Having Transparent Light

You’re such a good person. You’re never mean to anyone. You have a perfect life.

Each of these phrases has been said to me one time or another, mostly in high school. However during those years I was the angriest, the most self-damaging, and the most imperfect I had ever been. Outward appearances are misleading, aren’t they?  The most shocking of those phrases was that my life was perfect. What does that word “perfect” even mean? Without fault? Without pain? Without problems? But I had all of those things, so why were people viewing me that way?

Whenever someone said this to me, all I could ever say was that no, my life was so less than perfect. Yet even I knew that my words weren’t convincing anyone. I think so many non-Christians view Christianity as a religion seeking perfection. They see that Christians strive to keep away from sin and temptations, but they don’t see the love involved in this process. As Christians we should strive to live by Christ’s example not because some rules say so, but because we love Christ and want to please Him.

None of us are perfect and that’s exactly why we have to seek out a perfect God. I think the reason people viewed me as perfect was because I was careful to never reveal what I was feeling. If I was sad, I pushed past it while I was at school. Had I not been so guarded, perhaps I could have related to more people. As Christians, we need to be transparent, reflecting our heart and staying consistent in all parts of our lives.

Read John 11:33-35 and 14:9. Reflect on what this says about being transparent.

Jesus, son of God wept. Jesus reflected his transparency through his open emotions. When expressing moments of sadness, those around us are able to see our pain and our troubles. In John 14:9, Phillip is told that he can see God through Jesus, that all that Jesus is and does is through God. As Christians we need to be so transparent that when others see us, they see God.

Please read Philippians 1:9-10: “It is my prayer that your love may be more and more accompanied by clear knowledge and keen perception, for testing things that differ, so that you may be men of transparent character, and may be blameless, in preparation for the day of Christ.”

Watch the following video and reflect on how transparent your faith is.

End in the following prayer or with your own.

                Dear God, I am not perfect and I know that I have disappointed You many times. But God, I pray that You allow me to learn from those experiences and allow me to find strength as I seek Your light. Help me be transparent. Let those around me see that I am an imperfect being, serving a perfect God. Never let me forget my purpose, being a light. Amen.

Temptation Shaped Cookies

                Five-year-old Kathy smiled as she opened the front door to her house. She had just spent the afternoon playing jump rope with her friend, Jimmy, and now she was started to get hungry. As soon as she walked through the kitchen, she could smell something sugary from the oven. Daddy stood in front of the counter with a spatula, moving cookies from the pan into the cookie jar.

                “Can I have one?” Kathy asked, looking up at Daddy.

                “After dinner, okay?” He closed the jar.

                “Okay,” she said. “Can I color?”

                Daddy grabbed her coloring book and crayons, and laid them out on the table. As Kathy sat down to color, Daddy went in the other room to watch TV. Kathy colored a drawing of Cinderella, feeling her stomach growl. She picked up a blue crayon and tried to ignore her stomach. She tried. She really did. But as her stomach growled again and the cookie smell wafted through the air, Kathy tip-toed slowly towards the cookie jar. Maybe if she just took one Daddy wouldn’t notice.

The cookie jar sat on top of the counter, a far reach for a five-year-old, but Kathy stood on her tippy toes desperate for a taste. As her fingers touched the cold jar, Kathy then started to pull it forward, the weight seemingly heavier than she thought, and lifted it from the counter. But the jar slipped, falling from her hands and smashed onto the floor. Broken glass and cookies surrounded her feet, cutting her, and her bottom lip start to tremble. She could hear footsteps, someone yelling, and as Daddy reached the kitchen doorframe, Kathy burst into tears. She had just wanted one cookie. Just one. But now Daddy would be so mad, maybe even spank her for being bad. There were tiny cuts on her legs, but Kathy was crying too hard to notice.

Daddy looked at Kathy and ran towards her, sweeping her up from the ground, and held her in his arms.

“It’s okay,” he said, taking her out of the kitchen. “Are you okay?”

Kathy cried harder, holding onto Daddy, wishing she hadn’t disobeyed. Daddy carried her to the bathroom and began to clean up her cuts. After he had put Barney and Dora Band-Aids all over Kathy’s legs, he wiped her tears.

“How about we go read ‘Toad and Frog’?” he asked, kissing her forehead.

Kathy sniffled and nodded. Daddy smiled, took his daughter’s hand, and helped her towards the door.

Take a moment to reflect on the story. Then watch the clip below ( focus on 1:05 to the end).           

                How many times have we been a Kathy in our Christian lives? We have these guidelines God gives us, Commandments that we’re supposed to follow, yet do we? I think so many times we view the Commandments as these restrictive rules set out to ruin our fun. But think back to Kathy and her father. When her father told her not to eat the cookies, was he telling her this to restrict her? No, he did this so she wouldn’t ruin her appetite and would eat healthy. He wanted what was best for his child.

                Commandments are set to protect us. God knows what is best for us and wants us to live enriched lives. He wants what’s best for his child, you.

                When Kathy realized that she disobeyed, she felt shame and feared punishment. However instead of Kathy’s father getting angry, he embraced his hurt child. He was more concerned with his daughter’s safety than the fact that she disobeyed him.

 Read Luke 15: 11-32 and focus on the relationship between the younger son and the father.  

                Christ knew that we would disobey Him time and time again before He was on the cross, yet He still did it. Every time we sin, God still welcomes us back into His arms because He loves us.  The younger son in verse 21 said, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son,” but his father tells his servants to clothe his son and to have a feast in his honor. The father was rejoicing because his son had come back to him and that meant more to him than the wrongs his son had done.

Reflect on a time when you felt unworthy of God’s love.

Commandments are God’s guidelines to keeping us safe, but also to show His love. When we disobey these commandments, God still loves us and wants to sweep us up in His arms. The God of the universe wants to protect you from the world and from yourself, but will you allow Him? We need to start following Commandments not because it’s what we ‘should’ do, but rather because we love God and because we trust that God knows what’s best for us.

Read Psalms 119: 33-56. Please end in prayer. Think of what behaviors in your life that you are ashamed of and ask God to give you strength to overcome those temptations.

Dear God, Time and time again I have fallen short of obeying Your commands. Allow me to see these commands in a new way . I want to know You for all You are. Help me deepen my love for You and open my heart to all You have in store for my life. Thank you for loving me when I am unlovable. Thank you for forgiving me when I don’t deserve forgiveness. In Your Name, Amen. 

Listen To the World, Listen To the King

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22 (ESV)

          God calls us to speak to Him through prayer, providing a foundation for a closer relationship with our creator. Every Thursday I will post world and/or national events that need prayer. By praying for others around us, not only do we acknowledge their need, but also acknowledge our need for Christ to come into our lives.

Continue prayer for the Presidential election.

Malala Yousufzai, 14, was shot at by Tailban as she walked home from school. Yousufzai participated in a blog in support of women’s rights and education. She is currently in critical condition, suffering from severe celebral edema. Her blogs earned her Pakistan’s first National Peace Prize in November. However the Taliban vow to kill Yousufzai if she survives.

Please pray for Yousufzai and her family. Ask that God heal them in this time and that Yousufzai’s writings continue to influence many. Pray for her safety, as well as other Pakistan women.

Ahmed Taha, an Egyptian man came forward, saying he had been abducted outside of Egypt’s High Court during the uprising. He was beaten, raped and then imprisoned for a year. Taha believes that there are others that have gone through the same treatment.

Pray for the Middle East and the turmoil occurring in this country. Pray that Taha is able to recover mentally and physically from his mistreatment.

Current research suggests that strokes are becoming more common at younger ages. Rises in diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol may be the culprits.

Pray for the understanding that our bodies are God’s temple and that we need to continue to nourish them in the proper way.

A Love Story Through Prayer

Before I became closer to God, whenever I heard someone say that prayer had power, I just shrugged my shoulders. Sure, I prayed every night before bed, the quick, falling-asleep-as-you’re-talking kind, but I never really saw results. Prayer was more of a routine that I went through rather than something truly significant. 

It wasn’t until I came to college that I started praying not as a routine, but as a desire. Falling deeper in love with Christ allowed me to see my prayer life in a new light.

This week I realized how much I have grown and still need to grow in my faith. A few posts ago, I discussed how I planned to go to Australia, but was denied acceptance into the schools (“Plans Change, But His Love Doesn’t” blog post). Well, I had finally come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t going in the spring. Last Sunday night, I began to look through my schedule, trying to figure out how to rearrange my courses. After I had finished, I began to pray, telling God that I trusted Him and if this wasn’t my time to go, then I could accept that. As I prayed, I felt my heart opening and letting go to Christ, two actions that had always been difficult for me. The next morning I received a voicemail from the study abroad office, saying that I needed to call them as soon as possible. When I called back, I was told that a spot opened in one of the schools and they wanted me to take it. I couldn’t believe it.

Every time I have a heart-to-heart with God, I’m always astonished by how magnificent He truly is. It was the timing in this situation that just floored me because I knew that God had heard my prayer. He was teaching me to trust Him, a virtue He knew I needed to learn.

Please watch the following video. Reflect on how you pray. Do you pray out of routine or out of love for Christ?

Please read Job 35:9- 14 and Matthew 6: 5-15.

           Prayer is necessary to following Christ. If you think your faith is lacking or you want to grow, talk to Him. When we pray because we love Christ and because we want to speak to Him, we will find that that prayer is the most rewarding. God doesn’t care where you are, if you’re in class or in your room or even hanging in a tree because He desires that connection with you. The God of the universe wants you. He is the greatest being and doesn’t need any of us, yet He still desires us. Please end in prayer.

Dear God, You are almighty and merciful. I ask you today to change my heart and allow prayer to become a vital part of my life. Through this prayer, teach me and guide me in Your ways. Help me to fall deeper in love with you, God, so that I can understand the importance of prayer. Through every day, remind me of Your presence so that I never waste a moment away from You. In Your Name, Amen.

Do You Doubt or Reach Out?

       It truly is the hard times that break or save us. One of these times for me was freshman to sophomore year in high school. High school was a huge transition for me from getting more acne to feeling even more awkward in front of my peers. As I interacted with those around me, I realized that I didn’t fit in. I was looking for a group of Christians that would support me, but instead I found cliques, gossip, and seclusion. Even my church group created cliques, leaving me on the outside looking in, and I didn’t know where to turn. This seclusion made me very critical of myself and began my downward spiral of depression.

        But God was there. I would come home from school and break down almost every day because I felt so alone. Usually I opened my Bible to Job, thinking about how much this man and I had in common, and I would pray for relief. It took about two years before I finally found happiness again.

         Going through depression saved me, as crazy as that may sound. When I overcame it, I began to enjoy life and see myself in a completely new way. I gained confidence and realized that God had a greater purpose for my life than I had for myself. My life has changed so drastically and it still amazes me how much God transformed me.

        Something I’ve noticed in my Christian and non-Christian encounters is that many believe that prayer is like making a wish to a magical being. When they pray and don’t see results, they say God isn’t there. Or even when something bad happens, they become angry and turn away from God. We are all entitled to feeling angry about our situations, but during these times continuous prayer is vital. Not only should we ask God to fix something, but also talk to God as a friend about how we feel.

Please read Judges 6:11-24

         When we go through trials and hardships, many times we look to the sky and wonder if God is truly intervening. It requires strength and a deep love of Christ to praise Him when life becomes out of control. Judges 6:13 says, “Gideon answered, ‘Please don’t take this wrong, but if the Lord is helping us, then why have all of these awful things happened?’” Gideon doubted God’s presence, yet God spoke to him, saying that He would help him. However when we are in situations like Gideon’s, do we doubt or reach out?

Please listen to the follow video.

          My favorite part of the song is the verse, “I can count a million times/ People asking me how I can praise You/ With all that I’ve gone through.” In our trials and even defeats, we must look to God and pray for comfort. We can’t view God as a celestial Santa Claus or magic genie that will give us whatever our hearts desire. God knows us better than we know ourselves; after all He did create us. When God intervenes in our lives, we can’t expect the outcome to turn out the way we intend. We must trust that God will provide for us. Please open your heart and pray to Him now.

Dear Merciful God, I am sorry for all the times I haven’t trusted You. I pray that from now on You help me see You even in the hard times. Help me to love You in all circumstances and look to You when my life is falling apart. In Your Name, Amen.

Listen to the World, Listen to the King

 “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22 ESV.

                                                                                                *Photo by Sarah Gingerich

God calls us to speak to Him through prayer, providing a foundation for a closer relationship with our creator. Every Thursday I will post world and national events for you to pray for. By praying for others around us, not only do we acknowledge their need, but also acknowledge our need for Christ to come into our lives.

Continue pray for the presidential election in November.

A five-year-old girl, April Jones, has been abducted in Wales.

Pray for April’s safety and that she’s returned to her family. Pray for her family and friends.

Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos discovered that he has prostate cancer.

Although it isn’t serious, pray for his surgery, as well as his recovery.

Chris Brown announced that him and Rihanna are renewing their friendship.

Pray that Brown has changed and pray for Rihanna to have wisdom about the relationship.

Plans Change, But His Love Doesn't

For as long as I can remember, I have been a planner. From planning what my schedule would be months in advance to planning out what to say to my crush the next day, I have always tried to be ready for anything that came my way. My parents always taught me that it was better to be prepared and ready than spontaneous and disorganized. As a result, I have always liked everything working out the way I envisioned it to; however life doesn’t always provide this order I desire.

Last semester I decided that I wanted to study abroad to Australia. Months before the application was due, I filled everything out, received letters of recommendation and sent transcripts. When I submitted my application, I felt confident in my placement and I was excited for the chance to go overseas. However last week I received an email telling me that I hadn’t gotten into any of the Australian schools I applied for. Not only did disappointment result, but also anger because of the sudden change in plans.

Reflect on a time that your life changed without your control. How did you deal with the change?

One of my favorite verses, Proverbs 16:9 says, “We make our own plans, but the Lord decides where we go” (CEV). This verse always helps me refocus my attitude about being prepared all the time. God is always directing us, always steering us to places we never expect to end up. What is important for us as Christians is that we trust Him as we go through uncertain parts of our lives. God loves us and wants the best for us; therefore He provides for us. Matthew 6:26 (CEV) says, “Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth more than birds?” We have to remind ourselves of how much God values us and will provide for us.

Please listen to the video below and think about how much God cares for you.

The verse, “I know that You are for me/ I know that You will never forsake me in my weakness” reflects how much our Savior is on our side and wants what is best for us. God knows what path is best for you and He may lead you in ways that seem uncertain, but He will never leave your side. The next time life throws a whirlwind of confusion your way, know that God is with you and will always be ‘for you.’ Please end in the prayer below, or one of your own.

Dear God, there are so many times that I feel lost and confused about my life, but help me remember to look to You in those times. Give me the strength to accept the things in my life I can’t control and help me find comfort with the path You lead me. God, I know that You are for me, and I know that You are always present. Please let me never lose sight of that. In Your Name, Amen.