When everything just goes wrong...

Have you ever had one of those periods of life in which you just don't know what else can go wrong? Two weeks ago I received a phone call from my doctor saying she had to refer me to an orthopedic clinic because she wasn't sure if I'll need surgery for my sclerosis yet. Two days later I found out my car needed a new transmission. On top of these news, I've been working on my own business endeavors, managing my husband's business, working part time, and all my mommy and wife duties too- not to mention the agony I was in because of the pain in my lower back. Agh!

It's been two weeks and I barely got my car back! How can such a simple thing make us so happy? Why do we focus on the bad instead of the good? These two weeks were miserable, I couldn't get out of the house, I borrowed my sister's car just to leave work before even starting, I had to rent a car to go to a client's initial consultation... But, why was I so miserable? I had food, clothing, water, shelter, entertainment, warmth- I had everything I needed!

I was focusing on the bad news, not the reality of my life. My car was getting fixed, we were going to be able to pay for it, my baby was with me the whole time, I got a client to do an initial consultation for, I got ahead with a lot of our wedding planning...

So many times we focus so much on the bad news that we forget to stop, look up, and kneel. God is so good to us. He always has been! Why do we ignore Him?


PS. We're already married, but never got to have a celebration so we are doing it now! :)

My Struggle With Prayer

As I've mentioned before, I've been trying to pray more. I've gotten to a place in my life where I am comfortable, and there really isn't much challenging me at the moment. I've reached a plateau.

Unfortunately, we all reach plateaus at one point or another and it feels as if we've hit a standstill. Where do I go from here?

It is through these plateaus that we must pray the most, study the bible the most, and be as close to God as possible. These plateaus are our testing periods, and where the devil tries his hardest to make us fall. He will do anything in his power to make us tremble, cry, break down, and lose hope.

Most of the time, it isn't until the devil starts poking us that we remember to pray. We can't afford to be comfortable where we are. This world is not our home, so why do we feel comfortable?

Challenge yourself to constantly be uncomfortable and in constant contact with God. Many times we think He's left us when in reality we've left Him. We've told Him we can do it ourselves, we're powerful, we're strong, we can win, but we can't! We are measly little humans. We need help from He who is all powerful, almighty, and always loving.

God is only a knee-bend away!

Just keep swimming..

Alright, I know I'm a little old for Finding Nemo, but that song sure lightens my spirits and helps me keep pushing forward- especially after the past couple weeks!

I'm an interior designer and was sought out by my church to create designs for our stage last year. I agreed wholeheartedly. At the time I was finishing my last year of college and was totally overwhelmed by the amount of work I had to do for school, but I made time to select finishes and create three designs. The first time I presented them to the board of directors and seemed to get a good response from most people. Anyway, a lot of drama happened in between that presentation and my next presentation to the church in general.

The devil never sleeps.

It is so sad to see grown men and women act like children because they're not getting what they want. There has been a group of people at my church that have thrown full blown adult tantrums about the designs. Yes, I'm only 22, and these people are acting like children. I don't know what it is that makes them act the way they do. At my last presentation these people told me (in front of the whole church) that I don't know what I'm doing, that my designs are ugly, that I've bought the pastor (really?!), that they know more than I do about structural walls, etc. It doesn't end.

But... God never sleeps, either!

This whole process has been a very rough one for me as it is my first "real-life" project. Other designers who've been working for longer than I have assure me it's good that I'm dealing with all these people early on as it will prepare me for the future. Sometimes I just want to quit and let them do whatever they want. But when I started working on this project I made a commitment to God that I'd make sure this would get done right, because He deserves nothing less! It was my promise to God to do all this for free as well, and these people make it hard to want to keep that promise sometimes.

I am proud to say that at my last presentation I realized there are more people in favor of what I'm doing than not in favor. I have faith that my God will stay with me throughout this whole process and He will be victorious!

All I have to do is just keep swimming!

Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted."... (Matthew 15:28)

Don't judge a book by its age?

Last year I was asked to be the teacher for the teen class at my church beginning 2013. I was a little hesitant at first since everyone always gives these kids a bad rep, but I decided I'd do it.

Being a teacher is a big role. As a teacher you have the responsibility of opening your students' minds to new ideas, aiding in their spiritual journey, and also being a friend to them. As I thought about all the responsibilities I had agreed to take on, my insecurities rose. The comments I received did not help. 

"Good luck. They don't listen to anyone." "They're so disrespectful." "They don't want to learn about the Bible." You get the idea..

I prayed and prayed. God gave me the strength to keep from resigning before the year even started. I decided to change everything about how their class was done, I added new things, changed the studies that we do.. For the first two weeks everything was going well. The kids seemed to enjoy the activities and I even had volunteers to read scripture!

That was, of course, until church let out that second week. A mother was questioning what we were doing in the class, and the fact that we changed the bible studies. She confronted me in a hostile way, and I can honestly say God was with me because I handled it very well and she walked away. 

What I wasn't expecting was this... She went to an elder and complained about my changes in a way that made it seem like I was teaching the kids bad things. They had a talk with me. I explained everything to them and gave reasons for my changes. Of course, they were surprised at everything I said because they were thinking different from what they'd heard before.

So why the title?

Last week my class learned about their importance and worth- without age restrictions. The majority of them are 13-16. It's a very difficult age to be a Christian, and they need to know that they matter, that they aren't all rebellious, they aren't all bad, and that they are all part of God's kingdom. 

This message really stuck to me as I am only 22, and get judged the same way they do a lot of the time. It's really hard sometimes to stay in church, to do the right thing, to be a good example when you're surrounded by older people who talk down on you without knowing your heart or relationship with God.

“Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:11,12

Reading this verse literally lifts me up every time I feel attacked by anyone at church. It's a great reminder of who I am, what I am here to do, and who I am doing it for. If you are young, don't let anyone's comments get to you- be an example. And, don't forget that while you're living your life, there will always be someone younger watching your every move.