From God to Us: A Flight

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:29-31

My child, your life is like a flight. I have prepped you and equipped you for the journey, and showered you with blessings. I have allowed you to take that, and run with it. Take off, and see where I lead you!

This does not mean it will all be smooth sailing. There will be headwinds, turbulence, and storms. There will be delays, and breakdowns. People will disappoint, life will throw curveballs. But, it all makes lifting off the ground that much more of a miracle.

You get off the ground, but your troubles don't stop there. People and luggage will weigh you down. Mistakes can be made, you may stall. But, it's all about trusting Me to get you through anything. Sometimes, the fog will be so thick, you can't see the finish line; my goal and purpose for the trials I put you under. I promise, it is solely out of my love for you. Trust Me to navigate your life as you take off and head out into the unknown.

You ascend, passing thousands of feet into the air. The higher you get, the smaller the world appears. The world is insignificant and will pass away as fast as you leave this city behind. Watch your problems become as minimal as the minuscule buildings in the distance.

The clouds approach, and this becomes the true test. Will you trust Me, and leave what is seen behind to enter a world you cannot see or understand? Although it is a struggle to fly below the clouds, you stay there because you can see and feel. Trust Me; let Me take you out of the misery. Close your eyes, and feel My hand guiding you up.

You pass through the clouds, clinging to Me in trust and love. I whisper, "Open your eyes." This calm, this beauty, this light above the clouds is what I have for you. Look at the expanse of blessings. This is what I have in store for you. This is all I have for you. Stay up here with Me; abide in me. Let Me sustain you. Let Me love you.

However, sometimes you don't believe that this can possibly be yours, and you let go. You feel undeserving, and too insignificant for My plan. If only you would listen as I call out to you at that time! You find yourself falling below the clouds, in a flurry of hastened excuses. Your burdens, running low on fuel, sins, regret, depression, all anchor you down. They find a way between us, and you lose your focus on Me, the author and perfecter of your faith. I reach for you as you pass through the clouds, waiting.

But, you don't reach back to Me yet. You fall for the lies, thinking I'm not there. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am there, talking to you as well. But, you choose to listen to the lies.

Find my voice! I am there; no, I am here. Right now, in this moment. I am desperately after you, all you have to do is turn around! Listen to me: you are fearfully and wonderfully made. My works are wonderful. You are a temple and house to My spirit. You are My child. I know the plans I have for you. Each one was written in your life before you even came to be. These plans are to prosper you, not to harm you. They are to give you a hope and future. I knew what I was doing when I formed you in the secret place. I could not be happier with you. I am proud of you. Neither height nor depth, angels or demons, no power of hell or scheme of man can ever pluck you from My hand or separate you from My love.

You may drift, you may falter. But, My love and faithfulness shall never falter, drift, or fade. It is a roaring flame that cannot be quenched.

Let your heart find this fire. Catch it, and let if lift you back up above the clouds where I alone exist. Nothing else matters, because I love you. I approve of you, no other approval matters. Focus on Me. Grasp this expanse of blessings I have for you. Spend time with Me, let's watch the sunset together. I love you, and eagerly await your arrival.

DTI

Stars and Distractions

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light..." Ephesians 5:8

The stars are always present. They are there, 24/7. In day, we cannot see them. It is not their time. But at night, they are light to those stuck in the darkness.

The biggest shame is when their light is blocked. I remember in 3rd grade, trying to find constellations when studying the stars in class. I had to go outside city limits to clearly see their splendor. I could watch those stars for hours, finding constellations, making my own, lost in the expanse of sky.

But the interesting thing I realized is that they continually look down on us; during day, when the sun reigns, as well as night, when the lights of the city overpower them. However, we allow artificial light to shine "brighter". When these lights, whether they be lights from buildings, the streets, our phones, or flashlights are put to rest, the stars become visible. Their beauty becomes apparent and undeniable; a million times more than was thought possible.

Life is a lot like star gazing. To see, TRULY see, you must turn off all other distractions. Tuning out the noise, ignoring the things that sidetrack us, we can see.

The eternity of a star blows my mind. The batteries in a flashlight will deplete. Our phones run out of battery. Buildings run low on power. Yet, at the end of the day, a star is still there. And, even when the star is done and at the end of its life, its death creates a new one! Its entire life is lived according to a purpose, even in death. Its legacy of light continues in the fresh star.

Not only is life like star gazing, but we are called to be star-like. I pray that God molds me into a star He can be proud of.

When we decide to push past fears, anxieties, insecurities, and failure (the distractions), we shine as bright as those stars. The reason we do is because it no longer is our faint selves, it is God shining THROUGH us.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

When we let go of worries and let God take control, our light becomes apparent. We are called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). In this way, not only can we shine, but others can shine with us. The light is contagious, as long as we spread it.

How do we spread that light? Here are a few ways.

1. Pray, pray, pray!
Prayer has a tendency to be underestimated in not only our daily lives, but in the church (another post for another time). There is so much power in prayer. It is a conversation with our Creator and Father, who listens to us constantly. It is a truly beautiful gift. Prayer allows us to align our hearts and desires with those of God, and can help us shine as a light for Him.

2. Hang out.
I have never accomplished something of importance in my life without accountability. Talking to someone about your distractions can help you handle them. I've found at times that my friends and family have said the one thing I realized later God wanted me to hear. Fellowship, relationships, family, friends, these are all invaluable.

3. Read the love letter.
The Bible is God's love letter to us. He wrote it for us, and it is full of His passion for creation. In Sunday school, we were taught to "read your Bible and pray every day, and you'll grow, grow, grow." As elementary as that sounds, it rings with truth. The Bible is not only a love letter, it is an instruction booklet to us of how to live. Shining bright is directly in accordance to living by the Truth.

Living as the "light of the earth" is inspiring. Remember, dare to inspire others, shine bright, and find a way to have them shine just as brightly with you.

"You will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life." (Philippians 2:15-16)

DTI

Where Them God Fans At?

For anyone who knows me, you know that I am a Swiftie. I am absolutely obsessed with Taylor Swift. I have every song, posters in my dorm room, went to her concert in Chicago for my senior trip with my best friend, and if you see me driving around town, there is a 99.9% chance Taylor Swift is being played in my car.

I also follow her on every social media I have, and she posted her first clue for her fifth album today. I even wore red and listened to the entire Red album again to commemorate the end of an era. (All you Swifties out there: you know what I'm talking about.) You know I will be first in line at midnight of it's release date. Oh, and it will for sure be pre-ordered on iTunes.

When people ask who my favorite artist is, or what I listen to, and I say Taylor Swift, I usually get 1 of 2 reactions. Either people are like, a)"Oh my gosh I LOVE her!" or b) "Wow, I can't believe how musically uneducated you are. I don't like her at all." There's almost never a middle ground.

So I've been made fun of and viewed differently by some people for being a Swiftie. But an unashamed Swiftie I remain.

Here's my point: our culture demands that we attach ourselves to popular trends. These can include music, movies, or people. People are obsessed with finding the next big thing, talking about their favorite aspect of pop culture, following reality shows, etc. And when we are a fan of something, we are die-hard loyalists.

But what do you say when people ask what you believe in? And no, I'm not talking about political stances, morality, or anything of the like. What do you say when people ask what your religion is? If you are a Christian, do you let them know you have a personal relationship with a God who loves us and has a designed each of us for a specific purpose, or do you shuffle your feet and mumble some jargon about kind of believing in some ultimate power, but not really? Are you worried they will ridicule you for liking something different than them?

When did it become ok to believe more in a human person than our God? And when did it become acceptable to follow broken people who exploit the industry for millions, yet we can't even follow the one who died for us that we might have eternal life? (John 3:16)

I'm not saying it's wrong to be a fan. We all need people to look up to. Some of mine are Taylor Swift, Russell Wilson, Tim Tebow, Jennie Finch, Lauren Chamberlain, and Richard Sherman, to name a few. (I love sports. Could you tell?)

But it is wrong when these people become idols. Not only people, but things can become idols as well. Some I have struggled with are softball and success in school.

Keeping these things and people from dethroning God in our lives can be hard. But God calls us to put him above all earthly things. In the words of Paul, "Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry." (1 Corinthians 10:14)

There are two points I'm trying to make out of this blog post. Idols are anything that get between God and us, and become more important than Him. Part of being a Christian is doing our best to keep God above these potential idols. And two, if we are truly Christians, then we are God's fans. Why don't we cheer for him as much as we do our icons?

I am a die-hard Seattle Seahawks fan. I have been from day one, and have ridden the roller coaster with them. I went through the Hasselbach/Alexander era, the 2005 disappointment, and the slump after. I watched year after year in wait, and can not even express in words how good it felt to see a team I followed and poured an emotional investment (and often times my lost voice) into for years win the Super Bowl!

Do we invest that much of our lives into our Christianity?

God calls us to even more than that. It is not just for a season. Our walk with Him is meant to enrapture us with every breath, and every second of the day. He wants to walk every step with us, through all the good and bad times.

We are God's sports team. He cheers us on, invests in us emotionally, and watches over us. He wants us to succeed, and watches us fail time and time again. But, those moments we are victorious, he is right there to tell us he knew we could do it the whole time. He never loses faith in us. "The Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

We have the King of the universe as our biggest fan.

The least we could do is proclaim to the world that we are His fans as well.


DTI