Cinnamon Popcorn:
1 c. Sugar
4 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/2 stick of butter
Next you are going to bake the popcorn at 325 so that the cinnamon glaze forms a "candied coating" on the popcorn.
Then you have a super easy, delicious snack! Enjoy!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Cinnamon Popcorn
I would like to introduce you to my first ever, How To/DIY blog post!! This is a recipe that I have played with and perfected over the last couple years and now it is one of my favorite snacks!!
Cinnamon Popcorn:
Light Butter or Plain White Popcorn (1 bag)
1 c. Sugar
4 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/2 stick of butter
Melt all ingredients together over low heat until they are blended well. At this point you will want to pop your popcorn so that it is hot when the glaze is ready.
Once you have a well-blended, cinnamon-sugar glaze, you are going to pour it over your popcorn. While the glaze and popcorn are both hot, in a separate mixing bowl, pour it over your popcorn while stirring the popcorn slowly. Once the popcorn is evenly coated, spread it on to a buttered cookie sheet.
Cinnamon Popcorn:
1 c. Sugar
4 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/2 stick of butter
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Transitions
Transitions are always hard. A time of transition normally means leaving something behind and taking on something new. Some transitions are exciting and some are disappointing but most of the time you are filled with mixed emotions and it is usually hard to sort through everything you are feeling.
My most recent transition has been an exciting one. I was able to close a chapter in my life and move on to something new. Many, many times over the past year I found myself asking "Why?" and through this transition God revealed the answer to some of those questions. It's usually in those times of doubt that God will show up and prove Himself faithful once again.
One of my favorite verses is found in Lamentations:
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
-Lamentations 3:22-23
This is such a great reminder that every time we sin, stumble and fall God is right there with His forever faithfulness and His mercy that is brand new every single day. God is faithful. There is nothing else to it. That is a characteristic of His that he cannot deny. No matter what. How can I ever doubt Him?
This past season in my life has often been described as desolate. I felt like I was in desert, physically and spiritually. It was definitely a season in the wilderness. God even then provided me with everything I needed and blessed me with so many things that I didn't even recognize at the time. Even though I felt like I had been forsaken, I hadn't. And even though I felt like giving up, I still prayed and cried out to God everyday. And He brought me out of it in His perfect timing. As my time in the desert was ending and I was making my transition to the valley, God gave me a verse in Isaiah that spoke to me so loudly:
It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”
And they will call them, “The holy people,
The redeemed of the Lord”;
And you will be called, “Sought out, a city not forsaken.”
-Isaiah 62:4,12
There it is, His faithfulness once again. Always. And I still doubt Him sometimes but when I'm reminded of times like these, it increases my faith that much more.
When you place the pen of your life into the hand of God and allow Him to write your story, it will be so much more beautiful than you could have ever imagined.
My most recent transition has been an exciting one. I was able to close a chapter in my life and move on to something new. Many, many times over the past year I found myself asking "Why?" and through this transition God revealed the answer to some of those questions. It's usually in those times of doubt that God will show up and prove Himself faithful once again.
One of my favorite verses is found in Lamentations:
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
-Lamentations 3:22-23
This is such a great reminder that every time we sin, stumble and fall God is right there with His forever faithfulness and His mercy that is brand new every single day. God is faithful. There is nothing else to it. That is a characteristic of His that he cannot deny. No matter what. How can I ever doubt Him?
This past season in my life has often been described as desolate. I felt like I was in desert, physically and spiritually. It was definitely a season in the wilderness. God even then provided me with everything I needed and blessed me with so many things that I didn't even recognize at the time. Even though I felt like I had been forsaken, I hadn't. And even though I felt like giving up, I still prayed and cried out to God everyday. And He brought me out of it in His perfect timing. As my time in the desert was ending and I was making my transition to the valley, God gave me a verse in Isaiah that spoke to me so loudly:
It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”
And they will call them, “The holy people,
The redeemed of the Lord”;
And you will be called, “Sought out, a city not forsaken.”
-Isaiah 62:4,12
There it is, His faithfulness once again. Always. And I still doubt Him sometimes but when I'm reminded of times like these, it increases my faith that much more.
When you place the pen of your life into the hand of God and allow Him to write your story, it will be so much more beautiful than you could have ever imagined.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
It's not good...
I had a very different upbringing than most of the kids I hung around when I was growing up. Somehow that always stood out to them and gave them a reason to make fun of me. I remember when I was really young, I was made fun of by a particular group of friends quite often. I don't know that I ever expressed that it hurt me. I don't ever remember crying about it or even telling anyone about it. As I got older, it never really stopped and I developed this idea in my head that emotions were a sign of weakness and I never wanted to appear weak to anyone, ever. I decided that if I never showed any emotion then I looked like the "tough guy" and nothing bothered me. The more I acted like nothing bothered me, the more I would get ridiculed, the more I would push my emotions aside and the more I appeared like a cold person who didn't care about anything.
God has been revealing this to me in the past year as I have continued to struggle in this area with people around me. It has become this vicious cycle of reacting to rejection by pretending it does not bother me, acting like nothing effects me which I think a lot of the time causes an even worse scenario because people are just trying to get a rise out of me so they push more and more.
As I have looked back over the years, this has followed me around everywhere I go, ever since I was in middle school and it only seems to get worse. I never wanted to let anyone know that I need help, I didn't want anyone to know that they hurt me, I always had the attitude of "I'm a big girl, I can do this on my own, I don't need any help." Obviously this attitude has taken me nowhere in my social life.
Not only does this effect the people around me but it also effects my relationship with God. Our God is a relational God and we were created in His image, therefore He created us to be relational. We were created to need Him, depend on Him, love Him and serve Him. A lot of times I have addressed issues in my life with an attitude of, "I will stop doing X right now and just pray or read my Bible when I'm tempted to do it again." God wants us to go to Him, lay our burdens down and ask Him to give us His peace and strength to face any and all situations.
Cast your burden on the Lord,
and He will sustain you;He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
-Psalms 55:22
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
-2 Corinthians 12:9-10
If we allow Christ to work in our weaknesses and give us strength to face our situations, His glory will shine through that and we will be a testimony of His power and grace--and that is how he uses us to reach out to others.
God also created us to walk through life with others. To lean on each other when we are struggling, ask for help when pain is too much to bear and encourage others when they are going through their own struggles. This has become another downfall of mine--"I don't need anyone's help and no one should need my help." The Holy Spirit has been convicting me of this so much in the past few months and it is such a hard thing for me to face.
Almost four years ago I walked away from a romantic relationship that was hurting me more than it was helping me. God had finally won the 3 year battle I had with Him and I dropped everything and re-committed my life to Him. For about a year and a half after that, I was pretty depressed about the whole thing. I knew I was doing the right thing but it still hurt. I didn't want to talk to anyone about it, I didn't want anyone to help me, I just wanted to be alone. Do you think I'm a bit stubborn? I was determined to get over it on my own, no matter how many nights I cried myself to sleep or how often I sat alone somewhere feeling lonely and depressed. I got to the point where being alone was a comfort for me. I would rather be alone anywhere than having to share my thoughts, feelings and opinions with others. Over this past year, I have not reached out as much as I when I was DFW, I have slowly been holding myself back from people more and more. And the Holy Spirit has been convicting me of these things little by little, the way He does until today. The message at church this morning was titled: "Not Alone". The pastor read this scripture-
Obviously God does not want us to walk through this life alone. We were created with a longing to be connected to others. And no matter how much I try to ignore that, He always wins. I am so glad that I serve a gracious God who continues to work in me because I am a sinner who continually needs saving!
God has been revealing this to me in the past year as I have continued to struggle in this area with people around me. It has become this vicious cycle of reacting to rejection by pretending it does not bother me, acting like nothing effects me which I think a lot of the time causes an even worse scenario because people are just trying to get a rise out of me so they push more and more.
As I have looked back over the years, this has followed me around everywhere I go, ever since I was in middle school and it only seems to get worse. I never wanted to let anyone know that I need help, I didn't want anyone to know that they hurt me, I always had the attitude of "I'm a big girl, I can do this on my own, I don't need any help." Obviously this attitude has taken me nowhere in my social life.
Not only does this effect the people around me but it also effects my relationship with God. Our God is a relational God and we were created in His image, therefore He created us to be relational. We were created to need Him, depend on Him, love Him and serve Him. A lot of times I have addressed issues in my life with an attitude of, "I will stop doing X right now and just pray or read my Bible when I'm tempted to do it again." God wants us to go to Him, lay our burdens down and ask Him to give us His peace and strength to face any and all situations.
Cast your burden on the Lord,
and He will sustain you;He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
-Psalms 55:22
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
-2 Corinthians 12:9-10
If we allow Christ to work in our weaknesses and give us strength to face our situations, His glory will shine through that and we will be a testimony of His power and grace--and that is how he uses us to reach out to others.
God also created us to walk through life with others. To lean on each other when we are struggling, ask for help when pain is too much to bear and encourage others when they are going through their own struggles. This has become another downfall of mine--"I don't need anyone's help and no one should need my help." The Holy Spirit has been convicting me of this so much in the past few months and it is such a hard thing for me to face.
Almost four years ago I walked away from a romantic relationship that was hurting me more than it was helping me. God had finally won the 3 year battle I had with Him and I dropped everything and re-committed my life to Him. For about a year and a half after that, I was pretty depressed about the whole thing. I knew I was doing the right thing but it still hurt. I didn't want to talk to anyone about it, I didn't want anyone to help me, I just wanted to be alone. Do you think I'm a bit stubborn? I was determined to get over it on my own, no matter how many nights I cried myself to sleep or how often I sat alone somewhere feeling lonely and depressed. I got to the point where being alone was a comfort for me. I would rather be alone anywhere than having to share my thoughts, feelings and opinions with others. Over this past year, I have not reached out as much as I when I was DFW, I have slowly been holding myself back from people more and more. And the Holy Spirit has been convicting me of these things little by little, the way He does until today. The message at church this morning was titled: "Not Alone". The pastor read this scripture-
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.” -Genesis 2:18
As God was creating everything He always said "it is good". Everything He created was good, until He realized Adam was alone, then He said "It is not good..." God knows it's not good for us to be alone, to go through life alone. It's not good. We were created to be in relationship with others.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. -Acts 2:42, 46&47As God was creating everything He always said "it is good". Everything He created was good, until He realized Adam was alone, then He said "It is not good..." God knows it's not good for us to be alone, to go through life alone. It's not good. We were created to be in relationship with others.
Obviously God does not want us to walk through this life alone. We were created with a longing to be connected to others. And no matter how much I try to ignore that, He always wins. I am so glad that I serve a gracious God who continues to work in me because I am a sinner who continually needs saving!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
The fiery furnace
I've been struggling a lot with hopelessness. It's hard for me to look at my circumstances and see God working or trust that He will bring me out of this. Sometimes it feels like it keeps getting harder and harder. People keep saying, "It's going to get worse before it gets better." Well it just keeps getting worse and I'm wondering where the "better" is. There have been days where it seems like I was able to take one baby step forward and for a little while I have a sense of hope. And then the next day it feels as though I just fell 3 huge steps backward. I keep reminding myself of the things God HAS brought me out of and all the ways He HAS delivered me, sometimes that's all I have to hold on to-- the truth of who He is.
The other day I went for a run and as I was listening to my music, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a story in Daniel 3. The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Basically the king made this huge golden image and told all the people that when the music plays, they must all bow down and worship this image. Shad, Mesh and Abed (nicknames I gave them) refused to worship the idol of course because they served the one true God. The king gave them one more chance and when they still wouldn't bow down he became so mad that he threw them in a huge furnace. As soon as the guards threw them in the fire, the king jumped up and saw not 3 but 4 men in the fire!! Who was the fourth man? The one true God-- who walks through our trials with us and delivers us from the hands of the wicked.
I've heard this story several times but when I went back and read it God simply said, "I'm in the fire with you." Here I am whining about my circumstances while Jesus is sitting in the middle of it with me and at the same time working through the situations to reveal His glory. Back to the story...once the king realized that there were 4 men in the fire, he called all of them out and the fire had not harmed them nor their clothes! Immediately the king commanded that everyone worship the King of kings-- the God of Shad, Mesh and Abed.
We can't see the big picture and we have no idea what God is doing. But He is always doing something great and no matter how hard things get and even when it seems like things are heading downhill and fast--that's usually right when God is about to perform a miracle and reveal something that we could've never thought possible!!
The other day I went for a run and as I was listening to my music, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a story in Daniel 3. The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Basically the king made this huge golden image and told all the people that when the music plays, they must all bow down and worship this image. Shad, Mesh and Abed (nicknames I gave them) refused to worship the idol of course because they served the one true God. The king gave them one more chance and when they still wouldn't bow down he became so mad that he threw them in a huge furnace. As soon as the guards threw them in the fire, the king jumped up and saw not 3 but 4 men in the fire!! Who was the fourth man? The one true God-- who walks through our trials with us and delivers us from the hands of the wicked.
I've heard this story several times but when I went back and read it God simply said, "I'm in the fire with you." Here I am whining about my circumstances while Jesus is sitting in the middle of it with me and at the same time working through the situations to reveal His glory. Back to the story...once the king realized that there were 4 men in the fire, he called all of them out and the fire had not harmed them nor their clothes! Immediately the king commanded that everyone worship the King of kings-- the God of Shad, Mesh and Abed.
We can't see the big picture and we have no idea what God is doing. But He is always doing something great and no matter how hard things get and even when it seems like things are heading downhill and fast--that's usually right when God is about to perform a miracle and reveal something that we could've never thought possible!!
"Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon."
-Daniel 3:30
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
My Healer
Most of you know, I had the opportunity to go to a women's conference at Gateway Church last week. Let me just tell you, it was AMAZING!! I went to conference expectant and so ready for God to do whatever He wanted in me and my life and I came back with 10 times that!! This season of my life has been a very dry, desert season and it has been hard to keep my head up and my faith strong. To be honest, there were a few times where I just broke down because I couldn't stay strong, but He is always faithful!!
In addition to the powerful worship, amazing speakers and the encouraging testimonies, we had a time of freedom ministry. They gave us some time to go and receive freedom and healing in any area that was in bondage and needed to be released. After some prompting from the Holy Spirit, I finally went to "healing rooms" as they call them. I signed up and they sent me to a "soaking room" where they had worship and communion while we waited to speak with a pastor. As I sat in the corner, writing and praying, a lady came over and laid her hand on me and quietly asked if she could pray for me. I said yes and she began to pray a generic prayer of blessing and encouragement. Then, all of the sudden she began to pray out loud the very words I have been praying for months! As she laid her hands on me I just started crying and she began to pray harder. I couldn't believe that she was praying the exact things that were in my mind and on my heat! Once she was done I thought, "I don't need freedom anymore". (Not really!) Shortly after that my name was called and I walked down the hall with one of the freedom pastors, she took me to quiet room and we sat down across from each other and she asked me what area I needed healing in. As I gave her a very simple and surface answer, she looked at me and began to ask me questions. As she asked me a few simple questions, I could see things beginning to surface. Things I didn't even know were issues. As God began to root out the things that were keeping me from being completely healed, I felt completely exposed to this lady sitting across from me. I felt like I had just laid my whole mess of a life in front of her and she could see it all sitting there in broad day light. Let me tell you right now, I don't like that feeling. I don't like to let anyone know my weakness or short comings. I would prefer to put on a front and appear "put together" on the outside but as the Bible says:
"For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and come to light." -Luke 8:17
and God seems to constantly be reminding me of that. As these things began to be exposed, God brought some particular memories to mind. He reminded me of all the times I had been criticized and rejected by others. He reminded me of times even when I was very young and I would get made fun for little reasons but I always took everything that was said about me as truth. I don't ever remember being upset about it or crying over it or letting it get to the point where I would get angry. I always just received everything as truth and started to believe those things about myself. As I got older, obviously I had a warped self-image and it effected my relationships especially with my family. I began to compare myself to everyone around me and I always seemed to fall short of the standards or expectations that I put on myself. I began to believe that I wasn't good enough, smart enough, athletic enough, pretty enough, skinny enough, tall enough, nice enough or strong enough. All of these things built up inside me head and as things would happen and I would get a bad grade or have to retake a class or someone decided they didn't want to be my friend, I could always trace it back to some area where I didn't measure up. Let me tell you, that is how the enemy lies to us! I guess I went on with this twisted way of thinking about myself and as I got into college, the criticism and rejection didn't come from others as much as it came from myself!!
Once I was able to get those things out and lay them down, God completely healed me from them...just like that!! How crazy that the things the devil takes YEARS to build up inside of us, Jesus can heal in a few minutes.
God is our healer and if you allow Him, He will heal you from ALL your hurts and pain whether it's emotional or mental or physical or whatever it may be!
In addition to the powerful worship, amazing speakers and the encouraging testimonies, we had a time of freedom ministry. They gave us some time to go and receive freedom and healing in any area that was in bondage and needed to be released. After some prompting from the Holy Spirit, I finally went to "healing rooms" as they call them. I signed up and they sent me to a "soaking room" where they had worship and communion while we waited to speak with a pastor. As I sat in the corner, writing and praying, a lady came over and laid her hand on me and quietly asked if she could pray for me. I said yes and she began to pray a generic prayer of blessing and encouragement. Then, all of the sudden she began to pray out loud the very words I have been praying for months! As she laid her hands on me I just started crying and she began to pray harder. I couldn't believe that she was praying the exact things that were in my mind and on my heat! Once she was done I thought, "I don't need freedom anymore". (Not really!) Shortly after that my name was called and I walked down the hall with one of the freedom pastors, she took me to quiet room and we sat down across from each other and she asked me what area I needed healing in. As I gave her a very simple and surface answer, she looked at me and began to ask me questions. As she asked me a few simple questions, I could see things beginning to surface. Things I didn't even know were issues. As God began to root out the things that were keeping me from being completely healed, I felt completely exposed to this lady sitting across from me. I felt like I had just laid my whole mess of a life in front of her and she could see it all sitting there in broad day light. Let me tell you right now, I don't like that feeling. I don't like to let anyone know my weakness or short comings. I would prefer to put on a front and appear "put together" on the outside but as the Bible says:
"For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and come to light." -Luke 8:17
and God seems to constantly be reminding me of that. As these things began to be exposed, God brought some particular memories to mind. He reminded me of all the times I had been criticized and rejected by others. He reminded me of times even when I was very young and I would get made fun for little reasons but I always took everything that was said about me as truth. I don't ever remember being upset about it or crying over it or letting it get to the point where I would get angry. I always just received everything as truth and started to believe those things about myself. As I got older, obviously I had a warped self-image and it effected my relationships especially with my family. I began to compare myself to everyone around me and I always seemed to fall short of the standards or expectations that I put on myself. I began to believe that I wasn't good enough, smart enough, athletic enough, pretty enough, skinny enough, tall enough, nice enough or strong enough. All of these things built up inside me head and as things would happen and I would get a bad grade or have to retake a class or someone decided they didn't want to be my friend, I could always trace it back to some area where I didn't measure up. Let me tell you, that is how the enemy lies to us! I guess I went on with this twisted way of thinking about myself and as I got into college, the criticism and rejection didn't come from others as much as it came from myself!!
Once I was able to get those things out and lay them down, God completely healed me from them...just like that!! How crazy that the things the devil takes YEARS to build up inside of us, Jesus can heal in a few minutes.
God is our healer and if you allow Him, He will heal you from ALL your hurts and pain whether it's emotional or mental or physical or whatever it may be!
Friday, March 29, 2013
Significance of Saturday
Easter is one of my favorite times of the year. When I was younger I LOVED decorating eggs and receiving candy and goodies in my basket. It was another holiday where I got gifts other than Christmas and my birthday!
As I got older, I began to discover the personal meaning of Easter to me and what the significance of this beautiful weekend is. The day that Jesus completely surrendered himself to be beaten and killed for our sin. He became human so he could live and walk on this earth to go through the things we go through so that we can have eternal life through salvation. What an amazing God we serve!
In Matthew we read about when Jesus went to the garden to pray,
He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.
-Matthew 26:39
He was obviously struggling with what was to come and did not want to go through what he knew would be an awful, painful crucifixion. But He did it anyway, He was obedient to His father and went forward in faith.
One of my favorite songs right now is "Beautiful, Scandalous Night" and the chorus says this:
At the wonderful, tragic, mysterious treeOn that beautiful, scandalous night you and me
We're atoned by His blood and forever washed whiteOn that beautiful, scandalous night
THAT is what Easter is all about, and that is why Easter is my favorite time of the year.
On Good Friday we remember the Last Supper and the act of Jesus surrendering himself to be crucified for us. We remember His body that was sacrificed and His blood that was shed because we are all sinners and couldn't do anything to save ourselves.
On Sunday we celebrate His resurrection, we celebrate His faithfulness and rejoice in the fact that He is alive and living in all of us today.
But what about Saturday? What does Saturday symbolize? I heard Max Lucado say that the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday symbolizes the time of waiting in anticipation. That place when you have been given a promise from God but you have not seen that promise yet. The waiting season, oh how we all enjoy that! I can definitely say I'm in a waiting season right now and this Easter season has definitely restored my hope. This Saturday is all about clinging to the promises that God has given us and waiting patiently for His timing. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He left us with another promise:
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.
-John 14:16-18
Wherever you are today, whatever your season you are in, go back to His promises. Cling to what you know is true and keep your faith in Him. He is always with you and He will never leave you.
Happy Easter!
As I got older, I began to discover the personal meaning of Easter to me and what the significance of this beautiful weekend is. The day that Jesus completely surrendered himself to be beaten and killed for our sin. He became human so he could live and walk on this earth to go through the things we go through so that we can have eternal life through salvation. What an amazing God we serve!
In Matthew we read about when Jesus went to the garden to pray,
He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.
-Matthew 26:39
He was obviously struggling with what was to come and did not want to go through what he knew would be an awful, painful crucifixion. But He did it anyway, He was obedient to His father and went forward in faith.
One of my favorite songs right now is "Beautiful, Scandalous Night" and the chorus says this:
At the wonderful, tragic, mysterious treeOn that beautiful, scandalous night you and me
We're atoned by His blood and forever washed whiteOn that beautiful, scandalous night
THAT is what Easter is all about, and that is why Easter is my favorite time of the year.
On Good Friday we remember the Last Supper and the act of Jesus surrendering himself to be crucified for us. We remember His body that was sacrificed and His blood that was shed because we are all sinners and couldn't do anything to save ourselves.
On Sunday we celebrate His resurrection, we celebrate His faithfulness and rejoice in the fact that He is alive and living in all of us today.
But what about Saturday? What does Saturday symbolize? I heard Max Lucado say that the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday symbolizes the time of waiting in anticipation. That place when you have been given a promise from God but you have not seen that promise yet. The waiting season, oh how we all enjoy that! I can definitely say I'm in a waiting season right now and this Easter season has definitely restored my hope. This Saturday is all about clinging to the promises that God has given us and waiting patiently for His timing. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He left us with another promise:
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.
-John 14:16-18
Wherever you are today, whatever your season you are in, go back to His promises. Cling to what you know is true and keep your faith in Him. He is always with you and He will never leave you.
Happy Easter!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Not a minute too early or a second too late
As I begin to write this post, I am sitting at Starbucks, tired from working all day, feeling sick and not looking forward to the time changing tomorrow and losing an hour of much needed sleep I hardly get when I work 11 hours a day. I love working in the restaurant industry and I don't think I'll ever work in any other field but days like today make me wonder why I chose this field. Weekends are usually when most people are off of work, spending time with family, shopping, attending sporting events and eating out. You would think that would put most people in a good mood. Not the people that come into my restaurant! For some reason it is during the weekends, especially after church on Sundays, when people are just downright mean! They just want to complain and will find any reason to storm up to the front of the restaurant and demand, "I want to speak with the manager!" After hearing complaint after complaint today and feeling like the harder I worked, the more upset people became I just wanted to give up on being nice. I wanted to give up and trying to help anyone at all, I was just feeling discouraged.
Discouraged is probably the best word to describe how I have been feeling about everything lately. Work in general is just not what it was in DFW, it's literally a different world out here in Lubbock, (I know that sounds dramatic but it's the truth!) I don't even feel like I work for the same company. I just feel defeated, I don't want to try anymore and I have lost most of my enthusiasm for my job. I just feel discouraged.
The past couple of months have just been a dry patch for me and it's hard to remain strong and keep telling myself, "God's got a plan! I'm here for a reason! It's going to get worse before it gets better!" But WHEN?! Hasn't it been long enough yet? How much longer will things go on like this? Well, as God would have it, my reading plan brought me to the book of Numbers today...yes, right in the middle where the Israelites are whining and complaining...ok, God I get it! I just have to laugh sometimes at the way God looks at me and says, "Really?" That's what I imagine him saying anyway because that's probably what I would say.
It's so amazing the way God gives us just an ounce of encouragement at exactly the time we need it, not a minute too early and not a second too late. Just last night as I was laying in bed, a friend wrote me and asked, "How are you doing? Spiritually, I mean, I haven't seen a blog post in a while." God was like, "are you going to stop pouting now?" And if you know me, I didn't, I decided to play the self pity card and whine about my situation. So then I got an email from someone at church that simply encouraged me with the truth that God has placed me here, in Lubbock, TX for a reason and He set me apart long before I was even conceived. She shared this verse:
"I chose you before I formed you in the womb;
I set you apart before you were born.I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
-Jeremiah 1:5
Let me tell you, this was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. I have been reminding myself that God has a plan and He will bring me through and I have been going back to the promises He made when he moved me here and at the beginning of 2013 but sometimes we just need that little bit of encouragement and He knows exactly when those times are!
So I decided to spend the evening at Starbucks reading in Numbers. As I turned on my Slacker Radio (better than Spotify!) literally EVERY song spoke life and truth over me and gave me the exact words of encouragement I needed!!
Ok, God, you DO have a plan. You ARE working things out. You DID place me here for a reason. And you have NOT forgotten me! I did NOT make a mistake and I STILL trust you!
Then I came to Numbers 11,
"...is the Lord's power limited? You will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you."
-Numbers 11:23
Now, I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with His love. Overwhelmed with His peace and I can rest in His perfect timing. I think that I am going to sleep well tonight, even if it IS an hour less!!
Discouraged is probably the best word to describe how I have been feeling about everything lately. Work in general is just not what it was in DFW, it's literally a different world out here in Lubbock, (I know that sounds dramatic but it's the truth!) I don't even feel like I work for the same company. I just feel defeated, I don't want to try anymore and I have lost most of my enthusiasm for my job. I just feel discouraged.
The past couple of months have just been a dry patch for me and it's hard to remain strong and keep telling myself, "God's got a plan! I'm here for a reason! It's going to get worse before it gets better!" But WHEN?! Hasn't it been long enough yet? How much longer will things go on like this? Well, as God would have it, my reading plan brought me to the book of Numbers today...yes, right in the middle where the Israelites are whining and complaining...ok, God I get it! I just have to laugh sometimes at the way God looks at me and says, "Really?" That's what I imagine him saying anyway because that's probably what I would say.
It's so amazing the way God gives us just an ounce of encouragement at exactly the time we need it, not a minute too early and not a second too late. Just last night as I was laying in bed, a friend wrote me and asked, "How are you doing? Spiritually, I mean, I haven't seen a blog post in a while." God was like, "are you going to stop pouting now?" And if you know me, I didn't, I decided to play the self pity card and whine about my situation. So then I got an email from someone at church that simply encouraged me with the truth that God has placed me here, in Lubbock, TX for a reason and He set me apart long before I was even conceived. She shared this verse:
"I chose you before I formed you in the womb;
I set you apart before you were born.I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
-Jeremiah 1:5
Let me tell you, this was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. I have been reminding myself that God has a plan and He will bring me through and I have been going back to the promises He made when he moved me here and at the beginning of 2013 but sometimes we just need that little bit of encouragement and He knows exactly when those times are!
So I decided to spend the evening at Starbucks reading in Numbers. As I turned on my Slacker Radio (better than Spotify!) literally EVERY song spoke life and truth over me and gave me the exact words of encouragement I needed!!
Ok, God, you DO have a plan. You ARE working things out. You DID place me here for a reason. And you have NOT forgotten me! I did NOT make a mistake and I STILL trust you!
Then I came to Numbers 11,
"...is the Lord's power limited? You will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you."
-Numbers 11:23
Now, I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with His love. Overwhelmed with His peace and I can rest in His perfect timing. I think that I am going to sleep well tonight, even if it IS an hour less!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)