Trinidad 2013: The Trip of a Lifetime

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”   -Matthew 28:19

On June 1, 2013, the Houghton College field hockey team embarked on a missions trip to the beautiful island country of Trinidad and Tobago.  We were completely unaware of the work God was preparing to do in and through us…

God was certainly working long before the plane left the ground.  Through generous donations from various family members and friends and many fundraisers, every one of the girls planning on taking this trip was able to go without worrying about the finances involved.  One girl was not able to send out support letters, but received hundreds of dollars in support anyway!

As God would have it, a beautiful woman of God named Beverly, who arranged many of the details of our trip, used to be a field hockey player and had various connections to the teams in Trinidad.  We were given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play against the national field hockey team of Trinidad and various club teams there.  (We lost our first game to the national team miserably.  I won’t even bother telling you the score!  However, during our tournament with the national team training squad and a few other club teams, we played much better.)  Our mutual love of field hockey gave us an opportunity to show the love of Christ to the girls we played against.  After a field hockey tournament we played in, one of our team members was given the chance to share her testimony with the other teams.  She told of how health problems as a child were supposed to keep her from ever playing sports, but by God’s grace she was able to play field hockey throughout high school and college.  I am confident that her story touched the hearts of the players she spoke to.

Towards the beginning of our trip, we went to a Vacation Bible School to minister to some local children.  We had a blast playing with the kids!  Two of the girls on our team are camp counselors during the summer, and they know a lot of fun songs complete with hand motions.  We got to teach these songs to the kids and enjoyed hearing their laughter and seeing there smiles.

It was at this VBS that I got to be a part of something miraculous.  I met a 12-year-old boy named Stephan.  One of the things we were doing with the kids was making salvation bracelets.  (Salvation bracelets consist of a piece of string and 5 beads.  Each bead is a different color.  The yellow bead serves a dual purpose, representing both God at the beginning of Creation, before sin, and Heaven, where we can go after death if we choose to follow Jesus.  The black bead represents sin.  The red bead represents the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross. The white bead represents the purity we can have because of Jesus’ sacrifice.  The green bead represents the spiritual growth that must occur after we choose to follow Jesus.)  I had finished making bracelets with my kids and moved on to play with some others.  One of my teammates came up to me and asked if I could help her make some more bracelets with the kids that had just arrived.  I agreed.  Stephan was one of the new kids.  He was so sweet!  He kept calling me “Miss.”  Because of his interest in the story of salvation that I was telling him about, I took a chance and asked him if he would like to follow Jesus.  He said “yes!”  I told him we could pray right then or wait until after the group finished singing.  He chose to wait.  After, I made sure that he still wanted to follow Jesus and that he really understood the story of Jesus’ death and what he was agreeing to by asking Jesus into his heart.  He was actually concerned that we didn’t have enough time to pray because he had school the next day, but I assured him that it would only take a minute.  Surrounded by tons of kids and a lot of noise, we held hands and I told him to repeat that I was praying in his heart.  I was so touched by Stephan and his eagerness to follow Jesus!  Knowing I probably wouldn’t see him again this side of Heaven, I made sure he knew I was praying for him.  I plan to keep that promise. Stephan now holds a special place in my heart.

We were also given a chance to visit a Catholic girls’ school.  As was certainly God’s plan, the two team members chosen to share their testimonies in front of the students came from “broken” homes, which was a point of commonality with which many of the students connected.  After the testimonies were shared, we split up and each talked to small groups of girls.  God miraculously placed each of us with students that we could relate to on a personal level.  One team member recently broke up with her boyfriend and had the chance to talk to some girls who had questions about relationships.  I spoke to a girl who had dealt with a severe depression, something that I struggled with for years.  Out of everything we did while in Trinidad, it was the trip to this school that, in my opinion, touched many of us the most.  None of us wanted to leave those girls!

This is a picture of me reading the Bible with two girls from the school we visited. Photo courtesy of Cindy Tankersley!

During a ferry ride the next day, I sat next to Beverly and asked her if there were any faith-based mental health organizations in Trinidad.  I had been thinking about giving regularly to a specific organization, and my heart lies in helping people with mental health problems because of my own experiences with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.  Sadly, Beverly told me that the mental health system in Trinidad is not good.  There is only one mental health hospital in the country, and it is government-run.  It is certainly not the best place to go for treatment, as they tend to drug up the patients.  She said that all the faith-based organizations that had to do with mental health only dealt with spiritual issues like demonic attacks.  This has its place, but some people need help for psychological issues that are not necessarily demonic attacks.  She mentioned that, instead of donating money, she could find out if any of the girls at the school were interested in doing an online Bible study/support group with me and I could help in a more hands-on way.  I’m praying that she remembers my interest in this and contacts me about it soon! If you will, please join me in this prayer.

One thing that has been on the heart of many of the Houghton players has been the desire to see a change in our team.  God used our trip to Trinidad and Tobago to accomplish that.  During the many hours spent traveling from place to place on our bus, we sang worship songs together and had genuine conversations, interspersed with bursts of laughter and lots of smiles.  Usually, we fail to connect on such a deep level because we’re too distracted by our cell phones and iPods, things we did not have on our trip.  This trip gave us a chance to really see each other’s strengths and weaknesses and get to know each other’s hearts.  Of everything that came out of this trip, this change in our team is perhaps the most amazing. 

I think Americans often view mission trips as a way they can bless others.  As a result of our trip to Trinidad, I can now see how much the people we met there blessed us, instead!  Traveling to Trinidad and Tobago brought many of us closer to God.  We saw Him work in powerful ways overseas and are excited to see how He will continue to work in our lives now that we are back in the States.

I am praying that I can travel to Trinidad and Tobago again.  I have connections in that country now and there are people I can stay with.  I would love to go back to that school and work with the girls again.  Whether I go or not would be a matter of finances and whether or not God wants me to go.  I know that, if He wills it, I will be there again next year.  

I have one last prayer request, and it’s a big one.  If you know me, you know that I want to get a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. in clinical psychology.  I want to open my own practice for children and adolescents and/or work in a mental health hospital.  I’ve been reading a book called The Circle Maker, by Mark Batterson.  It talks about how we often pray for things that we can accomplish in our own strength.  These “small” prayers offend God.  We don’t have to give the glory to Him for our accomplishments because we didn’t have to depend on Him for help to reach our goals.  This is one of those dreams.  Tons of people who are not Christians get doctoral degrees in clinical psychology and open their own practices for children and adolescents.  Many are very successful.  Although I know that I must lean on God for everything, this type of dream is rather small.  Even if I weren’t a Christian, I could accomplish it.  After traveling to Trinidad and Tobago, I have an even bigger dream in addition to that.  I want to create an organization with institutions around the world, starting  in Trinidad and Tobago, that provide free mental health services to those who desperately need it but either can’t afford it or whose country’s mental health system is inadequate.  This organization would be faith-based, but would provide services to all people, regardless of faith.  If they wanted Christian counseling, that would be available.  If they wanted “regular” counseling, we would also provide that.  Through our services, we would show our clients the love of Christ.  Even if they didn’t want Christian counseling, we could still show them Christ’s love through conversation and acts of service.  This organization would be unlike anything else in existence.  It’s NOT something I can accomplish on my own strength.  If it were to happen, it would only be because God had His hand in the process.  I could only attribute my success to Him.  Please join me in praying that this dream comes to fruition.  It’s possible that God will change or modify this dream.  It’s also possible that He has even bigger plans for this organization than I could ever come up with on my own!  Regardless of the end result, I am committed to praying for it to eventually happen unless God makes it clear that it’s not something He wants me to pursue.

On a side note, the first time I ever swam in the ocean was on this trip!  In fact, not only had I never swam in the ocean prior to this trip, but I had never seen the ocean prior to this trip! When I was in 7th grade, I went with my Girl Scout troop to Florida.  We went to Sea World and Discovery Cove.  I got to swim in a “fake” ocean with a lot of tropical fish and stingrays.  Needless to say, I caught a glimpse of a fish with a jaw that jutted out from his face and was filled with teeth, and pretty much had a panic attack in the water.  In my opinion, fish should NOT have teeth!  After that traumatizing experience, I swore I’d never swim in the real ocean.  I am afraid of sharks, fish with teeth, jelly fish, stingrays, coral (because you can cut yourself on it and attract sharks), etc.  I told my parents that if I ever went to the ocean, all I would do was put my toe in to say I had been in it.  However, in Trinidad and Tobago, we went to a beach with really clear water and I chose to go in with my teammates.  I’m happy to report that I saw no creatures swimming in there (and don’t tell me that even if I didn’t see them, they were there, because I am well-aware of that fact and try not to think about it!)  Although I didn’t conquer my fear, per se, I did take a major step in that direction!

Sierra Mitchell, my teammate, took this photo of me stepping into the ocean for the first time EVER! Thanks, Si, for capturing this moment!

I don’t really know how to end this post.  I don’t have any advice to give or smart comment to make.  All I can say is that God is more powerful and amazing that I have ever realized, and that He worked mightily in my life and in the lives of my teammates in more was than one.  It’s getting late and my eyelids are getting heavy, so I’m going to awkwardly end it here.  If you are reading this and have any more questions about my trip or anything I’ve discussed in this post, shoot me an email, comment on my post, or ask me in person!  I’d love to chat!  Face-to-face conversation is always better!

This is a picture of our team at the beach…I don’t know who took this picture, but I think it was Cindy Tankersley, who is part of an organization called One Mission Society and accompanied us on our trip! I’m doing my best to give credit where credit is due!

 

I AM

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.  Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” ~Psalm 1

It’s happening again…a yearning for something – someone – bigger than myself; a desire to know more about Him, to be closer to Him, to reflect His light and His glory to all I meet.

Recently I was asked by my pastor, “Who is Jesus to you?”  And I have to be honest.  I didn’t quite know what to say.  So I said that He’s someone who died to save me of my sins, someone I talk to, and someone who I confess my sins to, all fairly basic (but nonetheless true!) answers.  However, I neglected to say that He is God.  I figured it was kind of a given.  To that she said, “But who is He besides your friend?”  God.  The answer she was looking for.  The most obvious answer of all.  She wanted me to tell her that He is the almighty powerful God, the Creator, the King, my Savior, my Lord. She wanted me to give him a title bigger than that of “friend.”  She wanted me to acknowledge His power and authority.

She asked me if I had been in the Word lately, and I said, “Yes, I read devotional books and find a verse in them and then go to my Bible and look it up!”  She told me that reading a devotional and looking up the verses is not the same as reading God’s Word.  She stressed how important it is to be in His Word daily.  I was so embarrassed!  Here I thought that I was doing everything right!  I was going to church and praying every day and reading my devotional books on a fairly regular basis.  But according to her, I wasn’t doing what is vital to spiritual health.  I wasn’t digging into God’s Word to learn more about Him and to be closer to Him.  I wasn’t truly spending time with Him.  (I had an excuse, of course.  A lousy excuse, but an excuse all the same!  My reason was that I didn’t know where to start!  Should I read the Psalms, or begin with the Gospels?  Should I start with Genesis, or skip to Revelation?  I was told to begin with the New Testament by another woman who was with us.)  My pastor also questioned whether my prayers (which I claimed were occurring on a daily basis) consisted of a dialogue between God and myself, or simply me doing all the talking.  She said that God answers prayers through His Word.  I could be praying to Him but not listening to His answers simply because I wasn’t reading the Bible.

Talk about a wake-up call!  I left that meeting with my tail between my legs, embarrassed, yet determined to meet her challenge.  (I have known my pastor for years.  I trust her and know that she loves me. Because of this, I know that what she said was out of love.  If it were anyone else, I may have been angry at being called out for my mistakes.  Because it was her, I simply felt convicted.)  Later on, I opened up my Bible and read Psalm 1, which is quoted at the beginning of this post.  My favorite part of that Psalm is “Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the Lord and who meditates on His law day and night.  That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither – whatever they do prospers.”  Did you catch that?  God blesses those whose delight is in Him, who meditate on His Word!  I can’t meditate on the Bible if I don’t even read it.

What a perfect verse to open up to right after my pastor’s challenge to get back to reading the Bible!

Since I started reading my Bible on a regular basis again (and it’s only been for a little over a week!), I’ve been craving it more and more.  I want to be close to Jesus.  I don’t want to just know OF Him.  I want to know Him intimately and personally.  I’ve noticed that the more I spend time with Jesus, the more I WANT to spend time with Him!

I discovered a song the other day on one of my mom’s WOW Worship CD’s.  It’s called I Am, by Mark Schultz.  Here is a link to a video with the song on YouTube: I AM – Mark Schultz (The video was made and uploaded by Elizabeth Haughey).  

I’ve been listening to this song over and over again every time I drive.  It gives so many titles to God.  Perhaps the most important title God holds is I AM.

Exodus 3:13-15 says, “Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’  “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.”

God is so much more than just a friend. He is the great I AM.  And He wants ME to spend time with HIM!  The more time I spend with God, the better I know Him.  I will get to know Him as every one of the titles mentioned in that song.  I encourage you to click on the link and listen to the lyrics.  Just absorb them.  Perhaps write down every title given to God in the song, and ask yourself if He holds those titles in your life.  Then I challenge you to get into the Word, if you aren’t already.

Join me on this journey to get to know God better.  My pastor told me that she remembers times in my life where she could see how much I loved Jesus just by looking at me.  Now is not one of those times.  I want to get back to that place where I am completely and totally head-over-heals in love with Jesus.  I want people to see Jesus when they look at me.  For that to happen, I must spend time with Him.  I want you to get to that place, too.

Psalm 1 has become a “motto” of sorts for me for this summer.  I hope that this post is the wake-up call you need to encourage you to begin reading the Bible again, just as my pastor’s words were to me.  I promise that any time you devote to reading God’s Word is well worth it!

Love Always,

Carly

Just a Drop or Two

Reblogged from 13:12:

I made oatmeal this morning.  It is a nice, healthy change of pace.  I like it.  To make it even better, Diane likes it when I scoop in a tablespoon of dark chocolate while it is simmering on the stovetop.  She’s right, the chocolate makes it even better.    Today I threw in another surprise.  When she sat down at the table this morning, Diane said, “Did you add peppermint?” Very perceptive! 

Read more… 199 more words

Great post, Pastor Tim!

Cracks In The Foundation

Every day, I walk outside and am filled with awe at the beauty that surrounds me.  The flowers are finally beginning to bloom.  The sun is shining with more intensity than it has in quite a while, both literally and figuratively.  The sky seems bluer.  Life just seems full of hope.  I can’t believe I’m here.  I can’t believe I’m days away from the end of my freshman year at Houghton College.  Was it really just a little less than two years ago that I was stuck in a hospital battling depression, wondering how I’d ever make it to college?

God has brought me through so much to get me to this point.  I am amazed at how much I’ve grown in this short year here at Houghton.  I’ve gained confidence as an athlete and as a person.  I’ve learned that I have to stand up for what I believe in.  I’ve realized that I’m not the “freak” that I always seemed to be in high school.  I’ve made awesome friends, studied under some great professors, and eaten a lot of junk food!

Perhaps, most importantly, I’ve grown in my faith.  Or rather, I am growing in my faith.

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 

~ John 20:27-29

I came to Houghton being solid in my faith.  I knew what I believed and I wasn’t going to be swayed.  Funny thing about college…it makes you question things you never before thought twice about.  There are some things that will never change.  For instance, I will always believe in Jesus.  I will always believe He died on a cross to save my sins.  He is still my Savior, as He will always be.

These are the things I have not seen and yet believe…

But I now have more questions than I’ve ever had before concerning theology and doctrine.  For instance, I’ve met homosexual students here at school that have made me wonder…not only whether homosexuality is actually wrong (which, I’m almost afraid to say publicly, I still believe is,) but how those students are supposed to respond to feelings that are a part of who they are. Not only that, but I just had a professor tell my class that the “Rapture” as I’ve known it, the idea that Jesus will come “silently” and take all the Christians to Heaven before He brings judgement on the world, is actually a false interpretation of the Bible that is fairly recent in origin.  (I’m not saying he’s right.  I have to read the book of Revelation and do some research before I come to any conclusions.  He still believes that Jesus is returning, but he doesn’t believe in the same type of Rapture that I grew up hearing about.)

These are the things that, for me, require more of an answer than simple faith…

How do I respond to things like this, to cracks in the foundation I’ve built my life upon?  To some people, these types of cracks threaten the solidity of their entire house…their entire faith.  To me, these cracks are opportunities of growth.  They don’t threaten my faith.  Instead, they give me an opportunity to investigate and ask questions, to study the Bible more intensely and to speak to God more frequently.

Through these questions and, yes, sometimes doubts, I will only grow closer to my God and learn more about Him than I ever knew before.

God made me who I am.  He made me a curious person with a thirst for knowledge.  Jesus was willing to prove to Thomas that He really was who He said He was…

I think He would be willing to indulge my curiosities in order to help me grow closer to Him…

I’m ready for summer.  I’m ready to return home to my family and my job.  I’m excited for the missions trip my field hockey team is taking this summer to Trinidad.  (We’re playing against the national team and sharing a meal with them while we’re down there!!  It will be a great opportunity for sports ministry!)  I’m excited to be able to go for runs on the roads surrounding my house.  I’m excited to see some friends I haven’t seen in a while.  I’m also grateful for the opportunity to devote more time to growing closer to God.  I know that my Bible and Google are going to become my best friends as I search for legitimate answers to the numerous theological questions that have come about during my year at Houghton.  But I’m also excited for next year.  I’m excited for another opportunity to learn from some truly knowledgeable professors who all have a strong faith.  I’m excited to move one step closer to my goal of becoming a psychologist.  I’m excited for another season of field hockey and lacrosse.

I’m ready for a break, but next Fall I will be more than ready to come back to Houghton and continue my pursuit of a life lived for God.  I’m excited for more questions and learning opportunities…more cracks in the foundation…things that prove I’m growing in my faith instead of staying stagnant.

Reckless Abandon

        I haven’t posted anything in awhile, and it’s late, so I’m not going to write a new post tonight.  But, I do have a poem I’d like to share.  I’m no great poet, so don’t judge too harshly!  :)  It’s a poem I wrote a long time ago.  As I re-read it, I realized that I’m finally living the words I penned so long ago.  I’m finally living with reckless abandon; I’m fully and completely alive!  I thank God for the freedom He’s given me.  Hopefully someday, if you aren’t already, you, too, will begin to live with reckless abandon.  Hopefully, you, too, will experience the freedom that Christ can provide.  My faithful readers, you are in my prayers this week!  Love Always, Carly

Reckless Abandon

By Carly Congilosi

A gust of wind;

A falling leaf;

Here I sit, trembling beneath.

 

Dreaming dreams

Bigger than myself;

 

Wishing on shooting stars

That are probably airplanes,

And believing against all odds

That my wish will come true.

 

Closing my ears against lies,

As snow falls silently to the ground.

Loving despite the possibility of rejection.

 

With the faith of a mustard seed,

I watch my future blossom.

 

As my confidence grows,

I begin to mature.

 

Throwing caution to the wind,

I jump in frigid waters

With both feet,

 

Living my life with

Reckless Abandon.

Spotlight on God

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.  If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, show it cheerfully.” ~ Romans 12:6-8

I’m back!!  I was told of someone who was “waiting patiently” for my next post.  I appreciate your patience.  My life has been very busy lately, but I have missed writing, and I’m glad that there are people who appreciate it and are willing to wait for it!  :)  That being said, let me get right into what I want to share with you today!

This year, I started my freshman year of college and became a part of the field hockey team.  Going into field hockey, I knew that I wouldn’t get much, if any, playing time.  I was, after all, a freshman, and there is only one opening for a goalie on the field!  (I think it would be somewhat counterproductive to have 3 goalies in net at the same time!)  We had a senior goalie on our team this year who was much better than I.  And, let’s be honest, I’m really not all that good at field hockey.  True, I’ve gotten better than I was when I first started, but the main reason I wanted to play was to be on a team, to make friends, and to get some good exercise (and boy, did I ever!!).  Playing time was never a big issue for me.  When the opportunity to play lacrosse came up, however, I was in a different position.  Only 5 of the girls trying out for the team had ever played lacrosse before.  I was on equal footing with the majority of the girls in terms of experience, so I had a much better shot at getting playing time as a lacrosse player than as a field hockey player.  To top it all off, the other girl trying out for the goalie position was not one of the ones who had played before!  Needless to say, I was excited at the prospect of getting to play in a game.  

I’m ashamed to admit that I was quite resentful of any competition for playing time.  Whereas in field hockey I went in knowing I wasn’t going to play in games and was okay with that, with lacrosse I went in with a bit more hope of getting playing time.  I didn’t want my dream of playing in a game to be crushed just because another girl (who also had no experience) was deemed better than I by my coaches.   This resentment greatly affected my attitude during practices.  I was so concerned with making sure that my competition didn’t outshine me that I forgot what it meant to be on a team.  I forgot what it meant to play for God’s glory, and not my own.  Because of this resentment, I was easily frustrated with this girl.  Little things she did that normally wouldn’t – and shouldn’t – bother me really irritated me.  I was in a constant state of anger and frustration with her, mainly because she presented a risk to my own glory.  

Let me shift back to field hockey for a moment.  In field hockey, my role on team was that of an “encourager”.  I loved lifting my teammates up and bringing smiles to their faces.  It brought me great joy to make them feel good about themselves, whether it was in regards to their abilities as a field hockey player, the way they shone with God’s light on and off the field, their awesome skills as a hair-braider (and let me tell you, we had some girls on the team that did fantastic braids for the rest of us on the bus on our way to games!), or their sense of humor.  Every girl brought something different to the team, and they were each extremely important to the rest of us for different reasons.  I made a point to bring to light those reasons through my compliments to them, through letters, through random acts of kindness, etc.  Because I was not concerned with getting playing time, I could focus on one of my main gifts – encouragement.  And when I encouraged others, I felt better about myself.

Alright, back to lacrosse.  My resentment of competition caused me to ignore my gift of encouragement and focus instead on getting the attention of my coaches and my teammates as a “good” lacrosse player.  I behaved as though I was the only important person on the team.  I didn’t encourage the other girls.  I especially held back compliments from the other goalie – I didn’t want to do anything that would make her any better than she would be otherwise!  Not only were my teammates not benefiting from my encouragement, but I was also suffering.  I was angry, bitter, frustrated, and certainly not playing my best.  I wasn’t playing for my teammates or for my God.  I was playing for my own glory.  That’s the opposite of everything my teammates, my coaches, my college, and I stand for.  

I really started to see the flaws in my thinking last week.  On Thursday and Friday during practice, I made an intentional effort to focus on encouraging my teammates, even the girl who was my competition.  And low and behold, I felt better!  I wasn’t so resentful of her anymore, and I really felt like I was contributing to the team.  There were no classes on Thursday or Friday of last week because of our February break, so I had those days all to myself (minus the 2 hours of practice each day).  On Thursday, I spent all afternoon writing letters to each of my teammates, telling them their strengths, reminding them I was praying for them and just sharing whatever else came to mind that I felt they needed to hear.  On Thursday evening, we met at my coach’s house for a team dinner and devotionals, and I gave each of the girls their letter.  It felt amazing when some of them came up to me to give me a hug, thanking me and acting like that letter was the most precious thing they had ever received.  I had done something similar for my field hockey teammates, but I guess I just forgot how good it felt to put others before myself.

On Saturday, we had our first lacrosse game.  I did get some playing time (17 minutes at the end of the game), but I didn’t start.  Admittedly, I was disappointed, as I thought I might have a chance at starting.  But God has been showing me that I need to have a humble heart…

“So the last will be first and the first will be last.” ~ Matthew 20:16

I was trying to be first, but God has been showing me what it means to be last.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get much playing time for lacrosse.  I don’t know if I’ll ever start a game.  I’m sure I’ll never be a star lacrosse player!  But I can contribute to my team by encouraging them and loving on them.  I can shine God’s light through my words and actions.  I can put God first in everything I do. 

“And I give all the glory to God.  It’s kind of a win-win situation.  The glory goes up to Him and the blessings fall down on me.” – Gabby Douglas, 2012 Olympic Champion in Women’s Gymnastics

The blessings God sends my way may or may not have to do with the sport of lacrosse.  But in every practice, at every game, with everything I am, I will play and live for Him.

I don’t know what your gift is, but whatever is it, embrace it and use it to the best of your ability to further God’s Kingdom and to benefit those around you.  I have the gift of encouragement.  I know that about myself, and I’ve been told the same thing by others.  When I chose to ignore that gift and instead focus on myself, no one benefited.  I was trying to take the spotlight off of God and have it shine on me.  How backwards is that?

What I wrote today has two different messages rolled into one.  The first is to use your God-given gifts to further the Kingdom of God, and the second is to humble yourself in order to bring glory to God.  Maybe you yourself are on a sports team and tend to aim for attention from others because of your abilities and talents, or maybe you just have some God-given gifts that you have been choosing to ignore.  Whatever the case may be, I hope that this speaks to you at whatever point you are in life. I hope you can learn from my mistakes and grow closer to Him through these words.  I’m not saying I’ve got it all figured out.  I just started to recognize these lessons myself last week, for goodness sake!  But I am on my way to becoming a better Christian, teammate, and person because of them.

Love Always,

Carly

 

My Body…A Sacrifice for God??

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and appreciate what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

~Romans 12:1-3

On the inside of every stall door in the two bathrooms in my hall, a Bible verse has been taped.  Sometimes I read them, sometimes I don’t.  Today,I used the bathroom and happened to read the verse taped on the door.

It’s funny…for the past two weeks I have been planning on making a blog post, but I haven’t had the time to sit down and focus on writing.  I haven’t had much of an idea what to write about, either…

Anyway, Romans 12:1-3 was the verse I read today.  It was just what I needed…God definitely used it to speak to my heart!  Lately, I’ve been struggling with my body image.  I’ve been frustrated with my eating habits (which have slowly been deteriorating from healthy to…not.  Too often, ice cream is a part of my meals!)  I’ve been frustrated with my lack of free time, and thus, lack of exercise.  Field hockey season ended in November and lacrosse doesn’t start until next Monday.  Add on the fact that I’ve been busy with school work and stressed with new classes…well, you get the idea.  Needless to say, my life has been pretty hectic lately and I find that I often eat when I’m stressed.  All of this has led to my being consumed with self-hate with regards to my lack of will power and body image.

I recently spoke to a friend about this, and she told me that she had struggled with something similar in the past.  She explained to me that hers was an issue of pride, and I began to think about how pride may be affecting me with regard to body image.

Last year, around Easter, I chose to start Weight Watchers.  This program worked wonders for me, and I was able to lose about 20 pounds.  Many people complimented me on how great I looked, how well I was doing in school and in life in general, etc.  But I just couldn’t lose that last bit…those last 5 or 10 pounds!

And sometimes, I hate myself for it.

As my eating habits became more and more unhealthy and my activity level decreased, I still was receiving compliments, but I no longer felt like I deserved them.  I felt guilty thanking people for praising my hard work.   I felt as though I was no longer working as hard and did not deserve their praise.  With every compliment I received, I felt a little bit better…but then I fell even farther than before.  Sure, it always feels good to hear kind words spoken about myself by others, but every time someone told me how great I looked, it reminded me that I was no longer working at improving myself heath-wise and in physical appearance.  In fact, I seemed to be backsliding.  Every compliment fed my pride.  When I began to feel unworthy of the compliments, my pride was still being fed (no pun intended!) but I was getting more and more frustrated with myself for not living up to the high standards I had set for myself.

Sometimes God really needs to do something huge to deflate big heads and bring elevated pride back down to proper humility…

These verses hit me pretty hard.

“…offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God…this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

This is the part of the verses that spoke most to me.  Offer my body as a living sacrifice?? As an act of worship??  Be transformed by the renewing of my mind??

You may be asking how these verses apply to eating habits and healthy living; to pride and humility; to anything I’ve been struggling with lately.

Honestly, I had been looking for fulfillment and satisfaction from improvements to my body that I HAD MADE MYSELF.  From MY HARD WORK AND DEDICATION, MY WILLPOWER, I had lost weight, improved my health, and gained numerous praises from those around me in the process.  It’s pretty fair to say that I was a bit prideful and full of myself!  I have been praising myself for the numerous accomplishments I have experienced surrounding fitness and weight.  Was I giving the glory to God for this?

NO!

It’s not surprising, then, that when I began to fail at something I had been working so hard at, I became frustrated and my self-esteem began to plummet.  My body belongs to God.  Therefore, I have to “…offer it as a living sacrifice…”  

How might this look?

For me, offering my body as a sacrifice to God means treating it with respect.  How I treat my body, then, becomes an act of worship.  Taking care of myself honors God.  But that doesn’t mean I have to obsess about being perfect!  I can eat ice cream once in a while.  I don’t need to plan out my meals.  I don’t need to constantly think about food, or beat myself up for eating junk food or not exercising enough.

And what of “…not comform[ing] to the pattern of this world…”?

In our culture, women are supposed to be thin and beautiful.  This message is clearly displayed on the covers of numerous magazines, in countless TV shows, and in movies.  (They seem to always be about ugly ducklings transforming into beauties (see The Princess Diaries!) or filled with stories about the most beautiful girl in high school, usually the prom queen, falling in love with the quarterback of the football team.  Love is portrayed as a natural consequence of beauty.  And what girl doesn’t want love?)  The truth is that very few women and girls fit the mold of perfection in the eyes of the society.  Sadly, because of the bombarding of images of flawless women clogging up the media, girls begin to believe they have to look like that to be beautiful.  I know I often find myself feeling that way!  But God tells us not to conform to the world!  We don’t have to be a 5’11” 125-pound blonde to be beautiful!  (Nothing against flawless, tall, thin women!  It’s just that the majority of women DON’T fit society’s idea of beautiful.)

Lastly, we come to the part about “…be[ing] transformed by the renewing of [our] mind[s]…”

What are ways to renew one’s mind?  Read the Bible for what God describes as beautiful, for one!  I have a book called Lies Young Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free (by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh).  The book has a chapter on body image and discusses a few verses regarding how God sees women:

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.  For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in god used to adorn themselves.  They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.  You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” ~ 1 Peter 3:3-6 (The book only printed verses 3-4, but I felt it important to read about not allowing fear to take over!  I know that fear of failure and imperfection contributes to my feelings of low self-esteem.)

“Charm is deceptive; and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the lord is to be praised.” ~ Proverbs 31:30

“I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls, or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.” ~ 1 Timothy 2:9-10 (How we act with regard to our bodies reflects back on God, be it in a positive or negative light.  If I obsess about my body, what does that say about my God?  Does it present Him in a positive light to non-believers?)

There are other verses that discuss how God views us…this is just a sample of them!

I’m not saying that it’s wrong to want to lose weight.  In fact, for many people, that can be a way of honoring God.  When it gets to the point, like it has for me, to be a source of pride, is where the issue lies.  I don’t want to be viewed as the young woman who was obsessed about looking pretty.  I want to be viewed as the young woman obsessed with her God!

I’m not saying I have everything figured out.  In fact, I only read that verse on the bathroom stall door moments before sitting down to write this!  I guess you could say this topic came to me pretty quickly after I read it!  Writing this post was very therapeutic for me.  In writing it, I have been looking up other verses and really evaluating myself.  I still want to lose a bit more weight.  I still plan to worship and honor God by treating my body right, which includes eating healthy foods and exercising regularly.  But when how I look becomes more important than God, it is then that I realize I need to change.  I cannot justify obsessive meal-planning or constant worry about gaining weight.  As the verses above point out, God cares more about the condition of my heart than the condition of my body!

How I treat my body is a reflection of my heart.

I hope some of what I have written speaks to someone somewhere!  Like I said, writing this has been therapeutic for ME.  The verses in Romans 12 were most likely not written about body image.  I’m not a Bible scholar and I don’t know exactly what they are discussing.

This is how the commentary in my Bible explains these verses: “How are our bodies a living sacrifice?  Growing, maturing Christians will encounter some pain.  We lose superficial pleasures when we abandon sinful activities.  We may have to struggle to establish new patterns of living.  By becoming a living sacrifice (that is, giving our lives totally to God) does not mean endless martyrdom.  We can find fulfillment and satisfaction in becoming what God created us to be, no matter what the cost.  We will see a higher purpose in life than simply avoiding pain (Php 3:7-11).”

All I know is how God used them to speak to me today, in the state of mind and spirit that I am in.  I ask those who read this to keep me in your prayers!  I am still navigating the waters of finding balance between healthy food and unhealthy food, body image, etc.  It seems I’m usually either SUPER HEALTHY OR SUPER UNHEALTHY, but I can’t seem to find middle ground.  I don’t want to be prideful for what I’ve accomplished…it was only through God that I was able to do it!  I think this plateau I’ve hit with my weight and the subsequent decline in self-esteem has been the wake-up call God has used to get my attention regarding my pride.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to lean on God for my strength and not use the way the world views me to lift me up!

Love always,

Carly

 

Endurance…

Whenever we’re in a rough spot and everything seems to be going wrong, people always pull out those cliche sayings…

“Things will get better with time.” (What if I don’t HAVE time?)

“Everything is going to be okay.” (No, it will not!  It will never be okay again!)

“I know.  I completely understand.”  (If you haven’t gone though what I’m going through, then you CAN’T understand!)

And my personal favorite… “God never gives us more than we can handle.”

I hate that last one!  There was things I went through that I didn’t think I could make it through.  Things that seemed unfair.  Things no one should have to go through.  Things many people DON’T make it through when they don’t have the support that  did, or the God I follow.  And they had the nerve to tell me that God won’t give me more than I can handle?!  I wanted to shout at them…”I have been dealt a horrible hand and I don’t think I can make it through.  Does that mean I’m just a failure?  A lost cause?!”

The truth is, that statement comes from a Bible verse.

And as I wrote that last sentence, I went online to do a quick search to find the verse.  It’s so common, I figured it would just pop up and I could get it word for word without getting up and getting out my Bible and searching through the whole book.  I mean, I know the verse exists (people say it often enough!)  I just don’t know WHERE in the Bible it’s found.

When I searched online for the verse, I found out that it doesn’t exist!  There were multiple hits on Google proclaiming this, along with the fact that there is a legit Bible verse that it is based on.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also bring a way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it.”

Okay, the verse is similar, but not exact.  When I read that verse, I hear God telling me that He will not put me in a situation where the temptation I experience is not something that others have also experienced.  I hear Him saying that He won’t allow Satan to tempt me beyond my ability to resist the temptation, but that my way of resisting it may be through the escape plan that He gives.  The word “endure” is perhaps what has confused people and caused them to misinterpret the verse.  People don’t typically think of “enduring” temptation.  ”Overcoming” temptation, maybe, or “resisting” temptation, but not “enduring” temptation.  What you do “endure” is bad weather, a painful breakup, the death of a loved one. Heartache and hopelessness and pain.  Ruined relationships and unemployment.  Maybe people read this verse and took it to mean that God won’t put us in ANY situation that we are not able to handle.  Maybe God just meant the verse to be taken literally.

Or maybe He meant it to mean something like this:

God may allow us to be in rough situations.  In fact, He often does.  And when we’re in those situations, we sometimes experience temptation.  Temptation to turn away from God or to get angry at those we love.  To give up the fight by ending our own lives.  To dabble in other religions because we feel that our God isn’t “helping” or “saving” us.  To turn to sex or drugs for fulfillment and love instead of to God.  When we experience those types of temptations, as a RESULT of the tough situations and experiences we’re going through, it is then that God provides a way out…

A post on Facebook proclaiming that God’s Word is more powerful than tarot cards.  A sermon at church that reminds us that all the sex and drugs in the world won’t fill us up.  (They will, in fact, empty us.  Only God can bring us true fulfillment.)  Or maybe a hug from a teammate that reminds us we’re valuable.

The point is, God gives us “escape routes” all the time, in the forms described above and in other ways.  Whether we follow them or not is our choice, not His.  When we continue to follow God, He WILL hold us in the palm of His hand and protect us, even in the worst storms.  When we choose to follow the world, we’re giving the Enemy opportunity to hurt us.  And it won’t make our journey out of the pit any easier.

I’m not an expert in the Bible, or the interpretation of it.  But I love reading verses and getting different meanings from them each time!  I don’t know what that verse meant EXACTLY.  Maybe I’m interpreting it all wrong.  But it is a plausible interpretation.  I have experienced tough stuff, and along with it came the temptation to turn from God, to give up, and to end my own life.  But God DID give me escape routes!  He gave me a special friend that didn’t give up on me and He gave me pastors that truly cared about me.  He gave me a loving family and doctors that truly knew what they were doing, (although I did meet some that didn’t!)  Sometimes I listened to God speaking to me through these people; sometimes I didn’t.  And when I didn’t, it certainly didn’t help me to get better!  It only made giving in to the temptations I was experiencing that much easier and brought me that much further down.

God didn’t say we had to go through difficulties alone.  He didn’t say it would be easy.  Take look at these verses:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.“ ~Philippians 4:13

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  ~ John 16:33

God promises that we can do all things through Christ!  Not on our own, but with Him!  He also promises that we, as followers of Christ, will experience trials and tribulations as long as we’re living on this earth, but He comforts us with the knowledge that He has already defeated sin!  We can experience peace because we know that our eternity will be with Him!

Even if the original interpretation was correct, even if God DOESN’T give us more than we can handle, these verses prove that He doesn’t mean we will be able to handle it on our own.  If we had to go it alone, none of us would make it!  I know I wouldn’t have!  I was so deep in a pit of despair that only God could have pulled me out.

I hope this encourages you.  I hope that, no matter what you’re dealing with, you remember that God loves you more than you can ever imagine.  This comes from someone who’s been on the brink of a complete and total devastation…and was able to pull back from the edge to live again.  I won’t say that it will get better in time.  I won’t say that everything is going to be okay.  It’s not fair to say those things to someone who is hurting, however well-meaning the people who say them.  They often just sound like things people say when they don’t know what else to say or do to help you.  (On a side note, sometimes, when someone who you know cares deeply about you envelopes you in a hug, rubs your back, and tells you that everything will be okay, that can be comforting!)   I won’t say I understand what you’re going through right now.  (Unless it’s OCD and depression – then I can relate!)

But I do know that temptation comes with struggle, and I know it can be tough to resist.

Tough to endure.

And I know God can bring you through it.  He brought me to a place of triumph, just as He’s brought countless others to the same place.  And I know that just because I’ve experienced darkness once doesn’t mean I won’t ever experience difficulties again.  I’m sure I will.  And I can only hope I’ll be more willing to turn to God instead of choosing to follow my own path.  I pray I’ll take God’s escape plans sooner.

Take God’s escape plan for you!  Endure the temptation WITH Him!  Don’t try to go it alone.  Whether it feels like more than you can handle or not, it’s always best to go with God.

Endure it with God.  The temptation.  The trials.  The pain.  All of it.  You can make it…no matter how many times the Devil tries to tell you that you can’t.

With love,

Carly

Forgiveness: An Act of True Love

“…For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” – Matthew 12:34

Sometimes, peace is best achieved through silence.  There are some people you can’t change, some situations that can’t be fixed, and some things that are better left unsaid, no matter how true they are.

I’ve found this out the hard way in my own life.  I’ve allowed anger to grow and fester in my heart for so long that I allowed it to spew from my mouth in the form of hate.  That’s not to say my anger wasn’t justified or that I didn’t mean what I said, but my words only made the situation worse.  In fact, they did NOTHING to change the situation and only increased stress.  There were more effective ways to speak what I felt, but honestly, in my situation, choosing not to speak would have been the best course of action.

I think part of the reason people say things they regret is because they first choose not to forgive.  Instead, they allow bitterness to grow inside of their hearts until their anger comes out in the form of angry words that drive wedges in relationships and do more to hurt than to help.

Of course, true forgiveness came from Jesus.  Only because He first forgave us are we able to forgive others.  Everything in our hearts and in our society says to hold onto anger. We justify it by claiming that the person we won’t forgive doesn’t deserve to be forgiven.

In reality, none of us do.

Jesus didn’t come to earth because we deserved Him.  We don’t deserve to be allowed to wash His feet, let alone receive His forgiveness.  Jesus didn’t have to die for us.  In fact, He didn’t want to.  Jesus begged God for a way out, three times in fact.

“Going in a little father, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.  Yet not as I will, but as you will’…He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’…So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing…”  - Matthew 26:39, 42, 44

Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human, and could feel pain just like you and me.  And just like you and me, He didn’t want to go through the agony He knew was coming.  Yet He chose death to give us life.  He chose forgiveness instead of hate.

Just like Jesus, we too should choose to forgive.  If we don’t, our mouths take over, betraying our true feelings.  This only leads to hurt, for both the person who is delivering the words and the person receiving them.  I’ve found that sometimes, the people we choose not to forgive are less affected by our anger than we are.  I felt a physical ache in my heart for a long time, years even. This ache could have been removed long ago had I chosen to forgive earlier. As soon as I did, it was like a 100-pound weight had been lifted from my chest.  Finally, I didn’t have to be angry anymore.  It gave me such a relief to not have to hold onto the bitterness that had been festering for so long.  Ironically, the person at whom my anger was directed didn’t know the extent of my anger or how long I had been angry.  My refusal to forgive hurt me more than it hurt the person I wouldn’t forgive.

I know that my words reflect the condition of my heart.  If my heart is trapped in bitterness, anger, and hate, so my words will be spiteful, mean, and hateful.  I also know that sometimes I am not capable of forgiveness on my own.  My feelings won’t allow me to forgive.  Forgiveness is a choice.  Jesus chose to forgive us, and I have to make a conscious decision to forgive others.  Oftentimes, I need Jesus to help me forgive those who have hurt me  or those I love.  My mind and heart tell me they don’t deserve to be forgiven. But what right do I have to withhold forgiveness from anyone?  Jesus didn’t withhold forgiveness from me even though He had every right to.  He was perfect.  I am flawed beyond measure.  He gave forgiveness.  I can only fall to my knees in humility, thankful that God loved me enough to send His Son and that Jesus loved me enough to endure torture and death in order to give me a chance at eternity in Heaven.  I don’t have the right to hold onto my anger.

Forgiveness is a way to experience God’s grace and freedom like never before.

As we enter into this Christmas season, remember why God sent His only Son to earth to die.  The reason can be summed up in on sentence:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Forgiveness is an act of true love, first extended to us by God through the sacrifice of His Son, then by Jesus through His willingness to die.  I am so thankful for the second chance I don’t deserve.  What justification do I have but to allow others a second chance, as well?

What Would I Miss?

“…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Ephesians 5:20

Last night I attended Koinonia, the weekly 1-hour worship service held at my college.  The topic that the song choices centered around on was being thankful.  The service made me wonder…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6

How often do I ask God for something before I thank Him for what I already have?  Sometimes, I think I treat God like a genie in a bottle, like someone who grants wishes, instead of as an all-powerful Creator.  As human beings, especially coming from a first-world Western nation, we are always wanting more.  More money, more material possessions, more power, more popularity…the list goes on and on.  But what if those things weren’t accessible?  What if our greatest desires were for basic necessities, like enough food for the day or water that wasn’t dangerous to drink?  What if all we wanted was a roof over our heads and a bed to call our own?  Would we be more likely to thank God for the days when we don’t go hungry?  For days where we’re healthy?  For the sunshine?  For little things that we normally take for granted?

I once heard someone pose this question: What if we woke up in the morning with only the things we thanked God for the night before??

When I think about what I thank God for each night, does my list include the colors of nature, the “smell” of snow, the crisp air of fall?  Does it include friends who stick by me through thick and thin, professors who know be my name and genuinely care about me as a person?  What about my mom, who loves me even when I am unlovable, or my dad, who takes me fishing and who taught me how to drive?  Does it include my sister Jena, who make me laugh until tears run down my cheeks, or Molly, who calls me “boogers” in the most loving way possible? (yes, you can laugh at that!)    Or how about the sound of leaves crunching under my feet in the fall or the discovery of animal tracks in the snow on my front yard during the winter?

What have I not thanked God for today that I would miss tomorrow?

Now, I know God isn’t going to suddenly decide to take away everything we forget to thank Him for.  But asking myself that question made me realize something.  Never have I sat down and made an exhaustive list of everything I am thankful for, from the basic things like food on the table to more detailed things like the fact that every snowflake is unique and beautiful in its own way.  Never have I really thought about every single thing I would miss if I didn’t have it!

Here’s the beginning of my list:

1. the sound of birds chirping and singing on a spring morning

2. the slightly spicy taste of a veggie burger – I had my first one today!

3. the variety of food options here at school – even if they’re not the highest quality, there are always some good, healthy options

4.  my friends and teammates on the field hockey team – those girls are so sweet and just AWESOME!

5.  my sisters – they make me laugh so hard that I cry!

6.  my parents – their love for me is unconditional

I think one of the most important things God wants us to have is a grateful heart.  Maybe I don’t sit down every night and list each thing I’m thankful for.  As you can tell from the beginning of my list above, I could be sitting thanking God for hours.  I think it’s almost more important to live out our thankfulness.  Take the time to appreciate the beauty of nature; go out of your way to do kind things for the people you love; work hard at school.  Basically, show God that the blessings and gifts He gives matter to you!  Trying to do that, along with remembering to thank God for those blessings as often as you think of them seems like a great goal to have.

I read a story in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book about some people who were imprisoned in a concentration camp during World War II.  They were not Jews.  In fact, they were actually Christians!  One of their main complains while living there was the bugs.  (It’s been so long since I read the story – I’m not sure if they were bed bugs or lice.  I think they were lice.)  Anyway, those people chose to take God’s Word seriously; they went so far as to thank Him for the lice!!!  Later, they found out that the Nazi Officers left their living quarters alone because they didn’t want to be around that many lice!  Because the Nazis left them alone, they were able to freely share the Gospel with the others living there!

You never know what God’s plans might be for you – maybe, by obeying God’s Word – taking it literally – thanking Him for something that seems insignificant, or, as the story above illustrates, something horrible that you really are not grateful for, He will use it to further His Kingdom!

Today, I challenge you to make a list of things you’re thankful for.  Whether they’re big things or little things doesn’t really matter.  And don’t just say you’re thankful…Live It Out!