1. Jesus-He and #3 are the only people on this list that I will probably ever actually meet
2. Carrie Underwood-I mean, who wouldn't want to meet her?
3. My future husband-yeh I'm impatient.
4. The inventor of diet coke-I would give him/her a really big hug
5. Coco Chanel
6. Jonathan-from the Bible
7. Alvin-from Alvin and the chipmunks...yes I realize he is a cartoon.
8. Liam Neeson-bc he's cool AND old! haha thanks Jason.
9. Andy Stanley-love listening to him speak
10. Kerri Walsh
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Imperfect Perfection
♪We cover it all with a crooked smile, but it only lasts for a little while. There's no such thing as perfect people. There's no such thing as a perfect life, so come as you are broken and scarred. Lift up your heart and be amazed and be changed by a perfect God♫ "Perfect People" by Natalie Grant
Perfection. We all strive for it. We all fail in attaining it. What would it be like if we were all perfect? What would that look like? What would we look like?
I heard this song on the radio on my way home tonight, and I have always loved this song, so decided to blog about it and the message it conveys. It is about perfection. How we try to be perfect. How we fail at trying. And how we serve a perfect God. As humans, we hate for other people to see our flaws and our weaknesses. You weaknesses and flaws are where you are the most vulnerable, and we try our best and our hardest to cover them up from the rest of the world. But who are we fooling? We all know that we have flaws and we know that every other person has them too. So whats wrong with showing our imperfections and just embracing them?
The chorus of this song is ever so comforting. "Come as you are, broken and scarred. Lift up your heart and be amazed and be changed by a perfect God." We can come to God without fear of ridicule and with all of our weaknesses laid out on the table. And lucky for us, we serve a perfect God, and He loves us perfect or not.
So the challenge...quit trying to be perfect, embrace your imperfections, and use them to glorify your Lord and Savior.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Destruction, Desolation, Death
♪And it’s Your eye in the storm watching over me. And it’s Your eye in the storm wanting only good for me. And if You are the war let me be the casualty 'til I’m Yours alone♫ -"Hurricane" by Jimmy Needham
Destruction. Desolation. Death. Scary isn't it? These words have meaning that most of us cannot even begin to grasp. The lyrics are from "Hurricane" by Jimmy Needham. I had heard this song on the radio before and even knew all the lyrics, but up until this past Fall, I was not able to grasp what the song was really about. One weekend, I was working at Camp Longridge, and the oh so wonderful Addie Ridgeway had this song as her alarm. I woke up to this song and had it stuck in my head all day...all weekend in fact. When I got back to Rock Hill, I proceeded to listen to it over and over and over and over again. It was then that the meaning really hit me.
This song is about destruction, desolation, and death. But it is a beautiful disaster all happening within the shadows of our Lord and Savior. From the world's point of view, those 3 D's are horrible; however, with God, nothing in life is horrible. God is the driving force behind all of the storms in our life, but even though He may allow us to go through them, we must always remember that also means that he is always in control of it all.
"It's Your eye in the storm watching over me. And it's Your eye in the storm wanting only good for me." If you've ever done the slightest bit of research on hurricanes, you will know that the eye of the hurricane is the middle of it. Now logically you would think that the middle would be the harshest and most dangerous place to be, but the opposite is actually true. The eye of the storm is calm and peaceful, but there is no way to get into the eye of the storm without going through the rough turmoil first. In the midst of all the turmoil we face in life, God is the eye of our storm. He is our peace, comfort, and present help in time of need. He is always there watching over us and wanting what is best for us. Here's the catch though, we cannot stay in the eye forever, we must move beyond the storm, and that requires us to go through the whole storm yet again. But don't forget that He is ultimately in control of the storm itself.
Now what about the last part of the lyric above? "And if You are the war, let me be Your casualty 'til I am Yours alone." Now I can make my own meaning and judgment about this lyric, but I honestly cannot say it any better than Jimmy Needham himself put it. When asked about this song, Jimmy Needham says that "We want God to come to us, and He shows up in a lot of different ways. He comes as a loving Father; he comes as a friend, as an encourager, as a healer...But sometimes He shows up as a hurricane, and the God we thought came to comfort us actually came to wreck us. It looks tragic, but nothing could be further from the truth. When God destroys us, it is only so He can build us back up again." Wow. I believe I could end this blog here and leave us all with plenty to think about...but I will continue.
Sometimes, God is not the eye, but the storm itself. God comes to wreck us. When muscles are torn, they grow back stronger. I like to think that God is working on a similar principle. He breaks us and tears us down, only to make us stronger. He will sometimes step in and wreck us so that we are a casualty and we have nothing but Him to cling to. And although destruction, desolation, and death all seem tragic, dying to ourselves should be a daily display of commitment. Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, "Whoever will save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it." We must be willing to die to ourselves and to be resurrected and ready to live for Him.
So here's the challenge, in the storms of life, always remember that God is either the eye in the storm in which case He will comfort you and be your hope, or He is the storm itself and is destroying you to make you stronger. Either way, you will find that the turmoil of the storm will eventually pass, and that He will end up being the wind at your back and the sun on your face. He will be your blues skies until hurricane season rolls around again.
Destruction. Desolation. Death. Scary isn't it? These words have meaning that most of us cannot even begin to grasp. The lyrics are from "Hurricane" by Jimmy Needham. I had heard this song on the radio before and even knew all the lyrics, but up until this past Fall, I was not able to grasp what the song was really about. One weekend, I was working at Camp Longridge, and the oh so wonderful Addie Ridgeway had this song as her alarm. I woke up to this song and had it stuck in my head all day...all weekend in fact. When I got back to Rock Hill, I proceeded to listen to it over and over and over and over again. It was then that the meaning really hit me.
This song is about destruction, desolation, and death. But it is a beautiful disaster all happening within the shadows of our Lord and Savior. From the world's point of view, those 3 D's are horrible; however, with God, nothing in life is horrible. God is the driving force behind all of the storms in our life, but even though He may allow us to go through them, we must always remember that also means that he is always in control of it all.
"It's Your eye in the storm watching over me. And it's Your eye in the storm wanting only good for me." If you've ever done the slightest bit of research on hurricanes, you will know that the eye of the hurricane is the middle of it. Now logically you would think that the middle would be the harshest and most dangerous place to be, but the opposite is actually true. The eye of the storm is calm and peaceful, but there is no way to get into the eye of the storm without going through the rough turmoil first. In the midst of all the turmoil we face in life, God is the eye of our storm. He is our peace, comfort, and present help in time of need. He is always there watching over us and wanting what is best for us. Here's the catch though, we cannot stay in the eye forever, we must move beyond the storm, and that requires us to go through the whole storm yet again. But don't forget that He is ultimately in control of the storm itself.
Now what about the last part of the lyric above? "And if You are the war, let me be Your casualty 'til I am Yours alone." Now I can make my own meaning and judgment about this lyric, but I honestly cannot say it any better than Jimmy Needham himself put it. When asked about this song, Jimmy Needham says that "We want God to come to us, and He shows up in a lot of different ways. He comes as a loving Father; he comes as a friend, as an encourager, as a healer...But sometimes He shows up as a hurricane, and the God we thought came to comfort us actually came to wreck us. It looks tragic, but nothing could be further from the truth. When God destroys us, it is only so He can build us back up again." Wow. I believe I could end this blog here and leave us all with plenty to think about...but I will continue.
Sometimes, God is not the eye, but the storm itself. God comes to wreck us. When muscles are torn, they grow back stronger. I like to think that God is working on a similar principle. He breaks us and tears us down, only to make us stronger. He will sometimes step in and wreck us so that we are a casualty and we have nothing but Him to cling to. And although destruction, desolation, and death all seem tragic, dying to ourselves should be a daily display of commitment. Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, "Whoever will save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it." We must be willing to die to ourselves and to be resurrected and ready to live for Him.
So here's the challenge, in the storms of life, always remember that God is either the eye in the storm in which case He will comfort you and be your hope, or He is the storm itself and is destroying you to make you stronger. Either way, you will find that the turmoil of the storm will eventually pass, and that He will end up being the wind at your back and the sun on your face. He will be your blues skies until hurricane season rolls around again.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
J.O.Y.
"Love your neighbor as yourself." -Mark 12:31
There is probably only a handful of people in this whole country that have not heard this Bible verse. Jesus dubbed it the 2nd greatest commandment (right after love the Lord your God). We all know that it is often hard to love those that are around us, but the other day I found myself wondering, "What if someone hates themselves? Does that give them the foundation to hate others?" I continued to think that surely this was not the case. Yet, there are millions of people that are unsatisfied with the way they look, the jobs they hold, their relationships, and other aspects of their lives. They just hate themselves.
If you are one of these people, I would like to propose a alternative point of view. If you hate yourself, remember that David said in Psalm 139:13-14"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." You are wonderfully made and God made you just the way you are for a reason. It's hard to hate yourself when the creator of the universe thinks you're to die for, and it's hard to love others if you cannot love yourself first.
A famous quote from Gandhi reads, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." I find this to be extremely true. How are you supposed to spread the love of God if you cannot feel it for yourself? Once you are able to love yourself through God's love, you can get your priorities in order. These priorities should be as follows: Jesus first, Others next, Yourself last. You will find that you have joy if you do this. I challenge you to feel the love of God so that you can love yourself, so that you can then multiply and spread that love to you neighbors :)
There is probably only a handful of people in this whole country that have not heard this Bible verse. Jesus dubbed it the 2nd greatest commandment (right after love the Lord your God). We all know that it is often hard to love those that are around us, but the other day I found myself wondering, "What if someone hates themselves? Does that give them the foundation to hate others?" I continued to think that surely this was not the case. Yet, there are millions of people that are unsatisfied with the way they look, the jobs they hold, their relationships, and other aspects of their lives. They just hate themselves.
If you are one of these people, I would like to propose a alternative point of view. If you hate yourself, remember that David said in Psalm 139:13-14"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." You are wonderfully made and God made you just the way you are for a reason. It's hard to hate yourself when the creator of the universe thinks you're to die for, and it's hard to love others if you cannot love yourself first.
A famous quote from Gandhi reads, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." I find this to be extremely true. How are you supposed to spread the love of God if you cannot feel it for yourself? Once you are able to love yourself through God's love, you can get your priorities in order. These priorities should be as follows: Jesus first, Others next, Yourself last. You will find that you have joy if you do this. I challenge you to feel the love of God so that you can love yourself, so that you can then multiply and spread that love to you neighbors :)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
10 Things that are worth every penny
1. A slinky-who can't entertain themselves with a $.50 coiled piece of metal or plastic?
2. Bible
3. A dog-aka a best friend that always loves you and cant back talk you
4. A cute pair of shoes-you just have a better day when you're wearing cute shoes :)
5. A really good pillow-the end and beginning to perfect days
6. An iPod
7. Kosikas-pure entertainment
8. Band-aids-bc it sucks when you need one and don't have one
9. Duck tape-soooooooo many uses
10. A good education! ..........bahahahahahaha who are we kidding, I'm never using any of this stuff ever again and its WAY overpriced.
2. Bible
3. A dog-aka a best friend that always loves you and cant back talk you
4. A cute pair of shoes-you just have a better day when you're wearing cute shoes :)
5. A really good pillow-the end and beginning to perfect days
6. An iPod
7. Kosikas-pure entertainment
8. Band-aids-bc it sucks when you need one and don't have one
9. Duck tape-soooooooo many uses
10. A good education! ..........bahahahahahaha who are we kidding, I'm never using any of this stuff ever again and its WAY overpriced.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Love's Looking Good on You
"Beloved, let us love one another. For love comes from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does love, does not know God for God is love." -1 John 4:7-8
So everyone knows what today is. Some love it, some hate it, some refuse to acknowledge it, and some embrace it as "Single Awareness Day." Whatever category you fit into, know first of all that you are loved. I can almost guarantee that there is someone on this earth who you mean the world to, and even if there is not, God loves you more than you can ever imagine.
So for Valentine's Day I received a gift from a special friend. This gift was a Bible Dictionary. I have been flipping through it often, checking out the maps, time lines, pictures, and some of the entries. Today I came across the entry on love. I realize that I wrote a couple weeks ago on love, but its my blog so I can write what I want and I'm writing another one about love.
This entry was discussing the types of love mentioned in the Bible. First there is ahavah which is human love. This is love you might have for yourself, your car, other people. This is the portion of love that we know and, for lack of a better word, love. This is then broken up into eros which is sexual love and passion and phileo which is deep love for a family member or close friend.
Lastly, there is the part of love that we cannot understand, agapo. This is the love that God gives us. As humans we make love something that is mutual. We think, "I'll love so-and-so because they love me" and vice versa. And then on the contrary, it is our sinful nature to think "Why should I love so-and-so? They are a jerk and don't deserve it!" But what would happen if we all tried to love like God? If we all loved those who are unlovable and we loved unconditionally? As Christians, this is what we are called to do, but we choose instead to discriminate against those who are of another race, religion, sexuality, etc. Many even use God's word to beat others to the ground. Now I agree that we should follow specifics in the Bible and that there are people that are "right" and others that are "wrong". But if someone chooses to sin against God in the form of murder, homosexuality, etc, that does not mean that you treat them any less than a human being. God loves them as much as He loves you and me, He died for them, and they are a sinner that is no worse than you and I are. His love is unconditional, unfailing, and everlasting.
On a final note, if someone hates you, the best thing you can do to get back at them is to love them. You may confuse them or the holy spirit may convict them about hurting you, and who knows maybe you'll become friends through that one act of kindness. If not, you saved the energy you would have spent getting back at them.
So the challenge...love those who you think deserve it least because they are often the ones who need it the most.
So everyone knows what today is. Some love it, some hate it, some refuse to acknowledge it, and some embrace it as "Single Awareness Day." Whatever category you fit into, know first of all that you are loved. I can almost guarantee that there is someone on this earth who you mean the world to, and even if there is not, God loves you more than you can ever imagine.
So for Valentine's Day I received a gift from a special friend. This gift was a Bible Dictionary. I have been flipping through it often, checking out the maps, time lines, pictures, and some of the entries. Today I came across the entry on love. I realize that I wrote a couple weeks ago on love, but its my blog so I can write what I want and I'm writing another one about love.
This entry was discussing the types of love mentioned in the Bible. First there is ahavah which is human love. This is love you might have for yourself, your car, other people. This is the portion of love that we know and, for lack of a better word, love. This is then broken up into eros which is sexual love and passion and phileo which is deep love for a family member or close friend.
Lastly, there is the part of love that we cannot understand, agapo. This is the love that God gives us. As humans we make love something that is mutual. We think, "I'll love so-and-so because they love me" and vice versa. And then on the contrary, it is our sinful nature to think "Why should I love so-and-so? They are a jerk and don't deserve it!" But what would happen if we all tried to love like God? If we all loved those who are unlovable and we loved unconditionally? As Christians, this is what we are called to do, but we choose instead to discriminate against those who are of another race, religion, sexuality, etc. Many even use God's word to beat others to the ground. Now I agree that we should follow specifics in the Bible and that there are people that are "right" and others that are "wrong". But if someone chooses to sin against God in the form of murder, homosexuality, etc, that does not mean that you treat them any less than a human being. God loves them as much as He loves you and me, He died for them, and they are a sinner that is no worse than you and I are. His love is unconditional, unfailing, and everlasting.
On a final note, if someone hates you, the best thing you can do to get back at them is to love them. You may confuse them or the holy spirit may convict them about hurting you, and who knows maybe you'll become friends through that one act of kindness. If not, you saved the energy you would have spent getting back at them.
So the challenge...love those who you think deserve it least because they are often the ones who need it the most.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Easy as 1, 2, 3
"Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken." -Ecclesiastes 4:12
Recently, I have been taking my time getting through the book of Ecclesiastes. One night I got to this verse and just dwelled on it for a while. I took is as you are the one person...by yourself you can do nothing, you are easily overpowered by the devil and almost anyone else. The second person is God. With God by your side, "all things are possible." Now what about the third person? Basically I came to the conclusion that this verse is about having godly friendships and support. The third person is another Christian. I think that friends are possibly one of the most vital parts of someone's Christian walk. They serve as encouragement, accountability, and a person to "do life with" as I've heard it referred to before. Between the three of you, nothing will break your cord.
This verse took me back to this past summer. During the summer of 2010, I met some of my best friends. Some of these people are some of the best Christians I have ever met, and just some of the best people in general. I would trust almost any one of these people could be my third cord. This summer made me realize that the quality of your friendships with other Christians can make a major impact on your mental and emotional strength as well as how close your three cords become. When you pull on both ends of a rope, you find that all cords of the rope actually get closer together despite the fact that you are trying to pull them apart. You and your friend will get closer to each other and hopefully closer to God as well.
I also think this is why it is so important to have God as part of your relationships with people, especially when dating and in marriage. I have made the mistake once of pushing God out of a relationship, and that was the worst possible idea I could have had. It crumbled, failed, and was pretty miserable. I will not be making that mistake again, and I suggest you vow to do the same. Make it very clear from the start that you will have a three-person relationship, God, the other person, and then yourself. If both parties establish this and actually keep it up, you may find that there's no such thing as a "bad relationship" despite the ending result.
So the challenge for this blog is to examine your friendships and make sure your closest friends are those that are going to make your cord the strongest. In addition (and most importantly), make sure God is your second strand.
Recently, I have been taking my time getting through the book of Ecclesiastes. One night I got to this verse and just dwelled on it for a while. I took is as you are the one person...by yourself you can do nothing, you are easily overpowered by the devil and almost anyone else. The second person is God. With God by your side, "all things are possible." Now what about the third person? Basically I came to the conclusion that this verse is about having godly friendships and support. The third person is another Christian. I think that friends are possibly one of the most vital parts of someone's Christian walk. They serve as encouragement, accountability, and a person to "do life with" as I've heard it referred to before. Between the three of you, nothing will break your cord.
This verse took me back to this past summer. During the summer of 2010, I met some of my best friends. Some of these people are some of the best Christians I have ever met, and just some of the best people in general. I would trust almost any one of these people could be my third cord. This summer made me realize that the quality of your friendships with other Christians can make a major impact on your mental and emotional strength as well as how close your three cords become. When you pull on both ends of a rope, you find that all cords of the rope actually get closer together despite the fact that you are trying to pull them apart. You and your friend will get closer to each other and hopefully closer to God as well.
I also think this is why it is so important to have God as part of your relationships with people, especially when dating and in marriage. I have made the mistake once of pushing God out of a relationship, and that was the worst possible idea I could have had. It crumbled, failed, and was pretty miserable. I will not be making that mistake again, and I suggest you vow to do the same. Make it very clear from the start that you will have a three-person relationship, God, the other person, and then yourself. If both parties establish this and actually keep it up, you may find that there's no such thing as a "bad relationship" despite the ending result.
So the challenge for this blog is to examine your friendships and make sure your closest friends are those that are going to make your cord the strongest. In addition (and most importantly), make sure God is your second strand.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
What do I Know?
♪I think I made You too small. I've never feared You at all...then I caught a glimpse of who You might be, the slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees♫ -Addison Road "What Do I Know of Holy"
The first time I heard this song it hit me like a ton of bricks. There is soooooooo much depth to this song and so much truth to be brought into light. Basically the whole song is about God being so much bigger than we can ever imagine.
People say that God has a sense of humor, and I definitely agree based on numerous situations in which I have encountered God in my life. Personally, I like to think I have God figured out, but He he never fails to prove me wrong. I picture Him sitting on His throne looking down at me and saying, "Haha, Kayla. That's cute that you think you know me and have it all figured out, but watch this..." He then proceeds to blow my mind with His awesomeness. He is constantly reminding me that He is in control and that I am not. It is so easy to push God to the side and to forget how much of a necessity He is, until that moment when everything is falling apart and we have no where to run except to Him. It is at these points in our lives that we are reminded how much we need Him.
The chorus of this song is all questions. "What do I know of You who spoke me into motion? Where have I even stood but the shore along Your ocean? Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful? So what do I know, what do I know of holy?" If we are honest with ourselves, all of us can answer all of these questions with just one answer. That answer is "I don't know". What do we know of God? We may know stories, we may know Him as a father or as a savior, but in the vastness of it all we really know nothing. This realization was quite hard for me to swallow. I thought I knew God backwards and forwards, but He has shown me otherwise.
Now here's the good thing...we're not supposed to know. We're not supposed to know or understand the mysteries of God. That's why they are mysteries. In college, you respect professors because (for the most part) they know more than you do. They can teach you. However, when you graduate, who says that they are any better than you are? If you get a doctorate degree in chemistry, the next guy that has the same degree is on the same level as you. You know the same stuff. The same is true with the mysteries of God. If He told us all the stuff He knew, not only would we would put ourselves on a status equal to Him, but we may find ourselves caught up in how great we are and lose focus of how wonderful He is.
Here's the reality, God is bigger than anything we can ever dream up. He is more powerful than anyone we can every imagine. And lastly, He is more loving than we could ever deserve. His love is all encompassing and we often fail to remember that fact.
The first time I heard this song it hit me like a ton of bricks. There is soooooooo much depth to this song and so much truth to be brought into light. Basically the whole song is about God being so much bigger than we can ever imagine.
People say that God has a sense of humor, and I definitely agree based on numerous situations in which I have encountered God in my life. Personally, I like to think I have God figured out, but He he never fails to prove me wrong. I picture Him sitting on His throne looking down at me and saying, "Haha, Kayla. That's cute that you think you know me and have it all figured out, but watch this..." He then proceeds to blow my mind with His awesomeness. He is constantly reminding me that He is in control and that I am not. It is so easy to push God to the side and to forget how much of a necessity He is, until that moment when everything is falling apart and we have no where to run except to Him. It is at these points in our lives that we are reminded how much we need Him.
The chorus of this song is all questions. "What do I know of You who spoke me into motion? Where have I even stood but the shore along Your ocean? Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful? So what do I know, what do I know of holy?" If we are honest with ourselves, all of us can answer all of these questions with just one answer. That answer is "I don't know". What do we know of God? We may know stories, we may know Him as a father or as a savior, but in the vastness of it all we really know nothing. This realization was quite hard for me to swallow. I thought I knew God backwards and forwards, but He has shown me otherwise.
Now here's the good thing...we're not supposed to know. We're not supposed to know or understand the mysteries of God. That's why they are mysteries. In college, you respect professors because (for the most part) they know more than you do. They can teach you. However, when you graduate, who says that they are any better than you are? If you get a doctorate degree in chemistry, the next guy that has the same degree is on the same level as you. You know the same stuff. The same is true with the mysteries of God. If He told us all the stuff He knew, not only would we would put ourselves on a status equal to Him, but we may find ourselves caught up in how great we are and lose focus of how wonderful He is.
Here's the reality, God is bigger than anything we can ever dream up. He is more powerful than anyone we can every imagine. And lastly, He is more loving than we could ever deserve. His love is all encompassing and we often fail to remember that fact.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Love Bug
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." -1 Corinthians 4:4-8
Okay, so it is finally the month of February. And what does everyone think about when they hear the word February? ...Black History Month. In 1963, a man by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. said...haha jk. Anyways, so the real answer to this question is Valentine's Day (aka Single Awareness Day). Next, what is the point of Valentine's Day? Simply put, it is to spread the love. As this holiday (which is not technically a federal holiday) has been quickly approaching, I began to think about what love really is. I soon found myself comparing human love to God's love. After doing some extensive reading I came to this conclusion...there is no comparison. Now I could stop here and this would be a rather short blog, but where is the fun in that?
On dictionary.com there are 28 definitions of love. In the verse quoted above, God gives us what looks like 15 definitions (#1-patient, #2-kind, etc); however, I believe this is not 15 definitions, it is only one. According to the world, love is anything from a score of 0 in tennis, to passionate affection, to a word that was used to communicate the letter "L." When refering to love, it can any one of these things, but it cannot be all of them at once. God gives us a completely opposite perspective though. In his definition of love, it cannot be just one of these things, but it must be all of them at once. You see, when loving someone (whether this be a spouse, friend, or even God himself), you cannot pick and choose the characteristics of love that you want to give. You must be fully committed and be willing no tot hold any part of the definition back.
The next thing that occurred to me was a challenge to myself. In my very first blog I put one of my new years resolutions. This resolution was to not have any enemies from my point of view; to love everyone no matter what they think of me. In this resolution, I challenged myself to love people with God's love and not just human love, but this has been a complete failure. Not only have I said some very unloving things, I also came to the realization that I can never love someone with a love that is even comparable to that which God has given me. However, I will still continue to pursue this resolution despite the fact that I cannot fully succeed.
In the famous song "How He Loves Us" by David Crowder Band, one of the lyrics reads that God "loves like a hurricane, I am a tree. Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy." That picture of such force behind such unfailing love, is one that we as humans can never mimic. And then the lyric right after that reads, "When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory. And I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me." This is actually my favorite line in the whole song. It attempts to paint the picture of a God who loves us so much that He blocks out anything else that has ever been of importance or hindrance to us. Unfortunately, the attempt to paint this picture is quite possibly the biggest fail ever recorded...because although it possibly surpasses describing the epitome of human love, it is still not even on the radar of pinpointing and describing the vastness of the love our God has for us. It is indescribable and we as humans are unable to comprehend the greatness of God's unconditional love for us.
So here's the challenge, try to love everyone with the definition of love that was quoted in the beginning, and make sure it is with the whole definition, not just parts of it. Then love God to the best of your ability. You can never out-love Him, but its worth a try. :)
Okay, so it is finally the month of February. And what does everyone think about when they hear the word February? ...Black History Month. In 1963, a man by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. said...haha jk. Anyways, so the real answer to this question is Valentine's Day (aka Single Awareness Day). Next, what is the point of Valentine's Day? Simply put, it is to spread the love. As this holiday (which is not technically a federal holiday) has been quickly approaching, I began to think about what love really is. I soon found myself comparing human love to God's love. After doing some extensive reading I came to this conclusion...there is no comparison. Now I could stop here and this would be a rather short blog, but where is the fun in that?
On dictionary.com there are 28 definitions of love. In the verse quoted above, God gives us what looks like 15 definitions (#1-patient, #2-kind, etc); however, I believe this is not 15 definitions, it is only one. According to the world, love is anything from a score of 0 in tennis, to passionate affection, to a word that was used to communicate the letter "L." When refering to love, it can any one of these things, but it cannot be all of them at once. God gives us a completely opposite perspective though. In his definition of love, it cannot be just one of these things, but it must be all of them at once. You see, when loving someone (whether this be a spouse, friend, or even God himself), you cannot pick and choose the characteristics of love that you want to give. You must be fully committed and be willing no tot hold any part of the definition back.
The next thing that occurred to me was a challenge to myself. In my very first blog I put one of my new years resolutions. This resolution was to not have any enemies from my point of view; to love everyone no matter what they think of me. In this resolution, I challenged myself to love people with God's love and not just human love, but this has been a complete failure. Not only have I said some very unloving things, I also came to the realization that I can never love someone with a love that is even comparable to that which God has given me. However, I will still continue to pursue this resolution despite the fact that I cannot fully succeed.
In the famous song "How He Loves Us" by David Crowder Band, one of the lyrics reads that God "loves like a hurricane, I am a tree. Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy." That picture of such force behind such unfailing love, is one that we as humans can never mimic. And then the lyric right after that reads, "When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory. And I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me." This is actually my favorite line in the whole song. It attempts to paint the picture of a God who loves us so much that He blocks out anything else that has ever been of importance or hindrance to us. Unfortunately, the attempt to paint this picture is quite possibly the biggest fail ever recorded...because although it possibly surpasses describing the epitome of human love, it is still not even on the radar of pinpointing and describing the vastness of the love our God has for us. It is indescribable and we as humans are unable to comprehend the greatness of God's unconditional love for us.
So here's the challenge, try to love everyone with the definition of love that was quoted in the beginning, and make sure it is with the whole definition, not just parts of it. Then love God to the best of your ability. You can never out-love Him, but its worth a try. :)
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