Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Change? no thanks, you can keep it.

We have all probably learned at some point, whether it be from high school musical or not, to stick to the status quo. Status Quo? What does that really mean? official definition: "The existing state or condition". That doesn't sound too bad, does it? Keeping things just the way they are. We all know that's how Lutherans like to do it. People become so comfortable with how things are that change just seems strange and tedious to them. Why change when everything is perfectly fine the way it is? Well, if we never changed anything, we would never lean new things. We wouldn't take chances, learn from those risks. God calls us to be fishers of men. Sometimes, to do this, we have to change the status quo. We have to venture out into other groups of people, make new friends. A little change never hurt anyone, and you may even find more joy in it. Joy in knowing that you have ventured out of your comfort zone, and it is ok. Sometimes, to find our joy in life, you have to change a few things. You have to find the perfect mixture of random things in your life to really find what makes you happy. Then, you will truly find the joy in life.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

sacrifice all for HIM, not 'him'

No matter how much we try, it is impossible to please everyone that we meet. Some people, like myself, will do everything that they possibly can to make other people happy, even if it means sacrificing their own sanity or happiness. One lesson, that needs to be learned at an early age, is that, no matter how hard we try, we cannot please every single person. Nor do we need to. God didn't put us on this earth to please everyone, he put us here to spread his word. That, may not always be accepted very well by some people. Some people don't like hearing about God. They resent him. And because of this, we cannot please everyone. There will always be at least one person, who doesn't like what you have to say, even though it is the truth. You just have to learn to persevere through that and keep preaching his word. The most important thing is that we do what is pleasing to the Lord. Don't let earthly things, or people, keep you from doing that.

 "So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."- Colossians 1:10;
"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."- Hebrews 13:16
There is no greater joy than pleasing our Father.

Monday, January 16, 2012

The trouble with stalkers

Something posses' people to be creepy or a stalker. That something, is called the devil. He is always trying to drive us into temptation, make us fall. Well, truth is, we have already fallen in sin. We are not perfect and we never will be. But, we are always perfect in God's eyes. The devil has nothing on us. He cannot phase us because Jesus Christ came and died on the cross to save us from sin, death, and the devil. When you are faced with temptation, or maybe someone following you who really scares you, just think, it's the devil. He's trying to make you believe that God is not there to save you. That God is not going to be there, but He is. God is always there, even if sometimes we don't see it. He loves us all. And He will never leave us. Always remember, "For God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16. If knowing that doesn't bring joy to your life, then I don't know what will.

Friday, January 13, 2012

two-faced? or just too afraid of what others will think?

Have you ever tried to put on a face so that those around you don't know that something is wrong? Story of my life. I've found that it's easier to just hide what's wrong, you don't wanna inconvenience people with your problems. Especially if they have other things to worry about. God, he always listens. He knows when you have a problem, and he is always doing things to help you, even if you don't see it at the time. So, even if you think you need to hide your problems from others, God is always there. He will not judge. You are always safe and perfect in his eyes. Lately, I have been remembering this a lot. There are some things you just can't tell people, not even your best friend, sometimes. But, always remember, you can always talk to God about your problems. He listens. He loves you. And again, the one place, for sure, that you can turn to for joy in your life, is always God.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

When life gives you lemons, make.... a mess?

Do you ever feel like you might make the wrong decision? Do you ever freak out about "What if this isn't what God has planned for me?" Yeah, I feel your pain.
For the past few months I have been having these thoughts. Especially in deciding where to college. My top 2 choices are both great schools, and there are fantastic pro's to both, but I can't help but wonder, what happens if I pick the wrong one? One day I finally woke up and realized, whichever one I pick, God will make it work. He always has and he always will. It is such a relief, and really, I knew it all along, it just took a little reminder from some special people around me to realize it.
Now, the reason for this completely random post; It was partially because of that, but here is another idea to think about. Life gives you choices, a lot. Sometimes you just get so over stressed that instead of making "lemonade" as everyone says, you make, well, a huge mess. Things go wrong. They end up worse than before sometimes. But, ya know what, that's life. And I have come to realize that there is nothing more you can do about it than just to do your best and God will do the rest. Put all your trust in Him, and I guarantee, you will find your joy in life <3