lessons

I just celebrated a birthday--with my arms crossed, a pouty face, and stamping my feet. Well, not literally, but that's what I felt like inside. I don't like the thought of getting older. However, my Grandma forwarded me this email and it was eye-opening and perspective-changing. So I thought I would share it with you. Here it is:

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

wrestling match

As promised...here it is!

When I was a little girl, on many occasions, I would attempt to fight with my older brother. Out of anger or playfulness, I foolishly thought I stood a chance. My brother is a big, brawny, dude and I was a skinny, awkward brat. You see the odds. I could get in, maybe...one good tackle (if I caught him by suprise). However, my brother had this secret move where he would extend his arm out in front of him and place his palm on my forhead. Since my arms weren't long enough, I would continue to move forward, forehead pressed tightly against his outstretched hand, swinging at him, but missing his stomach by a good 5 inches. He would hold me steady, I would swing at thin air. This would go on for a very long time, until I had no choice but to quit. Another important fact to remember is that if my brother had launched a full-fledged assault on me, I would be injured badly.

This is how I feel about wrestling with God, and His will. Which is what I keep doing over and over again. God loves me (as my older brother does), he knows that what I am fighting him for may not be the best for me right now, or ever. God can see future pain and wants to protect me from it. Trying to fight God is like punching air while he holds me steady until I am too exhausted to go on.

It comes down to trust. Trusting that God is a good god, who loves me enough to ruin my plans so he can implement a better one. THIS IS NOT EASY! When I want something badly, it is not easy for me to give that dream or desire to God and let him handle it, in his timing, on his terms. No way! I'm an independent woman. I'm smart and resourceful. I can make things happen for myself...right? All I have to do is tell God my plans...and he makes it happen...orrrrrr not.

God sees the result of each of our plans. In one of his writings, Max Lucado talks about how if God gave us everything we want it would be like a Father letting his child eat at every ice cream shop on the street. Yeah sure, it would be great.....until we were paralyzed in a Rocky Road coma.

Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Gods plans are good. He will let us fight until we are exhausted. He will hold us steady until we are still and allow God to be God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

Back to the skinny dork fighting the hot shot brother. If I would have taken one step back, and let go of my fight, I would have not felt the presure on my forehead, I would not have become exhausted. So if you are fighting and wrestling, and building your own path, I challenge you to let go. When you stop running in circles of the plans you are making, you can rest and wait for God to show you the one plan he has for you. Trust God that he is a good God, and a god with good plans for your life.

Proverbs 19:21- "You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail."

A couple quotes I would like to share with you in closing:

"No I cannot count the ways You have made my life so blessed. All I know is that You came and made beauty of my mess" Aiyesha Woods, "Happy". When God messes up our plans, he is protecting us from making our own mess.

"But You say let it go, You say let it go. You say life is waiting for the one to lose control. You say you will be, everything I need. You said if I lose my life it's then I'll find my soul. You say let it go." -Tenth Avenue North, "Let it Go" Jesus said those who lose their life will gain it. Luke 17:33

"He had your days planned before there was time. You are thoughtfully considered, delightfully created, and loved beyond belief.
'Trust me.' God is a risky god! To bring us closer to Him, He is willing to let your foundations be shaken, your walls rattled, your pieces scattered. He was willing to flood the earth for re-growth, send a baby to be King of all, and sacrifice that very Son. He let Jesus take on our ugliest puzzle pieces so we wouldn’t be slaves to them. Ours is a god of surprises, and He asks us to trust in His master plan, crazy and painful as it may be.
Today, may all your expectations be frustrated, may all your plans be thwarted, may all your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God who is Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen." -my best friend, http://girlwithblog.blogspot.com You are loved by a God who will not rip you off.

blog-cation!!!

Sorry girls, I know I have been M.I.A. for a little while. I am cooking up a good new post so bear with me!

"Life Won't Kill You" -Jennifer Weiner

Ok, this is totally blog-cheating, especially since I haven't post squat in awhile (I have an idea in my head..I'm just waiting for it to bloom a little more!)

Anyways, check out this site. The article is written by the author of In Her Shoes, which is a favorite movie of mine--based on a book I haven't read. Anyways, it's a good read about girl*friends..which we all need, and we know how crucial they are to survival! (I should know, I just got back from a trip to see a few of my favorites!!!)

http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/simple-moments-of-joy/articleglamour.aspx?cp-documentid=18764660&gt1=32028

as if he were faithful

This blog is borrowed from one of my favorite authors, Max Lucado. I feel like betrayal is something each of us has faced, or will. And its one of those obstacles that hurts the worst. Not only is betrayal in itself bad enough, but the loss of trust, friendship, the shock, and anything else that piles on, can make dealing with this unbearable. Read on to see how Jesus dealt with it:

When betrayal comes, what do you do? Get out? Get angry? Get even? You have to deal with it some way. Let’s see how Jesus dealt with it.

Begin by noticing how Jesus saw Judas. “Jesus answered, ‘Friend, do what you came to do.’ ” (Matthew 26:50)

Of all the names I would have chosen for Judas it would not have been “friend.” What Judas did to Jesus was grossly unfair. There is no indication that Jesus ever mistreated Judas. There is no clue that Judas was ever left out or neglected. When, during the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples that his betrayer sat at the table, they didn’t turn to one another and whisper, “It’s Judas. Jesus told us he would do this.”

They didn’t whisper it because Jesus never said it. He had known it. He had known what Judas would do, but he treated the betrayer as if he were faithful.

It’s even more unfair when you consider the betrayal was Judas’s idea. The religious leaders didn’t seek him, Judas sought them. “What will you pay me for giving Jesus to you?” he asked. (Matthew 26:15) The betrayal would have been more palatable had Judas been propositioned by the leaders, but he wasn’t. He propositioned them.

And Judas’s method … again, why did it have to be a kiss? (Matthew 26: 48–49)

And why did he have to call him “Teacher”? (Matthew 26:49) That’s a title of respect. The incongruity of his words, deeds, and actions—I wouldn’t have called Judas “friend.”

But that is exactly what Jesus called him. Why? Jesus could see something we can’t...
Jesus knew Judas had been seduced by a powerful foe. He was aware of the wiles of Satan’s whispers (he had just heard them himself). He knew how hard it was for Judas to do what was right.

He didn’t justify what Judas did. He didn’t minimize the deed. Nor did he release Judas from his choice. But he did look eye to eye with his betrayer and try to understand.

As long as you hate your enemy, a jail door is closed and a prisoner is taken. But when you try to understand and release your foe from your hatred, then the prisoner is released and that prisoner is you.

B-E-A-UTIFUL!

" I was so unique. Now I feel skin deep, I count on the make-up to cover it all. Crying myself to sleep 'cause I cannot keep their attention. I thought I could be strong, but it's killing me. Does someone hear my cry? I'm dying for new life. I want to be beautiful, make you stand in awe. Look inside my heart,and be amazed. I want to hear you say who I am is quite enough. Just want to be worthy of love, and beautiful." -Bethany Dillon, "Beautiful"

Don't get me wrong, I love dresses and make up and being pretty! But I do not like it when that is all that is seen, all that is known. I want my heart to be beautiful, and I want that to be seen and known as well. Can you relate? Have you wanted to be more than simply, a shell?

Following is an excerpt from Stasi Eldredge's book Captivating regarding this longing:

A Beauty Worth Pursuing

The desire to be beautiful is an ageless longing. Beauty has been extolled and worshiped and kept just out of reach for most of us. (Do you like having your picture taken? Do you like seeing those pictures later? How do you feel when people ask you your age? This issue of beauty runs deep!) For others, beauty has been shamed, used, and abused. Some of you have learned that possessing beauty can be dangerous. And yet—and this is just astounding—in spite of all the pain and distress that beauty has caused us as women, the desire remains. And it’s not just the desire for an outward beauty, but more—a desire to be captivating in the depths of who you are.

Cinderella is beautiful, yes, but she is also good. Her outward beauty would be hollow were it not for the beauty of her heart. That’s why we love her. In The Sound of Music, the Countess has Maria beat in the looks department, and they both know it. But Maria has a rare and beautiful depth of spirit. She has the capacity to love whiskers on kittens and mean-spirited children. She sees the handiwork of God in music and laughter and climbing trees. Her soul is Alive. And we are drawn to her.

Ruth may have been a lovely, strong woman, but it is to her unrelenting courage and vulnerability and faith in God that Boaz is drawn. Esther is the most beautiful woman in the land, but it is her bravery and her cunning, good heart that moves the king to spare her people. This isn’t about dresses and makeup . . . Don’t you recognize that a woman yearns to be seen and to be thought of as captivating? We desire to possess a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. We want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; beauty that affects others; a beauty all our own to unveil.

My beautiful hula ladies!

princesses

One of my nicknames is "Princess." This is not because I'm filthy rich, live in a castle, wear a crown, or have an entourage of eligible princes asking for my hand in marriage. This nickname was given to me intentionally to remind me of my identity in Christ.

Romans 8:17 "And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."

Think of Chronicles of Narnia--Edmond, Lucy, Susan and Peter are common children who stumble on the revelation that they are, in Azlan's world, kings and queens. You are, in God's world (which includes Heaven and Earth) royalty.

So..this is all pretty sweet when you think about it. However, sometimes I wonder what the big deal is that I'm a true princess..if everyone else is too? How can I be special, personally and deeply loved by God, if the person next to me--good, bad, pretty or ugly, is loved equally and passionately by God as well?

The answer came to me when my friend and I were having a serious discussion (which her husband found humorous) about which Disney princess was our favorite. We had to choose one. But it was tough. (I chose Ariel because she's fearless and hangs out in her swimsuit all day). But, at any moment my mind could have changed to Belle. You see, I love all of the princesses! They are each unique but I love them equally! (Yes, I'm 23 and I will never grow out of this).

I think this is how God's sees us! Just on a huger scale...

You see, as of 2007 God had made approximately 3,300,600,000 princesses. Each one beautiful. Each one different. Each one dearly loved by him. He pays attention to the details of each one's life, the way we know the stories of each Disney princess.

God can have a lot of favorites, but it doesn't decrease anyone's value. How many "favorite" songs do you have? What about movies? Bands? Actors? Shirts? Does one special person in your life make another special person less special? Probably not.

So whether you are an Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Ariel, Mulan, Pocahontas, Cinderella, Snow White, Giselle, etc. your role in the royal family of God is unique, valued, and irreplaceable. YOU are his favorite!

1 John 5:1 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well"