Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:1-9

"That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Where are you planting seeds? Are you letting your light shine?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Change, Fear, and Chocolate

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown

I feel like I am waiting for the butterflies. I want them to come. I want them to emerge from their cocoon, but I fear what happens when they are butterflies. What comes next?

I have been asking that a lot about myself lately, "Ali, what comes next?"

I met with my small group last night and one of the girls is reading a book called "The Power of Now". And she was just sharing how the author stresses how important it is to be in the now, not the past, or the future. To be able to focus on the here and the now. What does that look like for you? What does that look like for me?

Well if you are anything like me, I stress a lot. And when I get stressed...I eat chocolate. LOTS of chocolate. And I realized that I eat chocolate because I focus on the flavor in the moment I am devouring it. I gobble up the rich flavor and the decadent taste as it melts away...and when that piece is gone, I have another, and another. Then I come back to reality and realize that I don't focus on the now. I focus on the future...the what comes next part of life.

I am constantly asking myself questions like When will we move again? Will we find a home as perfect as the one we are in now? Are we going to rent, or perhaps consider buying? Will it be a safe neighborhood? Where will we keep my horse? Will she be safe, and nearby? Or I stress about money, and I always fear we won't be able to pay every bill this month, or next month.

All these fears...all these stresses..I can't keep hanging onto them... So I try and give them all to God.

"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity."
Joel 2:12-13

I have to constantly remind myself that our God is a God of never ending love, full of compassion, and holds a grace we do not deserve.

I have to remember I am a child of God, that He will never give me more than I can handle, and that He has a plan and I have to let Him work.

I am slowly but surely letting my stress go about fear and change, and giving it to God...but still eating chocolate of course.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

peace

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."

Are you calm in your heart? Do you have peace?

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Change Change Change

Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights. ~Pauline R. Kezer

Where are your roots at? How do you respond to change?

I must say, I don't respond to change as well as I would like to. I do occasionally dig my heels, stomp my foot, and cross my arms most of the time. But when I do those things, God cannot get to me. He cannot reach inside my heart and continue to mold and transform me. It is so easy to say that I let God lead my life, but in times of change and transition when I shut down, I am not giving him the chance to take a hold of my life and make it greater than I ever could on my own.

It is also hard in the midst of change to see the other side, the finish line, the end of the road as some would say. Because sometimes not all change is exciting. Some change is hard, and full of pain. But I often come to realize even in those times of immense pain and hardship that it is even harder when I don't lean on God. But once I uncross my arms and try not to stomp my feet, something inside me shifts. The change that I am experiencing gives me branches to stretch and grow and reach new heights. That transformation happens when I fully surrender myself to God, whether the change is good or bad.

The thing about God is He can take the bad and turn it into something good. When we let Him do what He does best, He transforms us and molds us in ways we could not even imagine.

I leave you with this: What are you struggling to give to God? In what ways are you not letting him rule your life? If there is change on the horizon are you stomping your foot and crossing your arms, or are your feet still and your arms stretched wide to Him?