3 Reasons to Let God Love You

I'm not stupid. Well, let me rephrase that- I'm not stupid enough to think that everyone believes in God. I myself am unfortunately a skeptic of all things by nature, and have been skeptical of God at times too. You can either choose to base your life on the world view that there is a God- a supreme being, or you can choose to believe there's not. Whatever approach you take, I'm of the belief that there is a God who created all life. I also believe, unlike Westboro Baptist Church, that he is a God of love.

I can't deny that I have a heart that needs love. For a woman, love is as important as the air we breathe. Without love a woman can't focus, succeed, or even live. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world. There's extreme neglect, violence and abuse that happens every day. We will inevitably find our hearts in relationships that leave us broken. No matter how good of a man we have in our lives, he will somehow let us down at least every so often. So what do we do with this heart that needs love, but struggles to find it? The Bible is the word of God. When we read it, we hear from him and he can speak to our hearts. I'm going to give you three reasons why you should let God in to your heart, and let him love you.

God's love will never stop.

Relationships today end for any number of reasons; Love grows stale, it fades, hearts harden. This is not the case with the love of God for his children. No matter what we do God will still love us. There is absolutely nowhere you could go or no crime you could commit that would make God say, "Eh, I'm done with you." Look at this verse,

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears fortoday nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
Romans 8:37-39

The book in the bible called Romans, was written by a guy named Paul. Before he changed his name to Paul and started following Jesus, he hated Christians. His name was Saul and Christians were afraid of him because he would pursue persecution for any of Jesus' followers. So, If God can love that guy, he can love us. He says that nothing can separate us from God's love. God has always been and will always been. He says,

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
Jeremiah 31:2-4

2. God's love isn't based on your looks. You don't have to be a sex-pot, or a stud.

As a woman, I get so tired of trying to be enough. I'll admit it, I'm an occasional striver. It's horrible! Sometimes, I know I'm enough. That God loves me just the way I am, and that he is working in my heart and making me more like him. Sometimes I realize my beauty comes from being his daughter, and sometimes, I don't. I'll admit there have been times I've thought that if I was only skinnier, or bustier, or kinder, that I would be loved more- but that's not what God's love is based on. Once, God sent a man named Samuel to pick the next king of Israel. He went to a man named Jesse, and began to look over Jesse's sons for who would be most appropriate. Samuel saw that the sons of Jesse were strong but God kept telling Samuel he didn't want any of them to be the next king. Instead, God picked Jesse's youngest son, a shepherd named David. While Samuel was pondering this God said,

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him( the other sons). The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

God also says this about trying to pursue beauty at all costs,

Proverbs 31:30
New Living Translation (NLT)

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

That's comforting to know. God looks at my heart. He isn't going to look down and say, "Jessie, you are looking a bit pudgy today, therefore I will withhold my affection from you." If you want a love that will look beyond your appearance, and see YOU- God's love is it.

3. God loves us as our father.

A lot of us have grown up with strained relationships with our dads. As women, it can either make or break us to have a dad in our life who is there for us and teaches us about men and love. Statistics say about %40 of children grow up in "fatherless" homes. If you never knew your dad, or have a strained relationship with your dad, there is still a chance for you to have the Father-child relationship you were intended to.

God is our heavenly father.

Romans 8:15
New Living Translation (NLT)

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

2 Corinthians 6:18
New Living Translation (NLT)

18 And I will be your Father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”

There are countless verses in the bible naming God as our father. I also know that God is perfect. That means he will never lose him temper and hurt my heart. He will take care of me. He will protect and provide like a father should.

Like the song says, "There's a God-shaped hole in all of us, and the restless soul is searching..it's a void only he can fill." I've tried to fill the hole in my heart with other things, but only the love of God can fill it. Maybe you're not sure about the whole Christian thing, or even the whole God thing. All I'm saying is in the bible, a love is promised from someone who delivers. On time, every time. He won't let you down or stand you up. He won't beat you down or leave you broken. Check him out. Maybe even, let him love you.

American Idol Tryouts- What to Expect

      Last year I tried out with thousands of singers for American Idol. It was definitely an exciting and interesting experience. I've decided to give a detailed account for anyone who has ever wondered what it's like to go through the process. 

       I signed up about two days prior and got an arm band. There was also some paperwork to fill out. On the morning of the audition, I arrived at around 5:30 A.M. to the coliseum where the auditions were being held. Of course, there was lots of traffic getting into the parking lot. Once I parked I got out and followed the groups of people that were walking towards the building. I went by myself, which I do not recommend. It was an exciting experience, and I regret not really having anyone to share it with. I had to talk to strangers and be that overexcited weird girl who talks to people she doesn't know. A role I play quite well I must say. 

       I then found a place in the line outside of the building that was really, more of a corral of people smashed between barricades. I thought I had gotten there early, but there were already about three hundred people ahead of me. Waiting in line was fun! People had guitars and were singing. Every so often someone would break out into spontaneous song, singing their heart out. Sometimes it would make you go, "Ooooo, I stink compared to her," and sometimes it would make you say, "Yes! I have a chance!" If you like music, you would have loved it. My husband would have been ready to jump in front of a moving car. It was what I imagine Woodstock would have been like, only without the grass, and also the "grass". I got to sing and talk and make conversation with random people till about 10:30 A.M. Yes, it was tiring, but also fun and there was a very fun and musical atmosphere, if you can imagine such.
    
      At around 10:30 A.M. They moved us into the actual building. There we found seats according to our ticket numbers. Soon I finally got to see Ryan Seacrest! He came out for about three minutes. What a waste! He was also very very tiny from where I was sitting. They make you sing a song together and jump and wave at the camera- kind of like a dancing monkey. You have to look excited and blah blah blah. After that, there was more waiting. When I say more waiting I mean, MORE WAITING. I think I didn't actually move further in the process until about 2:30 P.M. They did have a snack bar, however by the time I got there, all of the decent snacks were gone. My lunch was a pretzel that did not taste good at all. You're not allowed to bring your own food. During the time we were sitting in our seats, they were calling us up by sections to go down on the floor of the coliseum to audition. You would go four at a time. They would point to one person and then that person got to sing about 10 seconds, if that, then on to the next. At the end they would say yes or no. All four of the people in my group were told no because our voices weren't strong enough. It was good criticism and I agreed with them. 
     
      However, to wait around all day just to be told no was a bit disheartening. Actually, a lot disheartening. That was my first rejection in my time as a singer. Thankfully I got to my car before I started crying like a baby. I think I finished up everything around 3:30 P.M. I immediately went to the nearest McDonalds and ordered one depressed girl lunch- supersized! As I ate, cried, and randomly blurted out rude and vengeful words, I really felt like I wanted to give up on singing. Then I realized, it was all just a learning experience- A painful and time consuming one, but a good one nonetheless. I noticed some of the people who did get picked. I remembered them singing beforehand and noted that they had had lots of confidence. I would say a good singer has to be someone with a lot of confidence. Next time when American Idol comes back, I'm going to give it a shot again. It was a super fun experience and one I wouldn't mind going through again.  
     My advice if you are going to go is, 

• bring a buddy
• bring some confidence
• have fun, see it as a fun opportunity, not your one shot to make it. 
• pick a song you can belt confidently that makes you happy
• Dress uniquely, but not strange
• Be CONFIDENT in you
• Be ready to wait and wait and wait, all day.
• Realize that there are at least 300 people there that can sing as good as you and about 350 that can probably sing better than you, so stand out if you can with your personality and song choice.
• If you get rejected, realize that you are one of thousands of people. Carrie Underwood got rejected too a few times before she was finally told yes. 

"Weigh" to Start the Day!

       I have been reading the book, Calm My Anxious Heart, by Linda Dillow. My friend Sienna and I are doing it as a bible study. It's made me realize that a majority of the stress and drama in my life comes from my worries and anxieties about the future. Some things I can control and some that I can't. We have been studying Philippians 4:6. It says:

  

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

     I've read this verse a thousand times, yet I usually still do things my way. I worry about everything and pray as a last resort when I feel I can't take it anymore. There are quite a few things I'm worried about. It's stressful and I don't want to be bogged down by it. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus gets where I'm coming from, and tells how to escape the crazy train, when he says:

^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

      He knows we go through a lot of stress. He's saying to trust him, do things his way, and we will be at peace. When worry or anxiety start to creep into your mind, instead of worrying about it, decide to follow Philippians 4:6. Don't worry, but instead pray about it. Don't just pray for what you need, thank God for what he has already done. If you look around at your circumstances, I'm sure you'll see(like I do) that you are extremely blessed already. God promises that if we follow the formula, 

(Prayer + Give Thanks) - Worry  = God's Peace

he will fill us with enough of his peace to get through whatever storm we are facing. The book recommended that we make a list of all of the positive things in our lives versus all of the negative things. As I made my list of negative things, I let out any frustration I was feeling. Then I looked them over. A lot of them stemmed from selfishness. I hated to admit it, but it was true. Then when I started to write my list of positives, I realized that it was much longer than the other. I recommend you do this too and meditate on it every morning. It's certainly helping me to keep my mind from worrying about what I don't have. By weighing the positive and negative, it starts to seem silly to dwell on the lighter load of negatives. 

The last part of the passage in Philippians tells us to think on whatever is "True, Noble, Lovely, Right, and Pure". If we take control of our thoughts and our worries and put them where they are supposed to be, I think we will experience less stress, and I am all for that. 

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When hard times come

Romans 5

     5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. ² Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ⁹ And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. ¹⁰ For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. ¹¹ So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.   


     Life can sometimes throw us some pretty sharp curve-balls. We think we have a master plan, that we've got things lined up just so. Then out of no where, something happens that shakes our entire way of thinking. We realize that what we wanted isn't what we have in front of us. Something completely wrong is happening to us  and we can not make any sense of it. 
        Something God is teaching me in a painful way is that we mostly only learn from painful experiences. The times when we are the most broken, the most crushed, those are the times when we truly feel like we need help. We need to be saved. We need a savior. I included the verses above because it is something I'm meditating on daily. I am doing my best to rejoice in this storm I'm going through because I know that God has a plan for all of this. I call it a storm because I know like the ever-changing weather, it will pass. God says in Romans 8:28 (I like Romans) that he causes all things to work together for the good of those that love him. So I know that even in this really uncomfortable time, he is working. He is growing, shaping, teaching, healing, and changing me. He is teaching me about his love and to remember that no matter what comes, he loves me and is a good God, so I can expect good things from him. After all, "he knows the plans he has for me,"..."plans for good and not for disaster, to give me a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:10-12). Just because I don't understand the purpose behind my pain, doesn't mean that there isn't one. I will trust that God is good even when my situation is bad. I will read his word and believe it. I will pray and be broken before him, trusting him to heal me and love me through the difficult times. 


I will find him on my knees.
Check out this video. 
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=find+you+on+my+knees+kari+jobe&oq=find+you+on+my+k&aq=0p&aqi=p-p1g9&aql=&gs_nf=1&gs_l=youtube-psuggest.3.0.35i39j0l9.129.2360.0.3368.16.16.3.0.0.0.151.1306.7j6.13.0.

Passion leads to Purpose

     Oprah's Life Class was on last night and a miracle from heaven happened. My husband actually picked that to watch! Not basketball, not Topgear (which I'll admit I do like, but sometimes we need girly TV!), but Oprah! This could also be because her special guest was Bishop T. D. Jakes, who I recently discovered I like more than I thought I did. Oprah's Life Class is basically Oprah attempting to reach people and help them grow to their fullest potential, basically the same thing she has always done on her show.
     I was excited to watch this episode because it was talking about finding your purpose in life. I have lived my life with and without purpose and realize that it's something that is definitely necessary. A few years ago I began a relationship with the God of the universe and became his child. That filled my life with extreme purpose, however, I still do feel myself occasionally stumped at what I am to do for a vocation. I wonder what job I am supposed to have to make the world better. I assume it has a lot to do with my age. I am, after all, only 22. Still very much in a young state, but also a mother and wife. Sometimes I forget that I'm not thirty. It is the craziest thing. I live my life like someone who is a bit older than I truly am. So, I have to cut myself some slack because I think this is the age that most of us spend trying to figure out what our true calling is as far as work goes.
      Bishop T. D. Jakes said something that I thought was very profound. He said that your passions in life will lead you to your purpose. Basically, don't ignore the things that you feel passionate about because they will point you to the career field where you will thrive the greatest. I've always realized that I didn't want to pursue money as much as I wanted to pursue happiness. At the moment I only work part-time so that I have the ability to be with my son when he gets out of school. It sacrifices a good bit of money and probably a few career options, but it is what I'm passionate about. Being there for my son is so important to me that I pursue it at all costs. I'd like to also find that for my career path. The thing that I am so passionate about doing that my soul cries out to do it over and over. When I ignore it, I feel like I'm shutting down a part of me. I feel like God has given us these passions as sort of a road map to figure out what we are called to do. The things you feel passionate about will lead you to the job you were meant to do. I guess I have some soul searching to do.
     He also said not to waste time striving to be something you're not. If you have talent in a certain area, but not passion then he said you may be missing something. Follow your hearts passions and you will find a rewarding career. I'm on my way with a lot of prayer and a little soul searching and I'm thankful that I tuned in to Oprah's Life Class and stayed up past my bedtime to watch. :)

Laryngitis and Thugs

Well, I have a lot of things going on in my head right now. What an interesting month March has been for me and my little brain. We have endured some trying times and times of complete overload, however, peace is on the horizon. I'm finding it hard to focus at work today. I seem to have come down with laryngitis from using my vocal chords to sing so much over the past week. I participated in lengthy singing sessions four days last week, which apparently is too much for my little chords. I didn't sleep well last night and Carter woke up with a sore throat so I extended his spring break +1 extra day since dad is off today. I told him to rest in the bed all day and drink lots of water. Yeah right.
     Anyways, none of that was really important. I just feel very blah today. On top of this current state of blah, I have stumbled upon a website called "Charleston Thug Life". It is a blog written by some local guys that posts information, Facebook info, and pictures of guys they consider to be "thugs" running around South Carolina. While I understand where they are coming from, by trying to keep local residents aware of the people who could cause possible violent events, but it still rubs me the wrong way. There is such an "us" and "them" mentality in America today. I'm not saying I'm completely innocent, I just don't like it. I don't like the writer of this blog posting those pictures of them and writing cruel things between them. In one case the "thug" mentioned he almost got shot, and the author of the blog commented that society was unlucky that he had survived, like we would be better off if he had been killed.
     This whole Treyvon Martin thing has opened my eyes to things I really dislike about us. I get that a lot of young black guys commit crime. I get that- it can't be denied. But I just despise that due to these circumstances we come to see us as the good, right, just, and "those guys" as the crooked, wrong, and evil. I feel like blogging about how certain young people are throwing away their future by participating in certain violent acts and bad behavior for your own good, to keep you safe, does no good to society. They same guys are still out there doing the same wrong. Still blinded by whatever life they think they want to live. I just wish we as a society would see that in order to make our world better we have to help one another. To find out why a certain group of people behaves a certain way, and do what we can to help them change. I don't think intentionally separating ourselves or protecting ourselves from "them" will ever fix anything.
    Race has become a hot topic lately in America. We watched some stuff on Anderson Cooper last night about how kids view race. Most of them viewed their own race as superior to other races. One little kid even said he didn't think it was good for you to have friends of a different race. One thing I feel in my heart is very important for me to do from this point forward is to truly love my neighbor, no matter how ruthless, rude, unlawful, or bad he may be. I will also be trying harder to teach my son about the value of a human life regardless of the color of their skin or the actions they have committed.

What are your thoughts??

Trading Ashes for Beauty

     

Last night was the Maundy Thursday service at Riverbluff Church, the church I attend. I sing with the praise team and was thoroughly excited about using my voice to help people get closer to Jesus. As I sang the last song, "At the Foot of the Cross", I sang it from my heart. It's kind of my life story, and at the end- I cried (of course). When I think of where I have been versus where I am now, I am overwhelmed by the love of God to pursue such an undesirable mess and make it beautiful. Here are some of the lyrics,

"And you've won my heart,

yes you've won my heart,

now I can,

trade these ashes in for beauty,

and wear forgiveness like a crown,

coming to kiss the feet of mercy,

I lay every burden down,

at the foot of the cross."

My life has certainly been filled with times where I felt dirty and marred. I was a teenage parent- a statistic. I went looking for love in all the wrong places. My heart ached to feel love. I've abused drugs to fill a void that I had no idea how to fill, but I knew existed. I've felt not pretty enough- felt too this or too that. Feelings of low self-esteem and weakness have at times overtaken me. 

     However, there was a day, when I discovered something. This God thing was about more than just a man in the sky. The debate of evolution vs. creator didn't matter anymore to me when I realized the life changing power of the cross and the word of God. When I decided to give my heart to Jesus- decided to follow him, trusting him to be real, trusting his word to be truth, my life did a complete U-turn. The bible tells of the love of God for the people he created. That he loved us so much, he was willing to take our filth, our sin, the stuff that messes us up, and take it on himself. He bore all of the death, pain, and punishment deserved for my sinful behavior when he died on that cross. I no longer have to be in pain and separated from God because of the bad stuff I do. He has forgiven me of the wrong I've done, am currently doing, and will do in the future. He didn't do it for fun or for a show. He did it to win me back. He fought- for me. 

     When I accepted his word to be the truth, I learned that I was created in the image of God. A God more beautiful than anything we've ever seen. All of the beauty we experience on the earth is created to show us the beauty of God. He says I am created to look like him, therefore I am beautiful. He has loved me before time began, he pursues me, he desires to be the lover of my soul, to fill my void. He speaks softly to my heart and I am loved unconditionally by him. He has given me a fresh start and a hope in him. I've traded the ashes of my past life- the pain, unworthiness, the hole in my heart aching to be filled, for the beauty of Christ the son of God. God in human form, perfect and holy. He says since I have accepted him into my heart, that I am now like him. That makes me totally awesome. I can be a lover and a fighter for the good of all people, and I can try as best as I can to lead people to the only cure I've found for the yearning of our hearts. 
     Let yourself be loved by God. It will change your life. If you're not sure about him, why not check him out? I'd love to talk one on one. I'm no bible genius and I don't claim to have all of the answers. I do know, that when you give your life to God, you will find beauty, forgiveness, mercy, love, and a place to lay your burdens down in exchange for the hope and peace he gives you.