A Beautiful Exchange + Other Weekend Memories

Happy Easter, Readers!

This weekend has been filled with more memories and emotions than any other Easter I can remember! I stayed at school for the holiday this year, but thankfully I had the opportunity to spend time with my beautiful and fun-loving grandma! 

Grandma was such a good sport about trying new things and going on all sorts of adventures during the weekend. Wrong turns, building water-system repairs and other craziness did not ruin her mood; in fact, I think these goofy experiences made it all the more exciting! The most special part of the weekend, however, was not just shopping and eating out together as I would have expected.

The truly special memories that I will hold close to my heart were from my grandma's willingness to go to church with me and to embrace the emotions this religious weekend can bring. Friday night, we went to a Good Friday service that far surpassed anything I would have expected. Saturday afternoon, we saw the movie Heaven is for Real. Today, we attended a fantastic church service. On top of all that, we recognized the anniversary of my uncle's unexpected passing of April 19, 2006. Talk about a tear-jerking weekend!

The tears, laughs, and smiles of this weekend all related back to the absolutely mind-blowing love of Jesus Christ. The ugliness of Christ's death on Good Friday became the most beautiful exchange imaginable on Resurrection Sunday. As my grandma pointed out, it is unimaginable to think of how the people must have felt to see their son, leader, and friend Jesus die on the cross that night. It truly places our own frustrations and sadness in perspective!

The beauty that comes from this ugliness is that Christ died as the perfect sacrifice in exchange for our sins. I hope and pray that this Easter, you spend some time reflecting on how much unconditional love that represents. Jesus died for you and because of mankind's sin. He rose from the grave, death has lost it's sting. Christ has provided the sacrifice we need in order to spend an eternity with God, all it takes is accepting His ways and choosing to live for His honor! Spread the message with those you love-- there is no other story more worth sharing! 

The Big Fat Lie, aka "Forever Alone"

I used to think it. I have heard at least three different friends say it in the past year. I'm pretty sure advertisements for online dating sites and apps support the trend I've started to notice. There are an awful lot of people thinking they will be "forever alone" and that they need to do something to make their terrible fate change.

Just like how God knows how to push our buttons to move us to do and think positively, Satan knows how to poke and prod at our nerves to make us do and think negatively.

He makes us forget that God will make all of His promises and goodness clear within His own timing. He has a plan for our life, with meaningful and necessary timing worthy of our patience:

"He has made everything beautiful in its time..." -Ecclesiastes 3:11

Regardless of if it applies to being alone in a romantic sense or in a friendship sense, eternal loneliness is what I've deemed to be the "big fat lie" Satan places in our mindsets. God is always with us and is always leading us down a path He has created especially for us, yet Satan is really skilled at planting thoughts of inadequacy and isolation into our brains. Next time you sense Satan placing one of these feelings of loneliness into your life, take note:

Life with God = Life without Loneliness

Not going to lie to you all, though, that is a concept much easier said than done. Nights sitting alone, school dances without a date, exclusion from social invitations, and other experiences people might have in this category seem to only encourage the "big fat lie". The physical loneliness makes it easy to forget that we are never alone spiritually. Feeling the hurt of being excluded or uninvited can make us feel unworthy of love and can make it seem that God doesn't have a significant other or friendships in our plan.

There are a lot of smaller elements that lead to difficulty with accepting, believing, and trusting Christ's truth that He has plans for our futures in relationships. Here is just a short list of the mini-lies that play into Satan's "forever alone" trap, in no particular order, along with some of God's word to counter them:

Mini-lie 1:
I must have misunderstood God or He lied to me. He placed a desire for a significant other, a future family, or a friend in my heart with no intention to actually fulfill that promise.

Response:
"Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made." -Psalm 145:13

Mini-lie 2:
There is no chance for me to meet someone. My life has no opportunities for positive friendships and relationships to develop.

Response:
In Matthew 15:29-39, Jesus fed four thousand, while in a remote location with no access to additional food, from seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. "They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over." 
From this story, we can clearly see that Christ can make anything possible!

Mini-lie 3:
I'm too old and missed the boat. Everyone has their friends and relationships developed so there is no hope for me.

Response:
In Genesis 21:1-7, the Lord blessed Sarah with pregnancy in her old age. Her husband Abraham was a hundred years old! "'Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borned him a son in his old age."
From this story, we can clearly see that Jesus doesn't place an age limit on finding love and having a family.

Mini-lie 4:
I am not strong enough in faith, not educated enough, not attractive enough, etc. for anyone to want to spend time with me. I'm essentially inadequate and undeserving of love.

Response:
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." -Psalm 139:13-14
...and...
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity." -1 Timothy 4:12
From these verses, we can clearly see that Christ has created all of us with beauty and care. He intends for us to be valued, no matter how young/old, skilled/unskilled, or weak/strong we might feel.

Mini-lie 5:
I am too shy to even talk to people. How am I going to fall in love, let alone form meaningful friendships, if I can't even hold a conversation?

Response:
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:13


That's just a short list of all of the related issues that can tie into the "big fat lie". If you cannot personally relate, I think it is fairly safe to say that you will meet someone with these thoughts or have already met someone with these feelings.

With that in mind, remember that God placed a desire for intimacy, acceptance, and companionship as a model for how He wants to relate to us. God will always be our companion, our life partner, and our supporter. His grace and love are endless. 

Seeking Him is the perfect way to learn how to love and how to see ourselves the way He sees us. Pursuing Christ not only gives us contentment in our present scenario, but also in the future to come:

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." -1 Timothy 4:8

Take a moment to realize your value and acceptance with Christ, as well as the importance of seeking a relationship with Him before pursuing relationships with others. You are never alone, as long as you accept Jesus into your life.

Let Jesus worry about your love story and friendships. Keep yourself open to hear His guidance and He will lead you down paths you never could have imagined on your own.

Story of Victory: Getting the Perfect Beach Body

This is the first "Story of Victory" post. These posts will highlight a person, song, video or news story that relates to victory living through Christ. Today's topic relates to beach bodies.

It's that time of year-- swimsuit season! Sure, there might still be snow on the ground, but plenty of people are headed to warmer climates for their spring breaks. While perusing Facebook today, I found a video that made me take a moment to consider self-image and what society portrays as being the "perfect" body. Check it out:

http://youtu.be/zRlpIkH3b5I

Crazy results, right? Photoshop did wonders and was a whole lot easier than dieting, exercise, and taking care of one's body. The disappointment, however, was that the women participating in the modeling shoot did not even feel like the finished product looked like themselves. There was nothing unique, special or noteworthy besides the fact that they looked like cover models. 

Yet those are the standards many work towards as they approach swimsuit season. 

In this video, I think the victorious moment was the women coming to accept their bodies as precious, just the way they are. Take that a step farther and apply this to your life-- are you content with who you are in Christ?

Instead of working towards an unrealistic beach body or model-like appearance, here is some scripture to guide you in setting some healthy, holy, and realistic goals:

"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." 

-1 Timothy 2:9-10

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 

-1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." 

-2 Corinthians 7:1

According to these verses, rather than pursuing life in a body that is seen as "perfect" by society, we should be seeking to have bodies and minds that honor God. Setting goals focused on looking good, rather than on taking care of the body Christ has given us, is a trap to fall into the ways  of this world. I pray that this spring break, God pushes us to see our bodies the way He sees them-- as a precious gift, a temple of the Holy Spirit, for showing His goodness and for behaving in purity and holiness.