Loving God. Loving Others.

In every high school in the United States of America people put others down and hurt one another. People bully, harass, and torment one another.  As people and as Christians we are called to more than this. It is a problem so prevalent yet so obscure. It’s a problem that most avoid changing or attempting to make a difference of it. If for one day all those who bully were to see life through the eyes of those they hurt; I can promise their lives would change forever. I’ve defiantly been the victim before and trust me it hurts a lot. But the best thing to do is just love those people, and I mean really love them.

Because God loved us we need to love others. He sent his only son to die on the cross for our sins; I don’t know what is more loving than that. 1 John 3:16 says.”This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters.”  Truly the best way we can show God’s love is by loving others, especially those who hate you. Love them, serve them, forgive them and most of all pray for them. We love God right? So we are supposed to love others as we love God, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself” Matthew 22:37-39. Even if they are your enemies, love them. God tells us to love are enemies and pray for those who hurt us. 

Of course as people, and especially as warriors of God it is not appropriate at all to act rudely against those who hurt you and treat you wrong  "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, don't stand up against an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also.” Matthew 5:28-29. Just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! It may seem senseless, illogical, and ludicrous but untimely it is SO rewarding and just the feeling of knowing that you are loving these people is indescribable. And in Matthew 5:11-12 it says that “People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be blessed. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you”.

A lot of people think that being hurtful back and retaliating is the best way to deal with hateful people but that is so farm from the truth.”Hatred stirs up trouble, but love forgives all wrongs” Proverbs 10:12 and as well we should never judge people. A lot of the times the way people are hurt is by being judged, when you judge someone you don’t know them, it’s wrong and hurtful to them. God is the only one who can judge us, and the only one who can judge others. Every time you judge, slander or gossip you push them further away from God.

Judging, being mean and bullying others can be detrimental to them. It can really break them inside, even if they do not show it. It can make them feel so worthless about themselves. And when someone feels so worthless they can become depressed and maybe even want to kill themselves. Do you really want to be the one responsible for making someone feel so horrible? I know I don’t. And this is also why we need to stand up to it when we see it so they can stop hurting people. Let me tell you a little story: There was this guy in my sophomore English class, I never really talked to him much, then one day he suddenly was really terrible to me, for the rest of the year he said everyday “Jackie, I hate you so much, go kill yourself”. He doesn’t know how much that hurt me and I almost listened to him, but that’s not the point here. I never did anything about it; I didn’t stand up for myself. Normally I would not recommend tattling for little petty things people say but that was something I should have told a teacher about, because that isn’t okay on any level. I wish so much that I had told, not for my benefit, but so I could try to prevent him doing that to anyone else. He’s now at a different school and I have no clue how he acts toward people. This is why we need to take action and stand up when we see it.  

My desire and passion in life is loving and serving God, I want to serve Him by making a difference in the world and trying to make the world a place where people feel safe and aren’t afraid of being judged or hurt by others. I believe if even just the readers of this post were to go out and start loving others and stop judging and being mean and to take a stand (appropriately of course, we don’t punch people) when they see bullying, that it would start a chain reaction. Every action starts a chain reaction, we can change the world. 

True Beauty

Anywhere you go it is inevitable that you will see someone who is extremely abundant in outer beauty. In today’s society that is what girls aspire and aim for, it is what many guys want in a girl, and it is what people are judged on: outward appearance. This is the sad reality of our world today. People should remember it is what comes from within which makes a person who they are and for what they should be judged. “It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. No, your beauty should come from within you—the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit that will never be destroyed and is very precious to God.” 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NCV)

Also in all things everyone: every single person on this planet, big or small, popular or seemingly insignificant is beautiful through the Lord God. He created each and every one of us with a design so unique not another is like it. There are almost 7 billion people in the world and for God to create each of them with such intricate and careful design we are completely unique, one in 7 billion. “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV). He made me, me. He made you, you. He made her, her. He made him, him. He made us all who he wanted us to be.

God created us, and God creates beautiful things. God looks at how pure our hearts are, not how much physical beauty we posses. Many girls are blinded by societies’ belief that it is the opposite. “Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades but the woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in Fear-of-God” Proverbs 31:30 (MSG). Through God we are made beautiful and we need to realize that; in Song of Songs 4:7 He says “My darling everything about you is  beautiful and there is nothing at all wrong with you” (NCV). WE WERE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, I don’t know about you but I don’t think there is anything more beautiful than that.

We live in a, culture, a society that bombards us with messages of insecurity, telling us we’re not pretty enough that we’re not good enough. The Christian community says no, you’re good, you’re beautiful but the danger of that is that it often promotes self-esteem and we’re looking within ourselves trying to find our value, our beauty, our worth. God is calling us to more than this. We need to find our value in God. We are good enough because God created us!

I have struggled a lot with not feeling good enough, feeling ugly and worthless, and insecurities. But I have come to realize that I am more than good enough, I am perfect in God’s eyes. I am no ugly or worthless, I am beautiful inside and out, I am not worthless, I am worth so much to God I have so much value and it comes through God. I have no need to be insecure, I have God and with that alone I am completely secure in myself. It took my years to realize this but I am so glad that I did and I hope every girl in the world can realize it too. Say it with me: “I am beautiful, I am good enough, and I am worthy.”

 Looking at how I always viewed myself, I would never want to see another girl think of herself the way I thought of myself. It breaks my heart to know girls feel the way that they do. Every girl deserves to know that they are beautiful just the way that they are, they deserve to be told that. Whether or not they are told they still should know that they are. I always longed to be told that by guys, and because they didn’t tell me I felt like I was worthless and ugly. The guys were all looking at the other girls and thinking they were beautiful and amazing, and I wanted that too. I thought that because they didn’t there was something wrong with me. I know plenty of girls who feel this same way, but let me let you in on a little secret: God looks at you and thinks you’re beautiful and amazing and heck God thinking that is so much better than any guy (even Justin Bieber) thinking that.

I had this misconception of who I was because of the person everyone told me that I was. They told me I was: ugly, fat, stupid, worthless, annoying, mean, and so on. Anything you can call someone, you can bet I have been called it, I heard it so much I believed it was true. But looking at me it was far from true. These people who didn't even know the real me were judging me, in high school and life that’s going to happen no matter what, but I had to learn that it doesn't matter what they think or say. All that matters is what God thinks and says of me, I only let God judge me now. I hope girls can realize that and remember to only care what God thinks. And God thinks we are amazing.

As if I could not make it any clearer I’m going to say it again, beauty comes from within. But true beauty also comes through a life fully surrendered to Jesus Christ. It is when He can be seen in and through you. We really won’t have any true beauty until He transforms us from the inside out. Nothing else can give us that true beauty. We must surrender ourselves to Him, completely surrender. Christ said that whoever doesn’t forsake all that he has cannot be His disciple. We must decrease so that He might increase, if we’re in the way, living the way we want to live, His beauty will not be seen through us. True beauty can only be acquired by true surrender, full surrender.

Every single person in the world is beautiful because God created them. God doesn’t make junk. Real beauty comes from within the heart. But TRUE BEAUTY come from living a life for God and surrendering to Him.

Dont be shy about God, Shine for God

       

 They are so many people in the world. There is almost 7 billion people, that is a 7 with 9 zeros behind it. You probably don’t know all of them, but chances are you do know a lot of people. Think about the people you know, of them how many do you know that are Christians? Out of the people you know that could possibly still be quite a large number. But think about this one, how many people do you know that just show their love for God everywhere they go and aren’t afraid to say they live for Him and love Him with all their hearts? The number is probably a lot slimmer now.

First off I am not saying those who don’t go out and show their love for God aren’t Christians or are wrong, not at all is that what I am implying. But so many Christians are quiet about their faith. “Why is this?” you may ask. I believe it is very simply because they are afraid of other people ridiculing them, harassing them, or persecuting them. But God calls us to be share our faith and His love! So mustn’t we obey Him? “Do you think I am trying to make people accept me? No. God is the one I am trying to please. Am I trying to please other people? If I was still trying to please other people I would not be a servant of God” Galatians 1:10. This verse could be applicable to many things in our lives but I feel that it really applies to this concept here. It is pleasing to God when we show His love, so if you are trying to please God why would you care what other people think of that?

It is so important that we show God’s love no matter what other people may think, because God is calling us to do it! Even though on earth it may get you hurt with your love for Him, WHO CARES?! You will be rewarded in heaven. “When men hate you when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in the day and leap for joy because great is your reward in heaven” Luke 6:22-23.

Don’t be quiet about your faith and love for God. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go shout to the world about loving God, but by all means if you want to go ahead. I once had a conversation with a friend of mine and I was like “I just love God so much I want to run through the halls of school and just shout and proclaim my love for Him” and my friend said I shouldn’t do that because I might trip and get hurt. This made me laugh, but truly sometimes I just want to go shout about God’s love!

But a question I ask you is, with how crazy Gods love is how could you be quiet about it and not tell anyone? “We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen and heard” Acts 4:20. God’s love is so amazing how can you contain that and not share it?! GO NOW AND SHARE GOD’S LOVE! Don’t be scared.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that more frightens us. We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” –Nelson Mandela’s inauguration speech.

That’s whole part of his speech really just shows how we need to let Gods light shine in the world. WE ARE HERE TO SHINE GOD’S LIGHT AND BRING GLORY TO HIM!!

But now think, how did you even come to love Jesus? Did someone tell you about Him? Did you grow up in a Christian home? How? Somehow, someway, someone shared it with you. How did they hear about it? Someone, someway, somehow told them. It’s a cycle. It is kind of like the way rumors start. Someone tells someone and they tell someone else and they tell someone else and so on and so forth. That’s how all of us have come to find Jesus. “as the scripture says ‘Anyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved’. But before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in Him; and before they believe in Him they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them; and before someone can go and tell them, that person must be sent. It is written, ‘How beautiful is the person who comes to bring good news.’” So share God’s love!

SHOUT YOUR PRAISE AND LIFT HIGH THE NAME OF JESUS!

Reconciliation and Forgiveness: Dont forgive and forget because if you could forget you wouldnt need to forgive.

It’s a classic story really. Lisa likes Ben. Ben likes Lisa. Mandy steals Ben from Lisa. Lisa and Mandy hate each other. The end. This is just one instance where people have problems between them but they don’t get resolved. People resent each other and are angry with one another.  “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca’, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’, will be in danger of the fire of hell”. Matthew 5:22. Jesus condemns staying angry. Resent is a sin, we need to realize this.

Let’s put a new twist on this classic story. What if Lisa were to go and reconcile with Mandy instead of resenting her! Reconciling would make things so much better! Can you imagine our world if everyone were to reconcile with each other?! Real reconciliation is about the little things, it’s about immediate action, it’s about taking the first step, it isn’t always successful, but most importantly it’s about what God does within us. God doesn’t command us to be successful, but He does command us to be obedient. We must reconcile to obey Him.

While we do obey we must realize that delayed obedience is disobedience. So we must hurry and reconcile. People are hesitant to reconcile because they believe it won’t work, it’s too late, it won’t make any difference, or it’s not that big of a deal. Think about it. If you leave your hand on a burning stove the longer you let your hand linger the worse the burns will get. The same thing for reconciliation, if you just let the problem sit there it will get worse and harder to reconcile. So JUST DO IT!

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men of their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” Matthew 6:14-15. This verse shows us how important it is to forgive people. Remember how God died on the cross for our sins? And how if we confess our sins to Him and ask for forgiveness we will be saved? We also have to forgive others when they sin against us in order for God to forgive our sins.

People often have objections to forgiving, but…, but…., but… “But they were wrong”, “But I didn’t do anything”, “But it isn’t my fault”, “But it won’t fix anything”. NO BUTS! Okay? Do realize forgiveness is not acting, you can’t just say you forgive someone because the forgiveness is within the heart. Nor is it denial, it’s not saying they weren’t wrong, it’s saying that it is not being resented. Forgiveness isn’t amnesia either; you’re not forgetting what has been done. Many people thing that forgiving will change things; but forgiveness is not change, it doesn’t change what has happened. And forgiveness defiantly is not easy. It’s a tough thing to do. While forgiveness may be challenging, YOU CAN DO IT! He will help us if we do it.  

It is very vital that we grasp the concept that forgiveness doesn’t always change others. Some people are turned away from forgiving because of this, because the thing it will not matter that they forgave. But forgiveness does change you, and that’s what matters. Have you ever heard the saying “forgive and forget”? Do not listen to that line that is constantly thought to be good in our society today. If we could forget we wouldn’t need to forgive!

When do you need to forgive people? And when not? Even the little things are important to forgive. If it matters, forgive. Forgiveness does matter. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 4:32- 5:1-2.

We live in a world where anger, resentment, and fighting occur all around us. So take a stand! Be different! Don’t be angry with people, but reconcile with them and forgive.

"This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your name.

Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debtss, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one."

Matthew 6:8-13

Life at a Glance

Right now in my life, I feel everything is coming to fast. I just want it to slow down. When I was younger, like almost any other young teenager, I wanted to grow up fast. Yet now I wish I could stay a kid forever. I feel that my life is so chaotic and just going full speed and I cannot handle it as well as I thought I would be able to. I want to live my life to the fullest. I depend on God constantly for this.

When I was a kid everyone always asked me “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I probably responded with something like a princess, a cat, or a ninja. As I grew older I began to say things like teacher or a gymnast. But when I was around thirteen that’s when I really decided what I wanted to be, an early childhood educator, I had my plan all set in place, or so I had thought. Around the middle of my sophomore year I changed my mind completely, I realized how much more potential I had than that, I could do so much more with my intelligence, I then decided I wanted to go into either architectural or chemical engineering.  This year I realized chemical engineering is what I really want to do, I decided to live my life to my full potential and work hard and go far in life.  I had a new found drive, strength, and desire inside of me. This is what I feel I have been called to do and it’s the path I plan to take but who knows, God may change that along the way. I also feel profoundly called to fight against bullying, it is something very close to my heart and a problem in the world that I want changed.

I had grown up in a Christian home and always gone to church and known who Jesus was and became a Christian at an early age. When I started getting older I began to realize who God really was and gained more of a concept of it. But it wasn’t really until half way through my sophomore year that I truly had a relationship with God. My first two years in high school had taken a toll on me emotionally; I was constantly in pain and despair. I was mad at the world and mad at God; I didn’t understand why everyone had to hurt me and tear me down. But something radically changed inside of me and in my life. I began to realize how much God loved me and how He wanted to pursue me. I really started completely trusting in God.

“So you must change your hearts and your lives! Come back to God, and He will forgive your sins. Then the Lord will send the time of rest” Acts 3:19. I started changing my life and the way I lived. I can’t completely explain how I really changed, but it began to show. People constantly were telling me they saw a change in me and that they saw God working in me. I began to genuinely realize how crazy Gods love for us is. I mean, He sent His son to die on a cross to save us from our sins. No matter how bad of things someone has done, they could have committed, God STILL loves them, He loves each and every one of us on this earth. That is a HUGE sacrifice, for someone to do that for us they must crazy love us.

When you have God in your life and His love in your heart I believe the way that can be shown best is through radically loving others even if they hate you. I feel in my life that is something I truly do often. I am constantly put down, ridiculed, made fun of, and bullied yet even though these people hate me and hurt me I still treat them kindly I never hurt them back. I strongly feel it is very important to just love them and pray for them, the Bible says “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” Matthew 5:44.

The concept that God had a plan perfectly engineered for me was one that took me a long time to grasp. But once I did it was something that would change my life. I began to live my life according to Gods plan for me not the plan I have for myself. I finally understood that even when things went wrong in my life that it was all ultimately part of Gods plan for me. I recently went through a pretty rough time and at first I was just upset about it but then I just had to repeat to myself “this is God’s plan, this is God’s plan”

Entering into my high school years I was a very insecure and I hated the way I looked. Peoples harsh comments only further hindered my view on myself. I thought I was so ugly and fat and stupid. I hated who I was, and other people hating me too only made me hate myself more. In becoming stronger in God I realized how beautiful I was through God and how I was amazing in His eyes. “My darling you are beautiful and there is nothing at all wrong with you” Song of Songs 4:7.

 I began to realize it doesn’t matter what other people think of me, or even what I think of myself, it only matters what God thinks of me. “Do you think I am trying to make people accept me? No. God is the one I am trying to please. Am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people I would not be a servant of God” Galatians 1:10. When I am standing at the gates of heaven it will not matter how popular I was, how many Facebook friends I had, if I got nominated for homecoming queen, all the guys wanted to date me, or if I was the prettiest girl on the planet; all that will matter is how I glorified God in my life and what Gods view of my life was.

You always see those girls who are outstandingly beautiful. But in the end physical beauty won’t matter. It will matter the beauty with in your heart. “Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the one who lives in the Fear-of-God” Proverbs 31:30. Having God in your heart and living your life for Christ is the most beautiful thing. True beauty can only be found through Jesus Christ, through complete surrender to Him.

Another thing that made me struggle with insecurities was boys. I always looked at the other girls and thought “why can’t I be like them and have guys like me and notice me”. I thought I wasn’t pretty enough or good enough for a guy to like me. A quote from an anonymous author that really shows how wrong I was about that is; “Girls are like apples… the best are at the top of the trees. The boys don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead they just get the rotten apples that are on the ground that aren’t as good but easy. So the apples at the top think there is something wrong with them, when, in reality, they are amazing. They just have to wait for the right boy to come along, the one that is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.”  I thought I would never find someone to love me, but boy was I wrong. I have a God in heaven who loves me so much more than even the strongest earthly love I may ever find. Every girl should realize that.

It is more than understandable that we want to find love. We desire to be pursued. God created us that way. But in this we give our hearts and dreams away instead of giving them to God. A young writer of a book called “Totally God’s”, Megan Clinton says “Don’t chase guys! Your heart is worth fighting for, don’t compromise it by pursuing guys when you should be patient and wait for a warrior to pursue you”. This statement is one of the things I really live my life on now. I feel it is vital that teenage girls understand this. Many young women and girls give away their hearts and their bodies to guys, often ones they won’t spend the rest of their lives with, and this makes me so sad. Our bodies are not ours, they are the temple of Christ and we have to treat it right. We need to guys come to us, that is the way the world was designed to be.

I fully and completely surrender my life to Jesus Christ. I want to fall in love with Jesus. I want to show Gods love in the world. The verse Acts 4:20 has really been on my heart lately, “We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen and heard.” I want to go profess my love for Jesus Christ.  I really want to live my life for God, not for myself. “Abba Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what You will” Matthew 14:36. I think that really just shows that we need to remember to follow Gods plan for us even if it isn’t necessarily what we want for ourselves. I want God to take me life and let it be all for Him and for His glory.

Something I think not all people understand is that ANYONE can come to God. Some people think they are too screwed up for Jesus to fix. Natalie Grant sings a song call “Perfect People” and the chorus goes: there’s no such thing as perfect people there’s no such thing as a perfect life come as you are broken and scarred lift up your heart be amazed and be changed by a perfect God”.  I am going to reiterate myself; no matter how bad of a person we are or what we have done in our lives God still loves us we just have to let Him. God heals us, “He heals the broken hearted and bandages their wounds” Psalm 147:3. Jesus’ dying on the cross offers us a fresh start to those who acknowledge their need for Him. He says “Come to me all of you who are tired and have heavy loads and I will give you a rest” Matthew 11:28, all we have to do is go to Him and say that we need help. He will help us, simple as that. He protects me like a strong walled city and he loves me. He is my defender and my Savior, my shield, and my protection.” Psalm 144:2.  Life is a rollercoaster; would you rather go on the big, crazy, sometimes scary ride by yourself? Or would you rather have someone sitting there with you along for the ride to protect and take care of you?