Whatever you are, be a good one.

RESOLUTION (n.): a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner

I have never been a big fan of making a "New Years resolution." And what I mean by that is I always think of some, but keep them to myself so as to not be held accountable to them...I know...I'll spare you the rest of my pathetic excuses....Anyways, a dear friend of mine used to say this Abraham Lincoln quote quite often and it always, even if for just a moment, stopped me in my tracks:

(side note - If I could go back in history and meet someone, it would definitely be Abraham Lincoln; he left behind some powerful words and ideas)

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

Sweet and simple. What am I? OK not so simple when you get down to it. Perhaps it's simply answered if we're talking about what I do on a daily basis--my job title--but what about the things that make up who I am no matter where I am or what "job" I have?

What am I?

I am a lover and follower of Christ. I am a daughter, granddaughter, sister, cousin, niece and soon-to-be aunt. I am a traveler. I am a visitor in a foreign land. I am destined for eternity with the King of Kings. I am a dancer, follower and leader. I am a student and teacher. I am the person who organizes every item in her grocery cart. I am clearly a daughter of Eve as I am in constant struggle to forsake the prideful desires of my heart. I am a sinner but I am free. I am a selfish planner of a life that was already planned out for me. I am a listener and a talker. I am a reader and dreamer. I am a child.

Very well. But truth is, I am only because the one and only "I AM" loved me enough to send His one and only Son to a fallen and dark world, to be born in a lowly manger as the child of an unmarried virgin and carpenter. He sent his one and only Son to be crucified on a cross FOR us. But the story doesn't end there: as God promised, He resurrected His Son to sit at the right-hand of the throne of God as the propitiation for our sins. He bridges the gap between a perfect God and sinful man. His faithful promise makes me a co-heir with Christ; an adopted daughter of the Creator of the galaxies. Christ came so that we might be FREE in Him.

So really none of "what I am" matters unless I AM A CHILD OF GOD.

HE is worth all of my time, energy and money. HE is worth pursuing. I resolve to treat every day as if it were the day Christ comes to finally bring me home.

"Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation...if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?...Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?...I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:12-17; 31-39

Straight to the point.

This is both the shortest and most important blog post I've made yet...

Well said.

I love quotes. Therefore, I also love quoting things. (side note: I am not referring to movie quotes..though I love them too) I'm pretty sure this is a transparent part of my personality that everyone knows, being that I usually want to share the good quotes or verses I discover or recall. Lately I have been wondering why it is that I enjoy finding good quotes, hearing good quotes, and telling others good quotes. Why? Because others are better writers than I am? maybe. Because someone finally voiced what I've been thinking all along? sometimes. Because others are more clever than I am? no, that can't be it (just kidding). In all seriousness though, I've been thinking about my answer to why I enjoy good quotes...I thought of two things:

1. Personal Experience: You can tell when the author [of said quote] accurately transfers the original emotions tied to the words, because it becomes personal. Well-written literature has something that brings it to life - whether it's through the imagery, the language use, or just the content - and you can relate to whomever the author may be when the quote speaks to you heart.

2. Personal Encouragement: I was created to need encouragement on a daily basis. Let me just tell you how much relief I felt when I realized this.

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Hebrews 3:13

Matt Carter read this verse in his sermon this past Sunday at Austin Stone. Carter was talking about our need for biblical community, because from it we develop more in-depth relationships, we are pastored, we are encouraged, and we endure. For fear of becoming that "needy" friend, I tend to keep my challenges inside and resist help from others. I realized by my doing that, I keep others from living out their biblical community. God CREATED us to live in community, to live life together, to need and want relationships, to walk alongside of others and struggle together.

SO, with that said, thought I would include several favorites at the moment.

"Sing Me To Heaven"
(a song we sang in my High school choir):

"In my hearts sequestered chambers lie truths stripped of poet’s gloss. Words alone are vain and vacant and my heart is mute. In response to aching silence memories summon half-heard voices. And my heart finds primal eloquence and wraps me in song. Wraps me in song…If you would comfort me; sing me a lullaby. If you would win my heart; sing me a love song. If you would mourn me and bring me to God. Touch in me all love and passion; pain and pleasure. Touch in me, touch in me, grief and comfort; love and passion; pain and pleasure. Sing me a lullaby; a love song; a requiem. Love me; comfort me; bring me to God. Sing me a love song. Sing me to heaven."

"Christ's resurrection and our newness of life"
(from one of Charles Spurgeon's sermons -1891):

"There is a happiness to be enjoyed by truly whole-hearted believers which some even of God's own children would think to be impossible...I have seen boys bathing in a river in the morning. One of them has just dipped his toes in the water, and he cries out, as he shivers, "Oh, it's so cold!" Another has gone in up to his ankles, and he also declares that it is fearfully chilly. But see! another runs to the bank, and takes a header. He rises all in a glow. All his blood is circulating, and he cries "Delicious! What a beautiful morning! I am all in a glow. The water is splendid!" That is the boy for enjoying a bath! You Christian people who are paddling about in the shallows of religion, and just dipping your toes into it—you stand shivering in the cold air of the world which you are afraid to leave. Oh, that you would plunge into the river of life! How it would brace you! What tone it would give you! In for it, young man! In for it! Be a Christian, out and out. Serve the Lord with your whole being. Give yourself wholly to him who bought you with his blood. Plunge into the sacred flood by grace, and you will exclaim—'Oh, this is life! Oh, this is joy, My God, to find thee so! Thy face to see, thy voice to hear, And all thy love to know.' May we thus walk in newness of life! Amen."

How To Enjoy Life
(Audrey Hepburn):

"For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry, For Beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day, For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others."

"A Return To Love"

(Marianne Williamson - 1992):

"Our worst 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 most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'who am I to be so brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Actually, who are we not to be? You are a child of God: Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

"The Road Not Taken"
(Robert Frost -1920):

"TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

God's wisdom is perfect.

My mom sent me a link to a blog called "Musings of the Heart" today and my heart was humbled quite a bit from one of the excerpts:

"God’s wisdom is perfect. In His omnipotence He sees what we as humans cannot. He knows what transpires in the minds of men. He knows the consequences of every action we will undertake. Moreover, His judgement is not clouded by the corruption of sin. Our judgement is tainted by wickedness. It is for this reason that we often act out of sinful impulses and selfish gain. But God, because He is holy and just, can only act out of righteousness and purity. In His love, He offered up Himself to us on the Cross so that, through His cleansing of our sinful nature and through Him indwelling in our hearts, He will be able to guide our lives according to His flawless wisdom. As long as we stay within His good and perfect will, we are assured of the promise that our evil desires will not ensnare us and that the poison of regret will not consume us. How do we discern the will of God? It is only through prayer and the reading of His Word. By spending time in His presence, He will give us the strength to abandon all that is holding us back, and the wisdom to make the most of every second of the lives He has given to us by allowing Him to guide our steps. With Him as our compass, let us look forward with hope and embrace the glorious future He has planned for us!" (emphasis mine)

Click. Can you see that shining light bulb above my head? He's the Lord of Nations and the Creator of Heaven and Earth. If He wanted to get a message across, He could spell it out in the clouds; but yet He chooses to use profoundly simple truth's to reveal Himself to us.

I've been praying lately for discernment between where the Lord is guiding me and my own attempts to guide myself. I continue to hear a resounding, "just wait." I'm a person who attempts to plan, control and organize her way through life....

I bite my lip a little harder. My eyes get twice as big.

Why are those two words so hard? I believe the Lord has perfect timing and I believe "in all things God works for the good of those who love him.." (Romans 8:28). HOWEVER, my version of waiting isn't very peaceful; in fact it's more like: You want me to wait? What am I waiting for? Why am I waiting? When will I be done waiting? Maybe I'll be done waiting by next week!? Can you distract me so that I don't know that I'm waiting for something?

Lord I assume you shake your head at me a lot...sorry.

After thinking about how ridiculous I sound, I realized that I shouldn't be fighting Him on this. I should be drawn to thankful adoration; praising Him for giving me that answer! The Lord ALLOWS me to rest in Him; to wait safely under His protection; to release all of my anxious thoughts and worries onto Him. The Lord will give me the strength to abandon all that is holding me back, and give me the wisdom [His perfect wisdom!] to make the most of every second of the life He's given me...

Wow. How He can continually love a people that so often get it wrong is beyond my comprehension. What a patient, majestic, loving, merciful, perfect Father I have...that He would never leave my side though my heart is so prone to wander.