Time to get Free

The Bible does not say you are God's appliances; it says you are his masterpiece. Appliances get mass-produced. Masterpieces get hand crafted. God did not make you exactly like anyone else. Therefore his plan for shaping you will not look like his plan for shaping anyone else. If you try to follow a generic plan for spiritual growth, it will only frustrate you. Paul said, " Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." It is time to get free.

-John Ortberg The Me I Want to Be

Verse of the day : Matthew 9 : 12-13

" But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means : 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice, ' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

The Me I Want To Be

I'm currently reading John Ortberg's The Me I Want to Be and I came across a very interesting and moving section,

"Your flourishing is never just about you. It is a "so that" kind of condition. God designed you to flourish "so that" you could be part of his redemptive project in ways that you otherwise could not. He wants you to flourish "so that" people can be encouraged, gardens can be planted, music can be written , sick people can be helped, or companies can thrive in ways they otherwise would not. When you fail to become the person God designed, all the rest of us miss out on the gift you were made to give."

Honestly this passage kind of scares me. I don't want to mess up and make everyone else miss out on something amazing. However it also energizes me. We are each apart of God's huge plan for life. We each play an important role that no one else but us could play. We were each created for something bigger than we can even imagine.

Confession Time

I just had a huge moment of self realization. Rules scare me, not because I'm rebellious but because I'm scared of doing something wrong. I'm scared of all the things I'm supposed to live up to, and terrified that I just can't live up to them.

I just bought John Ortberg's book The Me I Want To Be and I just read something amazing. Jesus did not say " I have come so that you might follow the rules." He said, " I have come so that you might have life, and have it with abundance."

This is in a way very freeing to me. The Christian walk isn't about checking off that you have accomplished certain things, or it shouldn't be. It's about growing spiritually and not following the set of rules that society wants you to live by. For the longest time the question "How is your spiritual life?" scared me to death. I always felt like I was falling short of where I "should" be. I constantly measured my spiritual growth by what I saw of others'. I recently realized that where I think I should be and where God plans for me to be are totally different. And His plan for me is totally different from His plans for others.

An Ode to 2010

Ever since New Years Eve I have found myself reviewing the past year. I must say that without a doubt 2010 was the most eventful and exciting year of my life. Here is a quick recap of all that happened:

Graduation from ACS

Went on a mission trip to New Orleans with my class

Took my first AP Exam

Had an amazing week in Hilton Head with my best friends

Started college at Mercer

Met some amazing friends

joined a great sorority

visited my best friend at Clemson University

Celebrated 2 years with my wonderful boyfriend

Got a new car

Wrecked that new car

Lived in a tiny dorm

Went to Miami

Completed my first semester of college

Went to my first big concert

So many things done, and so many lessons learned! I hope 2011 is just as amazing!

The Christmas Rush

Merry dayafter Christmas!

My Christmas was very enjoyable! A lot of family

time and food were had! Here are a few pictures from all the festivities...

My boyfriend got a (huge) puppy!

& it even snowed!

This week my family is off to Miami for a little warmth!

A Lesson I Can't Seem to Learn

I have recently found myself asking God for a lot. Not material things, but more insight on a particular situation. Today, I read during my quiet time about tough trials that God often puts us through to strengthen our faith in Him. There was a passage from James 1 that I really liked, so I decided to read all of James 1, and that chapter screams "HELLO! This is all you need!"

I can't really pick out a specific verse that touched me, but it was more like the entire chapter. James is basically saying that if you ask the Lord of something, you must do it in complete faith. That is where I seem to go wrong. I ask something of God, but then I try to fix it myself, which is obviously not working. I need to let go and let God. A bit cliche, but absolutely the truth.

The remainder of James 1 says that you must put to practice the things that you read in the Bible and not let them just go in one ear and out the other. This only reinforces the previous truth.

All this to say...God is good & I need to put ALL of my trust in Him. Everything will work out for His perfect will soon enough!