Melanie's Mountain

{A Christmas Story}

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“Keep hiking!” Jamie hollered back at her.

She made sure his back was turned before giving the most exaggerated eye-roll she could muster. The man was infuriating. She tripped, again, over apparently nothing. But who could know, with the massive layer of snow that crunched beneath and melted into her boots? This wasn’t exactly how she had planned on spending her Christmas.

The other hikers seemed far more capable of taking on the ice-cold, brutal hike. Emily jogged back towards her. (How was this girl jogging?? She was having trouble even walking.)

“You doing okay, Melanie?”

“Yeah, sure, totally.”

“Hey. Just keep going, we’re almost to the top.”

Melanie tried not to think about the fact that they weren’t even half way. Didn’t these crazy people know that “the top” was the half way point? Unless, of course, she fell down the steep mountain thing they were climbing. In that case, her hike would be almost over and her residence in the hospital would be just beginning. She took a deep breath and began the endless mental process of berating herself.

C’mon Melanie, why are you this sarcastic? You constantly make yourself miserable. When did this start?

She started to answer her own silent question with a whispered answer, but stopped right after she started. It was too painful; she couldn’t say it. The crack on the edge of her heart sunk a little deeper.

Jesus, I can’t do this. Please help me.

She knew that God would understand the implication of her plea. She didn’t need help with the climbing, just like she didn’t need help driving to school every day and picking up groceries and working and homework and running. But even the mundane every day things were like solid weights dragging at her heart, ripping it apart and making it bleed in these moments. It wasn’t the little things that killed her; it was the heaviness and aching of her heart that made every action ten thousand times harder. She wasn’t begging for help to finish the hike, she was begging for him to carry her through this season.

Jamie turned, hollered down the mountain slope. “We did it!” 

Melanie stumbled the last few steps and turned. The view made her gasp a little. The city lights were illuminated in every feathery spiral of snow. The sky was clear, even though it was lightly snowing. The stars were blinking their glowing patterns of calm and wild paradoxes into the deep blackness of the December night. The glow of their flashlights flickered into darkness as each person in the group reverently turned them off and gazed at the wonder of the city at night, decorated in scintillating beauty.

“Wow, it makes it all worth it, doesn’t it?”

Emily turned towards her. “I’m glad to hear you say that.”

“Yeah, well, it came out before I could stop it. I don’t want Jamie to have the satisfaction of knowing my change of heart.”

Jason laughed. “Jamie, hear that? Apparently for once in your life you’re right.”

“And Melanie was wrong,” Jamie said smugly.

Melanie gritted her teeth and smiled. “Right.”

Jamie laughed. “Melanie, I should probably tell you something now."

"Now?"

"Well, you were getting on my nerves with all your complaining."

“I was getting on your nerves?”

“Well, I always enjoy this hike, and you were kind of bringing down the Christmas spirit.”

“Right.”

“Anyway, I decided not to tell you to make you suffer a little more.”

“What, Jamie?” It came out exasperated. If he kept skirting the question he might find himself taking this mountain 9.8 meters per second squared – meaning, gravity was going to take him all the way down by means of her shove if he didn’t stop this immediately.

Jamie grinned infuriatingly and walked farther. Melanie threw her hands up, and turned to Emily. But before she could complain, Jamie was back, several sleds in tow. Melanie gaped, too relieved and surprised to remember how much she hated Jamie at the moment. Jamie handed off the other sleds and dragged the last over to Melanie. He sat carefully, his mittened hand holding the ropes as he motioned for her to sit in front of him. Melanie tentatively sat on the front edge of the sled, waiting for the terrifying rush of the downhill descent. But, unlike Jamie’s usually impulsive and reckless self, he paused. “You ready?” If Melanie had heard right, there was actually something like gentleness in the tone he used. She nodded, and then suddenly they were off, flying down the hill ridiculously fast, her hands gripping the edges of the wood, Jamie’s arms securely around her shoulders, steering the sled. She let out a scream, albeit a delighted one, as the cold December air hit her face and rushed past in a wild display of speed and thrill. Jamie let out a whoop and purposely veered the sled to the sides. Melanie let out a yelp. “I’m going to be killed!”

“Oh, you’re fine!” Jamie was no longer sympathetic, apparently.

Melanie shrugged and felt the rush of the snow beneath her, the strength in Jamie’s arms as he guided the sled, the bitterness of the air brushing her cheeks with its frosty temper. They were at the bottom of the hill far too quickly, and they sat at the foot of the slope. Melanie tried to calm her quick breaths, tried to calm her heartbeat, tried to wipe off the ridiculous grin that wouldn’t get off of her face.

She was about to stand when Jamie’s voice stopped her. It was soft, comforting.

“You know Melanie, I don’t know what you’re going through right now. But I hope you realize that sometimes life is like that long climb. It’s cold, it’s heartless, it’s long. But the view at the top is worth it. I hope you know that. And, Melanie…”

Melanie managed to mumble a “hmm?” through her tears.

His voice was a whisper. “There are always the good times that come after the hard ones. I hope you hold on to Jesus for the climb so he can take you on a beautiful ride of your life. You would have never gotten this ride without the climb.”

“I understand,” Melanie whispered.

Jamie’s voice was teasing again. “Guess this means that you’ll climb up again, huh?”

“Nope, you rotten egg head, I want some hot chocolate.”

“Alright kid, hot chocolate it is. But since when was I a rotten egg head? You’re the one with the sour mood all the time. And admit it, this ride cured you.”

“We all know you didn’t plan this trip to cure my mood.”

“Well, at least I don’t have a mood like yours.”

Well, Jamie was back. Strange, he could fluctuate between serious and stupid in less than two seconds. Melanie’s heart was light as they walked back into the city lights.

But Melanie never quite left the mountain. For it was there that she learned that to climb is to journey to the next adventure. It took the climb to see the view, to see the purpose of every scar. It was from that place that she could begin the next step of her life. And no matter the pain, God was working everything for her good. And that was enough. 

These November Days

November is nostalgia

Beautiful yet torn

Another year

Lived and worn

November is a paradox

A beautiful death

A new beginning

A last breath

November is distance

The years torn asunder

A bridge that spans

Delusion and wonder

November is a moment

A moment of time

Caught in the dance

Of rhythm and rhyme

November is a step

A dance, a play

Life moves on

In the smallest way

                   

November is the wait

Of everything before-

The waiting prepares us

For what we wait for

November is the end

And a new start

Let your dreams roam on

Within your heart

My Refuge

{Psalm 91:1-2 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.}

Jesus is my love. My life. My everything.

And, as I've been learning lately, my refuge. 

In the midst of our insecurities, in the midst of our fears, in the midst of our guilt and our shame, he stands with open arms. 

When we're afraid that we're not enough, afraid that someone will leave, afraid that we will never find a place to call home, he is there. 

When I cry alone, he is there.

When I'm with lots of people and don't know what to say or how to say it, he is there. 

When I sit and wonder if I can do what God is calling me to do, he is there. 

On the days when I workout and actually do my hair and study stats, he is there, and when I'm lazy and do one pushup and leave my hair a curly mess and "study" Pinterest (*wink, wink*), he's there.

He is there, and I can run and throw myself into his arms. 

He is there, and I can hide from the chaos surrounding my mind.

He is there, because he loves me completely and with no reserves. 

He is my refuge, and in that moment, that is all I need.

He is my refuge, and that is enough.

♡♡♡

Here. I. Am.

It's been seven weeks.
I never thought I'd survive this long, but here I am, typing away, seven weeks later.
So I guess I was wrong.
I was wrong about a lot of things.
See, I didn't know that dreams could break your heart.
But they can.

"Maybe..you're not supposed to go to college this year."
I felt sick. I felt a feeling that I had never had before, sinking a hole into my stomach.
Not go to college? I've been working to go to college for almost ten years.
It didn't help that all my friends were leaving in bunches to go to the schools I wanted to go to.
I applied to ten colleges.
I had the grades.
I had the scholarships.
But I didn't have the direction.
I had prayed ceaselessly that God would show me where I was supposed to be, and I thought for sure that this school in Missouri, the one where I could graduate debt free, was where I was supposed to be. And then, I got the letter that said I was wait-listed. I remember sitting outside of the store in the car, all alone. I held the letter in my lap, and then I remembered.
God, I will praise you if I get accepted or not.
And right there, I praised him.
And then the weeks went on, and I kept praying, and everyone else around me was making their decisions, and I still didn't know. I felt helpless, but at the same time, had peace.
I knew that if God wanted me to go to college and I was seeking him, I wasn't going to miss it. I had done my best, and the rest was up to God.
I had this idea in my mind that God was going to "come through" at the last possible moment.
And so, when I arrived home in August from Chicago, I was...
Well,
I was lost.
I've always known where I was supposed to be. I've always tried to follow the Lord, and I had surrendered every college to him. At that point I was ready to go to any college he wanted me at. But I hadn't surrendered college itself. And I just figured that God "coming through" meant that he would fulfill that desire of my heart.
It would be so easy for me to become bitter, to say, "God, you didn't come through for me!"
But that isn't true. He has come through for me. In my deepest heartbreak, he walks beside me and carries me. He gives me strength and opens new doors that I couldn't have foreseen for myself.
For the first time in my life, I have complete charge of my time. I don't have the pressure of grades or test deadlines or work, and I'm free to try new things, right where I'm at.
God came through,
not how I wanted him to,
but in a way that was best for me.
And so, as I brave life in a form that I've never seen before, I praise him, because he is growing me and taking me on adventures that are making me into someone he can use to advance his kingdom.
Seven weeks later,
Here.
I.
Am.

His Thoughts Toward Me

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (NASB) ~Psalm 139:17

"God what are your thoughts toward me?"

The question stemmed from so many things. I want to be loved. I want approval. I want to feel happy. And I look for those things in every place. I try to numb myself with entertainment, I try to keep busy so I don't have time to think about what's hurting me, I try to be prettier and skinnier and all of that. 

And all this time, I've been ignoring the very thing that will set me free.

His love.

Take a minute. Close your eyes, and imagine what God is thinking towards you. Try to recall the Bible verses that you used to memorize before you got too busy. I'll tell you my version at this very moment.

"Sara, I'm never going to leave you or forsake you. My plans for you are good. I have loved you with an everlasting love! When I have tried you, you shall come out as gold. Seek me with your whole heart." 

Every single statement there came directly from his word. That is why we must constantly be soaking up his word, we must devour it and hold onto it and obsess over it. It will replace the old thoughts -- the thoughts that nag at you. You know what I'm talking about. The thoughts of someone not caring anymore, the thoughts of jealousy, the thoughts of "wait, I need to do this and that and this and that and let me not forget to feed the chipmunks and watch this movie because this actress is in it and God-forbid I should miss that..." JUST STOP.

The King; let me say that again; THE KING, yeah the KING is thinking about you. He thinks about you more than you think about that person you really love, he thinks about you more than you think about how you wish you had a better life. We have all we need in him, friends. Why, oh why, do we search for it in other places? 

His love will drown everything else out. It will quiet your fears and depression and will give you a reason to live. I'll leave you with this little memory. 

It was about a month ago, and I was anticipating a really hard year. The short version of it all is that I had to pretty much sacrifice some dreams that were years and years in the making. And it hurt. Really bad. I'm tearing up thinking about it right now. 

"God, I can't do this alone. The only way I can get through this is if you don't leave me."

And I remembered that verse.

"Sara, I will never leave you or forsake you."

"Well then, so be it."

Imagine what he's saying to you. Find his promises and his commands that he's impressed in your heart. It will always change. Psalm 139 goes on to say, "If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You." 

Oh friends! He is here with us! He loves us SOOOOO MUCH! How can I make you believe that? I wish I could hold all of you close to me and whisper in your ear how much he loves you. But I don't need to. God is already doing that. Will you listen? Will you get alone with him and seek him with all your heart? He will satisfy your soul. He will. 

I love you all and am praying that you would find all you need in Jesus' loving arms. 

A life he loves,

Sara

My Life for His Glory

This is my mind.
This is my heart.
I make the rules.

The words filtered through my subconscious, and as I awoke,*  the words played over again.

This is my mind.
This is my heart.
I make the rules.

Part of me struggles with this idea. After all, my life is ultimately God's. I am hidden in Christ, have taken on his identity, and am trying to walk in his ways. It is NOT my life. NOT my mind, or my heart, and at the end of the day, I make none of the rules.

But hear me out. I have a responsibility here. There is an inherent need in each of us to actually fall out of bed in the morning and put a semblance of an effort into doing life. We can't expect God to shoot us with Captain America serum, do all our homework, and control our thoughts. He will give us the strength to do these things (after all, without him, nothing is possible), but we must actually take responsibility for the potential he's given us. I mean, would it be more glorifying to God if I sat on my couch all day and ate ice-cream and watched Pride and Prejudice seven million times (who, ME?) or if I spent quality time with my Maker, lived morally, did my homework, managed my time, and pushed myself to reach my full potential? Which version of me do you think God could use to effect change?

I don't have much more to say, but let me just give you (and me, okay, mostly me) somewhere to start.

This is God's life. These are the things he's given me.

➝He's given me my mind. I choose to think of things that please him.

➝He's given me my body. I choose to treat it like his temple.

➝He's given me my brain. I choose to use it wisely and fill it with useful knowledge. (No, Sara, that doesn't mean creating more boards on Pinterest...)

➝He's given me my heart. I choose to guard it and use it for the compassion of the lost and hurting.

➝He's given me my life. I choose to live it to his glory.

That's a start. I'm sure you have your own. I have this job, I have this family, I have this talent, I have this asset.

This is God's life -- and it comes with an enormous responsibility. Push to your full potential, live in a way that pleases God, and yes--

We'll set the world on FIRE.



Philippians 4:8
Proverbs 4:23
Mark 12:30
1 Corinthians 6:19-20


I love you, friends! ♡♡♡♡♡♡


* This is what I look like when I wake up, btw. Rose and crown and lipstick and all. :)

Thoughts

Innocence is always acquired, not taken.

Grace is the antidote to our shame and guilt.

Love is more sacrifice than it is pounding hearts. 

Peace is knowing the end is worth the beginning.

Hope is the only difference between life and death.

Strength is the measure of adversity met and conquered.

Joy is proportional to the amount of pain we have already suffered.

And Life--

Life is knowing and loving and following Jesus.

That's all, folks. ♡♡♡♡

Writing Snapshots

Note: This post could be otherwise entitled "My Tribute to Randomness." :) 

The aforewritten (apparently not a word before I just invented it) note stems from the fact that my writing consists of SO. MANY. GENRES. Currently in my files, I write in the 20th,  21st, and some unknown century, in poetry, prose, and paragraph, about high schoolers and heiresses, about logic and love, and, well, ultimately about Jesus. 

You see, originally my writing consisted of good morals and a happy ending. But after some discussion and thinking, I realized that I wanted my writing to actually mean something. Because I know that if I write to entertain only, I have accomplished very little. But if I write about the gospel, about Jesus, I'm changing the world. 

That said, I'd like to share some little snapshots of my writing here -- just a few sentences out of my different projects to give you an idea of my [{< writing life >}] . :) 

→"No." It came out in a whisper, and we both resorted to silence. Always silence. The feeling came, an urge to just say all of the words that were there inside of me. I marveled that two people could walk side by side and not be able to see the feelings that were inches away from them. It burst from me suddenly, halting us both.{I Stumbled Upon Grace}

→With a sudden shock, it came back to me. My hear suddenly felt cold. I felt as if I was numb, as if everything was just a blank whiteness. I wanted that whiteness. I needed it. I turned my head and looked at the ceiling, and it had little lines and gashes from the years that it had been in place. The lines and gashes glared at me, and I felt broken. My last thought before losing consciousness again was a prayer. "Jesus, I am broken." {I Stumbled Upon Grace}

→"In a perfect world-" the tall man began, but Giselle cut him off.

"This is not a perfect world."

He shook his head, smiling as if amused.

"But we're trying to make it one." Out of the corner of her eye, Giselle saw Neriah's hands pause above his paper. Then he continued to write.

"I think," Giselle began, impatient, "You are a bunch of scientists trying to prove something to the world."

The man smiled a little wider. "Did I hear you correctly? You think? Pardon me, but I believe that's how you feel. And that is why we are doing this experiment, and that is why you are the perfect candidate."

Giselle's eyes snapped. "I'll make you the perfect candidate for a - a brain transplant!"

"You're proving your own qualifications of a -" he paused, referencing a paper in his hand, "a very emotional person. And, another correction, my dear -- you think I'm due for a heart transplant, not a new brain. Good day, Miss Giselle." {Character development exercise for a medical/scientific novel}

→And she knew also that she must hold on to Ernest in her heart. No matter how many cities and stars were between them, no matter how many people they met, no matter who they became, she knew that she must keep him always near. {Flower of my Childhood}

Placement: Finding Your Dream

Part 3 of Big Picture: A Series On How To Change Your Perspective In Order To Change The World

So far in this series, we've talked about Christ working through us to share His grace (read here) and how we can use the pain in our lives to serve as a strength in changing the world (read here). In Part 3, I want to talk about finding our place in the grand scheme of things. What issue is the most important to address? What should we be doing? Should we be assessing our personality and talents to try and figure out what we're supposed to be doing? I have some different points to emphasize here, and they are all different, so I'm just hoping and praying that this can make sense and not totally contradict itself. Ya know?

First of all, take a moment and assess where you are in life. Who are you? This can include everything from your financial to relationship status to your career to your reputation. Write it all down, and then burn it. (Okay, don't actually burn it. What if you burnt your house down, and then I was responsible??) Just put it aside for a moment, and realize that whatever your "status" in life, it means nothing. In the kingdom of God, if you're extremely intelligent, you're still pretty dumb compared to God. If you live meal to meal, that also means nothing. God can do anything He wishes with anyone. Take a moment and surrender your whole identity to the Lord. Tell Him you want to be used mightily in His kingdom, merits and hangups and everything. Let Him give you a dream, a passion, a cause for something that you can use your life to end or advance.

Because here's the deal. The place and ministry where God calls you is going to be the place where the kingdom of God is going to be advanced and the world is going to change. 

Secondly, I was listening to a sermon yesterday, and my pastor was saying something very profound (that made me kind of rethink this whole blog post!). He was saying that instead of trying to find our ministry, we just need to start walking in it. Instead of waiting for a ministry to knock on your door and ask you to be CEO, we need to be sharing His grace with the world through our actions and words. Sometimes ministries do up and knock on your door, but we can't sit on the couch and wait for it. Your ministry is a lifestyle, not a career.

Thirdly, you can take that list out again. (Unless you burned it. But I told you not to, so...) Take a good look at it. Remember that parable in the Bible about those talents? Here's a little excerpt:

"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.  To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’"

The story continues with the end of the stories of the two other stewards. Even though the stewards were in charge of money in this, I think it's really cool that the money was called talents (does that make anyone else really happy? No? Okay, sorry.). Now in light of this, analyze what you have right now. Do you have a dream to end abortion? Do you have a heart for widows? Political involvement? Who are you married to, and what is their dream? Are you single and love to travel? Ask God to show you who you are and what you have, and how it all fits together. 

So I know I went all over the place today, but let me try to sum it up for you:
  
Treat everyday and every situation as a ministry, and be asking God to give you the dream and passion He wants for you. Your life may not change at all, but you might, as you realize His ministry for you. And finally, realize that God has given you certain gifts that, if used in His strength, are going to change the world. 

Love you all & can't wait to change the world with you!

 

Meant For Good: Turning Pain Into Potential

Part 2 of Big Picture:

A Series On How to Change Your Perspective In Order to Change the World

 

She falls out of bed in the morning, her brain madly trying to remember the events of yesterday. Then she remembers. She gets back in bed. There's no point in even trying.

He looks in the mirror and rubs a grizzled hand over his gray beard. The voice taunts him. "You could have done so much. Look at you. All alone. Haven't changed a thing."

She picks the screaming baby out of the crib, her body exhausted, her mind running mutinous thoughts. "So long, dreams of yesterday. Today is too much to handle."

He drives to work, trying not to think about it. It just hurts too bad. He doesn't even think about the dreams he used to have. Those were an idealist's circus, and they mean nothing, nothing, nothing...

So you want to change the world? I have news for you. Life might get in the way. Translate: Life will get in the way. Every person in the world suffers. It's non-negotiable.

1. The Enemy isn't too happy with you and can't wait to make you miserable.
2. There's other people on earth, and they also have an innate ability to make you miserable.
3. You tell yourself lies all day that make you miserable.
4. There's about ten million decisions you could make right now that could make you miserable.

Here's the really amazing part. 
The more pain and training you go through, the stronger you're going to be.

In Isaiah 58, it says (italics added):

"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness, 
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, 
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily..."

According to these verses, as we (broken and hurting) serve others, our healing will come quickly. As we put aside our problems to focus on anothers' issues, ours become a little smaller.

To wrap up this post, I want to finish with the story of Joseph. I hope you take the time to read his story this week, (Genesis chapters 37, 39-50) but I'll give a quick recap here. 
Initially, Joseph was his father's favorite.Unfortunately, this favor was not shared by his half-brothers, who were proactively jealous: they decided to sell him to Egypt.
In Egypt, Joseph was then sold to Potiphar, where he rose to a higher position. Perhaps Joseph thought that finally his life was headed in the right direction. He knew that the Lord was with him. But God had different plans for Joseph. Soon he was degraded to the prison when Potiphar's wife accused Joseph of what he did not do. Still, God was with him. It says,
"But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison." {Genesis 39:21}
At this point in his life, he must have asked so many times, "Why me, God?" There didn't seem to be any purpose. Almost everyone in his life had totally let him down. But his story wasn't over yet. The Lord had given Joseph the gift of interpreting dreams, and this gave him access into the very palace of Pharaoh. Later, Joseph was reconciled to his brothers. Joseph later said:

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." {Genesis 50:20}


The perspective change for this week is this:

The pain is not your enemy, it is the road to strength.

So, in summary, the pain is not pointless. God is preparing you for a purpose that only He knows. Don't lose heart; your story is far from over. Through this preparation, you are becoming a world-changer. Hold onto Jesus as if your life depends on it. (It does.) And may we all be able to someday say:

"But God meant it for good."

{This song is from Dreamworks' rendition of Joseph's story, and it's one of my favorites right now. Enjoy!}

Start: The Decision

Part 1 of Big Picture: 

A Series On How to Change Your Perspective In Order to Change the World

 

Hey there! I'm so glad that you're joining me on this journey. I hope and pray that this series can be an inspiration in your life; that you can hear the things that you need and implement them. This is a journey I'm on, so please bear with my inexperience and incoherent thoughts that are sure to be here! I'm hoping to make this super practical, so that it's not just good ideas, but a road map of sorts to help us navigate. And just know: I'm praying for you!

So let's get started. If you're reading this, you're probably, to some extent, interested in changing the world. Maybe you have a dream, or good, practical ideas, or maybe you've tried to make a difference and it didn't work so - "farewell to idealism forever"- or maybe you're a genius who has undirected potential, or a successful person who  still feels unfulfilled. Or maybe you're a student who spends half their time struggling to meet deadlines and the other half eating ice-cream and trying not to think about deadlines. I don't know. 

But I do know one thing. If you're going to change the world, you have to do it the right way. And yes, there is a wrong way. Here's the deal. It doesn't matter how much brainpower, motivation, perseverance, time, money, etc, etc, you have.

Without Jesus, it's not happening.

Sure, you can try and do something. You may rescue a thousand orphans, abolish human trafficking, etc, but is that really going to help anything in the grand scheme of things?It's going to help - for a moment - but it's not going to have very much lasting value, and you are going to be BURNED OUT.

But if you have something completely isolated from just "humane help"- something that changes a whole person's life - and you can do it in God's strength, THEN you have something worth giving.

Please understand me here. Don't make a decision here to follow Christ for the sake of being more effective in changing the world. And if you're already a Christian, please don't tune me out. This is for you, too.

Following Christ is a decision that has to be made in light of the fact of Jesus' grace. Because of our sin, we are separated from God.

Romans 3:23 says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

But because Jesus died in our place we can again be with God and inherit eternal life. This is a grace-only deal, one in which our part consists in acknowledging that we are dead without Christ, and that we need Him, thus accepting His grace & believing in Him.

Acts 16:31 says to "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."

This is the message we have to hear ourselves, and this is the message we have to take to the world. If you have never talked to God and surrendered to His grace, I would encourage you to consider it, think about it, obsess over it. It is the biggest decision you will ever make, and not just something to do and then move on. It will become your whole life, and that is a really good thing.

If you are already saved, I would encourage you to dwell on God's grace this week. This is all about Him, not us. Whatever we do, we are able to do because HE saved us, HE gave us life, HE gave us the potential in the first place.

In Philippians 3, Paul basically gives his impressive resume. He could have boasted in it, but instead, he said:

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." 

The perspective shift for this week comes down to this:

We're not going to be the ones changing the world.  

That's a really good thing, friends. A really, really, good thing. 

This week, as we dwell on who we are, and who He is, I pray that it will spur us on to share His grace with the world.

My Creed

I will never settle

For anything less

Than the top of the line

And the best of the best

I will dream; I will laugh

I will reach for the stars

I will cry; I will struggle

And run as far

I will always live for You

I'll bring glory to Your name

I will live in a way

That will bring You fame

There will be no limit

I will reach past the sky

My dreams will be greater

Than ones that have gone by

I will never settle

For anything less

Than the top of the line

And the best of the best

~Sara~