Not Missing It!

This year, for Lent, I gave up all drinks besides water. {Seeing as how I'm addicted to tea, this was a challenge for me!} At first I missed drinking tea so badly. I couldn't keep my mind off of it! Plain old unflavored water just couldn't compete with delicious flavorful green tea!

It's been almost 2 weeks now, and I don't really miss tea at all. I know that I'm only drinking water until Easter, so I don't dwell on tea. This little experience has led me to a bigger, much more important question:

What if, instead of a break from drinking tea, you take a break from your relationship with God?

Just a break, right? When it's over, you'll turn right back to Christ and build you relationship back up again.

Only... what if you find that you DON'T miss it? You aren't longing for your relationship with Christ back. You are content to just drift away and take which ever path Satan leads you towards.

Then we have a problem.

Some things that we give up over the course of life {like tea!} are beneficial to us. They improve our lives.

Other things, like Bible reading and our time with the Lord, should not be given up. Ever!

The thing is, that once we get more lenient and stop spending time in the Word, we start to get used to it. It becomes routine for us not to read the Bible. We stop MISSING it.

We should miss it! We should crave every second and delight in all of our precious time building up our relationship in Christ. God's Grace is a free gift, and we should be enjoying that gift our whole lives.

Think about it. Be proactive, so as not to miss out on something great. We don't know how long this journey we call life will last, so we must make each moment count.

What is something you have given up that you really should NOT be missing out on?

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:17

Blessings!

Remarkable Faith: Christmas Baptism

Instead of the usual Thoughtful Thursday, I'm spicing it up! For the next 8 weeks of Lent, I'm going to participate in Mary at Giving Up On Perfect's Remarkable Faith journey.

A Life-Changing Baptism
Nowadays, one of my favorite things is going to church. Seriously. It's crazy how much I enjoy church, especially with my history.

I haven't always liked church. In fact, I used to despise it. I cried when I had to go with my parents or grandparents. That really makes me sad today because I missed out on some awesome stuff.

Anyway, when I was 13 my cousin Hunter was born. His dad, my uncle Brian, was in the Navy. Normally, the church doesn't do baptisms in December because of all the business and excitement going on with Christmas, but because there were a few other military people in, they made an exception.

Needless to say, I DID NOT want to go. I cried, complained, whatever I could do to get myself out of going. Of course, my parents were never going to let me miss it, so I had to go. Plus, they were the Godparents.

"Ugh!!! I HATE church!!! Why?" I thought.

Luckily God would reveal this ever important WHY sooner than I'd ever expected. :)

I stormed into the church and promptly sat down with my head down and a fire burning in my heart. I'll show them. I won't watch, I won't listen. I HATE this!

The priest was asking all the families a few questions and then proceeded on with the ceremony. My little 2-month old cousin, Hunter, was up first.

Hunter's parents, my own parents, and the priest were all standing to together. My mom was holding Hunter, and as she passed him so that the official splash of water could be done, it hit me.

He's the one who did this.

He's the One who made it all happen.

It was Him.

You simply can't deny the miracle of life.

He is our father or fathers, our bane of existence, the one who keeps us going with each breath we take.

Hunter's parents and my parents were standing up there, but there was also another parent looking over us.

It was one of those moments... you know, where your parents are actually right about something, but you could never let them know that!

I pretended it was horrible and all, but it really wasn't. I've liked church ever since. It was a memorable step for me in my faith journey.The first step is always the hardest, right?

As I write all of this down, I figure out that there was a lot more to it than I thought. We don't get saved in just one day. It's a longer journey than that. Mine all happened when I was 13. I never really saw any of these things (especially this Baptism) as remarkable or life-changing, but they were.

And do you know when all of this happened? Only the day after our savior's birth (2,000+ years later) on December 26th.

"Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,"- 2 Timothy 1:9

Blessings!

Godly Character Quality #17: Determination! {For Lent}

Today is Ash Wednesday. I've been particularly looking forward to this day for a while.

Character Quality #17 is.... Determination vs. Faint- Heartedness: Purposing to Accomplish God's
goals in God's timing regardless of the opposition. - 2 Timothy 4:7-8

That's right. Today is the start of Lent, and we are all determined that we can do it. But it's not about US. It's about God! That's why we are doing it now. We aren't putting off the start of Lent until it's convenient for us. We are purposing to achieve that spiritual closeness God longs to have with us, NOW. This is why I feel that Lent is such an important season to celebrate!

I am already doing the cliche things. No chocolate or beverages besides water for the next 40 days. Okay, now what? For most people, nothing. Lent has been simplified to, "No chocolate until Easter."

I want these next 40 days to be a meaningful experience. Not just a deprivation of sugar (or so we think)experience.

Why do we observe Lent?

We do it for Jesus. Jesus made the biggest most important sacrifice ever... He gave his life for us! The Ultimate Sacrifice. The way I see it, we sacrifice something personal in honor of Him.

We make it hard. It really shouldn't be hard at all. What's so challenging about taking on/giving up one think so that we will have more time to honor Christ?

For the next 40 days I'm going to focus on strengthening my relationship with Him. Freshen up my Bible study, pray more often for more things, and be more selfless.

I always have 4 goals that I set for myself and ask God to help me accomplish every night: To not judge, to have empathy, to Obey, and to not complain.

I want this to be a time where my spiritual life can grow. I've never really known the meaning of Lent before. It used to just be a time where I didn't eat a certain food. But now I understand that there is a meaning. We wouldn't do this for nothing. We set aside our desires and empty ourselves of us so that we can be filled with Christ. :)

I won't be doing a Lent series, but you should drop by Serving One Another In Love where Heather is hosting one.

 I'm praying for us all to have a wonderful, purposeful, meaningful, Christ filled Lent.

Blessings!

P.S: Am I the only one who was out of the loop? Apparently, Mardi Gras is not just a month long celebration in Louisiana. It used to be just one day. The day before Ash Wednesday. Now, it is commonly known as Fat Tuesday. A day where you indulge in rich foods (like doughnuts) before fasting for Lent.

I have never heard of this until yesterday!