Can He Hear Me?

Have you ever felt like something that's really important to you isn't important to God? Like, if you struggle with your self-image. There are starving kids in Africa, so how could God be concerned with how you look? For me right now, it's the death of pets. That issue is really close to my heart, but it seems so small compared to the wars in the East. God couldn't possibly have time for something so small as a kitten.

I've tried to live my entire life as a prayer. I try to pray constantly, silently to myself about things that just happened. While I like it, at the same time, I get disappointed a lot. I pretty much like how I look, but some days you just feel down, ya know? On those days, when I look in the mirror and don't like what I see, I think about taking it to God -- but then I don't bother. He's too busy for that kind of stuff. I mean, what matters is the inside, right?

I get frustrated with math a lot. I mean, every day. Even when I understand it, it's just too much: too much to handle, too time-consuming, too hard. But why take it to God? He wouldn't listen. He wouldn't understand. He doesn't have to wake up to hours of math every morning while still trying to recover from bedhead, morning breath, and sleepless nights.

But I think that I sometimes picture God in the wrong way. He can help me cope with loss -- while guiding the persecuted Christians in China. He does care about my appearance and what I think about myself -- just as much as he cares about someone with a terminal disease. He will help me get through math, while at the same time healing those suffering from more traumatic happenings. He's a real-life Superman with absolutely no weaknesses -- He's everywhere all at once and cares about me just as much as he cares about the King of England or Billy Grahm or the President or more imporant people than me. I'm His Creation and He cherishes me. When I gave my heart to Him, my cares became His, my worries became His worries, my sorrows now His.

This is something all of us need to realize and be reminded of. It's something you can take home and really work into your daily life. Cast all your cares, worries, and sorrows on God. You belong to Him. You are His cherished creation, and He will ALWAYS be with you.

Mountain of God

My iPod was on shuffle and happened to land on a song I hadn't heard before. The words jumped out at me. What they sang was so true! I just had to share it with you.
Third Day's song Mountain of God says, "I must go through the valley to stand upon the mountain of God."
Isn't that so cool? Whenever you're in a low point in your life (a valley), if you follow God's path for your life, you reach the mountain of God (a high point in your life). Believe it or not, God doesn't just give you three strikes and you're out. He continues to offer forgiveness again and again. He continues to guide you even though you've screwed up many times before. He longs for you to be near Him.

"Even though the journey’s long
And I know the road is hard...
Well, the One who’s gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I’ve been through
Now I realize the truth
that I must go through the valley
to stand upon the mountain of God."

We've talked before about trials and tough times in your life and what they amount to in the end. It's not just mumbo-jumbo; people actually change when they face trials. Some of them handle it better than others. When you're in a rough spot, you have a choice. Will you continue to live in sin, following a path that leads nowhere, and eventually die, never having made it out of the valley? Or will you rise above your challenges and become stronger, change your course and follow God's path, the narrow path that leads to eternal life (the mountain of God)? It's your choice.

"Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me
And I didn’t even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me
‘Til You opened up my eyes
I never knew
That I couldn’t ever make it
Without You."

JOURNAL JOTS
1. Can you think of names for some of the "valleys" you've been through? What decisions led you to be there? Or were they out of your hands?
2. If you have been on the Mountain of God (having a deep relationship with Him) what choices led you away from Him and back down into the valley?
3. What is keeping you right now from reaching the mountain of God?
4. Ask a Christian adult that you admire what it was like when he/she had an exteremely close relationship with God. Did the relationship die quickly? Or is it still going?
5. What can you do so that you will never leave the mountain of God?

Thirsty for more of the song? Click here for the complete lyrics, and be sure to check out Third Day's Mountain of God on iTunes!

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

I’m part of the praise band in church, and we’re singing a song this week called "Have Thine Own Way, Lord". One particular verse struck me as odd – almost crazy!

Have Thine own way, Lord,
Have Thine own way
Test me and try me,
Master today.

I don’t believe there’s ever been a day where I wake up and said, "Ok, God, make today really hard. Test me and give me trials. Just beat me up, I’m begging you."
No, I’m usually like, "Ugh. My back hurts. Ah, look at my hair! It looks like those parrots at Petco. God, please help Mom forget about school today and please shut up those kids; I want to sleep a bit longer."
(And then I’d think of Daniel when he was thrown in the lion’s den. Except, I was Daniel and the lions were screaming siblings disrupting the peace. Then God closed their mouths to save me. The end.)
Anyway, I’m pretty sure you’ve never asked God to make today especially difficult and miserable. As humans, our nature is to live on our own terms and to live life as easily as we can with as little difficulty. When we begin life, like a video game, we’re sissies. We want to "play" on "Easy" mode, but that’s not always possible, and I’ve learned its not always the best choice for you.
I’m not going to tell you to ask God to make your life a chore. No, that’s not right. I’m just wondering – what would happen to us if we never had a challenge? If life was always easy? Where would we end up? How could we accomplish anything? Why would we be living in the first place?
Think about it. We wouldn’t have kids, because kids are hard to handle. Because no one would have kids, you wouldn’t even be alive. But say you were alive. Then what? You wouldn’t ever get in a serious relationship, because love is complicated, right? You’d have no friends, because caring for someone and giving up what you want for them – that’s too hard. You wouldn’t have a job, because work is hard, so you wouldn’t have any money. I could go on and on.
You see, sometimes it’s good to be pushed. Rise up to the challenge of really living! An easy life isn’t really a life at all. It’s only through trials that we grow. We learn to rise above the things that tear us down, making us stronger, better, smarter, wiser, kinder.

Every day this month, just try this quick prayer bit. Ask God, before you get out of bed each morning, to challenge you in some way. At the end of the month, think about what you’ve learned and how you’ve grown. You’ll be surprised!

(P.s.: When you’re on God’s side, you can overcome anything!)

More Than I Can Do

In the book Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Ella finds out that her maid is actually a fairy. Ella wonders why the maid didn’t tell her before, and the maid pointed out that when people find out you’re a fairy, they expect you to do great things. When the Mistress of the household witnessed her mother dying, she hated the fairy maid for not bringing the mother back to life.
Some people are like that. Why do good people die? I honestly don’t know. I do know that it’s all part of God’s plan. He’s working out all the kinks to make sure that His Kingdom (which includes you!) will prosper.
We expect God to do amazing things, and that’s ok. We expect that because He can. God created the world (Genesis), God helped His people win great battles (Old Testament), God gave up something precious to Him (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) for us, and on top of that, he rose from the dead. That’s amazing!
When something terrible happens, we blame God. When your favorite uncle dies, you ask, Why me? You may hate God now, think He doesn’t care about you, or think He doesn’t even exist. That hate can stay with you for the rest of your life if you don’t let it go.
We think that because God can raise people from the dead, He should. He’s done it before, several times. Even to Himself. Sometimes we think that if we could just take over for a second and be God for just one moment (ever seen Bruce Almighty?) then we can fix everything. The problem is, we can’t. We are not God and will never be. We will never be wise enough or powerful enough to map the future of the world, to look at six billion people and guide them individually through life.
Sometimes I doubt God’s plan. I wonder why He chose to do this or that. It’s still hard to accept change (especially the bad kind) and to still live for Him. But now I know that God WILL do what’s right, what is just, what is merciful, what is kind, what is good. I know now that he is never wrong, always knows what’s up, and thinks ahead. That’s more than I can do.

Not Recieving God's Gifts

"The true children of God are those who let God’s spirit lead them." – Paul, in his letter to the Romans

One of the elders of my church preached last Sunday about how you can be a Christian and still miss out on the gifts of Christianity. I didn’t get to hear – I was Princess Regina in a skit, leading children’s church. I did, however, think that it was an interesting thought.
So, if you’re a Christian, you’ve got the Holy Spirit in you. Not only that, but as a Christian, you have eternal life and will someday live in heaven with God. But is it true that you can actually miss out on God’s gifts if you aren’t fully in tune with him?
You can! I know this may not be good news to you, but unless you are walking in faith and giving God your all, you will miss out on some of the wonderful gifts that God is offering you. Let’s explore some of those gifts that you may be missing out on.

Peace. Say good-bye to peace if you aren’t spending daily time with God.
Problems. Bad things happen to everyone. God is willing to help you with your problems, but you have to admit your problems to him first and ask him for his guidance.
Wisdom. If you aren’t reading your bible every day, do you really expect to understand it?

I’ve told you the bare basics of it. There’s a lot more stuff you can scoop out of this topic – do it! And take a look at the journal jots below.
I want to be a true child of God, the kind that Paul describes – a child who loves God and who loves those around me. Are you with me?

Journal Jots:
Can you think of any other gifts you miss out on when you aren’t giving God your all?
After hearing Paul, would you call yourself a true child of God?
What gift do you need to work on more?
Can true peace be found in the world, or must it come from God?
If you were to acquire those gifts, what would you have to do?

Dead Cats, Starving Dogs, Lost Jobs

Everything is falling apart today. There have been things during church that have made me laugh and made me forget, but it keeps coming back, creeping into my mind. I ask for your prayers, because my family really needs it.
First, one of our cats, orange Jack, didn’t come to the barn to eat breakfast when my mom laid it out. A couple from our church drove past our house on the way and told us there was a dead cat in the rode. My dad checked, and sure enough, it was our beloved Jack. Jack’s brother, Mittens, is depressed right now and is very clingy. My sister was crying.
Second, our neighbors have this pitt bull named Honey. She has had at least two little of puppies and has tumors on her teats that could be cancerous. They feed her very little and she is emaciated to the point where her spine sticks from her skin and the rest of her body sags under it in a pitiful heap. She bites her puppies to get them away from the food that she needs. She has been hanging around our house for two days, sending my dog into a panic. I wish the owners would take care of her.
Third, this guy my dad works with was flipping through papers to see if there was anything else he could do that day before he went home. He stumbled across listings of his job and my dad’s job. That man was laid off on Friday, and my dad is going to lose his job very soon. I keep thinking about the unfairness of it all – my dad is really good at his job and does extra work when needed. This job was why we moved here. Now he’s losing his job just so the company can cheaply hire people from Mexico to do it? We are on financial lockdown – no allowance spending, no going out to eat, no treats, and I guess I’m not getting a bunny anytime soon. I don’t know how long it will last, but at least we have a heads-up right now so we can start saving before he actually does get laid off.
My parents told me that this will be a big test of faith but that it’s also a great opportunity to trust in the Lord. I’m scared, and last night, when I got the news, I cried (which is really rare), but I’m praying that God will pull us through.
Thanks for supporting me and each other in prayer.

God bless,
Melissa

Tough Times

Everyone goes through hard times. It’s how you deal with them that matters.

Pray. Prayer is our most powerful tool. God hears you, even when you feel cruddy. God loves you, and he’ll help you if you ask him to. It makes him sad when we make a choice (or someone makes a choice for us) that hurts us, and he’ll cradle you in his arms, if you’ll let him.

Share your fears. Sharing your thoughts, fears, and dreams are a great way to relax a bit (especially if you are a girl – we love to vent). Talk to your parents, your friends, or an adult that you’re close to. (Don’t forget to talk to God, too.) You can get helpful advice this way.

List the positive things in your life. Ever heard "count your blessings"? Sometimes thinking of the good things in your life make the bad ones seem manageable.

Surround yourself with worshipful music. Worship is a great way to get closer to God. It also can give us peace when we totally surrender to him. Go to a quiet place, turn on some praise music, and sing to your audience: God. Try Jeremy Camp, Bethany Dillon, Casting Crowns, and any other favorites.

Eat and sleep well. Your mind and your spirit won’t be healthy unless your body is healthy. Exercising may not seem appealing right now, so we’ll make it a little easier. Sleep 8-10 hours each night. Eat a good breakfast that contains milk and fruit. Drink lots of water. Don’t eat anything an hour before bed (if you really need something in your stomach at night, get some milk).

Read the definition of "hope". Get the dictionary.

Remember that problems have expiration dates. Someday, with some help from you, God, and the people around you, your dilemma will be resolved. A new one is likely to introduce itself soon, so be ready. Having trust in God is a must if you’re going to survive difficult times.

Comfort someone else. Remember that other people go through tough trials and they need comfort just like you do. Pray for them and comfort them like you would want to be comforted.

Read the book of Job. Or at least some of it. This whole book is about the trials that Job faced. Things got REALLY bad for this dude, but he kept worshipping God, and so God saved him.

Trust God. He can do anything. He is the creator of hope and of you. Trust in the Lord and he will give you strength.

Here comes trouble!

My church is going through some rough times right now. Some major members, including our pastor, left. We're praying for some new members, but it is totally up to God.

Anyway, our temporary pastor preached a sermon today about trials and how we can overcome them. We all face trials at some point in our lives. He told us that it is impossible to step around them, but how we deal with it is what matters.

Trials are predicted. They'll happen at some point in your life. Everyone faces trials. Some people believe that God shields Christians from trials, but that's not how it works. God gives us all trials to test our faith. There isn't anyone on earth who hasn't faced some hard times.

Trials are custom-made and individual. God may not need to test John in the same way he tests you. God sees which areas you need to grow in.

Trials are invisible. There is no way to see them coming. You can't step around them or over them. You have to go through them. Trials can come unexpectedly, when everything is running smoothly. You can't see them coming, otherwise you would run the other way. There isn't a single day that I wake up and say, "Dear God, please make this day really difficult. Please test me today." I don't think ANYONE has ever prayed that.

Trials are innumerable. After you've passed one trial, another one is flying in your face. You've learned something from the first trial, now it's time to learn something new. Trials are like days: they keep coming and coming until God calls you home.