Reign in Me

I've been thinking lately about the passage in Matthew 6 that tells us not to worry but instead to "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" (6:33). I wanted a little more explanation about what that looked like.

Using StumbleUpon, I found a site called Biblos.com that is amazing! It gave me a little more insight about this passage by explaining it a little differently. One of the commentaries said seeking the kingdom means letting God reign in our hearts. When I turn over control to him, then his righteousness covers me.

This website also gives the original Latin or Greek words in the passage, what they mean, and where else to find them, which can be really helpful.

A Generous Spirit

Last night as my teammates and I left Carrabba's, we walked past a man sitting at the side of the road. One of the girls turned and offered him her take-out box with her left-over pizza. It was such a simple act but so full of kindness and generosity. It was like she didn't have to give it a second thought; it was just the obvious thing for her to do.

How great it is to notice goodness in other people. It makes me want to have that spirit of being so ready and willing to give to others that it becomes second nature. Maybe the more I'm filled with God's spirit, the more I will have his eyes to see opportunities like this.

The Love Languages

You may have heard of a book called The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. The author describes five different ways that people communicate love: acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch, and gifts. His idea is that people often show and receive love in different ways, which may cause difficulties in communicating.

God tells us to love one another, but I often find myself frustrated when I don't know how. I know I have to trust him that he will show me, and I think one way that he does is through teaching me new ways to think about loving others, like with the ideas from this author. Although not exclusive, I've still found his thoughts very helpful.

Although I think we may need all of them at different times, it is interesting to learn more about how to communicate love with those around us. I have tried to figure out the stronger love languages of my friends and family just to remind myself that they may need love in a way that does not come as natural to me.

I think it's important to ask people how they feel most loved as well. Something like quality time may look like a good conversation to one person while it may look like two people simply enjoying one another's presence in silence to another.

Noticing Beauty

One thing I love about creating art is how it teaches me to be more attentive. One of the greatest things I gained from my Drawing I class this past semester was better observational skills.

When I draw or paint, I pay attention to the little details like the variety of shapes and colors in my subject. Art helps me recognize beauty in the simple, everyday things that I often miss, like how light falls on a person's face.

I know the saying "Stop and smell the roses" sounds cliche, but I know I should heed it's advice more often. Sometimes I have to remind myself to look up at the sunlight streaming through tree leaves as I walk across campus or to notice the pattern of shadows they make across the ground.

This excerpt is from Mister God, This is Anna by Fynn. Five-year-old Anna cries out to her companion Fynn, a brotherly figure of about twenty, that people pass by without seeing the broken iron stump that she sees:

Anna's misery was for others. They just could not see the beauty of that broken iron stump, the colours, the crystalline shapes; they could not see the possibilities there. Anna wanted them to join with her in this exciting new world but they could not imagine themselves to be so small that this jagged fracture could become a world of iron mountains, of iron plains with crystal trees. It was a new world to explore, a world of the imagination, a world where few people could or would follow her. In this broken-off stump was a whole new realm of possibilities to be explored and to be enjoyed

Mister God most certainly enjoyed it, but then Mister God didn't at all mind making himself small. People thought that Mister God was very big and that's where they made a big mistake. Obviously Mister God could be any size he wanted to be. 'If he couldn't be little, how could he know what it's like to be a ladybird?' Indeed, how could he? So, like Alice in Wonderland, Anna ate of the cake of imagination and altered her size to fit the occasion. After all, Mister God did not have only one point of view, but an infinity of viewing points.

Feelings Will Follow

In Christian Soup for the Christian Soul, Corrie ten Boom tells a story about when she faced a concentration camp officer years after the Holocaust. Though he did not remember her, he asked for her to forgive him. Corrie describes how all of her emotions fought so strongly against wanting to forgive, yet her mind knew she must ("But if you do not forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive your sins").

As soon as Corrie shook his outstretched hand, she immediately felt healing warmth and an overwhelming love that was not her own flow through her.

So often I find myself not feeling like loving someone. Corrie's story shows how God has given us a will that rules over our feelings. He asks us to obey him first, regardless of our emotions. When we do, however, the feeling of love may often follow. C.S. Lewis says that when we act like we love someone, soon we start to actually feel like we love that person.

I don't have to get frustrated or feel guilty when I don't feel loving. Instead, I just have to follow God as he shows me how to love them. Hopefully, the feelings will follow. If not, I know I am still loving God by obeying him. He has the power to love through us that I will never be able to muster up on my own.

Lavish Grace

My devotional yesterday (Matthew 20:1-16) was about showing grace in difficult situations so that people would know God's grace through my actions. Five minutes later, I had the opportunity to show grace, and I blew it.

My sister came home and discovered someone (me) had eaten her leftovers that she was saving. I had not known they were hers, but instead of just humbly apologizing, I got defensive, lashed back, and left upset and unforgiving. It would have helped if I could have just taken one minute to see from her perspective before automatically trying to defend mine.

We later talked and reconciled, but it still reminded me how much I still needed grace. Moments after reading about God's grace to us, I couldn't even show it to my sister, whom I love so much. How much greater must God's grace be to give it unconditionally and generously to his undeserving children like me.

Do I have what it takes?

I race in NCAA track regionals next week, and I can't help but feel a little anxious. Often before a meet, I start doubting whether I will be able to perform to certain expectations. Sometimes I let the pressure and worry take away from the joy of the experience, which I think can happen in other areas of life, too.

Have you ever asked yourself, "Am I going to be good enough? Do I have what it takes? What if I fail?" Diane Gulyas, president of DuPont Performance Polymers, said the experiences where you learn the most are the ones with a chance that you will fail.

Still, I'd rather have confidence going into the race. Yesterday on my run, I started thinking about how God has already given me everything I need to serve his purposes, which includes running. I don't have to worry about my performance because I have confidence that I am ready for how he wants to use me (thanks to his work in me), and that's all that matters.

Maybe I've been asking, "Do I have what it takes...to accomplish my purposes?" to which the answer is uncertain, instead of asking, "Do I have what it takes...to accomplish God's purposes?" The answer to this one is always a resounding YES!

"This is my desire, to be used by You." -Jeremy Camp

Despite Obstacles

The power of life and energy God gives us can help us grow - even through brick walls.

-Eduard Khegay (Moscow, Russia) The Upper Room May 20, 2010

"Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance." -James 1:2-3 (NRSV)

In his book The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch says brick walls only exist to show you how badly you want something. With God we know anything is possible. He wants to give us the power to grow in Him through the challenges we face.

Sometimes I struggle with my running performance when it doesn't measure up to what I want. It's a good reminder that I run for God, and not for myself. If like Paul says in Philippians that knowing Him more is all that matters, then my success in running doesn't come from hitting a certain time but rather through the growth that happens when I keep my face turned toward Him through every obstacle.