Take time to enjoy the flowers!

9 May

Human life is as short-lived as grass. It blossoms like a flower in the field.-Psalm 103:15 GWT

Personal photo.

My addiction is something serious, and according to statistics there are many others who are sucked in like me. I’m addicted to worrying.

It all started in high school when I seemed to have stumbled upon it in classes preparing me for college. I had a lot of anxiety over my grade point average, activities involvement, and whether or not I would be accepted to my top college of choice.

Unfortunately, the worrying addiction carried over into college and graduate school. In all honesty, I don’t think you can complete an MSW without a teensy bit of worrying.

Today’s culture doesn’t help. Especially academic environments, which encourage students to live a crazy lifestyle full of (seemingly) unrealistic expectations. What student in their right mind doesn’t want good grades and a social life?!

However, to be an effective Christian in Social Work we need to slow down, stop the anxious toil, and simply enjoy where God has us.

I have found that the more time I spend on the Internet and Facebook, the more I worry and have anxiety about things. Perhaps it’s from reading dozens of other people’s status updates about problems that sets off the worry bug …

Anyways, to solve all of this, I am completing a social media fast with my sister who blogs @ At the Pink of Perfection. No more status updates, witty commenting, or killing time on the Internet for at least one week.

Initially, it’s going to be a little hard for us because as bloggers, we’re on the computer so much. But in the end, it will be totally worth it to just breathe.

Today, I took time to appreciate God’s beautiful creation. I don’t like to garden, but even I have to admit that flowers are an incredible piece of God’s handiwork. As you can see, these flowers are starting to bloom despite some of the ugly winter browns surrounding them. Absolutely magnificent!

Personal photo.

I almost feel like I have to blog during this time of completing a social media fast because it can be so hard to break away from all of life’s anxieties. But Christ is beckoning me to get alone with God and to enjoy my time reading, writing, and reflecting on life. Especially, how fast life goes. I anticipate getting back to blogging after returning from my mini-retreat. However, it’s time for me to get rest at the feet of Jesus.

Perhaps you too can benefit from letting go of something that increases your anxiety and causes you to worry.

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for ignoring Your command to let go of worrying. Please honor my commitment to remove external noise and distractions so that I might focus my time more on You. I pray that You would take me to a deeper understanding of Your ways in the days to follow. Please bestow upon me the peace and comfort that I have so desperately missed since starting graduate school. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Does today’s verse inspire you to take similar action in your life?

If you have not asked Jesus to be your personal Savior, please click here for more information that can help you take the first step towards healing.

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Time for rest …

8 May

Hey sweet friends – this verse says it all, doesn’t it? I have so much peace just reading it! No matter where we are in this journey, our relationship with Him is what carries us forward. Amen!

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It’s all about money.

7 May

“Bring one-tenth of your income into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I won’t open the windows of heaven for you and flood you with blessings.” –Malachi 3:10 GWT

Photo accessed here.

I’ve never had money.

I worked my fingers to the bone to put myself through college and now graduate school.

Seriously, I’ve never had a bank account that was large enough to ease my anxiety when bills were due. Somehow I eked by even though I always felt like I didn’t have enough.

I didn’t think it was possible – or appropriate – for me to give to my church. I mean c’mon, I was on the “Ramen noodles diet” for a reason!

That was until God taught me it isn’t the size of my tithe that matters.

What counts is my faith and trust in obeying Him.

I learned about the importance of obeying the tithe through Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. My heart was filled with shame when guest speaker Pastor James MacDonald clearly pointed out my sin in his sermon.

This is what I learned …

  • Financial partnership with God brings incredible provision (Proverbs 11:25).
  • My bank account is a dangerous idol in my heart (1 Timothy 6:10).
  • Continuing to sin after the Lord corrects bad behavior is a BIG no-no (Romans 6:1).

It Takes Christ.

That one encounter of listening to Pastor MacDonald taught me so much about how serious God views the tithe. (Think I’m making it up? Check this out.)

His message challenged my old way of doing things.

I was so motivated and inspired to tithe, I dedicated 12% instead of 10% in 2012! Although I still have no job or source of income, I faithfully look for ways to tithe all monies that come across my path. I’m talking about tithing down to the twenty bucks my Mom gave me for gas so I could drive to clinicals and stay in graduate school. It wasn’t easy, but it was possible!

Sweet friends, I am not writing this post to pat myself on the back for fulfilling the tithe.

Rather, I am a living testimony of the miracles God performs when the unfaithful dare to become faithful.

In less than four months of faithful tithing, God has consistently held my finances together while walking by my side every step of the way. I learned that no matter how different my bills and bank account may be, God really does honor our tithing.

That being said, I had a fair amount of anxiety about this season of waiting because I have bills to pay with zero income. In my mind I was ruined, but He kept reminding me to remain faithful and trust Him to uphold His end of the bargain.

Friends, you won’t believe it – all my bills are covered! I was so shocked when I discovered it today, I was positively flabbergasted. I sat there numbly offering up praise and thanksgiving, so overwhelmed at His grace! Even as I write this, I am still amazed at how AWESOME God is.

So, instead of following the world’s example and sounding like the former me:

“Lord, You know how poor I am. This degree is draining everything I’ve got! I really believe You would never ask me to give 10% to my church, right? There are plenty of people at church who have income from jobs. Neither of which I have! … I just don’t think you’d ask me to tithe until after I graduate and have a job, right?!”

Pray something like this:

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You would forgive me for disobeying Your Word which so clearly tells me to honor You with my finances. I pray that You would accept my tithe, not just on special occasions like Christmas, but faithfully and regularly throughout the year. Father, I long to share Your Good News as a Christian in Social Work and I acknowledge that my error is a stumbling block preventing Your blessings. Please help me to remember You don’t measure my worth by the size of my tithe. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen!

If you have not asked Jesus to be your personal Savior, please click here for more information that can help you take the first step towards healing.

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Fresh reminder to play nice!

4 May

Remind believers about these things, and warn them in the sight of God not to quarrel over words. Quarreling doesn’t do any good but only destroys those who are listening. -2 Timothy 2:14 GWT

Photo accessed here.

Sometimes I just hate hearing what comes out of my mouth. Like everybody else, I want to feel accepted and included. That pressure to be liked can often spell out in me conforming to bad habits and negative mind sets that threaten to shake my perspective off Him.

In all honesty, I didn’t feel so good about myself when I read today’s key verse. Focusing on what I say only happens during special occasions, like job interviews or class presentations. But God requires us to always be examples of His love to the world.

And when I cave in to conformity, I’m so far from where I should be.

Filter it Out!

In 2 Timothy 2:14-18, Paul was directing Timothy to make cautions against useless speech that can be destructive. Although this passage was meant for Timothy’s ministry, I believe we can all benefit from the wisdom Paul shared.

  • Talk less and do more. If only we would let our hands and feet do more work than our mouths, perhaps there would be less conflicts and disagreements (2 Timothy 2:15).
  • If our words carry little to no profit, we should consider saying nothing. When speaking, it always helps me to keep a mental picture of a “pause button”. This way I know I have the power to stop negative or empty words from leaving my mouth (2 Timothy 2:14).
  • Harsh words rarely resolve anything, other than to shake up or corrupt others. Rather than use them, take time to pray and seek the Lord’s will in His Word (2 Timothy 2:16-17).

Sweet friends, don’t get me wrong here today – I am no expert at keeping my mouth shut. In truth, I feel like someone else could have offered a better perspective on this issue. But this is what I’ve learned through practical application in my own life: focusing on good spiritual habits is the key to success.

I used to be the most ungrateful and whiny person alive. That is, until the Lord pointed out how healthy it is to check my speech and use my tongue for making praises, not problems.

How do you apply these principles in your life?

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If I obey …

4 May

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. -2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV

Photo accessed here.

I couldn’t wait to submit my last final yesterday. I was looking forward to some therapeutic “me time” of a hot bubble bath and a movie. My work was completely done, except for the last remaining pages of this one paper.

All I could think of was no more work! No more papers, no more clinicals, no more classes … Mercy, it was going to be a glorious night of celebration!

But then something happened.

The Holy Spirit tapped on my heart and challenged me to apply my study technique for one last time. In fact, I felt His leaning to pray that I would complete my final before evening. (Which, at that time was only 4 hours away!)

I started to pray and soon it became obvious that I needed to trust Him to work through me.

Doubt rose up within me, practically choking every sentence I wrote.

My belief was strong looking at past miracles He accomplished when I placed Him first in graduate school. However, a strong part of me wanted to take my time even though I knew He wanted me to finish it ASAP.

I was clearly receiving a moment of faith development, but I did not go along with His plan that easily …

Finally, I stopped procrastinating because I felt like everything was pointing towards trusting Him with this last assignment. I prayed again and chose to take Him at His word, that this final would be completed in only a few hours.

(Forgot to mention – the time frame He provided gave me enough room to get dressed and run out the door to Wednesday night Bible Study at church. So obviously, there was a blessing to receive that night!)

Needless to say, I finished the final assignment in 3.5 hours with 11 minutes left to get dressed and drive to church. There were green lights practically the entire way and I only missed a few minutes of my Pastor beginning the study.

As I sat there, I wondered what the importance of finishing my final was. Although the study’s lesson was good, it didn’t carry the usual punch of Pastor’s lessons.

I knew He didn’t help me come this far to receive so little.

So again, I started to pray.

And that’s when I knew I needed to attend the church’s corporate prayer meeting right after the study.

Initially, I didn’t know why.

The only thing I knew was that He meant for me to join that prayer session.

So I prayed harder and really sought His will and not mine.

And then my ears picked up on Pastor talking about God’s plans for our lives not aligning with the dreams and goals we carry with us.

That’s when it hit me.

I needed to enter that prayer meeting and share with the others that I have a BA in Urban Studies and an MSW to work with military families and children.

Unwelcome interruption or blessed obedience?

Sweet friends, I walked into that prayer room with my heart beating so hard. I certainly did not know why I was there to share my academic background.

But as I set down my Bible and pocketbook before joining them, their prayers penetrated my own fears and doubts.

You see, they were there to pray over the Pastor’s vision that the church would one day operate a community clinic for the surrounding area – a clinic that would heal the pain and suffering of others in the name of Jesus.

And I had no idea they were praying for talent to step forward to help make this vision a reality. With my BA, I knew I would help them address the building development and zoning issues they may encounter with the local municipality.

And my MSW? Well, I’ll just have to wait and see if He has a plan to use that as well for His Kingdom in this area.

In the meantime, all I know is that several days ago, I experienced an unwelcome interruption in my life that has taken me down a completely different path than the original one I started upon.

Every day I am learning that there is no greater challenge than walking the Christian life. But what a way to live!

After all, if I obey, He’ll make a way!

Will you choose blessed obedience and follow His will?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You so much that You have brought me to this place for such a time as this. I know that You have a plan to give me hope and a future in You. Thank You Father God that You allow divine interruptions in my life to draw me into that plan. Please give me the strength and commitment to respond to each and every divine interruption You bring across my path. Please enable me through the power of Your Holy Spirit to obey Your calling on my life. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

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Talking about Success

2 May

We are confident that God listens to us if we ask for anything that has his approval. We know that he listens to our requests. So we know that we already have what we ask him for. -1John 5:14-15 GWT

Photo accessed here.

If you’re like me, you felt a rush of excitement to study Social Work.

I remember when I first began the admissions process to USC’s School of Social Work – I was the poster child for sheer enthusiasm at stepping out in response to the Lord’s call to serve others.

And then somewhere around Week 4 of my MSW, sheer terror hit me full force.

I was completely overwhelmed with the massive workload – and my own bad habit of leaving things to the last minute.

You know what I’m talking about.

Stepping out in faith to answer His call.

Entering a season of overwhelming unknowns.

The required growth – both spiritually and academically – to successfully navigate this place of trusting Him with your future.

Despite feeling fear and anxiety over following Him, I experienced a level of spiritual exhilaration I never knew existed. I never felt so close to Him than when I stepped out in faith and set my eyes on the prize of graduating with an MSW in Military Social Work from the University of Southern California. A prize that was so much larger than me, it was put together by Him for such a time as this (Esther 4:14b).

Through all the anxiety and overwhelming workloads, time flew by. My initial feelings of exhilaration faded into the daily grind of fulltime graduate school – clinicals, classes, and course assignments. Somehow that huge dream of serving the military community started to become smaller as I drew closer to my final semester.

I felt my enthusiasm give way to weariness.

I would cry out in distress, not wanting to move another step forward.

But always in those moments, He was there to help me get my perspective on His calling for my life (Matthew 6:33).

The greatest lesson I learned from Him throughout this MSW season is that I am not the One with all the strength and answers. Too often, I would run ahead of Him or lag behind, getting out of step with the Spirit’s leadings.

As I became more comfortable with graduate school, the more I tried to do things on my own. It wasn’t long before I started trying to work things out for myself.

After my Foundation Year, I felt oddly capable of carrying myself like a battle hardened veteran of Social Work. Those feelings ran me dangerously close to forgetting the One who called me.

Maybe you too have found yourself in a similar place where you’ve taken over your destiny. Perhaps your ‘capability’ has led you to believe that you don’t need to lean on Him. Then again, you may have run so far ahead of His will, you can no longer hear the Spirit’s voice within you.

I’ve been there, friends and I am so convicted by today’s message.

(Mercy, I swear I don’t write these blog posts for anyone but me!)

Before I graduate in 9 days, all I can recommend is that you avoid the downright foolish tendency to attain your goals by human efforts alone (Galatians 3:3).

I don’t ever want to be a lukewarm Christian in Social Work. I want to burn with His fire, live on the edge, and always be mindful of His grace covering my weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Be blessed as you persevere!

Before I stop blogging to complete my last final at USC, I want you to turn to Proverbs 8 with me.

In this passage, God is directly telling us that He makes His wisdom so apparent it calls out to us everywhere (vv. 1-4). You don’t have to wait for someone else to confirm that the Godly wisdom you’re following makes sense (v. 9). After all, true Godly wisdom can look like foolishness to the world (vv. 6-8). So when everything is said and done, it is His wisdom – which created the world (Proverbs 8:22-31) – that equips us to succeed abundantly (vv. 17-21).

This passage is one of many that inspired the technique this Dean’s Scholar is about to share with you:

  • Every time I had to complete an assignment, I sought Him first through quiet time in the Word. It didn’t matter if that time was 7 minutes or 45 minutes. My perspective simply had to be on Him (–Matthew 6:33 GWT).
  • Fervently I prayed, asking Him to increase the capacities of my mind so that I could succeed at what He called me to complete (–Philippians 4:13 GWT).
  • When He instructed me to realign my goals with His, I did so to the best of my ability. And when I was too weak or tired, I simply asked for the strength to carry on (-2 Corinthians 12:9 GWT).

Sweet friends, I started this race following the Lord’s guidance and I want to finish what is set before me.

Something tells me you do, too.

Dear Heavenly Father, on January 10, 2011 I began my MSW with Your guiding Spirit leading the way. I want to continue staying in step with You. Lord God, please give me the strength to rely on You and not on my own efforts. Whenever I try to step outside Your will, please remind me of my own tendencies to run ahead or lag behind You. I pray that You would bless my efforts as I continue to seek Your will for my life. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen!

Power Verses:

Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the one who knocks, the door will be opened. –Matthew 7:7-8 GWT

But he told me: “My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So I will brag even more about my weaknesses in order that Christ’s power will live in me. -2 Corinthians 12:9 GWT

I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. –Philippians 4:13 GWT

But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you. –Matthew 6:33 GWT

Are you that stupid? Did you begin in a spiritual way only to end up doing things in a human way? –Galatians 3:3 GWT

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Does panic mix with faith?

2 May

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” -Psalm 46:10 ESV

Photo accessed here.

Yesterday, I had a really tough time vacuuming the house. The inner turmoil just wouldn’t stop, no matter how hard I tried to push it away. Tears threatened to course down my cheeks as I fought back thoughts about my friends who had a job while I didn’t. 

I finally had enough and turned off the vacuum. I stood in the middle of the room and buried my head in my hands.

In my heart I screamed out to Him, “Lord, I am trying so hard to trust You but I seriously do not want to feel like this anymore! Please help me, Father – I can’t take this craziness any more!”

In that moment, I was distracted by a Gmail alert popping up on my computer monitor, signaling that I had a new email waiting for me. The subject line caught my attention, “Where faith gets messy” by Lysa Terkreust.

I pushed the vacuum into the other room and plopped myself down in front of the computer to get reading.

Everything she wrote about is what I am experiencing!

Sweet friends, can I share what God spoke into my situation through Lysa’s blog post?

I can’t help but feel like everything is coming undone in my life … and yet, I feel His presence like never before. Although I may no longer feel like I’m walking in certainty, He promises me that I am in a straight place of divine security.

So, while I’m in this season of working-while-waiting, I boldly claim that I know I can hold on a little while longer for my future.

I know that this is my time to take hold of His unchanging promises by recounting His faithfulness in my life.

  • His Word promises me that I will rise above my feelings that threaten to choke off my faith (Psalm 20:7-8).
  • I can make the most of my situation by singing praises and not complaining  (Psalm 63:7-8).
  • After it’s all been said and done, I now know that I have no purpose as a Christian in Social Work without Him by my side (Acts 20:24).

Won’t you join me in building a career on things eternal?

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