tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28720331697015144432024-03-21T16:34:40.023-05:00Finding the 'Joye' in life Because of my love of writing, I decided to start a little blog of my own. I attempt to take some time each day and simply write about the things going on in my life and in those lives around me, I hope you enjoy reading it!
~Kara Joye~Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-64213464110656899642022-03-23T16:26:00.000-05:002022-03-23T16:26:04.751-05:00Refuge<p> I feel like we always talk about how we have faith and we believe that God will provide and things like that, but how often do we actually believe our own words? And how often are we just trying to convince someone else, or ourselves?</p><p>Back at the end of February I discovered a women's renewal retreat at a camp in south Texas. It was the same weekend as a bachelorette party I was supposed to go to, but circumstances changed and God definitely opened the door wide open for this retreat. He basically pushed me through it because I was a little resistant to go and leave the boys for 2 nights (which I've never done). It was hard to beginning with but I had a 5 hour drive to regain my composure and set my mind for this retreat. Lord knew I needed it, much more than I thought. </p><p>The theme of the retreat was REFUGE. We covered Psalm 46.</p><p>"<b><i>God is our refuge and strength,</i><i> A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling</i></b><i><b>... The Lord of Hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our fortress.</b></i>" Psalm 46:1-3;7</p><p>Here are some things I took away from this retreat (and yes, I knew a lot of this already but it clearly needed to be reiterated) :</p><p>- We are refugees, in need of a safe place with God our heavenly Father. Even when we think we don't.</p><p>- In the bad times AND the good times. We should seek Him for comfort, and remember to thank Him for the answered prayers.</p><p>- He is always there, even in the good times. Especially in the good times. We need to remember to thank Him for the good He has brought us instead of just looking at prayer as this checklist of complaints. </p><p>- Be Still. Remember that he is Almighty, that He can handle everything. There is nothing he cannot do. Stop and Listen.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, yes, I obviously knew a lot of these things- in the back of my mind. But we tend to forget, I think. It sometimes feels as though our faith is put on the backburner and just comes out to save face- to say "God has got this" so that others might see that you have faith. So you can tell yourself you're witnessing to that person right now. So that you don't get a "lecture" from someone about needing to trust God. When someone tells me "The Lord will provide" my instant response is always "Yeah, I know"... But do I? Somewhere in the back of my mind I know that He will, but in the forefront, my anxiety takes a strong hold of my mind- Satan holds on tight and tells me "worry about this" "How will you handle that?" "You can't do this". It was well needed (and the Lord knew that) to be reminded to be still. To remember to go to Him at all times, not just when things are hard. </p><p>This retreat also afforded me sisterhood friendships. Friendships I didn't even know I was missing. Friendships that point me to Christ and to remember to pray and talk to Him often. </p><p>I had put so much stock in my identity as a mother the last few years that I forgot that my identity first and foremost is as a daughter of our Lord. A daughter of the King. </p><p>I am so thankful God put this retreat in my path and afforded me the resources to go. He gave me peace of mind and He made the way clear so I could get there. God truly does work all things together for good. And I know I will be returning for this retreat next year, God willing, even with little man in tow. If you're looking for the joy in life, start looking to the creator of everything (including that joy ;) ).</p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Kara Joye</i></b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-31715239735487595002021-09-18T11:23:00.003-05:002021-09-18T11:23:55.639-05:00God bless the USA<p>It has been a somber week. With the 20th anniversary of those horrific attacks on our country, my husband and I have been watching a national geographic documentary on Hulu called "9/11: One day in America". It is a six episode series with real life accounts of people who were there. Firefighters who were in the tower when it collapsed. Survivors from the impact zone in the South tower. A lawyer who survived two separate times that day. The stories of the deafening silence after the towers fell. These people's stories are incredible. The things they saw and heard. The things they can never un-see or unhear. Watching the footage and hearing their recounting of that day has been emotional and just shocking to watch. I cannot even imagine the fear going through people's minds that day and probably in the days that followed for a bit. I mean some of these people didn't even know what had happened, they just ran and ran until they got out far enough, looked back and said "Where are the twin towers?" It is honestly unfathomable what these people went through that day; what we as a country went through 20 years ago. These attacks on our country and the subsequent war. So many lives lost. </p><p>And now where are we? 20 years later and we are under more attacks. This time from our own people, even. People fighting left and right. There is so much division in this country. Instead of coming together as a country, like we did after those dark horrible days in 2001, we have been splitting further and further apart. </p><p>You know, the other night as I was driving home, I heard "God bless the USA" on the radio. And I kid you not, I cried the entire way through that song. </p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>"And I'm proud to be an American,<br /></i></b></span><b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where at least I know I'm free.<br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I won't forget the men who died,<br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who gave that right to me.<br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I gladly stand up,<br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next to you and defend her still today.<br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,<br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God bless the USA."</span></i></b></div><p>I mean honestly. right now, does it really feel like we are honoring those men and women who fought and died to keep our freedoms? Do you feel like our neighbor would gladly stand up next to you and defend this country? There has been so much derision of people who don't believe the same as we do. I'm not saying I'm innocent by any means. But this has got to stop. I am not intending to make this a political post. You can have your opinion, I can have mine; and guess what? They can be different. We can still be friends. We can still stand together to keep the freedoms for this country so that we can continue to have the right to our differing opinions. </p><p><i>"If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand</i>." Mark 3:25</p><p>On that dreadful day 20 years ago, our enemies thought they could destroy us but we proved them wrong. We came together, we grew stronger together, and we fought back- together- not divided.</p><p>I know people have opinions about this but I honestly believe that God works all things together for good. </p><p>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif;"><i>And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28</i></span></p><p>Think of it this way, we all like cake, right? Or some kind of yummy dessert. So set out all of your ingredients that will get you to that yummy dessert. Now, start eating them individually- maybe they'll all taste good once they are together in your stomach!... No? Right, some of those ingredients taste pretty awful alone. And honestly, it's hard to see the picture of the glorious cake when you look at just a pile of ingredients. </p><p>Some of these happenings right now taste pretty awful. Actually downright disgusting, if I'm being completely honest. But I know God is working. He is working on people's hearts. He is working on a plan we cannot even fathom. He has GOT US. He's gonna make us the most amazing cake ever- whether we get it on this side or in heaven. Trust God. </p><p>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><i>So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." </i>Isaiah 41:10</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The world is a scary place right now. There is war, there is suffering, there is heartache, death- there are events (ingredients) that are really not tasting too great right now. All we can do, is give it to God. He is our protector, He is our Savior, He is going to pull us through whatever we are going through, and then some. It so much easier to say than to do, I definitely know that. All I can say is, try. His will, not ours. Here is a prayer that I have been trying to keep in mind lately. I hope it is of help to you to bring you some peace and help you to find and refocus on the joys in life that Our good and gracious Father gives to us. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Lord, I thank You that You are the God of the impossible. You can do anything. I want to trust in Your ability and not my own. Teach me to see difficulties in my life from Your perspective. Help me to focus on You and Your power. I want to be like Joshua and Caleb who believed in a good report and focused on You even in hard circumstances (Numbers 14:7-9). My responsibility is to carefully read, trust, and obey Your Word. Help me not to fear but to trust You in these situations. I declare my faith in Your ability to fulfill Your promises to me. You will fight for me and win the battles in my life. You are mighty, powerful, righteous, and true. In Jesus' name. Amen.</i></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-20467223509737954662020-11-02T22:34:00.001-06:002020-11-02T22:34:27.070-06:00Our God is an awesome God <p> I really only get to listen to the radio when we are in the car, and even then it’s a wonder I hear anything still because of small children. But yesterday we heard the song “Awesome God” by Rich Mullins and both of us were like “I haven’t heard this song in a long time”. Well today I heard it 3 times. Three. And I was only in the car for a total of probably an hour all day. </p><p>I mean, yes, the radio stations play old and new but they were playing this song like it was a new hit. I am one to really dive into the lyrics too, so naturally I started thinking about the words and the current state of our country and the elections coming up tomorrow. I think it is good to remember that no matter what happens with the election tomorrow; no matter what happens with Covid and/or any other diseases that may strike; whatever happens in our personal lives - our God is an awesome God. </p><p>“When the sky was starless in the void of the night, He spoke into the darkness and created the light. Judgment and wrath He poured out on Sodom, mercy and grace He gave us at the cross.”</p><p>How incredible is that. I don’t know if you think about it enough or really appreciate all the facts but our God- He is amazing. He created everything out of NOTHING. He healed the sick, he raised the dead, he died in the cross for all of us. Died an excruciating, Terrible, humiliating death that we all deserve- but He did it, so we could live in eternity with Him. How amazing. </p><p>Too easily we dwell on the craziness in life, especially the crazy that is 2020. I get it. It’s been an interesting year and sometimes it’s hard to see where God is in all of this. You see what the media wants you to see and that can make you feel hopeless. But we so easily forget that God is right there. He has His hand in everything. I was definitely scared at first, but more so scared for my children if I got Covid and died. And to be honest, I’m a little terrified of this election, but I do have faith that God will work good out of anything that comes. </p><p>So just as we have been doing all year, and always- we pray. We pray without ceasing. And have faith that the Lord will carry us and know that He will always be the true ruler. </p><p>You can only find the joy in your life when you stop looking at all the negative, and look to God. </p><p><br /></p><p>“<i>Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.</i>” Joshua 1:9</p><p>“<i>Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He deposed kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.</i>” Daniel 2:20-21</p><p><br /></p>Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-4309954244054967792018-01-20T12:41:00.002-06:002018-01-20T12:41:19.412-06:00The First MonthWith my sweet little angel asleep in the ring sling on me, I finally have some time to write. At least until he wakes up and we continue our routine of eating, sleeping, and pooping (you know it's true).<br />
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Boy has this first month been a whirlwind. I don't think there is anything I could have done to prepare myself for the emotional and physical toll motherhood would take on me. Don't get me wrong, I love being his mom, but as most of you know, pregnancy and birth do not come without hormone fluctuations or sleep deprivation. I was lucky that this baby took to breastfeeding so well, and so did I, that we didn't seem to have any issues. That is until I forgot to eat and didn't realize the issues that would cause. The day we got home from the hospital I was just beside myself, mostly due to the hormones, because my baby was crying and I couldn't give him the food he needed. Turns out I just hadn't eaten all day and so my milk just wasn't supplying because I basically wasn't giving my body the fuel to provide it. Thank God for my very knowledgeable sister for coming over that night and helping us figure that all out and holding our little one while mommy and daddy got some rest (also contributing to the hysterical me- sleep deprivation). Once I had eaten something and gotten a little rest and a shower we were back on track.<br />
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Recovering from a C-section is a little different than the natural way, but I hear both are hard. I don't have anything to compare it to so right now all I know is a c-section birth and its aftermath. While we were at the hospital it was hard to move much and I could not get out of bed without a bit of help. Gravity was not my friend those first few weeks. Once I was standing up straight it was definitely working against my insides and that incision. Staying on top of the pain meds was key, which I wasn't so good at, considering my mind was on something else. Once I remembered, because the pain was actually there, it got worse before the meds could kick in. Thankfully I only really needed them for that first week or so.<br />
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Since I couldn't get out of bed easily at all I couldn't reach my baby in his bassinet. I couldn't get up to change any diapers and I couldn't move him to the bassinet after he fell asleep after eating. I am incredibly thankful for my amazing husband. He changed all of his diapers for the first three days, and he didn't even mind. He was right there by my side to get me and peter whatever we needed. He was and is my rock when things get hard and I do not feel sufficient to do this mom stuff. He loves his son more than life, you can tell. He just can't wait till he's bigger and can start playing catch with daddy 😊.<br />
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That first week (and really the first month) brought a lot of crying, from both mom and Peter. When we are out places, mostly church or with family, I felt anxious when others were holding him. My heart was racing and I was just beside myself emotionally. I don't know what causes it, it's just something that happens. I've been told it is normal by a few people, including my doctor, so I am not too worried.<br />
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This mom thing is not easy. You may feel insufficient. You obviously feel exhausted. You may sit there and watch them sleep to make sure they are still breathing. You may sit with them in your arms and cry with them because you feel like you are not doing enough to keep them happy and safe. You may worry about every little thing and keep them inside as much as you can. (Mostly because it's cold and who really needs to go out if you don't have to, but also, postpartum anxiety is definitely something people don't talk about and it's a real thing.)You may also feel like you're being way too paranoid and that everyone is judging you for whatever decisions you make for your child. The truth is, you are sufficient. You are enough. And one day, you will get the sleep back (18 years from now, I hear). I know that I sound like a crazy person with how I am worried about this and that but the decisions I make for my son are what help keep me semi-sane and less anxious (seriously, postpartum anxiety is real, look it up, please). I don't know how long it will last. I don't know how many more times I will cry with my son- probably quite a few. What I do know is that I have my wonderful husband by my side, and an amazing God guiding us and protecting all three of us along the way.<br />
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Even as I type he fidgets around to get comfortable and coos, ever so slightly, jolting me back into the reality I now know. The reality that I have a family to take care of. The reality that this little human is my responsibility. But also, the reality that someday this little human is going to grow up, and so I want to bask in these moments with him for as long as I can- soak it all in. He's only a baby once. I don't want to miss a minute.<br />
Yes, being a mom can be hard, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have definitely found my joy(e) in life- being a wife and mother.Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-36595667600452049062018-01-13T11:32:00.000-06:002018-01-13T11:32:03.807-06:00Our Birth Story As most of you know, our little man took his sweet time coming into this world. My doctor did not want me to go longer than a week past my due date so he said that we would induce on the 14th if I did not go into labor naturally before then. I was really wary of being induced because I wanted him to just come when he was ready and I didn't want to cause any problems by forcing it. I had also heard that contractions can be a lot harder and more painful when induced. We tried what we could (and what I was willing to try) to induce labor naturally (That's a no to the castor oil). I had also had some issues with high blood pressure in the week leading up to and the week after his due date, but nothing so alarming that they felt it necessary to induce early, thankfully. So since no natural way worked and my blood pressure stabilized, we went ahead and scheduled the induction for that Thursday morning, the 14th. We got to the hospital at 5 AM to get everything started. By 6 AM I was all hooked up to IV fluids and the monitors.<br />
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Once my doctor came in and broke my water a few hours later, the contractions got a lot harder and more painful. I think I held out for a couple of more hours (I don't really have any idea at this point) but eventually, I asked for the epidural. After that, I felt great. Couldn't feel a thing from the waist down, it was fantastic! So every hour or so the nurse and my husband helped move me into different positions to try and get the baby to drop into the birth canal. This went on for most of the day. Six PM came around. That's right, we'd been there 13 hours with some progress, but not as much as we'd hoped. I was dilated to 8 centimeters, which would be definite progress, except I had been at that for the past 4 hours. The baby's heart rate was going up because he had been trying to push past my pelvis for hours, with no luck. The doctor suggested (more urged) a C-section. My husband and I were both terrified of this option. I had been preparing myself for really the whole pregnancy, but especially those last few weeks, to have to do the whole labor and pushing part. I was scared to do even that but I had come to terms with it because obviously, it needed to happen to get our little boy. The possibility of a c-section really hadn't crossed my mind and clearly, it should have.<br />
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We didn't have much choice and we knew that this was the safest way to get him out and was the right choice for us so we agreed and they started prepping me for surgery. It's all a bit of a blur until I got into the operating room and even there I guess I was just so exhausted from the long day and the fluids and everything that they had me on that I could barely keep my eyes open. Aside from that, the team we had working on me and with us in the room was incredibly helpful and informative, letting us both know what was happening at all times and what was going to happen. That definitely put us both at ease, I think.<br />
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So, on December 14th, after an incredibly long day and a 20-minute procedure, at 7:14 PM our little angel was born. He was 8 pounds 13 ounces, 21 inches, and the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. The nurses cleaned him up a little and then brought him to me so we could go skin to skin. It was incredible.<br />
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It may not have gone the way we had "planned" but it went as God had planned. It may have been a long road and had a few unexpected twists and turns but our beautiful bundle of joy is here and healthy and we couldn't be happier.<br />
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"<i>I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life, he will be given over to the Lord</i>." 1 Samuel 1:27-28<br />
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"<i>Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him.</i>" Psalm 127:3Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-53628896989486991582017-12-11T12:01:00.002-06:002017-12-11T12:01:41.010-06:00A letter to my Unborn Son (Who is Late)So the day has come and gone. The day that everyone says you're supposed to be here. The day we've all been waiting for for nine whole months. But you and I both know better. We both know that you are pretty cozy in there and you'll come out when you are good and ready and not a moment sooner. You threw everyone for a loop when you didn't show up on the day they said you would, but what do they know! You weren't ready, and you knew that neither was I. Your father and I have been praying for you and talking about you since the day we got married. (Okay, maybe the day after). I have had these first nine months with you almost to myself and I have loved every second of it (except maybe a few of those midnight bathroom trips. Thanks, kid). The time is here for me to share you with the rest of the world.<br />
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I know that your father is so anxious to meet you. Don't worry, you'll know him, he's the one with the warm eyes, scruffy beard, and the biggest smile you'll ever see. He already loves you more than life and cannot wait to start teaching you how to throw a baseball. He will have some corny jokes but you will think they are funny for quite some time. It's a dad thing; comes with the territory.<br />
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You have a lot of admirers anxiously awaiting your arrival, as well. You have got 2 sets of grandparents, 5 uncles, 11 aunts, and 10 cousins all waiting for the big reveal (of you, as well as your name). They all love you so much already and they cannot wait to meet you. Don't worry, I've checked them all out, you're good to come out now. I know that's a lot of people but, the more people the more the love so you sure have a lot of love you'll be coming into.<br />
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You aren't even here yet and you are already the light of our world. We just hope that this being late thing isn't an indication of the years to come. You are going to love it out here, I promise. Especially this time of year. You are coming to us during our favorite time of the year, your daddy's especially, and now you have made it all the more special. Christmas will soon be your favorite as well.<br />
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Listen, I know that it is comfy in there but we have got warm blankets and loving arms to hold you in out here. We cannot wait to meet you, little one (and I wouldn't mind letting your daddy hold you for just a little bit since I took the last nine months). We love you with all of our hearts and we are so excited for you to be here. You can come out now!<br />
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Love always,<br />
<i>Your biggest fans</i>,<br />
<b>Mommy and Daddy</b><br />
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<br />Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-54965337188066203342017-12-11T11:55:00.000-06:002017-12-11T11:55:01.578-06:00These Last Days, Just the Two of UsIt's a strange feeling, really, sitting around waiting for what is supposed to be the worst pain in your life. Wincing at every sharp pain you get thinking "Is this it?" The past few months have been full of them and each time I fear for him a little, hoping that he's okay. Then there he goes, bouncing around like my insides are a carnival ride and I know that he is just fine. It's been a long nine months but, interestingly enough, some of the best I have ever had. Yes, the pains come and go and yes, he may have made me a little sick for a while there but I wouldn't change it for anything.<br />
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To be honest, I have been terrified since day one. There's a difference between talking about how many kids you want to have, what different things you will want to do with them, where you want to take them and then actually having a human being inside of you and realizing that at some point in the semi-near future they do have to come out, and then I have to still know how to keep them alive on the outside. Your body does so much for you and him, you kind of get used to it. As the date gets closer and closer (and is now past) the anxiety builds about not only having to bring him into this world but protecting him out here and doing all of the right things. The truth is, I am most likely going to mess up. That's pretty much inevitable with every new parent. Even together with my loving husband, we are still going to screw some things up. It's all a learning experience. One that I know I will be ready for the second they hand our baby boy to us, but for the time being, still freaking out over here.<br />
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For months now I have felt every single movement that he makes. It's an incredible, comforting experience and one that I am thankful my husband has been able to partially experience with me (our little guy is such a strong kicker that daddy could feel him from the outside pretty much as soon as I could from the inside). The connection has grown strong and I feel so close to my baby boy (obviously), but that still doesn't mean I feel ready to be close to him out here. It's a very scary thought. And I know that everyone wants to meet him and they are all anxious for him to come out, especially since he is late for his arrival, but I know that he will be here when he is good and ready and I don't really mind these last few extra days with him, just the two of us.Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-36814954754858956562017-01-28T13:45:00.003-06:002017-01-28T13:45:43.531-06:00Lessons LearnedI wanted this piece to come before the new year, but alas, life happens and things don't always get done when you want them to, but they do get done when they need to (one of the things I have learned this year). It has been a while since I've written anything because life has been busy, especially with the holidays. But this past year I learned a lot- a lot more than I thought I would at the beginning of 2016. I wanted to share some of the things I learned because I thought that they were good lessons. So keep reading, or stop here. I don't really mind which. My brain has just been a little too cluttered lately so I need to pour some of it out.<br />
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In 2016, I learned about life.That God puts people in your life that will help guide you, and some people simply to come and to go, only to leave a lesson or two behind. We should not feel stupid for having let them in, nor should we feel hatred toward them. God put them into our lives for a reason, and we should try to find the good in that instead of dwelling on the bad situation.<br />
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I learned about death. That sometimes, it comes way too early, but even though we may not have been ready, God was ready to bring them home.<br />
"<i>The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity; he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.</i>" Isaiah 57:1-2<br />
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I learned that weddings bring out the worst in some people, and you really have to focus on the good, not dwell on the bad.<br />
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I learned that time outs are for children, not grown adults. That you do not get to put a friend in a time out until you think they have learned their lesson. Chances are that by the time you get back to let them out, they will be long gone, moving on to bigger and better things.<br />
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I learned that you can hurt people with your words, and just as easily, you yourself can be hurt by other people's words and actions. Trying not to take things so personally or seriously can help ease the burn but still, the pain sticks around for a little bit. So watch your words, and guard your heart.<br />
"<i>Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.</i>" James 4:11<br />
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I learned that everyone has a story and we should really get our faces out of our phones and start making an effort to get to know each other face to face. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.<br />
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I learned that stubbornness can be one of the most annoying traits in someone. So I should really watch myself to make sure I am not acting that way. It can hurt others. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and admit that you did something wrong.<br />
"<i>But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.</i>" Jeremiah 7:24<br />
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I learned that you should not let your pride get in the way of a relationship you have with someone, especially someone close.<br />
"<i>Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.</i>" Proverbs 16:18<br />
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I learned that doing what is best for you may not be selfish, but it may come with a cost. You have to decide if you are willing to pay it. You may think it is what is best for you, but where are you putting God in all of this? He knows what's best for you. So pray about your decision before really solidifying one.<br />
"<i>For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.</i>" Isaiah 55:9<br />
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I learned that sometimes you have to forgive, even if there has never been and probably will never be an apology. Forgiveness will free your mind and heart from the bitterness and hatred toward the other person. We are called by God to forgive immediately. But that does not mean that you forget right away. You are not expected to allow them to continue hurting you. Taking the time to heal from the wounds is just as important as forgiving them immediately.<br />
"<i>And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.</i>" Mark 11:25<br />
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So here is to a new year. To more forgiveness. To more life. To hopefully less death. To whatever God puts in our path-- because He will bring us through it.<br />
<u>2017, we are ready to find the joy in you. </u><br />
<br />Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-62683734317097167552016-09-10T11:08:00.003-05:002016-09-10T11:08:49.322-05:00Dreams Vs Reality When I was a little girl, of course I dreamt of my wedding, but I had a completely different view of weddings. You never pay much attention to the drama when you are little - Just the pretty, nice things. I imagined that getting engaged would be so exciting and that everyone around us would be so excited and happy for us. I imagined that I would get to pick all the pretty frills and thrills, no matter the cost. (The concept of money was a little lost on me at that age). Most of all, though, I imagined that there would be so much love and support from others because two people in love and have decided that they want to spend the rest of their lives together.<br />
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What I did not think about, however, is the drastic effect that sin had on happy things. We are all sinful, so anger, jealousy, and selfishness overtake some. It comes from all angles, even my side. I have found that selfish ways tend to cloud people's actions, and they do not even see it. In our reality, some people cannot seem to bring themselves to simply be happy for us. We fell in love, albeit quickly, but everyone is different. We knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and did not want to waste any more time being apart. We made decisions together on where we wanted to live and what we wanted to do with our life together because, as human beings with free will, we get to do that. Skepticism is understandable at first. It was a semi-quick engagement, But if you knew anything about us, or bothered to ask, you would know that we are taking steps with our pastor to ensure that we are ready for our marriage, not just the wedding part. And the details of that are no ones business but ours and our pastors.<br />
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I guess one of the biggest points I am trying to make is for those around the couples who are happily engaged. If you have an issue with them getting married, you can voice it (we all have free will), but there are ways to not be rude or bash people. Do not go assuming things left and right and accusing them of any wrong doing. I will never forget that when we first got engaged and announced our wedding date to be 6 months later someone accused me of being pregnant. I pride myself in my purity, and we both agree that sex is meant for marriage. And anyone who knows us should know that full well. So, as you can imagine, I was pretty offended. Please do not go around with your accusations. There are nice, pleasant ways to ask us why we are getting married so soon. The simple answer, we want to be married, why wait? Ultimately, those of you around and mostly those close to them have to make a choice. We only want to have supportive people in our lives, if we can help it. Life is too short for negative people and comments that tear people down. You can voice your opinion, we will take it into consideration, and if we do not agree, that is our decision, and we will all move on.<br />
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No one is perfect. I am sure that Jordan and I have gone about some things in a way that some people may not approve of. Forgive us, please. We are sinners and cannot be perfect and please everyone. But please, for the love of all that is good in this world, do yourselves a favor and do not be offended by every little thing. We make mistakes, it is a part of life. But is that really a life that you want to live- always having that anger and bitterness built up in you? I promise you, life will be much better off if you learn to let some things go - A lesson I am still learning myself.<br />
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In 55 days, the two will become one flesh.<br />
"<i>Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.</i>" Mark 10:7-9<br />
The two of us will "officially" become a <i>we, </i>even though we us that term to refer to us now because we are a team. We are partners in life. The decision making together starts now. We will be by each others sides for the rest of our lives, no matter what anyone else has to say about it. We are there for each other- to cherish and protect- as long as we both shall live. We love each other. So please, support the couples who are going about things God's way and trying to find their joy in life, together.<br />
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So, no, my wedding planning is not going as originally dreamt when I was 8 years old. I do not have an unlimited budget like I thought I would. There are stresses in life I had not calculated in. Being an adult is hard. What IS going as planned is that I found an amazing man of God, who guides me toward Christ and loves me as Christ loves the church.<br />
Fairy tale wedding? I'd much rather have a biblical, God fearing marriage. And I am pretty sure that is just what I am getting. Thanks be to God for putting Jordan in my life when he did. I love him with all of my heart. And while I may have other accomplishments in life, I believe that being his wife and walking with God together is going to be my favorite and top accomplishment. He truly is the joy in my life that I was not always sure I would get.<br />
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"<i>For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its savior... Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.</i>" Ephesians 5:22, 25-26<br />
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<br />Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-47266908549856304482016-07-09T12:22:00.000-05:002016-07-09T12:22:31.644-05:00This is Our CityIn light of the recent activities in downtown Dallas against our police force, I thought I would say a few words. Mostly because, it has come to my attention that some people have let their love for another city, or the battle between which city is "better" get in the way of having sympathy for the officers and their families that threw their lives in harms way to save others.<br />
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Two nights ago, around 6 o'clock at night, we heard that shots were fired at a protest in the city. We didn't think much about it, in light of the world today, we just hoped it was not worse than just "shots". Around 9 o'clock my sister texted us to turn on the news if we can. From then until about 1 in the morning, I was glued to the TV. Watching as the numbers who had been shot went up, as did the number of fatalities. Fox news continued to show a live feed of the scene, as well as some videos they had received from civilians there. My sister and I texted who we could that we thought could be down there, as an officer. That friend, thankfully, was safe. Another friend of mine just joined the force in April. All Fox news would tell us was that at least 2 of the officers down were young, as in, they were new to the force. I had no way of getting a hold of this friend, just the ability to worry. And I did, while Fox news showed a video from a civilian watching from above. The shooter, or at least one shooter, hiding behind a pillar, then snuck up on a cop. He shot the corner to distract the cop the other way and then came up behind him and shot him... in the back of the head. The video continued to watch the shooter run away while the cop laid there. It was a few minutes before anyone else showed up on scene. I cannot even imagine being those officers, seeing one of their own like that.<br />
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And THAT, that was the thing that needed to be focused on that night. Not that there is violence in Dallas so no one should come here. Not that it is a bad neighborhood. All that needed to be focused on was that we have a fantastic police department who put their lives in harms way to protect the civilians that were in the city that night. Civilians who were protesting the police. And the police escorted their march, to protect them. That is what needs to be pointed out. Five men lost their lives that night in the deadliest attack on police since 9/11.<br />
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Dallas is our city. And just like every city, it's not all flowers and rainbows. There is violence, yes, just as there was violence in Ferguson a few years ago when I lived there, just as there is violence in Chicago, Detroit, Denver, everywhere. There are blacks and whites, and we cannot stereotype an entire race because of things that <i>some </i>of them have done. That goes for all races. And in the same way, we cannot stereotype all cops because of things that <i>some </i>of them have done. I am not condoning the actions of those in the wrong, violence for violence is not the answer. It is part of our sinful nature. Hatred. People let it consume them. We are told to love one another. Hate the sin, not the sinner.<br />
Now, if there is one thing I learned from living in St. Louis for the past 2 years, it is that I really love Texas, and people from St. Louis, they really love St. Louis. And having pride for your city or your state is totally fine, but you do not get to bash someone else's city for violence. You wouldn't like it if they bashed your city, so please do not get onto our city for having violence. This should bring this country together, not divide us city by city. All that we can all do is pray. Come, Lord Jesus.<br />
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"<i>Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil tings in their heart and stir up wars continually</i>." Psalm 140:1-2<br />
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"<i>Thus says the Lord God: Enough, O Princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people, declares the Lord God.</i>" Ezekiel 45:9<br />
<br />Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-56867758143959389732016-06-15T23:48:00.003-05:002016-06-15T23:48:38.811-05:00"Like" It or NotSometimes I just despise social media. I know, ironic coming from me because that is what I use to get my words out to all of you guys, but seriously, it is the devil. Ever since things like MySpace and Facebook were created, we were thrown into a world of "likes" and comments from behind a computer screen. Cyber bullying blew up more than anyone thought it would. And now. Now things have just gotten out of hand.<br />
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Society has become obsessed with recognition for anything that they put out there. They crave the "likes" and now, the "reactions". It comes down to "how many likes did you get on that picture or that post?" It has brought us into such a superficial world. The worst part is that people get upset when they do not get the recognition from the person that they want it from the most. Usually it is a crush, or something like that. No "like" from that significant person and their mind goes into "I'm not pretty enough" or "I'm not good enough".<br />
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"<i>Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.</i>" Romans 12:2<br />
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Then they find themselves looking at who their crush "likes" the most stuff from. And then they try to be something they are not. I know, this sounds like an extreme case, but it happens. People get so caught up in everyone needing to "like" this or comment on that. They thrive off of others acceptance of them based on what they put on their wall. And it is not just Facebook, it is Instagram, it is Twitter, it is anywhere that someone can get their voice out there and hide behind a computer and wait for the followers and "likes" to flow in. (I know, that is what a blog is for too. I never said I was perfect.)<br />
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These things also lead to jealousy, pride-fullness, hatred, and coveting of our neighbors possessions. Comparing ourselves to someone else's picture they have painted of themselves to the world is tearing ourselves apart.<br />
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"<b>Comparison is the thief of joy</b>" -- Theodore Roosevelt<br />
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"<i>And He said 'What comes out of a person is what defiles him, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.'" </i><br />
Mark 7: 20-23<br />
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"<i>Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.</i>" Philippians 2:3<br />
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Bottom line- "like" it or not, God loves you. He wants what is best for you. The only "like" or even "love" you should care about is His. These earthly things, they have nothing on what is to come. You can care for them, but do not let comparison to others and trying to put yourself above the rest get you upset or cause you to form a hatred toward someone or multiple people. Everyone has their gifts from God, some may look like more than yours, but God gave you yours for a very important reason. Trust Him. Find the joy in your life, and keep it there by not comparing yourself to others. God created us each unique and for a purpose-<a href="http://findingthejoyeinlife.blogspot.com/2012/06/mirror-mirror-on-wall-im-too-skinny-im.html"> in His OWN image</a>. No need for comparison. No need for "likes".<br />
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"<i>For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.</i>"<br />
Psalm 139:13-14<br />
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"<i>As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies-- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.</i>" 1 Peter 4:10-11Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-23759938595456740312016-05-02T14:36:00.000-05:002016-05-02T14:38:45.470-05:00~ Being the Future Mrs.~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That's right blogging world, it finally happened. On April 17th, the love of my life took me to the place we had our first date, got down on one knee, and asked me to be his for the rest of our lives. And I said YES! I am beyond excited to start this next adventure with him! I'll let you in on a little secret, though: we have only been dating for 5 months and only known each other about that long, too. Yes, yes, I know, trust me, whatever you are probably thinking, we've heard it all already. Many people are very concerned that we are rushing into things or that we need to see each other through more seasons of life. Honestly, everyone's situations are different. People seem to judge seasons of life by time. Sometimes, hardships come all in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, we have had some hardships in the time of our dating. The good thing is that we've been able to see each other through those situations and to see how each person handles it. We've also been able to be that support that each of us needs. I am finishing up my senior semester of college, so he has definitely seen how I handle stress. He's seen me cry and he's seen me hit a wall that I think I can't come back from. I have broken down on him multiple times because graduating and heading for the real world is scary. And he has been by my side through it all, always reminding me that we can get through anything. "You, me, and God" he always says. And he is right. I don't know how I got so lucky to find a man who is constantly leading me back to Christ and who supports me in everything I do, even when I have no idea what I am doing. I only hope I have been able to do the same for him. So, you see? Yes, we have only known each other for 5 and a half months, but in that time we have both grown so much, and grown together so much. We have made the decision to love each other through everything. I honestly believe that when you know, you know. Other people don't get to tell you that you are rushing into things or that you are too young. We are two 22 year olds who have found the one whom our souls love. We know we want to spend the rest of our lives together, so why wait a year or more to start that adventure together? </div>
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You know what another cool thing is? He comes from a family of 8 kids, and I come from a family of 5, both of which have more now because of in-laws. So we both understand the craziness of family get togethers, and are completely okay with it! I am so excited to be gaining more family members. Come November, I will have technically 7 more sisters and 3 new brothers (counting the in-laws)! Family is super exciting, and we are really excited to become one in November! </div>
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I know that it has been a long road to get to this point, for both of us. I was definitely getting to a point where I wasn't sure how life was going to end up for me as far as relationships, and I was okay with that. As soon as I finally let go of trying to control my life and how it was going to go, Jordan stepped in. God has always had this in his hands, and will continue to, we know that full well. As long as we have each other and God, we know that we can withstand anything that life throws at us. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> "I lift up my eyes to the mountains. From where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Psalm 121</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />"<i>Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another." </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Romans 12:9-16</b></span><br />
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Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-13923905767696504242016-04-11T17:35:00.002-05:002016-04-11T19:23:41.303-05:00God's Place, God's Time Today did not start out as planned. I was very much looking forward to sleeping in because I did not have class, but God had other plans. I am thankful that I was awoken when I was, though I did not see it at the time. I woke up a bit upset and since I decided sleep was probably not going to happen again anytime soon, I got up and took a long shower, thinking and praying (and a little bit of crying because, hey, I'm a girl). I then spoke to some wise and trusted people in my life, i.e- my parents, who prayed for me and gave me some peace of mind. So off I went to get coffee and get to work.<br />
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<i>Here's where some of the cool stuff starts.</i><br />
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The guy I parked next to saw my bumper stickers, so walking along the path he was kind of waiting for me (which I at first thought was a little creepy) but then he just said "excuse me, are you pro-life?" and I was a little taken back because strangers don't usually ask that kind of question but I said "yes, I definitely am!" and he simply replied "I think that is so awesome! I am too, I think that babies are a gift from God" which I was very happy to hear and agreed wholeheartedly. We proceeded to talk for about 10 more minutes about pro-life things and how he has been praying for the different colleges in this area, especially those that say that they are christian but certainly do not act like it. It turns out, he does not even go to Lindenwood, he is just taking one class here, he is a student at Missouri Baptist University. By the grace of God, our paths crossed this morning. He said he felt God wanting him to say something to me and I am so thankful that he did! For someone completely separate from my life to tell me that what I am doing matters, that it makes a difference and that I am good for more than just making mistakes and messing everything up was just what I needed.<br />
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"<i>And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near</i>." Hebrews 10:24-25<br />
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"<i>Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.</i>" Philippians 2:14-16<br />
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<b><i>Thank you, Ben, you did so much more than you know today.</i></b><br />
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So after all of that I texted a student who I occasionally help with some organizational things for my job, and I found that she was admitted to the hospital last night; she has had a lot of respiratory issues on top of some other things. So I decided to go visit her.<br />
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<i>Aside about her: </i>She and I only became friends this semester but I already feel so close with her. We share many of the same beliefs and she has such a passion for learning, despite the many health road blocs she has to go through. She makes me so proud because even though she has accommodations from the school that push back her due dates, she tries so hard to turn everything in at the same time as everyone. She has so much ambition, regardless of her struggles, because she wants to help people.<br />
The point is that sometimes people have bigger problems than our own, so I encourage you to step back and look at situations from someone else's shoes, and maybe take more appreciation in the things that God has put in your life, whether they be good or bad.<br />
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"<i>And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.</i>" Romans 8:28<br />
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So I went to visit her and while I was there the hospital priest came in to check on her and e prayed with us. Little did he know that he was praying for my healing as much as he was hers. As we prayed together I started to feel some weight come off of my shoulders. My mind became more and more at peace because this problem that I am having, it is all in God's hands. I am still upset about it, yes, but my faith and my trust in God to heal this wound was strengthened.<br />
I am sure many of you are in stressful times, but I honestly believe that <u>everyone</u> involved takes a step back and looks from the outside and we trust that God will heal this, then He will.<br />
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So in a day that I was almost certain I would not find joy, God definitely showed me otherwise. How is there not to be joy when we have a Father who loves us so much that He sent His one and only son to suffer and die so that we would not have to suffer and we could win over death and the devil. Thank God for the little joys He puts in our lives every day.<br />
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"<i>For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." </i>Romans 8:18<br />
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"<i>For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.</i>" Romans 8:38-39<br />
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<i><br /></i>Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-53667652568654826112015-10-23T16:15:00.000-05:002015-10-23T16:15:54.272-05:00Perpetual BufferingBuffering is the worst. It gets all the more frustrating when you are trying to watch a tv show on netflix or hulu and every 3 seconds it stops and buffers. We all know that spinning circle of doom- and we all hate it. I mean, come on, we think we've got something good going with our internet company- we pay them, they guarantee we can have streaming of whatever we want! But we all know that's not true.<br />
But isn't that life sometimes? You think you've got something good with someone, you think you are starting to understand them, get to know them. Then, all of a sudden they start buffering on you. It seems they just keep stopping to "think", leaving you in limbo to try and figure out when they are ever coming back. Maybe sometimes they don't, and eventually you give up and try to refresh the situation. There's only so much you can do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The worst part about the abrupt buffering is that there is no warning. There aren't any signs, sometimes, it just comes out of nowhere. And more often than not, that causes anger, instead of an attempt at trying to understand the situation. You might go through some stages- confusion, trying to understand from their perspective (then failing cause they gave you no explanation), crying, feeling betrayed, and usually hatred or anger starts to set in at the end there. Then you might just walk away; it's not worth the time or heart ache to stick around. There are other fish... I mean, internet companies out there. Move on, you deserve better than someone who ignores you and walks away without any explanation.<br />
It hurts to get emotionally invested in something that keeps pausing on you, unsure on if it wants to continue or not. As much as you tell yourself you are just going to go with the flow and not let yourself get attached, we know that that is much easier said than done. If you have a heart, most likely you are going to care about that other person and become attached a little more as time goes on. That's why it hurts all the more when they pause. Racking your brain for what you could have possibly done different, done better, is pointless. If they don't want to have you and they do not have the decency to explain things to your face, then they are not worth your time or your heart ache. I believe that God puts some people in our lives to help us get closer to the other ones in our lives, and learn not to take them for granted. You always find out who your closest and dearest friends and family are when you are going through rough times.<br />
On that note, though, there is someone who is never going to leave you, He will never abandon you. God loves you. He loves us all, so much, in fact, that he sent His only Son to die for all of us, because of our sin. He loves us so much and did not want us to suffer in eternal damnation because of that sin, that He sacrificed His only son. Find your joy in knowing that God is always going to be there, no matter what. No matter how many times you reject Him, no matter how many times you push Him away and tell yourself that you do not need Him or His salvation, He is never going to stop loving you. He will never turn His back on you. Having a perpetual savior is much better than dealing with life's perpetual buffering.<br />
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<i>"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."</i> Deuteronomy 31:6<br />
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<i>"The Steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." </i>Lamentations 3:22-23Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-72453339021703938352015-10-20T16:00:00.003-05:002015-10-20T16:05:38.827-05:00My Day of SilenceAs part of a national campaign for Students For Life of America, today was a "Pro-life day of silent solidarity" where students across the country gave up their voices for a day for those over 3,000 babies a day that have their lives end in the name of choice. I was very excited to join in on this today because it is such a visual representation of what is actually happening to these babies. I was also incredibly nervous. As most people know, I do not like the spot light, I do not like being looked at very much, and this definitely drew a lot of eyes. At the same time, though, I could feel an uncomfortable air from a number of people. It was like watching in a zoo, except, I wasn't sure what side of the glass I was on. At times it felt like I was watching the animals; watching what they do when something different, something controversial comes around. And then of course I felt like the monkey everyone was watching because I have a giant piece of red duct tape across my mouth reading "LIFE" and a shirt that says "I will use my voice for those who cannot speak." Yep, I am a walking controversial billboard. One guy was having a conversation, saw me and stopped to read it and then said "Yeah, okay" like he was annoyed or just blowing it off. (<i>But he read it</i>.)<br />
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The point is, this day of silence was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I prayed for courage this morning because I did not know if I could actually get through this. Because I want to explain, I want to talk to people about it, engage them in conversation about abortion and why these children should get to have a voice. Turns out, though, silence speaks louder than you think sometimes. It gets the wheels turning and puts the thought into people's minds because, quite frankly, it is a rather odd display and a pretty powerful one at that.<br />
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<i>"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you, He will not leave you or forsake you."</i> Deuteronomy 31:6<br />
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I think that best part about this day is what I personally learned from it. Imagine sitting in a class where people bring up something you know a lot about- even better, maybe the bible is brought up, or abortion or some other controversial issue that you feel strongly about. Now imagine that you do not get to say a thing. Almost literally having to hold your tongue when you know that this could be a chance to evangelize; this could be a chance to teach; this could be a chance to change someone's heart or mind on an idea, a chance to save a life. But you can't. <b>You can't speak</b>, you can't communicate. What if it was your life you could save? But you can't speak. And you never will because other human beings have made that decision for you.<br />
You deserve a voice. <i>They </i>deserve a voice. Those infants in their mother's womb, they deserve a chance to live a life where they get to use their voice. They deserve the chance to be sitting in class and talking about something they've learned a lot about. They deserve the chance to experience talking about something that they are passionate about, a chance to help some cause they feel strongly about.<br />
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Last night my roommate commented that it was depressing that she wouldn't be able to talk to me all day today. All I could think is, how depressing for those children and the people who they will never get to touch with their lives; all the conversations they will never get to have. Now, <i>that</i> is depressing.<br />
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As sinful humans, we have no idea what God has planned for that child, only He does. We don't get to decide if they fulfill their potential or not, only He does.<br />
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<i>"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." </i><br />
Proverbs 19:21<br />
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After this experience, more than ever, I am ready and wanting to jump up and speak out for those children. Fight for their chance at a life, because I believe that everyone deserves that. That child who, from the moment of conception, has <a href="http://www.justthefacts.org/stages/week-1/3/#.ViaOe36rTIU">46 of his/her own chromosomes making him or her their own unique person</a>. That child who, at just 24 days, already has a beating heart. That child whom God has a plan for, just like He did for you and me. They deserve to find the joy in life, simply by first <i>having </i>a life.<br />
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<i>"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute."</i> Proverbs 31:8Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-14192945362119584112015-10-19T18:52:00.004-05:002015-10-19T18:52:51.370-05:00There Are No More Moves
I'm a solitaire person mostly, but I've
been playing other games on my computer when I have no internet
access but need something that does not require a lot of thought. At
some point, in some games, you find yourself repeating the same
actions, hitting the deck over and over again hoping a new card will
show up that you can actually use. Eventually the computer picks up
on it and sends you a pop up saying “There are no more moves” and
you can either stay and undo a few moves to see if you can do
something different or just start a new game, freshly shuffled with a
new set up of the cards.<br />
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Gee, wouldn't it be nice if life did
that sometimes? If something just hit us in the face saying, “there
are no more moves, it is time to move on.” We don't even notice it
sometimes then we find ourselves beating a dead horse, repeating the
same mistakes over and over again. There are not any “undo”
buttons in life. You do an action, maybe make a mistake, and then you
deal with the consequences, good or bad. We keep looking through the
deck, trying to find the same answer that maybe worked a different
time, but only finding the same things that are of no use
this time. It is time to move on. It is time to let go. Some
games cannot be won. Some games have other games on top of them...
Trumped by another player because they happened to sneak their
way in and win over you. God tries to put up those signs that “there
are no more moves”, he tries to nudge us along by putting people in
our lives or situations, options, where we can get out, get away from
this situation. Sometimes it is better to just “start a new game."
Sometimes it is better to just walk away.<br />
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I have found that, for myself, I have a
savior complex in some situations. I think that everything- <em>everyONE-</em>
needs saving. I think that I can be the one to do that, if they would
just give me a chance. No matter how much they might push me away.
There are no undo buttons in life. Even if I did not see what
happened. Even if I still do not know what happened, I cannot undo
it. I may never know. That other player came in and moved some cards
around without me knowing. Now I'm finding myself flipping through
the same stack of cards, with the same solutions that are not helping
in this situation. It is time to move on. Leave that player to play
others, try to win over them. It is not your job to try and save this
player from themselves. Only God can do that. You are not a savior.
You are a player in God's story for you. Let Him use you where He
will, but stop beating a dead horse when that person is not
interested in your help. <br />
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Hit “Start a new game”- let God
guide your moves. He is the champion of it all, so he's got to be the
best coach. With God as your coach, how could you not find the joy in your life?<br />
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<em>"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you."</em> Jeremiah 29:11-12<br />
Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-71324438817842481342015-10-18T22:04:00.001-05:002015-10-18T22:04:36.962-05:00ForgivenessI have been seeing, hearing, experiencing a lot that has to do with forgiveness lately. Forgiveness is obviously very important; both to give and to get. God tells us to forgive those who have wronged us. Our lovely human, sinful nature does not always like to do that, though. We hold grudges, we get angry, we seek revenge, we do not forgive. Now, that is not all the time, but a pretty good amount of it we try to get around actually forgiving someone because to us, that seems like defeat, or at least giving in a bit. Okay, maybe that's just me, who knows. The point is, treat others the way you want to be treated. You would want to be forgiven if your roles were switched. There are some things that need to be addressed, though, within this whole forgiveness thing.<br />
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1. Sometimes someone cannot seem to forgive you right when you say you are sorry. That is okay. I know, I just said that we need to forgive and not hold grudges, but that is much easier said than done. Most of he time when the other person says that they need time to think about it, they are mostly thinking through, going through some stages of grief possibly, and moving on. Sometimes we need that. Time can heal a lot of things. We cannot just be expected to jump right back to you because you said you were sorry- which brings me to #2.<br />
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2. Just because someone forgave you, that does not mean that things are going to go back to the way that they were before. Neither of you can erase what has happened, but if you really care about each other you can work through it together, and get past it- together. Forgiveness doesn't always mean fresh start. It can, eventually, but if you go into it with that expectation then things will go to crap really fast. The term "Forgive and forget" is much easier said than done. Things are not easily forgotten, but they can be worked through and moved past.<br />
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3. If you are saying sorry simply because it seems like the right thing to do but you are not actually that sorry, forget it. I know, this one is just in here because some people irk me. If you are not actually sorry, then save it, and let the person move on. I hope it eats at you, because you should be asking for forgiveness, whether you want to have a relationship, friendship or otherwise, with that person, or not. They need to know you are sorry so you can both just move past it.<br />
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4. Saying "It's okay" does not always equal "I forgive you". Please, for the sake of so many people's sanity's, be specific. Make sure they know that you forgave them. That does not mean that you have to welcome them back into your life like nothing happened. Especially in a case where the person apologizing feels absolutely terrible about what they did, hearing "it's okay" feels like you are just trying to brush it off and you don't care. Those three words "I forgive you" do a lot for a person.<br />
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We are all sinful and we all need forgiveness. The awesome news is that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins and he forgives us of all our sins.<br />
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"<i>You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin.</i>" Psalm 85:2<br />
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If you repent of your sins, the forgiveness is right there for you.<br />
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"<i>If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness</i>." 1 John 1:9<br />
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So, yes, in this life, in our relationships, we will have to apologize and we will need to forgive. But we are not perfect. And we cannot expect others to be either. While forgiveness seems like it should be instant, some things take time. Give them that time. Forgiveness will come if you are genuinely sorry. If you have wronged someone, apologize. If someone has wronged you and they apologize, forgive them. But you do not have to do it right then and there. Taking time to process is okay, but do not forget to forgive.<br />
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<i>"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."</i> Colossians 3:13<br />
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Most importantly, though, remember that you are forgiven by God. Think about how terrible you would feel if you did not know that you were forgiven for all of the terrible, sinful things that you have done. Christ's forgiveness brings peace. That, above all else, should bring some joy to your life.<br />
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<i>"To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name."</i> Acts 10:43Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-62102018344818799932015-07-28T23:54:00.002-05:002015-07-28T23:54:31.224-05:00ConnectionsOver two years ago I wrote <a href="http://findingthejoyeinlife.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-good-bad-and-crazy.html">something</a> about how this town I grew up isn't actually all that bad. I wanted to just drive around and relive good memories, even some that weren't all that great because at this point I can laugh at them and I understand the lessons that were learned from it. I think I've hit a point in my life where those memories have pretty much fizzled out. There are new memories in my mind now, new mistakes that I would rather forget, new experiences I would have preferred to not have. It's all in God's plan, of course, and I believe that I needed to have those experiences and make those mistakes to get to where I am today. And where I am today is a pretty happy place.<br />
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Mistakes have been made, by many, in this past year. I met a lot of people that I might initially wish I hadn't, but they were put into my life for a reason. I find myself wondering if other people think about these paths like I do. It's amazing to think about how if you hadn't met this one person, or moved to this one place, or even just visited somewhere, your life could be completely different. It's incredible to think about how it is all connected; how He has entwined it all. Not only that God has planned it all out, but that He even did it before you were created. He knew all of this from the very beginning. Not just the beginning of your life, but from the beginning OF life. Talk about having connections. The big guy upstairs has got you, trust Him. He really does know what is best for you, He knows what's going to happen and He wants to protect you. He loves each and every one of us. I know that that little tid bit can be forgotten pretty easily.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">"<i>No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither life nor death, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.</i>" Romans 8:37-39</span></b><br />
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It doesn't matter what mistakes we have made or how grave we think our sins are. Repent and ask Christ for forgiveness, you will receive it.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>"<i>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. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.</i>" John 3:16-17</b></span><br />
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This world is turning into a place that turns away from Christ and praises sins. But what joy, true joy, can you find in a life where there is no Christ? He loves us and He sent His son to save us from eternal damnation. You want a good connection for something that really matters, like your life, try trusting His plan. It'll be worth it, believe me.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>"<i>But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved.</i>" Ephesians 2:4-5</b></span>Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-29185365174542555102015-07-26T00:07:00.001-05:002015-07-26T00:07:14.418-05:00New Chapters, New MeFor those of you who knew me in the past year, or read a lot of my blog, you know that the last year has been a whirlwind of emotions and new adventures, some good, some bad. I know that God had it all planned for a reason and I had the experiences I had for good reason. It is in my sinful nature, though, to question it all and wonder why some of it had to happen. There are quite a few instances that I could have done without, but I try to remember that it is all in God's plan. One of my friend's said that figuring out God's plan is like trying to put together a Rubik's cube. Granted, a Rubik's cube may eventually get soled, but for a lot of people it is just pointless to figure out because it's very complex. Keeps us on our toes though!<br />
I know I haven't written in a while. There has been so much going on in life and in this country. I've wanted to write about it all but I felt like I couldn't do it justice. I have, however, written in my personal journal about it. And while writing in there I was looking back on everything I've written in the past year and a half since I got it. So I decided last week that I was going to start a new chapter.<br />
A new chapter in there, a new chapter on here, a new chapter in life.<br />
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"<i>Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out</i>." Acts 3:19<br />
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Not that I imagine anyone who reads this really cares, but I thought I would put it out there. My own personal way of finding the joy in my life is to get rid of the things that just bring me down, which was half the people I met last year. Bad decisions were made, mistakes happened, and there's no going back on all of that. I think everyone has had these times in their lives. And we also all get to a point where we draw a line and keep the past in the past, not letting it anywhere near our future. I have reached that point. As far as I am concerned, I have my senior year of college to look forward to and that's it. Whatever happens happens, but the people and experiences from last year that caused me heartache or stress, the situations that caused me to hurt others, those are all gone. The new chapter has begun and with God as my author, I know that it is going to be an amazing next year.<br />
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Here's to really putting my trust in God and finding the joy He has in store for me in the next year, and beyond!<br />
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"<i>I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.</i>" Jeremiah 29:11<br />
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"<i>This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.</i>" Psalm 118:24<br />
<br />Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-20051121947604631942015-03-28T20:48:00.000-05:002015-03-30T08:04:16.510-05:00"Well Why Don't You Marry It?" <div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Okay, admit it: We have all used this phrase at least once in our lives. Especially if you grew up in the 90's. Someone says they love something and the mocking/joking response was "Well, why don't you marry it?" Usually we were making fun of our siblings or a good friends excessive affection for something because in our 7 year old minds, if you love something or someone you should marry it/them. What is funny (and by funny I mean sad) is that that mentality does not seem to apply very much anymore, or at least not as quickly. People who seem to be "in love" and say that they are do not always jump straight to marriage. They feel this sense of needing to "test the waters" and see if this would really work. Live together for a bit to see if they can stand living with that other person. Sleep with each other to see if they are "truly compatible".</div>
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"<i>But because of the temptation of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband</i>." 1 Corinthians 7:2</div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Now, I realize the factors that take place in this. Weddings are expensive, some people want to save up a little bit, and they want to make sure that the other person loves them back, and wants to spend the rest of their life with them. But the reality of the situation is that debt is going to happen. I understand waiting till you are financially sound but you can wait from your separate houses and separate beds every night. More often than not you are going to go into your marriage with debt from both of you, and that is okay. And the best way to find out if that other person loves you back is to ask them. Ask them if they want to marry you; spend the rest of their life sharing it with you and vise versa. I know, it will suck if you find out that they don't love you, or that they don't want to marry you and spend the rest of their life with you. But, it is better to find that out and move on, as long as it may take, than to be giving pieces of you and your heart away, as you do with sex, only to find out that they do not love you and do not want to marry you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm not trying to dumb down the pain of being broken up with or left. I whole heartedly agree that it is a terrible feeling. Finding out that the person you saw yourself marrying did not have the same idea in mind rips you apart. And yes, it will take some time to recover. But you should try to remember that that was simply not who God had planned for you. And as much as the thought may cross your mind and keep nagging at you; <b>You are not alone, and you are not going to die alone. God is always there with you and for you. He will never leave you. </b>God loves you. God loves us. And if you feel the urge to say "Well why doesn't he marry it?" well... He did. We, as the church , are the bride of Christ. And He did more than just marry us, He saved us, He sacrificed His only son to die in our place. If that doesn't show true love, I don't know what would. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The point I'm getting at is that our minds should be connecting loving someone to marrying them. None of these games in the middle where you try to test the waters of marriage by living together and sleeping together to see if you are "sexually compatible". I heard someone speaking on this topic once say "you're a boy, she's a girl... You're compatible. It's simple biology." And he's right. God meant for sex to be between one man and one woman in the bonds of marriage. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So, guys, you love her? Girls, you love him?<b><i> Why don't you marry them? </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God."</i> 1Thessalonians 4:3-5</span></div>
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"<i>Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.</i>" Romans 12:2 </div>
Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-23160376870435894702015-02-18T20:58:00.001-06:002015-02-18T20:59:49.051-06:00Guess what's back, Lent Is BackToday is the first day of lent. It is a time for prayer and fasting and a time for Christians to repent of their sins and learn again to trust in their savior, Jesus Christ. It is a time to focus more on one thing, Jesus Christ and what He has done for us, and therefore less on other things that may be distracting us from remembering all that Christ has done for us. Though, a lot of people seem to take lent as a way to "show off" almost. They seem to use it to tell other people that they are christian and maybe even "more christian" than other people because they are giving up something "so big".<br />
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<i>"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others."</i> Matthew 6:5<br />
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I know that question becomes a big part of conversations around this time because of everyone's curiosity. "What are you giving up for lent?" To be completely honest, it is no one's business but God's what you are giving up. It is not some show to impress people.<br />
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I am a little ashamed and a bit embarrassed to admit that last year I gave up a friendship for lent. One that, I thought, was not very good for me and I thought that lent was a good time of reflection and focusing on Christ and his sacrifice and God's mercy and less on the turmoil and stress of this sinful world. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing, but it turns out that maybe there were more selfish reasons behind that than I thought. But putting someone through that is terrible and will also make that person a lot less likely to focus more on Christ themselves. This is a time to have more opportunities to receive the gifts from God won by Christ's death and resurrection. It is a time to focus more on showing God's mercy and love to others, even though we should do that every day. That was not an excuse to cut someone out of my life and say I was doing it to "focus more on Christ" but I used it for that. I admit that I did that for selfish reasons and I will regret it for a very long time. The good news is that I know God has forgiven me and I thank him every day that we are saved by grace and not by works.<br />
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My point is, we tend to use lent as a time for personal gain in some way and it seems to be a little more "me" focused than God focused. Giving some certain food up for a diet and just using lent as a cover for it to make people see it as a more "Godly" thing. I pray that everyone, including myself, will use lent as a time to focus more on Christ and His sacrifice as we prepare to celebrate his resurrection.<br />
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So as far as what I am giving up for lent, that is between God and me, and no one else needs to care.Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-285438462022794632014-11-03T10:42:00.001-06:002014-11-03T10:42:03.066-06:00No Matter the Wreckage <div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Life
happens. Sometimes we get so caught up by the craziness of life that
we don't stop when stressful things happen. Maybe we find out some
bad news about a dear friend, or something doesn't necessarily go the
way we want it to. But instead of getting down, or even having the
time to get down, we just push through, just keep going and don't
even take the time to correctly grieve about some kind of bad thing
that happened. Now how healthy can that possibly be? Not very. God
may put these trials in our lives but He wants us to trust Him,
completely, without question, that He is going to bring us through
it. I know that for me, personally, that is extremely difficult. And
I know that it should be really easy because God is absolutely
amazing and has given me wonderful things in my life and always takes
care of me even when I do not necessarily see it at first. So why
isn't it simple to just drop all worries and cares and trust that God
has got us in His hands? Because let me tell you, He does, and He is
not gonna drop any of us. So don't be a crazy person and jump ship.
He cares for all of us and He wants all of us to spend eternity with
Him in heaven, but there are those who reject Christ and what He has
done for us. I'm telling you, stay on the ship and trust that God is
going to hold you up, no matter what comes your way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>No matter the wreckage.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I know it is
easy to think “why would God even care, I am just one of the 6
billion people on this planet.” “There are people with far worse
problems than me, God is surely helping them and I am not even a
blimp on His radar.” Yeah, His radar is pretty massive, and we are
all blimps. He cares for us all. He's there when we are sad, when we
are angry, when we are grieving, when we are happy, and when we just
do not even know what to feel or what to do. It may not always feel
like it, but He is always there with us, every step of the way. When
Life seems to be getting you down, seems to not be going your way, or
just seems absolutely crazy, He's walking right beside you. He took
all of your sin on the cross and suffered so that we could be free
from it. And then He did the impossible and rose from the dead, defeating death and the grave. So, this worry you are going through right now, be it big or small, I am positive He can handle that too. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>No matter the wreckage.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Don't just trust me on that, trust
Him. Even if it is only in the long run sometimes, you will not be
disappointed. He has got a plan for your life and you just gotta ride
the waves to the shore line. It may get a little choppy at times but
He is right by your side, holding your hand every step of the way. I
know what it feels like to think that God has completely left you in
the dust, that you are on your own and your life seems to have no
purpose but believe me, it does. Everyone is here because God has a
specific role for you. You may think it small but it is the greatest
thing to God. Change one life and you could change millions. Every
life you touch makes a difference, whether you actively see it or
not. It could be that random person you talked to on the airplane, or
the person in front of you in line at the grocery store. It could be
a sister, a boyfriend or girlfriend, someone you love, or did love at
a time. I believe that God puts people in your life for a reason.
Either you are going to make a difference in that person's life, or
vise versa. But I can tell you that someone's perspective on life is
going to be changed. Find joy in knowing that, <b>no matter the wreckage</b> you may feel is there, even if you feel like
everything is going wrong and things do not seem like they are going
to turn around at all, God has you in his hands. He's got the whole
world in His hands! Do yourself a favor, trust Him and stay on this
ship we call life. We have got a pretty phenomenal captain! </span></span>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Note: "No Matter the Wreckage" is a book of poems by Sarah Kay. If you ever have the chance to pick it up, it is a great read!</span></span></div>
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Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-66936978350302247542014-09-23T23:15:00.003-05:002014-09-24T09:36:26.258-05:00The Optimistic Pessimist <div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Writer's note:I know it has been a while since I have written. If you are a veteran reader then first of all I am glad you are still reading, but also, you know how my posts go, so nothing new there. If you are new then, welcome, make yourself comfortable and beware that my writing can be a tad scatter brained at times, but it has a point, I promise. You just have to get to the end! Enjoy--</div>
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I have recently started a job with a florist, and therefore
obviously work with a lot of flowers, particularly roses on certain
days. And as some of us know, my brain likes to analyze and compare
things a lot. After being stabbed with one or two thorns I came up
with this sort of irony, I guess you could call it, with one of my
favorite Disney stories “Beauty and the Beast”. The beast has a
mask of harshness and gives off fear simply by his looks, but as
Belle finds out, if you take the time to get past all of that and get
to know the actual person underneath, they usually turn out to be a
caring, loving person. Showing that you can't judge a book by it's
cover. That saying always seems to be used in negative to positive
situations- i.e. You can't judge something because it looks scary,
typically it is actually not scary at all once you get past the
surface. But with roses, it is almost the exact opposite. It is
something that, from the outside, looks pure and beautiful, it is
given to show affection, it is given to show care and love. Now
typically roses from a store are prepared for someone to touch, but
if you were to just grab one from a pile or growing somewhere you
would find that its welcoming nature, its beauty, is a bit deceiving
because the moment you reach for it, you will get stuck with a thorn.
They come in the most unexpected places. Point being, a lot of things
are like roses in that they could look great from the outside but you
may want to be cautious when approaching them because, again, you
can't judge a book by its cover. What I find ironic is how the rose
is used as the timer for the beast. This beautiful object that looks
so welcoming, even Belle gets very close to touching it, is the thing
that, once all the petals fall, will bring about the beast's demise
and he will be stuck in his state of deception just as the rose is.
Things are deceiving, the devil loves to play tricks on us and see us
get hurt, and see us hurt other people. You can never be too careful.</div>
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I had a conversation similar to this
topic with a good friend a couple of weeks ago. I argued that things
that seem really cool and great, tend to have at least one thing
about them that disappoint you. Now, I was being, as my friend said,
“fatalistic and pessimistic” and they are probably right. But it
has been my experience in the past few years that anything that seems
pretty fantastic or just really cool, will in some way let you down,
and you may be able to look past it and move past that problem to
continue liking said thing, but the point still stands. One thing,
though, that IS super cool and fantastic is God and his love and
sacrifice for us. THAT will never disappoint. So if you happen to be
going through a slump like I am and you just feel like everything is
going down hill, nothing is going right, and everything seems to be
disappointing you left and right, just remember that <b>God loves us
so much that He sent his only son to give his life for us</b> because
of our sins so that we will be saved from eternal damnation and will
get to live forever with Him in eternity. I hope that with that you will find the joy God has in store for you in life. And for that matter, I hope I do, too.</div>
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"<i>Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.</i>" Psalm 126: 5-6</div>
Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-59842798498870560712014-06-17T19:32:00.002-05:002014-06-17T19:32:30.831-05:00Peace With The PiecesI finally started my internship yesterday with a crisis pregnancy center here in St. Louis. I already love it! And today we started the day with a devotion and prayer. I mean, who could ask for more?! It was fantastic! The devotion completely hit home, too. And, of course, instantly my mind started writing. And it wrote the entire 4 hours of work. So bear with me as I try to piece together everything I thought up today and tell you about the devotion and my fabulous day that ensued from it.<br />
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So, the devotion was about being at peace with where God has put you, not anxious to go backward of forward in time. "I rest in the fact that you have me in this place for this day." God has put us exactly where we are supposed to be. No matter the circumstances of how we got here or why we are here. "You knew my mistakes before I ever existed and you worked them into your plan." How awesome and almost unfathomable is that thought? God knew every single tiny little aspect of our life before we were even created, before we were even thought about in the minds of our families. God planned everything in our lives before we even had a chance to get to it. And that is at least six billion people that he did this for! It spoke about how all of the terrible things that happened to Joseph; being sold into slavery, exiled to a different country, and eventually sent to prison; were all meant for good and that he was always in the right place at the right time according to God's plan.<br />
"Thank you that I can trust you with my future plans- ready to stay, ready to go." It really got me to thinking about how awesome it s that God is so incredibly powerful and amazing and has already planned out our entire lives, he knows what decisions we are going to make before we even have the decision in front of us. I also thought about how we should be ready, then, to go where God leads us, or stay where he puts us. He has a reason for everything that He does.<br />
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"<i>Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act</i>." Psalm 37:5<br />
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Also, how amazing it is that we have a final place with God in heaven, and we will dwell in his house forever! And even before eternity we have a place with Him because He is Omnipresent and we can always find comfort in Him.<br />
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"<b>Where I can enter and be at rest even when all around and above is a sea of trouble</b>." Andrew Murray<br />
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"<i>You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance</i>." Psalm 32:7<br />
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This all really hit home with me because I have been struggling with trusting that this is where I am supposed to be in life. Some days I feel like I should have just stayed home in Texas with my family for the summer. I felt like I did not make the right decision leaving them for the summer and I started to feel like everything was falling apart here in St. Louis. At first it had looked like everything was set in place, piece by piece God built my path here and I knew I was supposed to be here, but within a week things start to fall apart and I did not want to tell anyone because I didn't want to disappoint everyone. Boy, was the devil doing a number on me! They all seemed so proud of what I was doing. I didn't want to tell them that I wanted to cry myself to sleep every night, crying out to God "WHY?" And still, I feel like if I don't love this internship, they are going to be even more disappointed that I left them all this summer. But, I've prayed about it and I feel like this is where I am supposed to be. And after the last 2 days, and that devotion this morning, I am even more certain of the fact that I am here for a purpose, even if I don't see it yet. Sometimes when it looks like there are just a bunch of pieces around, you have to look a little harder to see that they actually fit together and make a pretty awesome picture! God is absolutely amazing, and I am finding that out more and more as I see him at work in our organization and so many others around the world. I definitely made a significant step in finding the joy in life today. I pray that you do as well. How could we not be joyful with an awesome God like we have? God bless!<br />
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"<i>Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways</i>." Romans 11:33Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872033169701514443.post-65685073590359933002014-06-04T18:57:00.006-05:002014-06-04T18:57:57.882-05:00When All Hope Seems Lost"<b>And oh, oh- Well you know how it feels if you begin hoping for something that you want desperately badly; you almost fight against the hope because it is too good to be true- you've been disappointed so often before. That was how Digory felt. But it was no use trying to throttle this hope. It might- really, really, it just might be true. So many odd things had happened already.</b>" - C.S. Lewis, <i>The Magicians Nephew</i><br />
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Have you ever hoped for something but mostly kept it to yourself because you know that if you push it too much or tell someone else then something will probably go wrong and it will all fall apart and you will then have to explain the situation to everyone who knows, making the possible pain worse than it was just being disappointed on your own?<br />
Maybe it was a relationship with someone where both parties had admitted to liking the other and you had been talking for a while and you started to see something actually happening so you started to tell a few people, but then something got in the way or the other person started to become fickle and then BOOM suddenly you are not so sure of everything, and the questions start flowing in; from other people and from yourself.<br />
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'Was this even worth it?' 'Did I waste my time?' 'Why did I hope so much for this in the first place?' 'Is there actually anyone out there for me or are all guys (or girls) like this?'<br />
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Or maybe it was a job, or an internship, or some kind of summer position that you really wanted and you felt like you were perfect for it. You had hoped for so long and prayed that God would put you in this position because you knew that you were just the right person for the job but then, you get your rejection letter. And of course the questions line up because everyone knew how much you wanted it and they ask out of courtesy but it actually seems more like a dagger to your gut to be reminded of something you thought you were a shoe in for that you didn't get.<br />
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As Lewis says, we start to fight against the hope.There will be disappointment in this life; there will be heartache that we cannot fix as easily as we want to and we will want to refuse to hope for anything anymore. It just does not seem to make sense to become so emotionally invested in something that could potentially crash and burn in front of you, (excuse the slight exaggeration to make a point). But there is no use trying to stop yourself from hoping; you're going to do it regardless, even if it results in disappointment after disappointment.<br />
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<b>"When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting worse for some time; but when things once start to go right they often go on getting better and better."</b> - C.S. Lewis, <i>The Magician's Nephew</i><br />
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And it seems to make it ten times worse when we tell someone else about it because we have to explain the disappointment, almost relive it because someone else knows and they are bound to ask eventually. But you know there is someone we can tell; heck, he already knows, and he also knows what is going to happen, whether it be disappointment or satisfaction. Just because something does not work out does not that we should be angry with God, or not hope in Him or anything else ever again. We have every reason in the world to hope because God sent His son to die on the cross for our sins. So, opportunities will come and go, but we should never lose hope because God loves us and has great plans for each and every one of us. If you feel like telling someone, tell God; pray about it, and trust and have hope in Him. Nothing could put more joy in your life then trusting and hoping in God and the plans He has for you.<br />
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"<i>For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.</i>"<br />
Jeremiah 29:11-12Kara Joyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511597658464569196noreply@blogger.com0