Justified by Faith and Set forth in Forgiveness

We are Called to Forgive Even When it is Hard and Walk by Faith...

"The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self -all your wishes and precautions- to Christ."- C.S. Lewis 

It is incredibly hard to let go of something and give it to the Lord when you know that it would be so much easier to hold on to what it is and continue to give into it. Tonight as I was walking on the beach (I still cannot believe I live where I can walk on the beach every night. Praise God!) with my Activities Director and friend, Sam, we were discussing something that had us both so addled and in bitter spirits and it was just not where we wanted to be. Halfway through this walk I had this thought that came right to me. It could only be explained as a word from the Lord. This feeling was strong so I spoke on it and said, "Sam we just have to pray and forgive. That is the only way we are going to be able to let go and let God work in this the way he intended." Forgiveness is the last thing I would have ever thought I needed to do but yet the exact thing that needed to be done.

God is so good. He blesses us each and everyday in such amazing ways and it just puts this smile to my face and fuels a happiness in me that is undeniable. Even in this happiness there is still room for sin and mistakes and failure of different measures. In this instance this failing was holding onto something that was becoming this toxic thing that was only hurting me and doing the opposite of good in my life. It was becoming this default focus of my time here and that was not ok.

So when Sam and I got back tonight after our walk we started talking about this situation and we were just like we have to pray now and go to the Lord and ask for his guidance and just forgive and let go of this. We crawled up on Sam's bunk and dove into the word. Sam just so happened to turn to Galatians 3 and wow what a God thing that was. It was exactly what we needed to hear and applied to our situation more perfectly than either of us could have ever imagined. How amazing is the Lord? Galatians 3:24-25 says, "So the law was put in charge to lead as to Christ that we might be justified by faith.  Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law." After Sam read that verse we looked and each other and we were just like, wow God thank you. This law that was put forth served its purpose, and faith came so we live in this faith and are no longer supervised by the law. In the Lord we are free and how amazing is that?

To finish out Galatians three the verse -28 speaks on being one with Jesus and I am still so amazed on how perfectly this plays into today and this situation. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, MALE NOR FEMALE, for you are ALL one in Christ Jesus." We are ALL one in the Lord. In everything, every single thing. It is such an easy thing to remember and yet so hard to accept. No matter who you are, where you have come from or what you have done we are ONE in Christ. We are equal in our father's eyes. At the end of Galatians 3 we proceeded to pray and put forth this forgiveness in the Lord that was so greatly needed and this immense and indescribable peace just washed over us and this weight was just lifted. Something as simple prayer time and look into the word was what this situation needed. I think we often forget and underestimate the power of prayer and God's word. He speaks. Whether it be through situations, through the word, in prayer, whatever it may be he is speaking to us, all we have to do is be open to what he is telling us.

I am firm believer that the Lord calls all times soon and that he reveals and provides when the timing is right. So tonight following this powerful prayer I turned on my Holy Spirit Flowing station on spotify and the song that came on was "Forgiveness" by Matthew West. I looked up to the Heavens and giggled at the Lord. He speaks. Every day in every way he speaks to us. The lyrics to this song are so profound and I couldn't help but be consumed by how perfect the Lord's timing really is.

It's the hardest thing to give away

And the last thing on your mind today

It always goes to those who don't deserve

It's the opposite of how you feel

When the pain they caused is just too real

Takes everything you have to say the word

It flies in the face of all your pride

It moves away the mad inside

It's always anger's own worst enemy

Even when the jury and the judge

Say you've got a right to hold a grudge

It's the whisper in your ear saying set it free

Forgiveness, forgiveness

Forgiveness, forgiveness

Show me how to love the unlovable

Show me how to reach the unreachable

Help me now to do the impossible

Forgiveness, forgiveness

Help me now to do the impossible

Forgiveness

It'll clear the bitterness away

It can even set a prisoner free

There is no end to what its power can do

So let it go and be amazed by what you see through eyes of grace

The prisoner that it really frees is you

Forgiveness, forgiveness

Forgiveness, forgiveness

Show me how to love the unlovable

Show me how to reach the unreachable

Help me now to do the impossible

Forgiveness

I want finally set it free

Show me how to see what your mercy sees

Help me now to give what You gave to me

Forgiveness, forgiveness

Forgiveness truly is one of the hardest things to give away, just like these lyrics say, but that is what we are called to do. I am so thankful that tonight Sam and I could come together in prayer and ask the Lord for forgiveness for the way we have handled this and give forgiveness. For God is good and everyday we shall rejoice in his grace and go forth in faith. What a blessing it is to come here to this place that is so visibly in need of the Lord, and have the opportunity to share the most important part of who we are as Christians. Thanks be to the Lord for situations that cause growth and bring us closer to him. Thanks be to God for this amazing Christian family in which I can share and thanks be to the challenges that being part of this family brings.

 Life is not easy, neither is forgiveness but nothing worth the gain is ever "easy." Praise God for a challenging life that makes every day a new adventure and a chance to extend his forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Psalms 100:5 is a great reminder of the Lord's goodness, "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever. His faithfulness continues through all generations." It continues, his faithfulness is forever and always, in every single situation. Going into tomorrow I pray for peace and joy regarding this situation and anything that I may face, that Sam may face that any of my SummerShine family members may face. As a body may we love each other and together love others. Tomorrow is another day the Lord has made and his forgiveness is in my heart and mine on my lips. 

Thank you Lord. 

Shine Bright through the Highs and the Lows

A Not So Easy Time Makes The Relationship Stronger...

Recently I have been having a time with the Lord and his plan for my life, and for the right now. Currently I am off doing my best working to shine his light at the KOA in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. What I didn't realize until quite recently is that every day can be a battle. Maintaining that light amongst the darkness and shining bright when circumstances aren't ideal has always been present but I don't think that I quite realized the full force of that until I jumped head first into this mission experience. Each and every day is a new opportunity to see his works in the least likely places. 

It seems as though everywhere I turn I know that what I see and feel is that the atmosphere in this place is severely lacking God's love and light. What is more amazing than God's love? It is incredibly difficult, it is a daily battle to push through and know that I am not working for a worldly person. Everything we do is for the glory of the Lord who loves us more than we could ever begin to imagine. Today and this past week have been a little bit more on the challenging side. I have to keep reminding myself I am here to carry out the Lord's plan for my life. A verse that my activities director brought up at our bible study speaks to what we are doing here so perfectly, "for all who have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."-Romans 3:23-24 This exemplifies that no matter what we all sin and fall short of the glory of God and that even through that the Lord loves us so deeply and gives us immeasurable grace. It plays so much in to the atmosphere here, that no matter who you are or what you have done you are justified by God's grace and that is amazing.

Where we are here it is imperative that we keep in mind that however different we may be from our coworkers we can't look down upon them or belittle them or each other. For our purpose is to shine God's light and share his love; keeping our heads up and pushing through the undesirable circumstances that we may face. "the Spirit helps us in our weakness..."-Romans 4:26 Every single day in whatever weakness you may face the Holy Spirit is there within you giving you the strength to carry out his will. God is so good. All the time he is good. 

This opportunity to work here with other SummerShiners has truly made me realize that it is about the work we are doing it is about how we do that work and who we are doing it for. Good works are wonderful and great but unless they are in the name of the Lord they don't hold the merit that they should. Hebrews 6:10 says, "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Even as we work for the glory of the Lord for his people we ourselves are growing and that is amazing.

I have already learned so much about myself in this process and it amazes me everyday how present the Holy Spirit really is in everything we do. "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."-Romans 5:5 I love this verse so much because the fact that the Holy Spirit is so tangible in our lives means everything. God has poured out his love that we too may love his children. I think it is so important in this mission field and any mission field that we know that it isn't about the work itself and how well we can do it but how we can do it with the Holy Spirit flowing in us to glorify our Heavenly Father.

The way I have discovered that I work is with my heart. I could be doing the lest desirable task, cleaning some bathroom with some of my amazing SummerShine family members, and smile and deep belly laugh because no matter what God is present and so so good. How blessed are we to be given the opportunity to serve our Heavenly Father? I know that right now I want to focus on cultivating friendships and working for the glory of the Lord even when it is approximately 100 degrees outside and I am walking around drunk from heat exhaustion. God blesses us everyday so I want to use what I have to glorify him in any way that I can even though that is harder than I could have ever imagined.

This season of my life is for working for the Lord as the Holy Spirit flows through me. I have prayed for who knows how long for things to become apparent in my life and right now all that I know for sure is that I can't even comprehend what the Lord is using me for but I do know that I love being the body. Of course I fail but failing or messing up an easy task only makes me want to work harder. God is amazing and he knows, he loves, he does, and he calls all times soon (even in the darkest places). My God is a loving God who holds me on days when I feel down and comforts me and gives me guidance when I don't know what to do or how to handle a situation. "Though the mountains be shaken (the heat be unbearable) and the hills be removed (and the work be difficult), yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken..."-Isaiah 54:10 No matter what God's love is unfailing, no matter the highs or the lows we may face, God is good and in that we can shine his light bright. We are the body and the lights in the darkness. That excites me and scares me, but I have been called and so have you. With the strength and love of the Lord we can do it.
Always and forever.

I am ready.
My mission, our mission for Christ Jesus who is undeniably righteous and in him we are so. 

You Have A Way With Humor

"He will yet fill your mouths with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy."- Job 8:21 

In the midst of every single day that the Lord has made there is some room for some laughter. I don't know about everyone else but I love to laugh; and I tend to laugh even when things aren't funny, and often I laugh or work to produce laughter when the situation is less than ideal. When you can look at the world with humor and see everyday as an opportunity to laugh or make someone else laugh that is awesome. Shining your light through your demeanor and sharing a laugh and a happy moment with someone is part of what the Lord calls us to do. 

This summer I felt that the Lord called me to work with SummerShine at the Myrtle beach KOA. So I arrived to move in this past Sunday with my Mom and my brother only to find out that I was there before my Activities Director and they weren't expecting me until the following week. So naturally my first instinct was to panic and think "how in the world could this happen to me?" Once I got settled into where they were going to let me hangout for a few days I really thought about the situation and I came to the conclusion that it was actually kind of funny, a story to tell sometime and laugh about the crazy things that always seem to happen to me. I believe the Lord has a sense of humor and that we definitely see him in the funny instances in life. 

Psalm 126:2 speaks some serious testament to how the Lord's love and devotion really impacts our lives; "Then was our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with songs of joy. Then they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them." When I sit and break this verse apart I get these few things; a deep spiritual connection with the Lord produces happiness which then brings laughter, when you are immersed in God's love you want to shout and sing for joy that he is your beloved and you are his, and among those people who are right where you are you then do what you are called to do, which is to share God's love with every single person you meet. 

This summer is going to be one with some crazy new things but I am excited to see what it holds for me. I can only hope and pray that my love for the Lord will be shared with those around me. Whether it be some laughter, a smile to someone in passing, or just a friendly hello to a neighbor, God's light can shine so bright if you only let it. 

One of my all time favorite verses is about going out and being salt and light and shining before all men. Matthew 5:16 says; "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." It is really just as simple as laughing at a sticky situation and making the best of it. Simply choosing to look on the bright side of things shows those around you that you are a part of something so much bigger than this world. Our God is an awesome God and I pray that this summer and forever we all take the time to laugh, sing, smile, and show others the amazing love of our Heavenly Father. 

Practice His Patience

Problems...Will Always Be Present 

Today. What a funny thing today. Today is another day the Lord has made but I am having a hard time rejoicing and being glad in it. The thing about today is that no matter where we go the Lord will be there. Despite the disappointment or stress we may feel for whatever reason we must keep the faith. 

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the almighty love of Christ that forever flows through us."- Romans 8:38-39

I know I am experiencing a really hard day and as soon as I got back to my dorm room this afternoon I went to the word. The only place we can ever truly find a home is in Christ himself. It is evident throughout scripture that nothing, NOTHING, not one single thing, can separate us from Christ and his amazing love. There is a peace that we find in the Lord and I know that sometimes we have trouble resting in it. But even in that we must know that many problems vanish instantly in the Light of God's love because we realize that we are NEVER alone. 

The Lord replies in Exodus 33:14 "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." We have rest, peace, love, and everything we could ever possibly need in the presence of the Lord. Even in the midst of our problems and our days that just fall short. Each moment we can choose to practice his presence or to practice the presence of problems. Often it feels easier to take the problem or problems at hand and run with them; but in the Lord we are blessed to have patience and understanding in knowing that no matter what the circumstance he is so much greater. 

Christ has set us free. He has set us free from the attachment of the problems that come with living in this world. For we know that what awaits us is more than worth the problems we face. I know I must remember and that we all must remember; Nothing, not one little problem, NOTHING, can separate us from God's great love for us. 

The Lord Knows The One Your Soul Loves...

The Lord Knows Him

"Put not your trust in Princes."-Psalm 146:3

In my earlier teen years I had a fixation on a guy, lets just refer to him as Contender 1, that I thought was very much my ideal guy. Looking back a those moments I can see that while he was the epitome of the christian guy I was looking for he is not the christian guy that the Lord has planned for me in my life. I know that during that time I spent countless moments wondering about the future that could be. When in all actuality I should have been going through that time focusing the most on how I could please the Lord more. 

When I sit and think about it now, I realize that the Lord 's purpose for that time was fulfilled. More often than not we think we know a lot more about our lives than we actually do. So where in the time that I spent invested in someone else who was a little less interested in me I gained a little more patience through such an experience. 

The Lord knows my heart. He knew it then when I was experiencing young love. It is the same for everyone; believers and non-believers alike. The Lord knows your heart. One of my favorite verses to refer back to when thinking about this time in my life and this current single time is, Song of Songs 3:5 "Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." 

 As a single christian women I know what it is like to be in love. I was in love, I had that experience. The Lord's plan for my life was not to have a boyfriend or even be in a relationship in the time where he wanted me to be seeking him and growing in his love for me. So you may have experienced something similar or may be experiencing it. Know that the Lord has a plan for your future Husband.

Not every boyfriend or love interest is going to be a contender for your Prince Charming. The Lord has planned out your life from beginning to end and knows him. He knows his heart as well as he knows yours. So if you have not found him yet, thats ok because that just means that neither of your hearts are ready yet. What the Lord wants is for your love to be His. So young love may seem like the most important thing but as christians we know that ultimately all our love is for Jesus and we share our love with those whom we care about dearly. 

As women and simply as christians we strive for that love that is "patient and kind...rejoices with the truth...and always preservers." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) That is a love made after God's own heart. The love that the Lord has planned for us is perfectly crafted after his own heart and we need only be patient. 

Sure there will definitely be people we fall in love with and it might happen more than once. But the Lord knows when your heart is ready and he will arouse and awaken love in your heart. We will know when the time is right because the Lord will be so present in all of it and it will be a love made after his own heart. 

So my Contender 1is just that, a contender. While I did spend quite a long time loving him he wasn't the one the Lord has planned for me. He still has a place in my life as a brother in Christ but that is all. So until the time is right I will continue to pray to the Lord for my Prince Charming and follow the path the Lord has for me as I pray you will do the same.  

New Beginnings Make New Endings

"No one can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." 

There are so many things that we start and finish. But in that ending there sprouts a new beginning and ending for something else. We don't start over; but we begin again right where we are, making things better in our lives. 

One of my very close friends just recently experienced the end to a relationship. For her this ending is just a moment. She doesn't know what the future holds for her and her guy. In this time she has asked herself; "is he the one?" "was this supposed to happen?" "Why did this happen?" "Why does it hurt so much?" "What is God's plan for me?" We don't know what tomorrow holds for us. Only God knows our beginnings, endings, and everything in between. 

Recently I realized that I don't have everything together and I realized that I am not ok with that. I broke down and I let the Lord know that I need Him. But we aren't supposed to have everything figured out and together. If we did everything would be in it's place and we need the Lord for that. He is in control. He makes the decisions and we trust in Him through all of our ups and downs. 

Through everything we must daily remember to ask the Lord for help, that we may grow deeper in love with Him each day. 1 John 1 says that "From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in--we heard it with our own ears,  saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands." All of our beginnings are mixed in with our ends and with God everything is one long beginning. 

So no matter where we start, what our beginning, the Lord is there. We live through him. And through him our whole life is one long beginning that comes from the end of the worldly things that we don't belong to. 

All of the aspects of our lives, everything that we do has a beginning and an ending, from those beginnings there are endings. Endings bring new beginnings and the Lord is present through all of it. 

The Lord's wisdom is ever present. It is made clear in Proverbs that"For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul." God doesn't leave us or forsake us and He gives us the wisdom to know he is King and that He is in ultimate control. 

It is ok to fear what is going to come from an ending. The Lord has every second of our lives planned out. He has planned for every ending to bring a new beginning and in Him we find our strength and solace. 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

The Lord is and will always be present through our beginning, middle, end and no matter what we may be going through or have been through we can always look to him and come home to the house of the Lord. 

Like the story of the prodigal son; whatever we may choose to do in our new beginning, it will never be too late to come home. 

Struggles are moments; little blips in the big story of our lives in Jesus Christ. The ending of this life, we choose to put an end to our attachment to all things worldly that take our focus off of him, figuratively of course, and give everything to Him. Every single moment is planned out by him. So no matter where we are or where we are going there is a plan, and we can Always go home. 

Our home is in The Lord. 

The end in fact is a new beginning. So put your faith and trust in the Lord and know there is a purpose for every moment.