls of stems and threw them in the back of the vehicle. When I got to the house and cut them and put them in vase where they will grace me with their beauty for a few days.

It reminds me of what Christ said in Matthew 6

“And why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field and learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his magnificence (excellence, dignity, and grace) was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?

Just think about how beautiful flower are, especially the wild ones. God knows that they wont last forever, but yet He cares for them and makes them beautiful for the short time that they will be alive.
If God takes such care for something that wont last very long, think about how much He love us to put all the care into our lives. Take a step further. Think about how awesome Heaven is going to be, if He is spending time making flowers beautiful, while Heaven will last for eternity!

That’s what I am reminded of when I see flowers. My God has such a great plan for my life and such an incredible future prepared for those of us who love Him.

Today’s Blessings:

1.The flowers I found tonight.

2.My God who is preparing great things for me!
-Christy

He Sees my Tomorrows (196)

Good evening! Tonight I cant decide whether to do a Mother’s Day post, or a graduation post. So I don’t think I will do either. I can do a Mother’s Day post tomorrow, and I still have the whole month of May that I could do one on graduations.

As ya’ll know, I’m reading about 4 great books right now. The newest book that im reading is “The Power of God’s Names” by Tony Evans! Let me tell you, I’m less than 50 pages into it, and it is so so good! I’ve been chewing on this quote for the past few days:

“Whatever God is going to do for you, He has already done. Whatever God has planned for you to do, He has already planned. Whatever God has purposed for your life, He has already purposed. Your job as a follower of Christ isn’t to outwit, outplay, or outsmart God- to try to figure out your own personal destiny for yourself. God has already drawn the map of your life, and it’s a good life filled with both a hope and a future. It’s a plan that is self-perpetuating. You just need to obey Him fully so you can enter the rest He has planned for you.”

Why is it that we think we can know better than God? God sees the beginning and the end. Not only does He see it, He has planned it. It’s done. Completed. Finished. Before we were even conceived, God had each and every day of our life planned. From our first cry to our last breath, our Creator God has planned it all. I think sometimes we forget that God knows further ahead than we do. We try to help God out. Afterall, He’s so busy keeping the world turning that He must need some help, right? Wrong! What God wants from us is our heart. He wants our obedience. He wants us to be resting. He wants us to be at peace knowing that He’s in control. Nothing comes as a surprise to Him.

When something comes your way and catches you by surprise, remember that it didn’t surprise God. He’s in complete control.

Today’s Blessings:

1.Got to see an old friend today.

2.A God that has all of my tomorrows wrapped up in His hands.

-Christy

Trusting…(120)

This past week has been quite the whirl wind. The good, the bad, and the ugly have all occurred multiple times in multiple ways this week. Today alone has felt like 3 days rolled into one. I don’t think that the chaos is over quite yet either, but God requires that we trust Him when we can’t track Him so, that’s kinda where I’m at. Actually that’s not really anything new. I’ve been thrown into multiple situations recently that require me to trust Him. As a matter of fact, the more I get into this whole adult hood thing, the more I realize that I don’t think that having to trust Him is ever going to stop. If anything I think the amount that I have to trust Him increases. I believe I have mentioned this here before, but I remember back in junior high when my school administrator asked me if God had taken care of me in the past. “Yes”, I responded. “Well then,” he said, “That gives you no reason to doubt that He is going to take care of you now.” It’s such a simple truth, but so very practical and easy to apply in our daily lives.

When God acts it is so easy to pretend that you didn’t really hear what He had to say. After all, if you ‘didn’t hear’ Him, then you don’t have to obey Him, right? That is definitely the down side to praying specifically- when He answers, you have no choice but to obey what He has declared. God is not mean, He’s not out to get you, nor is He interested in seeing you miserable. He knows what is best, and what is for your ultimate good. The thing is, that sometimes we don’t see what He sees.

A radio show I was listening to one time explained it like this. When someone is working on a sewing project the underside of the project usually looks like a big mess of string that doesn’t make any kind of practical sense. The topside of the project looks like a beautiful masterpiece that is sometimes even framed. That’s how it is with our lives. We only see the bottom side of God masterpiece, while God sees the beautiful finished product.

So when God makes His decree in your life, instead of pretending that you didn’t hear it, obey. He sees the topside.

Today’s Blessings:

1. Being able to trust Him completely, knowing that He sees the finished product of your life.
2. My Gramma turning 92 years old.

I Dont Wanna Mess Up!! (84)

What if I screw up my life?

What if I completely mess up God’s plan beyond repair?

What if I disappoint my family?

It seems like my friends, both near and far, are all struggling with the same thing, myself included. I don’t know if it’s because we are growing up and our parents are no longer making all major decisions. Maybe it’s because the light bulb is coming on that we aren’t 8 years old anymore. Or perhaps God is sending us through the same struggle so we can help each other through it. Whatever the reason, I think it’s time I make a post on it.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this actually. It probably started around the time I was a junior in high school. Just a little bit of background on me. I’m the youngest; not only in my immediate family, but on both sides of extended family. Well, at least the youngest girl. All of my older cousins are girls. I’ve watched them all grow up and make choices; some good and some…not so good. Since the time I was little, I purposed to not be like my cousins!! Not everything they have done hasnt been horrible, but I want to be different!! I don’t want to be status quo! In all of that purposing to be different the aforementioned questions have popped up several times.

What if I fail in my goal at being different?

What if I make the same mistakes they have?

What if I watch my mom cry herself to sleep over me, like I saw her do over them?

It really wasn’t until this recent trial with Rich that I finally came to a peace about this predicament. I came very close to messing up with Rich. Now, before you get your britches in a bunch, we didn’t come close to crossing any “major” physical  boundaries, but I made some compromises that I shouldn’t have. I made some choices that were probably less than top notch. What I find to be a huge blessing in the whole situation is that because I hadn’t completely shut out my parents and authority, God was able to use them to bring me back in the center of His will. This allowed me to realize that if I’m seeking the counsel of my elders, (sorry mom and dad, don’t mean to make you sound old….) and really desire for God to use me, then when situations arise that could throw me off course He loves me enough to give me a chance to make the right choice!

I’m currently reading “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. (Loving it so far) In one section He takes us to Jeremiah 1:6-10

Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.”

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

 

I love it when people in Scripture remind me of me! Jeremiah, Moses, and others, like to tell God what they are capable of and what they are not capable of…Just like Christy! From this passage Mr. Chan said:

“I don’t have to worry about not meeting His (God’s) expectations. God will ensure my success according to His plan, not mine!”

If God wants me to do something, He will align circumstances to make it happen. When you feel like you are a failure, take a step back and see what God says. Are you really a failure to God, or are you just a failure at your own plans? Fortunately for us, God’s plan is the only one that really matters!

I say all of that to say this: Why worry about our future? Why worry about messing up? God’s not gonna let you fail to the point of no return if you are His child! That doesn’t mean that you wont face hard things. That doesn’t mean that you will never make a wrong choice. But when you do, you can be comforted in knowing that God’s plan will always prevail!

Today’s Blessings:

1. A God that is big enough to have my life all figured out and desires that personal relationship with me!
2. I don’t have to stress about my future! My God’s got it all under control!
3. My gramma didn’t break any bones when she fell! Praise the Lord!

 

-Christy

Our Good, His Glory (78)

Looking back, yesterday’s post kind of makes me chuckle. No, what it actually says isn’t funny, but just the fact that it is one sentence long and doesn’t include any pictures, or much of anything for that matter. But anyways….

For some dumb reason I haven’t slept well for the pasts few nights. This means that when I don’t go to work in the morning, I sleep (toss and turn) till around 10 am. If I go to work around noon, that doesn’t leave much time for blogging before I go to work, (seeing as I live 30 minutes from work). Most mornings, it’s a choice between looking like a presentable human being, or blogging. Ya’ll should feel special, because most of the time I choose blogging. Anyways, since I ran out of time to blog yesterday I had to post last night after I got home from work. My computer was out of battery and the cord was not easily accessible, so my only option was to post from my kindle fire. Call me old fashioned, but I absolutely hate my kindle for posting my blog. The WordPress app is great and all, but im not a fan of one finger typing. I had already put on my pajamas and was lying in bed deciding what to post. I starting thinking of all of the blessings that had happened that day. Then I decided to summarize all of them and put it in “blessing form”

“The way that our God orchestrates all circumstances for our good and His glory.”

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the goodness of God. I’ve been thinking about the different ways that God shows His goodness. Sometimes the way that God shows His goodness is obvious. Sometimes it’s not so obvious. Sometimes you look around and wonder what could possibly be good in the chaos that surrounds you.

I think I will just leave it at that for today. I know it seems like I’m kind of leaving you hanging. I don’t have a nice and neat concluding sentence or paragraph, but I promise I will expound on these thoughts more throughout the week. In the meantime, I wish you a marvelous Lord’s day filled with many blessings!

Today’s Blessings:

1.A great message at church.

2.The God we serve who is in control of all circumstances.

Memories From a Blanket (73-74)

I am so very sorry that I failed to write yesterday. I was sick!! I wasn’t sure I was going to write today until my mom surprised me with a chiropractor appointment scheduled after work!! After an adjustment and a few muscle tests, I am feeling much better! I no longer feel like I am going puke!

The first day that I was sick, mom decided to wash my favorite fuzzy blanket. This meant that I had to find my second favorite fuzzy blanket to cuddle up with on the couch. I found my fuzzy penguin blanket in a zip up pouch that I had not opened since we moved. I pulled it out and instantly noticed that it still smelled like Arkansas! Call me strange, but every house I’ve ever lived has a distinct smell. They aren’t necessarily bad but every place has a different one. The last time I used this particular blanket was one of the times that Rich came over for an afternoon. I was cold, as usual, so I used to blanket to drape over my legs while we sat on the couch. So this blanket smells like Arkansas and Rich; so many good memories in that smell! It smells like comfort and happiness and good times! I almost hate to start using the blanket again. I know that eventually the smell of the blanket is going to wear off. I can’t just reapply that scent like I could with one of my favorite stuffed animals when I was little. Once this scent is gone it will never be able to come back. Even if I see Rich again or move back to Arkansas the smell will be different.

It’s like that with all moments in life. Many times we don’t approach things like that though. We live through so many moments that we forget that we can never get any of those moments back. We make decisions, or snap at loved ones and seem to forget that once that moment in time passes, it can never return. Time is so very precious!

This time that I have between high school and college is time that God has given me to impact the lives of others. It’s possible that God will move me again before I know what His purpose is. It’s possible that I may never know who I’m impacting, but I must use the time that God has given me to the fullest!

Today’s Blessing:
1.The good memories that came from the smell of my blanket

2.The time that God gives us to impact others.

-Christy

God’s Will (68)

There are a couple of things that I want to write about, but they are completely unrelated to each other. So we shall see where my fingers decide to take us today.

Something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently is God’s will. How do you find it? How do you know what it is when you do find? How do you accept it when you realize what it is? We have a tendency to talk about God’s will like it is some mystical code that we have to crack so that we can be “good Christians” and make God happy.

I’ve mentioned before how I grew up in Christian school. We had chapel two to three times a week and probably a 60% of the messages were on finding God’s will for your life. As a 7th, 8th, and 9th grader, I pretty much had God’s will for my life all figured out. Go to school, make good grades, honor and obey my parents and teachers. That pretty much summed up my life in junior high and a good portion of high school too. It wasnt until I graduated from high school and got a job that I really had to start thinking about what God’s will really is…

Am I supposed to go to an expensive college and take out a ton of loans and trust God to provide for the funds?

Am I supposed to work till im 30 and then try to go to college?

Am I supposed to marry the first Joe Schmo that comes along?

Am I supposed to get married at all?

Which path am I supposed to take?

Suddenly I am faced with a thousand choices; a thousand scenarios flood my thoughts. My parent’s no longer can make all of the hard decisions for me. And what about this? What if I choose the wrong path? What if I mess up and choose the wrong thing? My life will be ruined! God can never have His plan fulfilled in my life if I mess up this first, very important choice!

But when my dad took me out for coffee to explain to me what his choice was concerning Rich, He explained God’s will in a way that finally made a lot of sense. Actually He used two examples.
He set his coffee cup off to the side of our round table in the front of Kennedy’s coffee. Then then took his hands and made a round-ish shape. He then began to explain that we tend to think God’s will is just one point inside that circle. But that’s not really what God’s will is. God’s will is the whole circle. As long as we are seeking God, obeying Him and trusting Him, we are inside of God’s will. Sometimes we get near the edge of the circle. Sometimes we push up against the edge, but if we are child of God, we can never be outside of God’s will. It IS possible for us to NOT be in the CENTER of His will, but we can never be far enough from the center to be completely outside and “too far gone” for God to still use us.

My dad then mentioned the verses in Psalm 37:23-24

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.”

When I’m not living in the center of God’s will and in sin, im not entirely doomed! According to that passage, when I mess up God upholds me with His hand. He’s got me! By His grace, I can always come back to the center of His will.

My daddy went on to describe God’s plan like a puzzle. He said that when we make a choice that might not have been the best or not been exactly what His plan was it’s like we dropped a puzzle piece when doing a thousand piece jig-saw puzzle. When the piece we dropped hits the floor the whole puzzle doesn’t explode and then become unsolvable. You just have to put the pieces in in a different order. Sometimes you might get stuck and it might make the puzzle harder to solve with a piece missing, but eventually you will think to check the floor and there the piece will be. Once you put the missing piece in, the puzzle comes together just how it was intended. My dad told me that if he was making the wrong choice by separating Rich and I that God would make sure that He would pick up the dropped piece of the puzzle off of the floor and insert it into the “puzzle” at just the right time.

I’ve thought of this illustration many times since our coffee date. Not only does it apply to the situation with Rich, it also applies to other decisions that I have to make.

As long as I am living in God’s will and seeking Him, He promises that I can’t fall. It changes my thinking from “Oh No!
If I mess this up I’m doomed!” to “I know all of the choices are good choices. I just have to decide which one will give the most glory to God.” That just totally removes the pressure of choosing the right thing to avoid making God mad or ruining His plan. It frees me up to focus on loving a pleasing Him.

God’s will doesn’t have to be some mystic code. God’s will really is just to seek Him daily, to live a life that pleases Him, and to want what He wants! God will always bring us back to the center of His will if we are seeking Him. That’s some pretty amazing grace!

Today’s Blessings:

1.I don’t have to worry about totally ruining my life if I’m seeking God and trusting Him.

2.God’s incredible grace that He shows when we do mess up.

Isnt it Interesting

Isnt it funny how you can think things are going great, and within an instant it all changes. My family just got hit with some news that will rock us a little bit. I am now faced with a choice. I can choose to let it shake me, or i can choose to trust the God that is in control of all situations. I ask you to pray as we make some decisions concerning this situation.

-Christy

External or Internal Faith (62)

I had a great talk with my daddy last night before I went to bed. Yes, I am almost an adult and my dad still tucks me in bed at night. Not ashamed! I love spending some special time with dad before I go to sleep. Anyhow, part of what we talked about last night, kinda went along with what was in my devotions this morning.

“The battle is lost or won in the secret places of the will before God, never first in the external world.”
-Oswald Chambers

Dad and I talked about how so often people try to act spiritual without being spiritual. If your spiritual life is at its deepest when you walk into church and put on your “spirituality” then there is a problem. You can’t fake a real, true walk with God. There shouldn’t be a difference in how you treat your family when the Pastor comes over for dinner then when you have a regular family dinner. Church life and home life should not be two separate identities.

Just like Oswald Chambers said, your battle is won in the secret places, you wrestle with God in the secret places. A battle fought with God solely on the external level is a losing battle before it has even begun. If you have a genuine walk with God on the internal level, then the external level will fall into place and you won’t even realize it. A month or so ago I received the greatest compliment I have ever received. I was talking with a friend and he said, “The way you are handling trials is like Elisabeth Elliot.” My jaw pretty much hit the floor! I am not the type of person to idolize other people, but ever since I read “Through the Gates of Splendor” I have sought to have a life that is like hers. She has an unwavering faith. A real woman of God! I still don’t see myself as anywhere near where she is spiritually, but that is what I want!

I have been in several churches in my lifetime. It wasn’t until we started going to Village Bible that I really saw a church that was based on genuine faith. I saw people that had faced unthinkable hardships in their lives and instead of getting bitter or faking their Christianity they allowed those trials to shape them into people that loved others and loved God. I will forever be impacted by faith lived in the secret places and faith that overflowed into the external.

Today’s Blessing:

The lives of Elisabeth Elliot and the lives of the members at Village Bible Church that have challenged me to live a true genuine walk with God.