what does it mean to be content with where you are? how satisfied are we? do we change our situations or is it the other way around? all these questions need answers. it is time to look within...
most of our lives we are taught to strive for more and never rest till you get your wildest dreams to come true. even then you keep going. our world is packed with consumers. the i-need, i-want, and i-have-to-have people are everywhere. materialism is at an ultimate high, but the contentment i am talking about is on the inside. contentment with you and God. the contentment with your life situations.
we all go through phases and it never ends. one of the long and gut-wrenching phases for me was the college phase. it wasn't the academics but the relationships. in college you are surrounded with so many people of the opposite sex you can't think straight. i didn't. i got caught in the wind tunnel of senioritis. i remember thinking that because i wasn't engaged like half the girls in my class i failed. even though i did obtain my degree, i got a failing grade in boys. then you move on and get a real life. by this time everyone is asking you if your dating, engaged, or married. i went through this and i still continue too. i used to get so mad when they asked me that because if i didn't have a man in my life conversation ceased. why this was i will never know. over time you grow numb to it and realize what you personally may want to do with for the rest of your life. you don't need to have plans and there is no rule that says you have to have everything figured out after college.
my first strong dose of contentment came about 2 years ago. i was finally happy with who i was and what i had become. i still have much to go forward to achieve but looking back i realized how much time was wasted on the i-wishes. the Lord brought me to a place of contentment through Him. i love learning about Him. i know i need to be more of a sponge but to be in a place where your worries are taken away is so sweet. the Lord can give that to you. contentment is something He alone is master of completing. He loves you and longs to complete you. He knows your stress, demands, dreams, and desires. He also knows you need to feel content with Him first before others come your way. tiffany arbuckle, singer/songwriter of plumb, says it so beautifully when she wrote "in my arms: castles they might crumble, dreams may not come true, but you are never all alone. I will always love you."
you are never alone. if you ask to be content get ready to be rocked in your life. every day is a challenge to be content. satan is ever present and knows where to push your pressure points. it is possible to be content, but you need Christ. you need the One who knows the full meaning. don't stop dreaming or aspiring to what your full potential can be. God never desires you to be staying but growing. just take each step and be content with all that you did to get there. pray, read, study and learn from all that God offers to you. don't be dreary of life but excited to see what the day challenges bring to you. you change your situations, so don't reverse it.
5.04.2009
time for contentment...
0
thoughts
Key Words:
challenge,
college,
content,
faithful,
God,
life,
phase,
prayer,
relationships
Key Words:
challenge,
college,
content,
faithful,
God,
life,
phase,
prayer,
relationships
4.28.2009
swing and a miss...again
Life throws curves, fastballs, and change-ups in our lives. Nothing is EVER what it seems. Do you ever feel like no matter how well your doing you keep striking out?
You just can't get the dream job, you are so close yet the next step is a grand canyon. You go through relationships like tissues swearing the next guy will be the ONE. Then before you know it your singing break-up songs in your car with tear-stained cheeks. All these things and more change in a blink of an eye. It becomes depressing and your exhausted. When everyone around us is getting what we think we need, it can become too much to bear. Pity party for one?
These moments are faith moments. We need to believe, and we know that. The action part is harder to perform. It is easy to just give up after 20 interviews or 10 broken relationships, but try one more time. Then ONE more time until it happens. God will take care of you. He takes care of birds, trees, even rodents; He can certainly help you achieve what you desire to accomplish. We need to tell God what we feel and ask how we can learn in this self-pity moment. We need to bring the glory back to God. If God can take care of birds or even grass; He can certainly help you because you are more than that.
We need to remain faithful and stand up at the plate even though we may never hit a ball. It WILL be HARD, but in these times the growing occurs. We need to keep in mind that God never desires to see you falter, so try every time. He will help you, so pray for the strength to withstand the pitch. Who knows, the next one you could hit it out of the park.
You just can't get the dream job, you are so close yet the next step is a grand canyon. You go through relationships like tissues swearing the next guy will be the ONE. Then before you know it your singing break-up songs in your car with tear-stained cheeks. All these things and more change in a blink of an eye. It becomes depressing and your exhausted. When everyone around us is getting what we think we need, it can become too much to bear. Pity party for one?
These moments are faith moments. We need to believe, and we know that. The action part is harder to perform. It is easy to just give up after 20 interviews or 10 broken relationships, but try one more time. Then ONE more time until it happens. God will take care of you. He takes care of birds, trees, even rodents; He can certainly help you achieve what you desire to accomplish. We need to tell God what we feel and ask how we can learn in this self-pity moment. We need to bring the glory back to God. If God can take care of birds or even grass; He can certainly help you because you are more than that.
We need to remain faithful and stand up at the plate even though we may never hit a ball. It WILL be HARD, but in these times the growing occurs. We need to keep in mind that God never desires to see you falter, so try every time. He will help you, so pray for the strength to withstand the pitch. Who knows, the next one you could hit it out of the park.
4.27.2009
transition times
We all go through them. What we decide in them can reveal what is important to us. They shape who we are. More importantly, they are always hard to get through. I am talking about transitions.
Transitions make deciding hard to do. Do we transition here, do this, or complete that? How can we decide? Is there an age limit on transition periods? Everyone thinks it’s the twenty-something age bracket, but what about when you get laid off in your thirties. Then you have to start all over again whether with a family or without. Transitions happen and they don’t have a time limit.
When you are in a transition you question everything because it seems you are always at an intersection, and that choice leads you on a totally new path. Do you remember those books where you had to choose different scenarios? You would choose one way and you would end up on an island, in a deep cave, or on another country. It taught us to stress early on and second-guess our decisions. We were never satisfied with our answer. We always looked at the choices we didn’t pick because our curiosity always got the better of us. It is a shame that we can’t apply that to real life. We can’t go back and read the what-ifs. We are stuck in the bed we have made. Choices are tough and big. So, don’t feel like you have it worse. Everyone has their own situations going on in their lives. However, God is always there to let us lean on Him and not worry. It is harder to do than just saying the words. If we all tried one day to live presently how would our lives change?
Decisions strengthen us and give a sense of responsibility. No one ever said they would be easy but the Lord said he would never give us more than we can bear. (1 Cor. 10:13) The Lord is bigger than every decision that may seem like the world to us. This is the magnificence of God. He desires to help make them with you. So ask his advice because that is one opinion that does matter.
Transitions make deciding hard to do. Do we transition here, do this, or complete that? How can we decide? Is there an age limit on transition periods? Everyone thinks it’s the twenty-something age bracket, but what about when you get laid off in your thirties. Then you have to start all over again whether with a family or without. Transitions happen and they don’t have a time limit.
When you are in a transition you question everything because it seems you are always at an intersection, and that choice leads you on a totally new path. Do you remember those books where you had to choose different scenarios? You would choose one way and you would end up on an island, in a deep cave, or on another country. It taught us to stress early on and second-guess our decisions. We were never satisfied with our answer. We always looked at the choices we didn’t pick because our curiosity always got the better of us. It is a shame that we can’t apply that to real life. We can’t go back and read the what-ifs. We are stuck in the bed we have made. Choices are tough and big. So, don’t feel like you have it worse. Everyone has their own situations going on in their lives. However, God is always there to let us lean on Him and not worry. It is harder to do than just saying the words. If we all tried one day to live presently how would our lives change?
Decisions strengthen us and give a sense of responsibility. No one ever said they would be easy but the Lord said he would never give us more than we can bear. (1 Cor. 10:13) The Lord is bigger than every decision that may seem like the world to us. This is the magnificence of God. He desires to help make them with you. So ask his advice because that is one opinion that does matter.
4.19.2009
management
how well do we manage? there are so many things to manage nowadays it is hard to keep track of them all. we have time, money, social lives, kids, or anything else that screams "manage me!" how easy it is to forget that somewhere in that long list God must be placed first. Now i'm not saying you can manage God. it is not possible, of course. however, you can manage everything around and involving Him. manage your time with God in mind, manage your social scene with God in mind... the list goes on. What changes when God enters the scene? Do these things become less or just as important?
how often we forget the majesty of GOD! i am guilty ten times over. God is the creator of the universe and manages it! He knows every finite detail that is happening by you, around you and far way from you. He manages it all yet, i can barely manage my time let alone my finances.
when God gives us something to nurture and take responsibility for He doesn't turn His back on that task because you have it. On the contrary, he teaches you to manage that task with you. if there is not enough for Him to look after, right? He is right there if we have a question. How compassionately patient of Him. God is BIGGER than all those things that plague our minds. does that mean they don't matter? absolutely not. that is not the point. God cares where you care. tell Him. speak to Him, and He will hear.
when we manage with GOD we see that everything falls into perspective. God knows your life and what you need at what time. trust Him and manage with Him. In some way, your load will loosen from your shoulders and your management will be more effective. remember this: we are MANAGERS of the things God entrusts (or bestows) on us. we are not the CEO because God is the source from which the waters flow. live by that and everything will work out in God's time.
how often we forget the majesty of GOD! i am guilty ten times over. God is the creator of the universe and manages it! He knows every finite detail that is happening by you, around you and far way from you. He manages it all yet, i can barely manage my time let alone my finances.
when God gives us something to nurture and take responsibility for He doesn't turn His back on that task because you have it. On the contrary, he teaches you to manage that task with you. if there is not enough for Him to look after, right? He is right there if we have a question. How compassionately patient of Him. God is BIGGER than all those things that plague our minds. does that mean they don't matter? absolutely not. that is not the point. God cares where you care. tell Him. speak to Him, and He will hear.
when we manage with GOD we see that everything falls into perspective. God knows your life and what you need at what time. trust Him and manage with Him. In some way, your load will loosen from your shoulders and your management will be more effective. remember this: we are MANAGERS of the things God entrusts (or bestows) on us. we are not the CEO because God is the source from which the waters flow. live by that and everything will work out in God's time.
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