Asking for a second opinion

Proverbs 15:22

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Look at you go, trying to make sens of yourself and your future all by yourself. "Look, Ma, no hands!" Put your stubby little fingers back on the handle bars and think as you pedal. A sense of confidence is valuable to pushing forward in life, but it's foolish not to check yourself. Allow your God-loving friends to check up on you, seek their advice. Most importantly, keep God at your heart and let him speak to you. Let him be your council so that you can help other people.

Trust God above yourself.

That's what I need to do this week, and my dearest friends have helped to hold me accountable.
I have been discouraged lately, because I can't find a better job, but maybe God knows that I don't need one right now. Or maybe He is saving the right one for me. I asked a friend to look over my resume for me, and I feel so much better about my applications now.

Just let their be more eyes than your own, and let me clarify: *trusted* eyes, not just every set.

I pray that you feel confident and resolve uncertainties today!

Thankful

I have to admit something, the reason that I am thankful right now is because I have one day left in Deuteronomy. How bad is that!? I feel like I have been in this book for so long, but today I was very thankful while reading it. Funny how that works sometimes.

I am thankful that I don't have all these rules to follow, like how to prepare my food the right way, not worrying about if I am wearing "mixed fabrics" together, and making sure that I have tassels on the four corners of my cloak.

I am thankful for those that have gone before me in their own walks of faith and the example that they give us all to follow.

I am thankful for the sacred words of Scripture that guide us and reveal new truths about God each time we read them in our different circumstances.

But most of all, I am so thankful for the love of a Savior who would come down and die for my sins, so that he can bridge the way to heaven without having to go through all the rituals and rules of the Old Testament times.

I am thankful that I serve such an AMAZING God!!!

I fell alseep on Mother's Day

Proverbs 1:8-9
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

The imagery in this verse makes me think of how my mom used to put enormous bows in my hair for school every day, [it was the 90's] and how she still makes sure I am fit to leave my house and be in public.
Now that I am soooooo grown up, a whole 22 years worth, I suppose she trusts that I can keep myself together, remembering her expectations.

These are a few motherly teachings I will not forsake:

"Get your ass out of bed and get to church!"
"If you're gonna quit [any given sports team], your legs better be broken!"
"If you're ever on the news, there better be a good reason for it."

And something about how I should just be nice to everyone, let the mean people worry about themselves.

I appreciate this.

I fell asleep today around 5:00pm, and didn't get to give my mom a card or her gardening tools or have dinner with everyone. [Stupid tired Dewey!!]
:(
Hopefully she still loves me.


[I'm so blessed!]


This is a truth about moms:
They have no idea how much they're teaching.
[Have you ever heard or been a tiny child who lets out a little curse word? Thaaaat makes moms blush.] I just giggle about these things; women who are only human, passing human traits along.

So even drunken/homeless/jail-bound/suicidal/selfish moms who forget they even have kids are full of lessons. She might exhaust you, she could even drag you down with her. Or you might be just inspired. Learn from your parents. If you watch your mother walk a twisted path, know to walk a different one.

I guess I am just praying for anyone who thinks they got gypped on a mom. If anyone is bitter for any reason toward her, then hey, who do you think you are?
She gave you life. And she may not have taught you how to be peaceful but, you're bright enough...

My prayer for Mother's Day, God, is that our moms will sense our appreciation for them, whether on earth or in your kingdom, and that our hearts will be show joy and feel any forgiveness that we've been avoiding. It's too easy to be bitter, so help us grow our little moments of mom-joy.
Amen.

I Find Rest.

Psalm 37:7a
"Be still in the presence of the LORD,
and wait patiently for him to act." {NLT}

For the past few weeks, I have been going non-stop. I have been working so much and have neglected spending any significant amount of time in God's word and I have felt this taking a serious toll on my attitude, patience, and overall happiness. Amongst all my busyness {starting a new job, moving into an apartment, etc.}, I have not taken the time to be still in God's presence, to spend time with my savior and friend.

The King James Version of this verse says "Rest in the Lord", what a thought! Taking the time to come before God and hand over anything I'm dealing with and rest knowing that he will take care of everything.

I just pray that in the coming days and weeks, I will draw closer to God and rest knowing that he has a perfect plan for my life {even when I don't quite see things working out as planned}.


{Through The Bible In One Year Update: Joshua 9}

Praise: I made it through April without losing my mind.

Prayer: Continue learning to completely trust God's plan.

Sheep and Goats

I don't think that it is a coincidence that the parable of the sheep and the goats was in our Bible Study last night. Last week as our church participated in Flower City Work Camp, one of the evening services focused on this exact Scripture. Maybe God is showing it to me repeatedly because there is a lesson to be learned here.

Sheep on the right, goats on the left.

^34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

^37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

I admit the next set of verses scare me a bit.

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

⁴⁴"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'

⁴⁵"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

Are there people in my life that I am overlooking everyday? In James when it talks about judging those around us, what right do I have to judge? What makes me so special that I get to pick and choose who I am going to act kindly towards? God doesn't pick out the "good" Christians and make their lives wonderful filled with ponies and dancing around on clouds. He loves us all the same, extending love, mercy and grace to those who humble themselves before him. What right do I have to pick and choose who gets to also experience the love, grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness that I have experienced in Christ? Why should I even try to hold that back and keep it all to myself? Do I want to be a sheep or a goat?

I know that it is easier to write these things than to actually act upon them. I can write all this and say the good and right Christian things, but when it actually comes down to it, am I ready to change my selfish ways and love people the way that Christ loves me? God I ask that you would continue to help me in this. Help me not to pick and choose who I think you should love, but help me realize that you died for everyone! You love everyone more than I ever could. Help me to do my part in showing your love to each person that I encounter. Help me see Jesus in them and treat them as if they were Jesus with skin on. Help me to rid myself of my selfish ways. Thank you for your love and grace!

Matthew 25:31-46 (MSG)

naturally

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9

Lack of confidence, discouragement, overwhelming..., heartbreak, being caught off guard, caught unprepared. ENOUGH! If God puts a passion in you, believe that it is from God; and that because God gave it, that it is a little version of Him in your heart. Your God-given need to feel alive in the ways that only you feel alive...

[Abridged]
I'm disappointed in myself today for the things I haven't done. I have never suspected that God might be the fuel to intrinsic motivation. I am wasting what God has given me by denying what God has given me. With prayer, I will trust God as the leader of my heart.

[Abridged]
It is necessary to spend time getting to know God, so that we can agree that the need for me to do all sorts of crazy things is part of his plan.

[Abridged]
Know that this burning-passion-in-your-heart is of God, and therefore trust it as your guide.

[Abridged]
God gave you this unique yearning to explore the world, trust Him!

[Abridged]
If your heart is for God, trust your heart to follow God.

[Abridged]
Trust your strangely curious self.

[Abridged]
Trust God when you feel Him.

[Abridged]
Trust God.

[Abridged]
Feel Him.

My style is that I ramble

I am always thinking about the new journey that I'm on, always praying about the next step, always thinking I should
-pray more
-focus more on the objective
combine focus on my life goals and God goals.

[The God goal is to keep God closer and closer]

The life goal is to figure out the life goal.
I keep praying about my new life path, and I realize that I'm literally on a new/life/path every single day.

How A(DD)ewsome is that!

This is prayer is for my lovelyyyy friends, Manda and Caitlin, as you sway between eager optimism and reasonable reluctance as your life starts twisting into new directions; whether you felt forced out on your own, or you're the one who sent a letter asking to be shipped out! My rambling prayers are for you today! <3





God, walk with me, let this road lead to you.

Be the destination,
God
be the path,
be the flowers on the side
and the storming
insides of
me.

God, be in between me and the breeze,
be my rest
be my eagerness.
be my nervous first steps,
God, be the point at which I left.