The reason I bring up this not-so-shining point of my past is because of what God spoke to me last night at church.......during worship, I just began to pray "Lord, speak to me. Tell me what you want me to hear." I fully believe that God still speaks to His people today, but sometimes it's hard for us as humans to really believe that what we're hearing is from Him. Which is why last night when I heard the Lord tell me "Remember who you are," I had to keep myself from giggling, because all I could think of at first was the scene from The Lion King (you know which one I'm talking about, don't even pretend like you don't; this is another reason why I believe God has a great sense of humor). As I continued to listen though, His words continued and touched me in a way I had not expected. He said, "Remember who you are. Remember who I made you to be. Trust in me." Sometimes I think we believe that if God doesn't give us this profound speech full of thees and thous then it must not be Him, but for me, the sweetest and best things I have heard from God have been short and concise. As I began to think and really dwell on what the Lord was saying to me, I thought back to that point where I thought I was weird for not having my license at a certain age, and the more I thought about it and the words I had just heard, it hit me: I AM weird....strange....unusual..... whichever word suits your fancy. In the society we live in today, it's unusual for a 23 year old single female to have as stringent of morals as I have for myself. I do things and don't do things that I get strange looks for, both literally and metaphorically. I care about people. I love loving on them. And I still get things wrong. I mess up and fall flat on my face, but that's okay. I still get the occasional underhanded comment thrown my way about how I choose to live, but you know what? I just really don't care anymore. God made me to be the weird one, and I'm going to embrace it. I'm going to love on everyone I meet, no matter what their situation or circumstance, because I know that I may be the only one to do so. I'm going to throw love and grace around like confetti (one of my favorite expressions) and let everyone I know that I love love LOVE my Jesus. Let me encourage you to not be afraid to speak to others about the Lord, simply because you are worried about being mocked or ridiculed. With it being Easter week, let us not forgot that Jesus received the epitome of ridicule and torture for what he believed, and yet he still chose to continue on being who God made him to be, and received the ultimate reward for his weirdness. It's okay to be a little strange ;) We live in a world with too much of the same. Be original. Be bold. Be brave. Let God use you in unexpected ways. Don't be afraid to step out in faith and do things that go against what society deems as "acceptable." Be you. Remember who you are.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
It's Not Cool to Laugh in Church
Wanna know a secret? I didn't get my driver's license until I was 20 years old. It wasn't that I was an awful driver, or failed the test a bunch of times. The thought of driving just TERRIFIED me. Seriously, my hands would get sweaty and I had a death grip on the steering wheel whenever I was brave enough to try and practice. Back then, like everything else, as I have shared in past posts, I was so afraid of failing that the fear overcame me enough to where I couldn't get in the driver's seat without having a near panic attack. And believe me when I say that I received plenty of.....criticism....harsh encouragement....opinions about the situation. I know that the people who brought it up every. single. time. they saw me meant well, but after a while, it did start to get to me. The probing questions and "bless your heart" attitudes that Southerners are oh so famous for began to make me think, "Is something wrong with me? Am I just plain weird for not being able to make it past this simple point of everyday life?" Now obviously this wasn't the case and I did eventually pass my driver's test with a 98 (being the over-achiever that I am), but at the time, when I was still unaware of who I was and what the Lord's plan was for me, it honestly made me feel like a freak.
The reason I bring up this not-so-shining point of my past is because of what God spoke to me last night at church.......during worship, I just began to pray "Lord, speak to me. Tell me what you want me to hear." I fully believe that God still speaks to His people today, but sometimes it's hard for us as humans to really believe that what we're hearing is from Him. Which is why last night when I heard the Lord tell me "Remember who you are," I had to keep myself from giggling, because all I could think of at first was the scene from The Lion King (you know which one I'm talking about, don't even pretend like you don't; this is another reason why I believe God has a great sense of humor). As I continued to listen though, His words continued and touched me in a way I had not expected. He said, "Remember who you are. Remember who I made you to be. Trust in me." Sometimes I think we believe that if God doesn't give us this profound speech full of thees and thous then it must not be Him, but for me, the sweetest and best things I have heard from God have been short and concise. As I began to think and really dwell on what the Lord was saying to me, I thought back to that point where I thought I was weird for not having my license at a certain age, and the more I thought about it and the words I had just heard, it hit me: I AM weird....strange....unusual..... whichever word suits your fancy. In the society we live in today, it's unusual for a 23 year old single female to have as stringent of morals as I have for myself. I do things and don't do things that I get strange looks for, both literally and metaphorically. I care about people. I love loving on them. And I still get things wrong. I mess up and fall flat on my face, but that's okay. I still get the occasional underhanded comment thrown my way about how I choose to live, but you know what? I just really don't care anymore. God made me to be the weird one, and I'm going to embrace it. I'm going to love on everyone I meet, no matter what their situation or circumstance, because I know that I may be the only one to do so. I'm going to throw love and grace around like confetti (one of my favorite expressions) and let everyone I know that I love love LOVE my Jesus. Let me encourage you to not be afraid to speak to others about the Lord, simply because you are worried about being mocked or ridiculed. With it being Easter week, let us not forgot that Jesus received the epitome of ridicule and torture for what he believed, and yet he still chose to continue on being who God made him to be, and received the ultimate reward for his weirdness. It's okay to be a little strange ;) We live in a world with too much of the same. Be original. Be bold. Be brave. Let God use you in unexpected ways. Don't be afraid to step out in faith and do things that go against what society deems as "acceptable." Be you. Remember who you are.
The reason I bring up this not-so-shining point of my past is because of what God spoke to me last night at church.......during worship, I just began to pray "Lord, speak to me. Tell me what you want me to hear." I fully believe that God still speaks to His people today, but sometimes it's hard for us as humans to really believe that what we're hearing is from Him. Which is why last night when I heard the Lord tell me "Remember who you are," I had to keep myself from giggling, because all I could think of at first was the scene from The Lion King (you know which one I'm talking about, don't even pretend like you don't; this is another reason why I believe God has a great sense of humor). As I continued to listen though, His words continued and touched me in a way I had not expected. He said, "Remember who you are. Remember who I made you to be. Trust in me." Sometimes I think we believe that if God doesn't give us this profound speech full of thees and thous then it must not be Him, but for me, the sweetest and best things I have heard from God have been short and concise. As I began to think and really dwell on what the Lord was saying to me, I thought back to that point where I thought I was weird for not having my license at a certain age, and the more I thought about it and the words I had just heard, it hit me: I AM weird....strange....unusual..... whichever word suits your fancy. In the society we live in today, it's unusual for a 23 year old single female to have as stringent of morals as I have for myself. I do things and don't do things that I get strange looks for, both literally and metaphorically. I care about people. I love loving on them. And I still get things wrong. I mess up and fall flat on my face, but that's okay. I still get the occasional underhanded comment thrown my way about how I choose to live, but you know what? I just really don't care anymore. God made me to be the weird one, and I'm going to embrace it. I'm going to love on everyone I meet, no matter what their situation or circumstance, because I know that I may be the only one to do so. I'm going to throw love and grace around like confetti (one of my favorite expressions) and let everyone I know that I love love LOVE my Jesus. Let me encourage you to not be afraid to speak to others about the Lord, simply because you are worried about being mocked or ridiculed. With it being Easter week, let us not forgot that Jesus received the epitome of ridicule and torture for what he believed, and yet he still chose to continue on being who God made him to be, and received the ultimate reward for his weirdness. It's okay to be a little strange ;) We live in a world with too much of the same. Be original. Be bold. Be brave. Let God use you in unexpected ways. Don't be afraid to step out in faith and do things that go against what society deems as "acceptable." Be you. Remember who you are.
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