Why?

{photo credit}

I'm in a contemplative mood.  Maybe it has something to do with the music I'm listening to ("Completely" by Ana Laura), or maybe it has to do with just wanting to think.  Whatever the reasoning behind it all, the result is this post.

Why?  Why was it so easy to believe when we were little?

Why?  Why was it so easy to recall our favorite Bible stories every day when we were little, but now find it hard to remember even a single verse in the midst of our busy lives?

Why?  Why did God seem so much closer to our hearts and minds before we "grew up"?

Why?  Why was it that I prayed nearly without ceasing when I was 8, but now find it hard to find the words to say?

Why?  Why did I allow God to be so involved in every sector of my life without even thinking, and now I have to work at making Him a part of everything?

Why, why, why???

Matthew 18:2-4 says, "And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'"  (ESV)

In my ESV study Bible, the notes on these verses say "The humility of a child consists of childlike trust, vulnerability, and the inability to advance his or her own cause apart from the help, direction, and resources of a parent."

What am I saying?  That we should swim against the current of our culture?  Without a doubt YES!

In modern America there is an urgency to grow up, move out once 18, and learn how to become as independent as possible.  We don't want to feel like we need somebody else.  The divorce rate is enough to prove that!  Sure I'll marry you, but only so long as you fulfill my lustful needs.  Once I tire of you I'm going to terminate our relationship and move on to the next person.  I don't need a "life partner" because the word "partner" implies that I would need someone's help for survival. I view that as a weakness.


You get the picture.

When we grow up, we suddenly have only one need:  to be completely independent of others.

Yet God is calling us to so much more than that!  If we are dependent upon Him, then everything will get taken care of.  If our only thought is for Him, then our lives can be nothing but complete and utter bliss!  We'll soon forget that we thought we had the power to take matters into our own hands and will rest securely in the knowledge that He will take care of everything.

Hmmm, it brings new meaning to the verse that says "Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 36:10)," and also Psalm 23:2 where it says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters."

I pray that I am able to return to my childlike faith, for it is when I humble myself that God shows Himself to be strong!  Amen and amen.

Walking

Did you know that in 30 minutes worth of power walking, people with my body weight burn 190 calories?

Did you know that in 30 minutes worth of walking, I have gone a distance of about 1.5 miles?

Now, I'm used to higher impact sports.  Volleyball and running were how I spent my high school years.  And I got quite a workout, let me tell you (especially since those two seasons coincided with each other)!  I remember climbing into the car after volleyball practice absolutely drenched in sweat!  There wasn't a thing on me that was dry!  My T-shirt was soaked, my arms were soaked, and I finally gave up on wiping my chin with the back of my hand because my hand was soon soaked.

I don't know why, but I've always loved working out.  I love how it burns while I do it, and for some reason that pain and exhaustion translates into "YES!  Power!!  I'm doing something awesome right now, even though it really hurts!"

Since graduation I've stopped nearly all workouts.  And you know what?  I miss it terribly!  So, this evening I laced up my shoes and went for a power walk with some of the ladies I work with.  I absolutely love their company, and I love the fact that we're doing something good for ourselves.  We found the most beautiful little trail back behind a neighborhood that's SUPER close to where I live.  I'm already envisioning long walks back and forth across that trail with my sister.

Interestingly enough, these new workouts have encouraged me to persevere.  Isn't it interesting how when we're in pain, we suddenly "remember" God and turn to Him for help?  Isn't it interesting how when we are stuck on an incline we feel like giving up and turning right around again?  But it's in the pain that God shines the brightest.  It's when we can't feel our legs anymore that we know without a doubt that it was God and God alone who brought us through.  It was His power, and they were His feet we used to climb to the top.

Yes, I'm enjoying my walking.  :)

~Moi~

Hello everyone!  I have had requests from several friends to a) write a new post, and b) give a quick update on life as it stands today.  So, without further ado, ze post:

Life this past week has been wildly crazy, to say the least.  School has become a stressful mess.  I know several of you have heard me say that this has just really NOT been my semester, and while I would love to change that statement .... I really can't.  It's been insanely tough!  But then, that's just the way school goes sometimes.  Thank God last semester went well, otherwise I don't think I would have registered for more classes this spring.  But through it all, He has been faithful.

Also on the subject of school, I'm leaning heavily towards attending Howard Payne University in the fall.  This will mean lots and lots and lots of scholarship searching as well as working my tail off over the summer in order to cover expenses, but overall it excites me.  It excites me that I might possibly have found a great college!  It excites me that I could have the chance to really try my hand and succeed!  It excites me to try something new and different!  Yes, I'm excited.  :D


Side note: It appears that Adams kids like to transfer into 4-year colleges for their sophomore year, and it seems like they enjoy picking expensive private schools instead of regular state schools, and it also looks like they gravitate towards institutions that claim the yellow jacket as their mascot.  Huh!  Who knew?  ;)

Aaaaaanyway!  Something that's kind of remotely interesting about life is that tomorrow evening Luke and I will be volunteering at the THSC gala and awards banquet!  I'm very excited about this!  Over the past two months, we've joined friends in packing folders with many, many papers for Capitol Days.  As a sort of "thank you", our friend Paul Hastings invited us to volunteer at the gala ... in which case we'd get free tickets to enjoy the event.  It's going to be a lot of fun (and I'll have you know that it took me two days of shopping to get an outfit together)!

So, God bless, and I hope to hear from everyone else soon!

Lord Have Mercy

Jesus, I have forgotten the words you have spoken
Promises that burned within my heart have now grown dim
With a doubting heart I follow the paths of earthly wisdom
Forgive me for my unbelief
Renew the fire again

Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy on me

I have built an altar where I worship things of men
I have taken journeys that have drawn me far from you
Now I am returning to Your mercies ever flowing
Pardon my transgressions
Help me love You again

Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy on me

I have longed to know You and Your tender mercies
Like a river of forgiveness ever flowing without end
I bow my heart before You in the goodness of Your presence
Your grace forever shining
Like a beacon in the night

Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy on me

~ Michael W. Smith

Well Done

{Photo Credit}

I've watched time and time again as a small child learns to pull himself up to a standing position.  Challenges present themselves at every turn, the first being learning how to stand without outside support.  Before he knows it, motility is discovered.

One of the things I've really been pondering is the importance of making your faith your own.  Know what you believe and be willing to fight for those beliefs.  They are your life, your support system, and without them, you will fall.

As children, we are brought up on our parents' beliefs as they seek to raise up godly children.  They instill the beliefs in us that they think are important.  They teach them right from wrong with foundational beliefs.  Unfortunately many people stop at the foundation level thinking they've got everything they need to succeed.  What they don't realize is that they were given merely a foundation on which they are supposed to build.  

Proverbs 6:6-9, "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.  Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.  How long will you lie there, O sluggard?  When will you arise from your sleep?"

I'm taking a biology class right now that is focused on plant and animal life.  An animal's whole purpose in life is survival.  They hunt to survive, reproduce to have a surviving generation, etc., etc., etc.  Living by evading predators and passing on their genes to the next generation is their only care.

The ant has no parent ensuring that she is continuing to build on what she already has, she instinctively knows to do so.  She does not need to be told twice to work hard.  She understands that if she does not gather food and store up for the winter she will not survive to see the spring.

Just like the ant, we as Christians are called to own our faith.  We are to build upon the foundation that our parents provided for us and continue to grow.  Maybe that includes replacing an old brick for a new one, or maybe that means laying up a store of Scripture behind a principle we were taught and agree with.  The importance of this principle cannot be emphasized enough!  If we do not take our beliefs to heart and take ownership of them, we will not survive the winters that come our way.  It's the work of a lifetime, and one that we are called to do wholeheartedly.

If done well, you will be able to step back and admire your own beautiful home.  It will be standing in a neighborhood not made of cookie cutter houses, but one in which each structure has its own personality.  Learn from the beliefs of your parents, but don't be afraid to search the Scriptures and stand firm in your own beliefs and convictions.  You act based on your personal beliefs so know what it is that makes you act.

It will take blood, sweat, and tears if done properly, but it will all be worth it when you gaze into the eyes of Jesus on Judgement Day and hear his voice as He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.  Enter into the joy of your Master." ~ Matthew 25:21