Faithful Fridays ~ Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal.

Helllooo, everyone!  I hope you've had a great week so far!  :)




Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog. I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog. If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post! :)

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You know how sometimes, we get so caught up in our routines, and life gets so crazy, that it actually gets in the way of...well...life?  
It's like we get so busy trying to make life perfect that we stop living it.  We plan and plan and we forget to take advantage of what's lying right before us.  We get so busy planning what we want to do for our career that we forget to pursue the interests and passions God has given us.  We get so busy trying to figure out how to do our hair and what to wear for that event that it ends up being more stressful than enjoyable, like it was planned to be.  We get so busy trying to figure out how we're going to get to Bible study that we forget to love those right in front of us in that moment.  Before we know it, so many days have passed, and yet we aren't really living life the way Jesus came to give it. 

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." -John 10:10

Jesus' words to us--words about following Him, loving and forgiving others, giving of ourselves, and being a servant--weren't just words.  They weren't just friendly suggestions.  They weren't even good moral lessons.  They were a new way to live life; the best way!  And shouldn't Jesus know what abundant life really is?  He is the embodiment of it, after all, the Son of God, who created life!  

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6

Jesus came to give us life, and to show us a new way, the best way, to live it.  His way is sort of a reverse economy kind of thing--other people tell us, and we tell ourselves, that to have more means to be happy.  That to serve yourself means to be satisfied.  That to be in a perfectly still place with no problems or conflicts is the way to have peace.  That to forgive is to lose.  That to have a boyfriend or girlfriend is to be content.  That to do what you feel like is freedom.  That to follow God is to be a slave, tied down to rules and regulations.
But have you ever looked at someone who should have it all?
I'm thinking about people like Elvis.  
And Whitney Houston.
Miley Cyrus.  
People that should be perfectly happy--they have everything they need and want, and should they want anything else, they have plenty of money to get it.  They could probably date any person they wanted--that alone should make them happy, right?  They serve themselves, and they have tons of other people serving them, too.  People all over the world want to meet them and even hold them up as idols.  
And yet, they end up in these dark places, where they turn to drugs, alcohol, and other things to fill up the empty spaces.  They're never satisfied, they're always searching.  

It's not just the famous celebrities we all know.  It's the people around us.  Teenage girls, girls I know, are constantly thirsting after more attention, more love, more, more, more in their life to fill it up.  Fathers who think working and making money to have big houses and big vacations end up getting obsessed with work and being successful and never being satisfied, either.  
Guys, we're not preparing for life; we're LIVING it.  Right now.  As you're reading this.  And life is short.  So, so short.  Shorter than we realize.  It flies by.  Did you know that there are only 940 Saturdays in between the time you're born and you go to college?  These days that we just let slip away into the wind are going to add up to weeks and months and years, and before we know it, we'll be closer to eternity than we ever realized.  
We spend so much time in this world concentrating on just getting by--so much time is spent on our routines and earthly stuff.  But our purpose, the reason we were put on this earth, was not to just get by and make the most out of the little situations we were placed in.  We were made for so much more than that.  We were made to enjoy a living, breathing, active, intimate relationship of worship and love with our Creator, with Jesus.  God wanted that so very much when He made us. 

 
And when we realize that and start living it out, we find out what true joy is.  We find out what true peace is.  We find out what freedom really means, and what really happens when we forgive.  
When we step outside of ourselves, surrender our lives to Jesus, and start following Him, we start soaking up His love and finding that true joy.  When we lean on and trust Him during our struggles, we find out what true, mind-blowing peace really is.  

When we give our life to Jesus, when we become His, we realize that true freedom is found in Him--we find out that we don't have to worry about what others think of us, or if we're making ourselves happy.  Jesus brings us life, and we're free to struggle in the circle of His love, grace, and forgiveness.  

"So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." -John 8:36

When we forgive someone, we find out that that has set us free from grudges and hurt and pain that's been locked up inside us--we're free to go and live our lives in peace!
And when we stop trying to get everyone to serve us, and we humbly, lovingly serve others, like Jesus did, we find out what His love for us really means.

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." -Mark 10:45
Maybe it sounds a little crazy.  Maybe it doesn't make sense.  But it works.  This is how I want to live life.  Not by being wrapped up in my own stuff.  But by following Jesus, recklessly, radically, truly.  Because He is life.  
And when this life--which is just a short little puff of breath in comparison to eternity--is over, I want the things I did in it to matter.  
This life is not a dress rehearsal.  It's the real deal.  And I want mine to be all about Jesus, living in His love and living it out to others, because that's all that matters.  

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God bless you guys, and have a wonderful weekend!  Thank you so much to those of you who participate in Faithful Fridays each week--I really appreciate it and love reading your posts!  :)
Joy :)

Faithful Fridays ~ How Do We Do Humility?

Hi, everyone!  :)  I'm sorry I haven't been around the blogging world lately....my computer broke down and it turns out the hard drive is just....fried.  :(  Luke accidentally spilled water on it the other day, and we didn't realize how bad it was.  I lost all my documents and pictures (including all my stories....*cringe*), but they said that the computer itself can be saved if I get a new a hard drive.  So anyway, my computer's been out for the past few days.  Hopefully I'll get it back soon...I'm thankful that it's not completely gone!  :)

Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog.  I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog.  If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post!  :)

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So, what is humility and how do we do it?

Maybe you've pretty much mastered it, maybe you've spent time doing a special Bible study on it, but it's something that I guess I've either never really struggled with or never really thought about.

I mean, I know that we're not supposed to be proud or arrogant, and I do my best not to be (I despise arrogance, it's one of the most annoying things ever to me).  But I guess the whole concept of humility and exactly how we're supposed to do it hasn't ever completely sunk in.

I think sometimes when we think of humility, we think of someone on their knees with their nose to the ground, letting other people walk all over them.  And that's not what it is.  Yes, humility has to do with turning the other cheek.  It has to do with putting others above yourself (which weaves itself in with love and compassion and selflessness).

"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

-Proverbs 15:33

"Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor."

-Proverbs 18:12

Humility is honorable.  

Humility isn't about putting ourselves down and acting like we're nothing.  God loves us and values us and we shouldn't forget that.  

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.

-C.S. Lewis

Humility is about putting others before yourself.  It's about being selfless.  It's about not being self-centered or selfish.  It's not about treating yourself like dirt or having low self-esteem.  

Humility is honorable.  It builds people up (including yourself, but not in a conceited way).  

You can still be confident enough in yourself--or rather, who you are in the Lord--and be humble and selfless.  I think it's important to remember that before Jesus saved us, we were nothing.  And without Him, we still would be.  But we're not.  And we can know that in Him we have value and we can be confident that we are loved and we are somebody, because we are God's children.  And since God reached down and saved us, shouldn't we extend some of his love to other people and stop being so self-centered?

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God bless you guys and have a great day!

Joy :)

Faithful Fridays ~ The Screwtape and Wormwood in My Life

Hi there, everyone!  :)  First of all, I must apologize.  I am so, so, so, so, so sorry that I missed last week's Faithful Friday.  I feel terrible.  In fact, I've completely neglected my blog in general and I feel really bad.  I apologize!

This post is late, but better late than never, right?  :)

Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog.  I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog.  If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post!  :)

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I started reading "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis today.  I've been wanting to for a while, and I finally got my hands on it.  

I've only plunged into the first chapter, but I can already tell that it's going to be a fascinating, thought-provoking, creative little book.

I mean, you have to respect Mr. Lewis for taking up such a big writing job.  He's taking the part of the devil and his apprentice demon.  That's some creepy writing right there, some thin ground to tread on.

Did you know that the book is dedicated to Mr. Tolkien, the man who wrote "The Lord of the Rings"?  Mr. Tolkien brought Mr. Lewis to Jesus.  They were good friends for a long time.

The book makes you imagine (and realize) how hard the devil works.  It makes you realize how much of a liar he is.  It makes you take a look at your own life and think about what tactics the devil is using to tempt you, the struggles he's throwing at you.

And when you read it, you feel like you're getting an inside look at the devil's schemes.  You feel like you may able to get the best of him and not let him get the best of you.

Because it's true, ya'll.  Oftentimes we fall into thinking and feeling like our struggles and temptations are just beyond our control.  We feel like it's never really possible to overcome.  But the Bible tells us otherwise!

"I can do all things through him who gives me strength."

-Philippians 4:13

With Jesus, we can do anything, including overcome the devil and his schemes, and so much more.  

We do not have to fall victim to the temptations and struggles and battles that the devil throws our way!  The God of angel armies is on our side!  

"So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

-Isaiah 41:10

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

-Joshua 1:9

Go out into the world and know that God is with you.  He is ever-present by your side.  He is holding your hand.  He is Emmanuel, God with us.

God bless you guys and have a great weekened!  :)

Joy :)