YEOWCH!
It was was 2 in the *morning.* getting ready for a wonderful conference (that was four-five hours away). It was going great. Until then. ;)
I stepped directly onto a piece of jewelry wire sticking straight up from my carpet. It hurt! my foot started bleeding (yuck) and I was very frustrated. I could barely walk.
My mom told me to clean it out. ouch. that hurts too.
Then I put a band-aid over it. That didn't hurt so much, and it was much easier for me to walk, so I went downstairs to complete my preparation for the day.
I walk into my room. What's the first thing I see? My Bible, lying on my bed.
Cosette, I let that happen on purpose. Do you get what I'm trying to teach you? Yeah, I've learned to work on jewelry over a table over tile floor! That's not exactly the point. Point taken.
When I say "point taken," it was. I believe that God's purpose was to remind me of the prophecy that says that Satan will bruise the heel of the seed of Eve, but that her Seed would crush his head. I sit here writing this post while my foot is doing that weird throbbing thingy, and I am reminded of what happened leading up to that point.
The night before, a situation had come up that I blamed myself for. I was super discouraged, but it was one of those things that I entertained in my mind that wasn't true and it certainly wasn't healthy! I even came to the point of tears, believing that lie. The next morning, a little wire in my foot straightened me out. I could now look back and see that I had let Satan bruise my heel through those thoughts, but then, recognizing my failure, I turned it to Christ, who overcame the situation and crushed the head of the enemy.
I mean, it wasn't as easy as it sounds. Nothing really ever is. Those negative thoughts really hurt badly, and taking them out kinda hurt too. Then I had to clean my mind of those thoughts. Here comes the hydrogen peroxide ;) . It stung. But it had to be done, or else I would get an infection and those thoughts would keep penetrating my mind, further and further. But it didn't end there. I put a bandaid over it. You see, the only bandaid that works for sin is the blood of Christ. He covered that wound with his blood, love, and grace, and when you look at that wound, that's what you see. The bandaid. The bandaid also provides padding so that I can get up and keep moving.
The storm is raging. It literally seems like someone has thrown you into a sea of anger. The waves mount up furiously on each side of you, crackling as they crash down on your splintered raft, only large enough to sit on and clutch for your life. The sky is a cold black. Your hands are cut from the raft, your head is spinning, and your lip stings and tingles from the cruel salty water invading yet another cut. You are drenched, and can hardly squint through the pouring rain and hair on your face. You were screaming, until you lost your voice. Now you hope someone might hear your raspy whispers for help. Right before you decide to give up, you see something. Light. You see someone. He is standing on the water. Another waves crashes down. You resurface the water, breathing heavily, but He is still there, and He is dry. The area around Him is calm; the sky blue; the waves flat. He holds out His hands in a hug-like matter. You wonder what He is doing, and then you see holes in His hands, but the holes are not bleeding. It is now that you realize that He is looking you in the eyes. Although the rage around you deafens your ears, you hear Him whisper, "Come, unto me. Do not be afraid. I am here to deliver you. I gave up my life, my glory, my respect, for this moment. I love you. Trust me. Come." His face shines as a compassionate smile spreads gently across his face. You keep your eyes on his, as a tear slides down your cheek. You step onto the water. You take his hand. The storm ceases. Although he is wearing a pure white robe, he hugs you, not seeming to mind the mud. Your heart leaps for joy inside your chest. You wonder, Why did He do this? What will He want of me now? He answers, aloud, "Come, and I will show you."
Some of you reading this are married; some may be in a relationship; some are single. I fall into the last category, and yes, I am celebrating Valentine's Day; because, even though the background of it may not have to do with singles, love does.
I do not have to be in a relationship or be married to love. The Bible says that love is a fruit of the Spirit, not a result of romance.
That means that I, as a Christian, can love, even if I don't have a significant other.
Enough about what love is not; let's talk about what love is.
Today, I am celebrating Valentine's Day by choosing to be loving through the strength of Christ.
I will choose to be patient, waiting on God's timing for romance.
I will choose to be kind, especially to my parents, who introduced me to singleness.
I will choose to reject envy, especially envy of couples.
I will choose humility, not boasting or prideful of a loving heart.
I will choose to suppress rudeness, especially to those who treat me differently because of my singleness.
I will choose to be a servant, even to those who have a significant other.
I will choose to reject anger, even towards my situation.
I will choose to reject a record of wrongs, especially those wrongs done due to my singleness.
I will choose not to delight in evil, especially lies that would tear me down.
I will choose to rejoice in truth, the truth that God's timing is best.
I will choose to protect my heart and others' hearts from lies.
I will choose to trust, especially in the Lord of my life.
I will choose to hope, especially in God's Word.
I will choose to presevere, even through this time of my life.
For then, I will love!
A re-definition of Valentine's Day:
This Valentine's Day, I dedicate my heart to the Lord of my life, Jesus Christ. Let His strength prevail, for I am fallen and weak, and cannot love on my own. May He work through me as He molds me and purifies me. I surrender my life to Christ, the Author of my life, and the Author of love!
A "new year" can be a "clean slate, " a "fresh start." Maybe that's why everyone gets so excited. Maybe sometimes we think that it's our chance- a rare chance that only comes around every 365 days.
But is this really the only chance we have for a whole 365 days?
While there is something different about the first day of a new year, and while it is a good opportunity to set resolutions, it's not the only time we get a fresh start. At least, that's not how it is with God.
Lamentations 3:22-24
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
God's mercies are new every morning. We don't have to wait to make new resolutions, or to stand back up from our failures. Through Christ, you can do that any day of the year. So, why get so excited about it? Here's why:
This whole cycle of "newness" is uncommonly common.
Sounds weird at first, but think about it. Is it every day that you come across a God that loves you so much that He's willing to clear the slate of everything you've done to him, including crucifying His only Son?
Well, (hehe) it is every day! But it's uncommonly common in that all those other false gods are not so willing to clear the slate. However, our one, true God loves us plenty to do that!
A whole new year... Thinking about it almost makes me wince.
What if i mess it all up?
What if some drastic change happens, like last year?
What if I realize some great truth that I've been missing out on for fifteen years?
What if my sixteenth birthday party isn't what I expect?
What if I don't mature?
What if I do mature? Will life ever be the same?
What if... and I am sure you can fill in whatever your anxiety is.
You've probably seen where I've gone wrong. First off, every one of the above questions started with "What if..." I was just building off of an assumption! And secondly, I was getting all worked up about it!!!
Hmmm... I'm spotting another area for improvement. A certain verse comes to mind:
"Casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you."
Yeah, that verse kinda says it all. I don't have to be anxious about the year coming up. Because HE knows what lies ahead, and He cares for me. That means I don't have to worry. It's a circle, see? A wonderful circle of comfort that takes a load off my and your shoulders. Take your anxiety to God! There's really no reason to be worried about this next year when you're close to a Guy like Him.
What an amazing verse Psalm 46:10 is! Praise God! for He is God alone!!! Exalt Him!
Let me tell you a story about how this verse has recently affected my family...
My mom was the first one to read the verse. This was on the 16th, and she started reading the Psalms of the day, which brought her to Psalm 46:10...
She got this line stuck in her head. The verse really spoke to her heart, and when she read it, a song came into her mind. She could only remember a few notes, so she looked it up, hoping to find the whole song available to play. She found it. She played it, and she loved it. Later on that morning, she was in our living room, and decided to listen to it again... not knowing that my father was kneeling beside our kitchen counter praying for God's help and encouragement! So, as my dad was praying, my mom played this song...
When I finally got up outta bed (I took advantage of getting the monday off), I heard my mom singing this song, and I knew it was frim a Bible verse. It was exactly what I needed to hear before I continued my day!
So I am sharing this with you, and I pray that you will receive it and it will be a blessing!
I wasn't a princess yet, but I pretended to be one. Being a princess would have made me look pretty, and I figured people would like me better. I really never thought I would become an authentic princess, but it was fun to put on the big gowns and pretend that one day Prince Charming would come fall in love with me. However, I would soon be surprised at the upcoming reality of my pretending.
While I was pretending, I found myself alone in despair; I had longings from my heart that nothing seemed to fill. I longed for one to talk to who would not be annoyed with me and would truly understand me, and I longed for somebody to treat me special. Of course, I tried to find “happiness,” but it was temporary and false. To find happiness, I attempted to be a “great” person that everybody loved, and I attempted to impress people to receive praise and feel special. Although my parents and friends loved me, I still had a hole in my heart that their love did not fill.
One day while I was pretending, I received a letter inviting me to stay at the King's palace, and become one of His adopted daughters! I almost took it as a joke played by my friends until I realized that the messenger who brought the letter was one of the King's renowned messengers. Shocked, I accepted the invitation to become a princess, and began daydreaming of a future prince that would fall in love with me. Again, my playful wish turned into serious reality. The Prince offered for me to take His hand; I excitedly accepted the offer, and I fell in love with Him immediately. Also, I understood that He had already demonstrated His love for me a while ago. He did not need to learn more about me, for He already knew everything about me, but as I started to know Him more, everything seemed to change. Despair turned into hope, and my Prince fulfilled all my previous longings: He always listened to me, understood me, treated me with special love, and was never annoyed with me (however, He didn't like some of my actions.).
Now, I am overwhelmed with true joy and I am deeply, sincerely “in love” with my Prince. The highlights of my days are the times I talk to Him, and He talks to me. I do not have to feel insecure saying “I love you” to Him, because He says “I love you” right back. Also, my Love has written a love letter to me, and it is my prized possession. I read it everyday, and every page tells me He loves me. He demonstrates His love for me every day by forgiving me of things I have done that hurt him. His demonstration of dying for me two thousand years ago still reminds me of His love, and His resurrection proves to me that He is exactly who I have been longing for.
If there were one thing or person I appreciate most in my life, He is my Prince. He has chosen me, and He loves me eternally. There is nothing I can do to pay Him back, but I get to spend an eternity with Him! Honestly, this is the best love story, because I can truly say that my Love and I will live “happily ever after.”
Sometimes (well, alot of times) , I fall flat on my face. I guess everyone does. And sometimes it is hard to remember how to react to my own failures. I feel as if I can't ever become the person God wants me to be, or that I'll never be the one my parents or friends wish I could be. Sometimes it takes a while for me to listen, but God always reminds me that I am a child of the King, and that a loving father (such as He and my earthly dad) loves his child no matter what his child does. Of course, the father may not love the sinful actions of his child, but he loves the child nonetheless. God revealed this in a neat way recently. I was reading in 2 Samuel about David and Absalom. If you don't know the story, Absalom was David's son, and Absalom eventually became David's enemy, or so that was the perspective of an outside observer. Absalom sought to kill David, and David dodged his attacks. It came to the point that it was necessary to stop Absalom's violence, so David's men went out to defeat Absalom. However, David did not want the men to hurt Absalom AT ALL. The men ended up killing Absalom without David's consent, and when David found out, he wept. You see, even though Absalom wanted to kill David, David (as a father) still loved Absalom, because ABSALOM WAS DAVID'S CHILD. God taught me through this story that He loves me with an UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. No, He doesn't want me to sin, but He knows it will happen. And when I fall flat on my face, He wants me to look to Him for forgiveness and remember His love. And just because I fall doesn't make me worth any less to my parents or my friends, either. So don't get discouraged; remember God's faithful love.
